I understand that, following submission of additional material, there is a further period of public consultation regarding this application.
I am writing as the Member of Parliament for Basingstoke, as the proposed development would have a significant impact on Basingstoke and many of my constituents.
I reiterate my continued strong objection to this planning application for a new additional motorway service area (MSA) at junction 6 of the M3 given that the existing services at Fleet and Winchester are only 23 miles apart.
Locating an off-line motorway station at junction 6 will significantly increase the volume of traffic using the junction, and however the entry and exit roads to the MSA are configured, there will be a higher risk of congestion and accidents than currently exists. The proposed MSA would also attract local traffic, adding to traffic flows around the junction and also at the Black Dam roundabout and M3 spur road.
I have seen nothing in the newly submitted documents to change my view that there are serious concerns about the proposed motorway service area, in particular with regard to road safety and congestion.
I remain very concerned about the significant additional burden the proposed MSA, including a 100 bedroom hotel, would add for the Basingstoke Sewage Treatment Works at Chineham and it would in turn create a pollution risk for the water quality of the River Loddon, where hard work by Thames Water and the Environment Agency has seen a significant improvement in recent years.
More than 3,000 residents signed a Parliamentary Petition opposing this application (and other proposals for a new MSA at Junction 7 of the M3), which I presented formally to Parliament on 24 April 2018. The support for the Petition demonstrated the very considerable concerns that residents have about the proposed MOTO service area.
The proposed MSA would also increase noise, light and air pollution; it would negatively impact on biodiversity and wildlife; and the visual impact would also be significant. As I have previously argued, tens of millions of taxpayers' money has been spent to improve our roads, including the Black Dam roundabout and Junction 6 spur. Our sewage works have been upgraded to cope with new housing, in line with the recommendations from an updated Water Cycle Study (which clearly did not factor in the significant additional sewage burden from new MSA). All these improvements are put in jeopardy by this commercial proposal, which was not called for our Local Plan, and is not necessary given the proximity of other service areas.
I once again urge the Borough Council to refuse this application.