Barton couple pleased Hampshire County Council will trim tree overgrowth at entrance to Shoreacre amid fears for pedestrian safety at Barton Court Avenue access

A couple who say overgrown tree shoots are posing a hazard to pedestrians at the entrance to a Barton apartment block has welcomed news they are to be trimmed.

For two months, Tom and Marion Short, of Shoreacre at the junction of Barton Court Avenue and Marine Drive East, had campaigned to Hampshire County Council to get the issue dealt with.

They feared there could be an accident as the overgrowth at the base of the tree obscured motorists’ view of pedestrians as they drove into the Barton Court Avenue access.

Speaking to the A&T, the couple said they first raised the issue with HCC in January after having a near-miss with a pedestrian on a dark evening.

“When you come from Marine Drive West and turn into Barton Court Avenue, you turn and then you’re head-on to this and can’t see anybody on the pavement behind the shoots,” Mr Short explained.

Mrs Short said: “There’s two specific demographics here – there’s the elderly, some of whom are walking their dogs, and there’s the families coming down to the beach.

“If someone elderly is walking there as an electric vehicle is pulling in, they might not hear it.

“As residents, I think we’re all pretty sensible people and drive in slow enough to stop if someone comes out from behind the trees.

“But I do worry about delivery vans because they can come in at a heck of a lick as they are all on tight schedules.”

But the couple had become frustrated when they felt HCC had twice misunderstood what they were getting in touch about.

The first misconception was said to have been a belief they wanted to cut actual branches from the tree, which the council said was not allowed.

Then, it was thought they complained about road markings, when they were told an engineer had checked and confirmed there was no issue with these.

“It’s not so much a hazard for cars but for pedestrians,” Mr Short stressed.

The couple had even offered for Shoreacre’s gardener to cut back the overgrowth if HCC gave its permission.

“I would rather Hampshire County Council do something before there is an accident,” Mrs Short added.

The couple had not noticed any previous issue with the trees during their three years living at Shoreacre.

Following the A&T’s intervention, a Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of concerns regarding overgrown trees at this location in Barton-on-Sea.

“Work is now being planned to clear the excess vegetation from the base of the trees.”

Welcoming the update, Mr Short said: “We can’t ask for a lot more than that.

“Hopefully it is done before the Easter school holidays when there will be more families and young children around.”