Forgotten Funtley village near M27 and Welborne fighting back as traffic chaos grows and housing plans surge
A “little village near Fareham” and the people who live there have been forgotten, a resident has claimed.
Residents are concerned with the increase in building construction in the area affecting the narrow village roads.
To manage the situation, the Funtley Village Society has procured a speed limiter which warns cars to reduce their speed, but residents say it’s been a long time coming.
Ruth Saunders, chair of the Funtley Village Society, said she has been campaigning about the increase in traffic for years.
She said: “We are the village that has been forgotten and the people that live here. We are a blank space.
She added: “Everyone complains about traffic, but we are getting the rough end of the deal.
“We have 6,000 Welborne homes being built to the south with the M27 junction 10 underpass which we can hear from here and will start being built at Christmas. There are 27 houses already built to the North of Funtley Road, with 125 homes to be built on South of Funtley Road, an industrial park nearby and Fisher’s Hill soon to be closed. “
The village has been campaigning for a speed limiter for three years and has had it approved by Donna Jones, Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner, but locals are still waiting for it to be installed.
“A speed limiter is not going to stop the increase in traffic but at least something is being done rather than making things worst,” said Mrs Saunders.
She praised the work of Fareham councillors for Uplands and Funtley, Louise Clubley (Con) and Pamela Bryant (Con), saying they have been trying really hard to progress the speed limiter.
Resident Andy Jackson said at the same time, there have been plans to reduce traffic speeds into the village via planning applications that have not yet been implemented.
He said a board appeared on the land south of Funtley Road to say building of 125 houses was starting, and now there is a traffic management system in place.
.png?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
It affects 1.5km of highways around the village, from the River Lane bridge to the New Funtley Hill one-way system, he said.
A Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: “We are working to reduce the current national speed limit on River Lane to 40mph between the junctions with Titchfield Lane/Funtley Road and Mayles Lane.
“The section of Funtley Road between Mayles Lane and Funtley Hill will be 30mph, as street lighting is in place and the national speed limit signs will be removed. We anticipate the changes will be in place by the end of the year.”