A DARING protester sought to sum up local feeling on Wednesday with a clear message to East Hampshire planners that they are not happy about the decision to demolish historic Butts bridge.

Despite public outcry over the years that the loss of the bridge will damage this once attractive entrance to the town and The Butts conservation area, and that, due to its narrow nature, the bridge actually helps to control the speed of traffic travelling across that end of Alton, the Victorian bridge is to be taken down and replaced with a modern steel bridge of wider span.

Imposed on the town as part of highway improvements associated with the 500-home development, split between Borovere Farm on the A339/B3306 Selborne Road and the former Treloar Hospital site in Chawton Park Road, the demolition of the bridge is scheduled to start on Friday next week (January 25).

The associated work will include major earthworks, widening of the carriageway and construction of a new roundabout, to be facilitated by the closure of a stretch of the A339 across the top of The Butts, stretching from the entrance to the French Horn to the opposite side of the old bridge.

It will mean that, for the next six months, motorists wishing to travel through Alton in a south/north direction will experience delays and diversions (see Pg2 for details)

There will still be two-way traffic entering and leaving Alton from the B3006 Selborne Road and the A31, via Butts Road and under the existing steel bridge, but vehicles wishing to continue on the A339 Basingstoke Road, and the B3449 to Odiham and the M3, will be directed up Ackender Road to Lenten Street and out via the roundabout on the New Odiham Road.

Ackender Road will be two-way up to the bend, just past Phillips Garage, when it will become one-way only in a northerly direction to Lenten Street.

Traffic entering the town from the B3449 and A339 and wishing to join the A31 and A32 will be directed up Whitedown Lane and via Chawton Park Road to the Chawton roundabout.

It will still be possible to access medical and sporting facilities from the town end via Chawton Park Road, which will remain two-way up to the entrance to the sports centre car park. However, the stretch of road to the junction with Northfield Lane will become single track only in an outward direction to the A31, with two-way working from the Chawton roundabout to provide access only to properties in Northfield Lane. There will be no access to the sports centre from the A31.