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STANDFAST LANE

If you enjoy walking, cycling or riding the sunken lanes in this area you may have noticed that Standfast Lane which runs from Lower Green, Hawkley to Stairs Hill, Empshott has been temporarily closed to motorised vehicles for the past few months. This has been a great relief to many, as the lane is no longer legally used by 4-wheel drive vehicles and motor bikes and allows people to enjoy a walk or ride there without the risk of coming into excessively close (and potentially dangerous) contact with these vehicles. There are still a few who break the law and use the lane, but the closure has allowed the surface of the lane to recover somewhat, reduced the damage to all the plants growing along its sides and means that even those who are with small children or no longer so nimble, and those on pedal cycles and horses can enjoy the peace, tranquillity and calm that the lane offers.

At this point the closure is only temporary and Hampshire County Council say that if the lane is to remain closed to motorised vehicles in the long term, those who wish it to be kept closed, need to make representation and stress the need for the lane to be closed to both motor bikes and 4WD vehicles.

If you wish to request that Standfast Lane is permanently closed please either email Andrew Jones at
Andrew.Jones@hants.gov.uk
or write to him at :
Andrew Jones, Network Development Officer, Rights of Way Office, HCC Room 200, Mottisfont Court, High Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 8ZF.

It is essential that the need for the lane to be closed to both motor bikes and 4WD vehicles is stressed.

Pippa Greenwood