A PROJECT aimed at curbing speeding through a village near Fordingbridge is preparing to work on suggestions after garnering the views of residents and businesses.

The Sandleheath Traffic Action (STA) organisation, a sub-group of Sandleheath Parish Council, has been developing plans to reduce speeding through the rural village.

STA’s mission is to promote road safety, enhance the quality of life and preserve the environment in Sandleheath, a spokesperson said, and intends to achieve it by introducing new traffic management measures to increase driver awareness, influence driver behaviour and more.

Now, having completed a full inspection of the village to record its features and traffic hazards, the STA project has reached an important milestone.

The team has held two critical stakeholder meetings to gather issues and ideas from both Sandleheath residents and the many commercial companies that are located in the vicinity.

Some 30 members of the community representing each area of the village attended the first of these, and at the second meeting a number of local company managers ensured that the team had taken their concerns and interests into account.

Volunteer project manager, Mike Richardson, said: “STA is determined to carry our residents and our local businesses along with us as we jointly develop our plan.

“Our stakeholders’ meetings were hugely successful and we believe that the village is firmly behind our endeavours.”

STA project manager Mike Richardson briefs Sandleheath resident representatives at a recent Stakeholders Meeting

He said the team now has a full list of the prevailing problems and can move on to devising measures to address them.

Mike Richardson said: “In Sandleheath, we have several housing areas, a thriving industrial estate and we sit on a busy crossroads that links several local towns and villages.

“Clearly, physical barriers will impede both residential and business traffic flow, so instead we intend to introduce contemporary measures on our roads and surroundings that will display our village as a proper residential space, a place for drivers to respect and take care.

“We call this process ‘villagisation’, and we’re forging ahead to put it into effect.”

Representatives of Hampshire County Council’s Traffic Management team have visited, giving ideas on how “to adjust the look and feel of our roads”, Mike said.

“But much of our villagisation initiative will be down to ourselves – enhancing the appearance and presentation of our village,” he added. “This is a project for our whole community.”

Chair of Sandleheath Parish Council, Caroline Kemp, said: “Sandleheath Traffic Action is developing rapidly and has worked hard to gain the support of so many of our residents and businesses, and I’m really delighted that Hampshire County Council is supporting this important community project so well.”