MP: Stubbington bypass will not lead to new housing
THE new Stubbington bypass will not become a gateway for the construction of new housing, an MP has vowed.
The Stubbington bypass was officially completed on Thursday, linking Gosport Road with Titchfield Road in a £42m project.
The bypass sits inside what’s known as the strategic gap - a strip of land largely undeveloped on that separates Fareham and Gosport.
For almost half a decade, housing developers have been pushing for thousands of homes to be built on the land, and concerned residents believe the new highway infrastructure could be a gateway to this.
Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has vowed that this will not happen, and promised to fight any planning applications that are submitted.
She said: ‘It’s really disappointing to see these housing applications coming in because this road was built without the housing requirement in mind.
‘If we had wanted to build a roadthatcamealongsidehousing we would have built that 10 yearsago,andwesimplydidn’t want to facilitate that.
‘I’m a huge believer that the strategic gap between Fareham and Gosport must be preserved;wealreadyhaveaccess and air quality problems, and I willcontinuetofightagainstall planning applications.’
Instead of housing, Ms Dinenage is optimistic that business will be attracted to the area. In her opinion, the Solent Enterprise Zone - which helped kickstart the bypass project - is the ideal location for entrepreneurs.
‘Where businesses start is where they grow and thrive,’ she said.
‘I believe the Stubbington bypass can facilitate further growth in business development.’