Botley News – May 2025
With thanks to Cllr Chris Cooper – Chair of Botley Parish Council for this update.
The news from the parish council this month starts with the Botley Bypass work commencing and sharing Hampshire Highways plans for the High Street. The place to go to for the latest news is the Hampshire Highways web page:
Botley Bypass – Hampshire Highways
The bypass has been on the local wish list for many decades and will be completed by late summer 2027.
The bypass will have three core elements being worked on in parallel as per the plan above taken from the Hampshire Highways public engagement sessions. They are:
- Bypass highway
- Bridge over the River Hamble
- New roundabout at Pinkmead.
A date to keep an eye on is the planned 10-day closure of the A3051/A334 junction to undertake works to level the highway for the new roundabout. The closure will be during Easter 2026 (over the school holiday period) to minimise the impact to road users.
Milestone the construction contractor is planning on having public viewing sessions through the construction. Especially when the new bridge over the River Hamble is due to be installed, as this will involve a large crane building an even larger crane to build a bridge. How to participate in these viewing sessions will be announced later this year.
The other aspect of the build is the focus on protecting the local environment. As seen at the engagement events, with a focus on protecting the otters and fish. See below:
In conjunction with the bypass build is works to improve Botley High Street. The public consultation is now closed. However, the scheme details are still available to view on the Hampshire Highways Botley bypass website. The new High Street must deliver on two critical objectives. The first is to encourage drivers to use the longer but quicker bypass route. The second is to make Botley a more attractive destination.
Botley’s Neighbourhood Plan is going to be coming to referendum soon (June is the latest estimate). The Parish Council is hosting a series of public surgeries on Botley High Street throughout May, with further dates in June dependent upon the date of the ‘Referendum’. The surgeries will run from 1030 to 1430 on Wednesdays. Come and talk to the council team under the gazebo.
On April 8th Botley Parish hosted the first Annual Meeting since Covid. The keynote speaker was Donna Jones the Hampshire & Isle of Wigh Police & Crime Commissioner. Donna gave an overview of the increase in police numbers and the focus on community policing via our very own bobby – PC Will Newell. Donna congratulated Jamie Harding for his hard work setting up the successful Boorley Green Youth Club. My thanks to Donna for coming to see us.
Cllr Cooper with Donna Jones, PCSO Steve Hill and PC Will Newell
A date for your diary is Revels on the Rec on the 21st June . Fun starts from midday through to 10pm. Look out for the event poster for more details. The event is raising funds for 6 local charities: Botley Neighbourcare; Botley Market Hall, Boorley Park School PTA, Friends of Botley School (FOBS), Alphabets pre-school and All Saints Church. With plenty to see and do for all the family. Including stalls, our local pubs, food vendors, axe throwing and a climbing wall courtesy of Fairthorne Manor, a dog show, live bands, a choir and more!
