Petition to re-open Andover Road, Winchester

Thank you for your petition to re-open Andover Road.

Hampshire County Council as Highway Authority was not the determining Planning Authority on this matter. The decision to close Andover Road was agreed via a planning appeal heard by a planning inspector. The County Council cannot lawfully unilaterally undo this planning decision and on this occasion have no power to direct the developer or the Local Planning Authority to keep Andover Road open to all traffic.

In March 2023 the Executive Lead Member for Hampshire 2050 agreed to a transport strategy for Andover Road and Northern Winchester which included the closure of Andover Road and the diversion of traffic through Kings Barton. A study was undertaken, and technical report produced to support this decision. The technical report examined and discounted alternative options to keep Andover Road open. The Decision Day report however recognised that traffic flows may change because of the closure of Andover Road and agreed to monitor and manage the impact of traffic on surrounding roads following the diversion of Andover Road. Both the Decision Day report and technical study can be found on our website The details of which can be found here:-

Andover Road (Winchester) Strategy - Decision report

Andover Road Corridor - Multi-Modal Study - Feasibility Report

The Barton Farm (Kings Barton) development, which includes the closure of Andover Road to through traffic, is a committed development in planning terms and therefore any future development in this area will need to assess their transport impacts with this closure in place as the decision has already been made to close it. This includes any future local plan allocations that may be considered by the local Planning Authority such as Sir John Moore Barracks.

Yours sincerely

Councillor Lulu Bowerman
Executive Member for Highways and Waste