VILLAGERS and parish councillors at Wickham are gearing up to stop heavy lorries trundling along a narrow country lane to reach the Knowle Hospital redevelopment site.

They have expressed concern that lorries could use Mayles Lane during major construction work at Knowle site, where 500 homes are being built.

The council has written to Winchester City Council planners asking what measures will be taken to prohibit the use of Mayles Lane as an access to the Knowle site and what action will be taken to enforce measures.

Ward district councillor Therese Evans said: "Mayles Lane is totally unsuitable for lorries and we want to make sure they don't use the road."

She stressed it was because of the Mayles Lane situation that a condition of planning approval was that construction traffic should keep out of the lane.

Another condition was a new road should be built across open fields linking the Knowle development site with the A32 north of Fareham.

This would take construction traffic and also be the main access road to the development.

Work has already started on the 21-week contract for the new road and when this is finished, building work should start in earnest at Knowle.

The development is taking place in five phases, with development beginning in the north-east and northern part of the site.

A total of 109 affordable homes to help young people step on the housing ladder are earmarked in the first phase.

The conversion of the hospital's main Victorian block into town houses and flats, plus the redevelopment of the chapel for community use are also proposed.

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