LETTER: Do people want eight-year delay

There are major arguments against all the suggestions so far put forward, including a new enquiry. Moreover I find it very sad that the north and south of Chichester have been set so vehemently against each other.

While a proposed northern route would undoubtedly help through traffic (as would a totally new southern route), the objections to it are massive. It would lead to permanent scarring of the southern edge of the national park and significantly impede access to it.

The impact on Lavant, the new housing development, and parts of Summersdale is unacceptable. It would do very little to improve access from Bognor, Oving, Selsey or the Witterings to Chichester, as so much of the present by-pass traffic is local. It would also put unacceptable additional pressure on the already congested Northgate gyratory.

The present proposals should lead to some amelioration for access to Chichester from the south and east, especially Option 2, which is, I think, the least of the cobbled evils. That said, if I lived in the south of Chichester or in Donnington, I can imagine all too readily why I would object in terms of noise, disruption, loss of houses, and pollution.

If upgrading the present by-pass is really to work, all the intersections have to be dealt with. Has anyone thought of underpasses like the Kingston by-pass?

We are now told that reconsideration from scratch will mean an eight year delay. With all the present (and surely increasing) gridlock, is that what people really want? Solomon, we need your wisdom, and not that of remote bureaucrats who do not know or understand the area.

John Newman

Maplehurst Road

Chichester