Colden Common & Twyford Focus, Spring 2018: “New Lib Dem candidate for Colden Common & Twyford, Hannah Williams, has made it clear that she strongly backs Richard Izard’s opposition to Eastleigh’s current plans for development,” says this month’s Lib Dem Colden Common & Twyford Focus. To view an image of the article, click here. Alternatively, we have printed it below:
“New Lib Dem candidate for Colden Common & Twyford, Hannah Williams, has made it clear that she strongly backs Richard Izard’s opposition to Eastleigh’s current plans for development.
Richard attended and spoke out at both the July 2017 and December 2017 public meetings opposing the proposals to build on Sites B & C [namely Eastleigh Borough Council’s plans for 5,200 new houses and a new link road between Lower Upham and Colden Common, north of Fair Oak and Bishopstoke].
Hannah’s recent surveying of local residents showed that people’s biggest concerns with the Eastleigh plans were the impact on traffic and local roads. Environmental impact was a close second.
Hannah believes development must work with surrounding communities not against them:
“We need a plan to CUT traffic through Colden Common and Twyford. A lot of the traffic on our roads is heading north from Fair Oak and Hedge End. The current plans mean that this pressure on our roads can only get worse.”
“Winchester City Council is generally very poor at making sure that proper traffic measures are taken in response to extra development. It frequently won’t oppose planning proposals when traffic measures are not adequate – and definitely needs to take a tougher line on Eastleigh’s proposals.”
“As they stand, the proposed Sites B and C are dependent on residents having cars: no bus, train or cycle provision has been made to serve this new community. Allbrook railway bridge also isn’t engineered to take the extra traffic – which will force the traffic north. The plan just isn’t thought through.”
Richard and Hannah have been backed by their Lib Dem colleagues. Chair of Winchester Liberal Democrats District Local Party, Cllr. Martin Tod, commented:
“Liberal Democrat part policy on issues like this is made locally. The Winchester local party and council group strongly back Richard and Hannah. And whatever has been reported, no one else in the party – no matter how senior – can tell us to do differently.””
