Brockenhurst Parish Council asked for 'dangerous' bridge limit suspension, Hampshire County Council roads chief says

THE “highly dangerous” suspension of a bridge weight limit in Brockenhurst was requested by the parish council, according to Hampshire’s roads chief.

As reported in the A&T, the parish council last week backed villagers’ calls to re-impose the limit on the Sway Road rail crossing after it was dropped in February for a trial.

Locals fear it will encourage more lorries there, putting people and livestock at risk.

At a parish council meeting last week, they secured members’ support in asking HCC to abandon the scheme.

But on Monday Cllr Nick Adams-King, HCC’s cabinet member for highways operations, told the A&T the idea had actually been “at the request of Brockenhurst Parish Council” amid concerns about car transporters turning in The Rise to access a local car dealership.

He added: “Lifting the weight restriction means that the transporters can now travel southbound on Sway Road and cross the rail bridge, avoiding the need to turn at the junction.

“The experimental traffic regulation order allows for the trial to remain in place for up to a further 12 months, if necessary, allowing time for a formal decision to be made on whether or not to make it permanent, and for any necessary sign amendments to be designed and planned.

“However, if it is not made permanent the weight restriction will be brought back into force.

“We will continue to work with the parish council throughout this process, they having been the instigator of the change.”

At last week’s meeting, new parish council chair Cllr Michael Harris told residents they were “pushing at an open door”, and Cllr Pete Wales pledged members would write to HCC to call on it to “cease” the experiment.

Residents can comment on the trial by the end of August by emailing public.notices@hants.gov.uk and quoting A1057/MB.

Find out more at www.hants.gov.uk/community/publicnotices/publicnoticedetails?id=12252