News: TVF - residents raise concerns about construction traffic

At a meeting last night, attended by some forty residents, a team from Alfred Homes listened to concerns about construction work being done at the the Test Valley Farm site, where five new homes are being built.

Construction traffic, and the damage and danger associated with it, dominated those concerns.

Cllr David Hall, Chair of Chilbolton Parish Council, welcomed the three representatives from Alfred Homes: Mark Lloyd, Construction Director, Matt Brook, Technical Manager and Joe Chamberlain, Site Manager.

Cllr Hall invited them to take questions from the floor before moving to speak individually to residents.

Mr Lloyd said that Alfred Homes were keen to work with people in the Village, and that any questions they couldn’t answer at the meeting would be followed up.

Asked what taking place on the site next, Mr Chamberlain said that groundworks would be undertaken until December 2026. The target date for completion was October 2027.

A resident thanked the Alfred Homes team for the signs that had been placed on Station Road, warning construction traffic not to use that route. She added, though, that she had observed a construction lorry parked there.

Another said that signs should also be placed at the top of Drove Road. He had seen a construction vehicle coming down the bridleway.

Asked what sanctions would be taken against drivers who ignored the routing plan, Mr Lloyd said that if a driver repeatedly used the forbidden routes they would be prevented from coming to the site.

There were also questions about how a single banksman could monitor the entire length of Little Drove Road. Mr Lloyd said that the banksman would only be used until passing places were installed there.

Concerns were also raised about the size of the vehicles using Little Drove Road, particularly the damage that they were doing, and the perception that the road is too narrow.

On the issue of the size of construction vehicles that would be used, Mr Lloyd confirmed that only rigid trucks were allowed, not articulated vehicles.

Cllr Hall said “We need to explore any viable options, but we want to minimise danger.”

A resident said that her house was on the boundary to the site, and that she had noticed some trenches being dug near her property. She asked what would happen to them. Mr Chamberlain replied that they were for storm drainage, and he confirmed that they would eventually be closed over.

The question session ended and the three Alfred Homes representatives spent the rest of the hour, listening and talking to Villagers.

Despite the depth of feeling for some in the room, the meeting was orderly and polite. The question at the end though, for many residents, was what would actually be done as a result.