On 30 May, Jackie Porter, Liberal Democrat candidate for Winchester, sent us the following email:
“I have spoken with residents in Church Lane (Colden Common), and elsewhere in my constituency, in support of ADD’s plea to prevent the degradation of the Ancient Woodland (in options B and C), and I know that residents on both sides of the constituency boundary have joined the Woodland Trust to show their support for this cause.
“Residents are not only concerned about the woodlands. They fear traffic chaos, and their own homes being swallowed up by the new conurbation.
“Building new homes is never easy and I realise that we need new homes in the South, and that Eastleigh is one of the most proactive boroughs in achieving this. Many people move away from Winchester to the Eastleigh area because there are affordable homes available.
“That said, because options B and C have been rejected by so many, including by the residents, the Woodland Trust, famous naturalist Chris Packham, and politicians across the parties I feel it is time for Eastleigh to think again.”
Jackie Porter, Liberal Democrat candidate for Winchester