PLANS to reopen Chandler's Ford railway station look set to go ahead despite fears about the noise affecting nearby residents.

Civic chiefs are being recommended to back the plan - although Eastleigh council's environmental health chief claims neighbours could be disturbed by noise.

The new station will stand next to a block of recently-built flats in Hursley Road and is also close to homes in Station Lane.

A South West Trains spokeswoman told the Daily Echo: "There is no such thing as a silent tannoy - but where we have them we try to be good neighbours and balance the need of the railway passengers with those of the neighbours. There are certain things you can do like setting the levels and using directional speakers."

Tomorrow night, members of the borough council's Chandler's Ford and Hiltingbury local area committee are to consider a planning application which would open the way for a £2m scheme to resurrect the station, which was first opened in 1847 and saw passenger services cease in 1969.

The application from the county surveyor is for the construction of a station building and 54-slot car park.

Proposed work includes renovating the south-western platform to accommodate four-car trains.

A station ticket office block and toilets on the platform are also planned, plus a short-term drop-off and pick-up parking layby, a turning area for buses, ten cycle lockers, a pedestrian bridge to cross the line and a CCTV security system.

But in a report to the committee, councillors will hear that not everyone is entirely happy.

Environmental chief Paul Ruta was concerned about noise disturbance to neighbours and had requested conditions on the hours of use of the station, the type of trains stopping there and limits on the Tannoy system.

Following deletion of the conditions, he lodged an objection to the station scheme.

Previous reports on the scheme said that the station should not operate between 11.30pm and 6.30am. But councillors will be told that the county surveyor wants to encourage train operators to provide late-night services.

Eastleigh's head of engineering Duncan McVey also wants to know who will operate the CCTV system, if charges will be made for car parking and how the adjoining shoppers' car park will be kept for shoppers.

But the report recommends that planning permission should be granted by Eastleigh's head of development control once various details have been ironed out.

The report says: "The proposal should be welcomed in principle and care taken not to constrain the reopening of the train service along this line."