I FEEL sure, sadly, despite residents’ concerns or objections, the proposal to build at the end of Toynbee Road in Eastleigh will go ahead regardless.

There are blindingly obvious traffic management issues being brushed aside and town centre residents are having to put up with over-development and further traffic congestion.

I imagine Eastleigh Borough Council are under pressure to raise money and accept proposals from developers to meet various Government targets for more housing.

I wish local councils would have the backbone to tell Government enough is enough and stop building on every available space, particularly in an already congested town centre.

I’d like to appeal to Eastleigh Borough and ask for some consideration for the town centre residents.

I heard that a traffic management survey took place and that at rush hour, traffic is considered acceptable! Was the survey carried out on a Sunday?

Anyone living near the town centre will know that the last couple of years have seen a significant increase in traffic and parking congestion.

To make matters worse, recent developments don’t allow for sufficient parking, consequently Eastleigh residents have to pay to park near their own houses.

I’m not aware of anyone else in the borough that has to pay to park outside their own house.

Ironically, the parking congestion is largely due to people living outside of the town centre but like to use the facilities.

Surely it would be fair and potentially raise more money, to charge everyone in the borough for a parking permit, not just the town centre residents who have to suffer the extra vehicles anyway.

Other recent developments appear to have ignored opportunities to make road and pedestrian routes safer.

Toynbee Road will, when further development takes place – as I’m sure it will – suffer even more traffic, despite a narrowing by a primary school and an emergency vehicle access point.

I'm not sure why viable safer options are not considered or greater emphasis given to parking. It’s such a shame money is so much more important than residents’ happiness.

If decision-makers lived in the town centre area or had children attending the primary school in Toynbee Road, things may be quite different.

Paul Webber, from Eastleigh