Roman Way residents are celebrating after Test Valley’s Northern Area Planning committee rejected proposals to build 50 homes at Shepherds Spring School.

The committee listened to representations from Cllr Barbara Long, of Andover town council, and from me, acting as spokesman for local residents. We both condemned the proposals as unsafe and unacceptable. The plan would have seen a new access road for fifty homes pushed through between the Andover Education centre and the Spring Meadow children’s centre onto the already busy Smannell Road.

We argued this access road would be unsafe for residents and users of the children’s centre and that it would cause traffic chaos in the area. These arguments were taken up by a number of committee members who questioned why a more suitable access hadn’t been considered. They were unanimous in expressing their concerns about the impact of extra traffic on residents and users of the two educational centres.

The proposal was badly researched, badly presented and not in the local interest. I am pleased to see it has been emphatically rejected. It sends a clear message to the developers that their plans are not good enough. The site, the residents and Andover deserve better and should get it.

Last night’s decision wasn’t however final as planners recommended it be referred to the borough’s planning control committee for ratification. Town councillor Barbara Carpenter who co-ordinated opposition to the plans said “Our campaign will continue. We have persuaded one committee that the proposals are unacceptable. We hope to do the same again.”