PLANS for a £30m bypass have moved a step closer.

A planning application for the Stubbington bypass has now been submitted to Hampshire County Council and is currently open for comment until September 11.

The bypass will divert traffic around the outskirts of Stubbington and is designed to reduce journey time and peak hour congestion onto and off the Gosport peninsula, removing transport barriers to growth and encouraging investment and regeneration.

It forms part of Hampshire’s wider plan for improving access to Fareham and Gosport.

Much work has already been completed on Newgate Lane north and the A27 Western Way, with work on Peel Common roundabout and St Margaret’s roundabout set to start in the summer.

Before the plans were submitted the county council held public consultations, surveys and detailed design work focused on the location of the bypass and mitigation measures.

Councillor Seán Woodward, Executive Member for Economy Transport and Environment approved the preferred routes at his Decision Day, where he said: “Building a Stubbington bypass has been a desire of mine for over ten years and I am thrilled to see it finally being submitted for planning consent.

"If planning permission can be secured, I am very hopeful that the new Government will look favourably at funding Stubbington by-pass as part of its commitment to developing infrastructure to support economic growth.”

But he encouraged residents to have their say.

A final decision will be made by the County Council’s Regulatory Committee later in the year.

Residents can view the application online or at the Fareham Borough or Hampshire County Council offices in office hours.

Views can be sent by post to: Strategic Planning, Economy, Transport & Environment Department, Elizabeth II Court West, The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UD or online.