Call for a much-needed link road to be built at Southleigh before more than 2,000 new homes

Southleigh is an area west of Emsworth, east of Denvilles and bordered to the north by Bartons Road. It appeared in the Local Plan in 2019 as a greenfield site suitable for 2,100 houses and maybe a suggestion for the next local plan.

Councillor Philipe Munday (Lab, St Faith’s) made the cross-party motion, seconded by Councillor Kennett (Con, Emsworth) to mitigate any impact of development at the Southleigh site on the surrounding area if 2,000 new houses are to get permission to be built in the future. A notice of motion is for a specific issue to be discussed at a council meeting with a proposer and seconder. A record is taken of when the motion is made, who made it, the details of the motion and what actions were taken, or proposed.

The motion agreed is for Havant Borough Council, working with Hampshire Highways, first to get a traffic survey to find out if a link road from Bartons Road to the A27 is needed. If it is, the council will then want to put in place an agreement with the developer and the landowner for a ‘link road’ to be built at the start of any development before any house building starts.Cllr Munday said: “The development has significant support from residents provided a link road is built. [The road] will also benefit the rest of Havant, taking traffic away from several hot spots.”

Cllr Munday said the link road will take traffic away and reduce air pollution around Warblington School and the Warblington railway crossing, reducing traffic going through Havant, Leigh Park and Emsworth along with the increased traffic seen from the new Amazon warehouse.

Cllr Kennet said: “For the sake of residents, businesses and environment in St Faith’s and Emsworth and further afield, we have to ensure the Southleigh link road is built before any massive development itself gets underway.” He said: “We have to ensure infrastructure is part of the core planning, not an add-on.”

The councillors were in full agreement and during the debate, many stood to support the motion and give examples of their own homes and wards impacted by the current traffic congestion. Councillor Mark Coates (Lab, Hayling East) praised councillors for looking down the road to see the potential problem. He said: “[This is a] pre-emptive action to be decisive in stopping a long-term problem.”

Cllr David Keast (Con, Cowplain) said: “It is important to put the link road in before any development goes in.” He would like to see a tree-lined avenue put in before it’s built on.

Cllr Lulu Bowerman (Con, Emsworth) said: “This is absolutely integral to this site going forward, without it the whole area will clog up.” Cllr Philippa Gray (Lib Dem, Bedhampton) added that a road would also benefit Bedhampton and the whole of the borough.

The 2019 Southleigh site proposal includes houses, shops, a primary school and a link road but there is currently no development at the Southleigh site.