Closing laybys could block New Forest roads with lorries, councillor warns

LORRIES may block highways in the New Forest while their drivers take scheduled breaks because roadside spaces are disappearing, a councillor has warned.

Cllr Kevin Whittle is campaigning against a plan to shut off the laybys and verges which HGV drivers use as rest stops between Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst.

The moves are part of a land swap deal in Hampshire County Council’s £5.5m Holmsley bridge replacement scheme on the A35.

At the latest Brockenhurst Parish Council meeting, HGV driver Cllr Whittle pointed out that by law lorry drivers risk a fine if they drive for just over four-and-a-half hours.

The rules apply even if they get stuck in traffic, so they have to stop wherever they are – but there nowhere local where they can park up and take a break, he pointed out.

Spaces at Ampress Park in Lymington were always occupied by motorists trying to avoid the hospital parking charges and Ringwood was too small and shut at night, he said.

The nearest safest space was at Rownhams, near Southampton, which was an “unreasonable” hour-and-a-half round-trip and treated drivers as “second class” citizens, Cllr Whittle said.

Without the laybys, drivers making increasing online deliveries could end up parking on the highway or nearest verge, he warned. “We could end up with a lot of ruined verges and things.”

Hampshire County Council leader Cllr Keith Mans is the member for Brockenhurst and was at the meeting – but in response to Cllr Whittle’s challenge he said he “didn’t think a solution could be found”.

Cllr Mans maintained he was “sympathetic” to the complaints, but said the land Cllr Whittle was referring to had never been officially designated as laybys. They failed to meet the national requirements to be classified as such and so would have likely disappeared over time, he said.

Cllr Mans had looked at Cllr Whittle’s complaints and discussed it with officers but was not hopeful of being able to find land that could be turned into a lorry park.

Cllr Mans pointed out pollution was a growing concern that could alter delivery methods, adding: “In the future we are going to have to increase our use of electric vehicles as levels of pollution are getting worse and we will have to change quite markedly the way we supply retail outlets.”

As reported in the A&T gravelled areas on the A35 at Markway Hill between Holmsley and Lyndhurst, and on the A337 between Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst, are set to be shut off and returned to natural vegetation.

The loss of the laybys is part of a land swap deal between HCC and Forestry England to enable the Holmsley Bridge replacement which involves a loss of habitat due to realigning a quarter-mile section of the A35.

The plan must get planning permission from the national park authority and during that process Natural England, which wants the laybys gone, will be a key stakeholder. If it objects the plan would likely fail.