THE Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company has agreed to meet campaigner Lucy Holden and councillor Adam Carew to discuss calls for the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Bordon relief road.

More than 100 people have signed a petition, launched at the end of June, for the construction of a bridge over the new relief road to give walkers access to woodland and green spaces.

Lucy Holden said she started the petition after hearing that the Budds Lane field will close to pave the way for the new Mill Chase Academy, adding: “The footpath to Oxney Farm has been closed off since work on the relief road started in this area on April 18.”

The petition claims: “Old, well-used footpaths have been closed without alternatives offered and road developers have not considered where local people will walk. We are petitioning for a pedestrian bridge to be built off Station Road leading to Oxney Moss Road and Martinique Square.”

A county council spokeswoman said that, although the council was developing the new relief road, the extra work did not necessarily fall within its remit and the council was overseeing the road on behalf of landowner the Defence Infrastructure Organisation of the MoD.

But Kev Hawkes said: “So much of our green space is being destroyed - all for the sake of yet more houses. So many of our trees have been chopped down. So much for an eco town. Bordon is changing and not for the better. Enough is enough.”

David Laversuch said: “A bridge would enable us to still access land and walk with friends and family.”

Mr Carew, a Conservative town, district and county councillor, was grateful that residents had brought the concerns to light. He said last week: “As county councillor I have already been in touch with Lucy and I am arranging a site visit and walk this week with her and highways (the county council’s department) to discuss her concerns and see them first hand. I have asked Lucy to detail which public footpaths she feels we no longer have access to and I will speak to our rights-of-way team at county following the outcome of that discussion.

“One key thing about our new green town is to promote walking and cycling and much effort has gone into that with the planned changes to A325, the Shipwrights Way and the Green Loop around town. We have fought hard to safeguard our green spaces, such as the Hogmoor and Bordon Inclosures, which are fantastic assets for the town.”

On trees, Mr Carew said he had expressed his “very strong views about the felling of mature oaks” and had been assured that, on the site of the new Mill Chase Academy, developers will be “retaining the rest of the belt of mature oaks between the pitches”.

He added: “Some time ago district councillors, including myself, suggested a bridge over the relief road at Louisburg as we felt another controlled crossing would slow down traffic. We were told it was not feasible and too expensive.”

He said, as developer financial contributions had already been settled, he did “not wish to raise Lucy’s expectations, but it is certainly part of the discussion Lucy and I will have with county highways this week”.

“At the end of the day it is what is feasible. As new town-council leader Mark Davison said last week (Bordon Herald, July 6, see page 3 correction overleaf), it is essential developers listen to residents and their elected councillors - their record to date has been pretty good and I hope they will continue.”