RESIDENTS of a small village in the New Forest have said they are worried about their "safety and quality of life" because of drivers speeding through the village. 

They say Sandleheath is experiencing a sizable increase in traffic, and people are demanding change.

To address the Sandleheath Parish Council held a community meeting in a packed village hall on Thursday, April 20.

Scores of residents attended alongside Councillor Edward Heron from Hampshire County Council.

The meeting was conducted by long-term Sandleheath resident Mike Richardson, who explained his own views on the issue.

Sandleheath sits on a crossroads of two busy feeder roads, from the increasingly large Alderholt community travelling to Salisbury, and from Fordingbridge en route to the Western Downland villages.

In addition, many drivers use Sandleheath to avoid traffic delays on the A338 through Downton and as a bypass route to avoid Salisbury.

The meeting was warned that if a proposal to build around 200 new dwellings to the west of Fordingbridge is approved, village traffic is likely to increase even more substantially in the future.

The residents argue that much of this traffic does not adhere to the speed limit, and that this has become an increasing safety issue, affecting pedestrians, families, dog walkers and cyclists, and "reducing the confidence of older people and children in walking, visiting the village shop and village hall, and spending time in public".

Mr Richardson suggested that to change this, a "two-phase approach was required".

"In the short term, the Parish Council is establishing a Community Speed Watch in Sandleheath. 12 residents have volunteered to join the team, which will start operating as soon as training by Hampshire Police has taken place."

The Parish Council is also considering the placement of Speed Indicator Devices in the village.

It was further proposed that Sandleheath should generate a substantial plan to fit the village for current and future traffic densities, based on a proper analysis of the problem and suitable measures to improve it.

Such a plan should encompass ‘villagisation’, in which the structure and look of Sandleheath would be transformed to enhance and conserve its character, and to remind drivers who pass through it that this is a place where people live and that speed limits should be respected.

Mike added: "Given the real changes that our village has already experienced and will face in future, we must alter the look and feel of Sandleheath to suit it for the traffic challenges of the mid-21st century. Correspondingly, we will enhance our sense of community. And the only people who are going to get that done is us."

This approach was "overwhelmingly approved" by of participants.

At the conclusion of the meeting Cllr Heron addressed residents’ concerns and stated his support in principle for the direction the Sandleheath community intended to take. The Parish Council will now set about creating a long-term Sandleheath Traffic Management Plan, and will build a team of local experts to start work on this exciting community initiative.

The Chair of Sandleheath Parish Council, Councillor Caroline Kemp, said: "Speeding has been a regular topic of concern at our meetings and affects everyone in our community; and the attendance at this meeting proved how important the issue is to the residents of Sandleheath. The Parish Council will work closely with the enthusiastic volunteers to ensure that action is taken to create a robust traffic management plan for our lovely village"