IT is clear that neither the residents of Picket Piece (without an interest in selling development land) or the Test Valley Borough Council planning department wanted this scheme for hundreds of new homes to go ahead.

However, the “Big Society” (giving control to local people) is in full swing with Eric Pickles dictating what we shall have from Westminster!

Having said this, we have what we have, so we should look after the council tax payers, both current and future.

This route will cause traffic chaos in the village as well as present driving hazards.

At peak times traffic to and from the new development will be held up, leading to long queues to get onto the Walworth Road, and it can be envisaged that many accidents will occur as drivers take risks when emerging from the new estate.

Better, in my view, to put in a diversion roundabout just prior to the village across the land earmarked for the W a l w o r t h I n d u s t r i a l Estate expansion.

I accept that this would reduce one of the current football pitches there but these will be replaced by (eight, I believe) new pitches just up the road on the Picket Twenty development.

So come on Test Valley Borough Council, be sensible here and release a small piece of this land to make the lives of the current Picket Piece residents more bearable and those of the residents on the future development!

Also, this proposal would benefit the occupants of the Ox Drove that will become extremely dangerous as it becomes a rat-run to avoid the inevitable congestion in Picket Piece.

Chris Prentice Picket Piece, Andover