PLANNERS are today set to take another step towards Eastleigh's long-awaited southern bypass which will pave the way for hundreds of new jobs in a £60m business park development.

In September Whitehall ended years of uncertainty by giving the planning consent for the Chicken-hall link road which is vital to the town's economic lifeblood and desperately needed to avoid future traffic gridlock.

Today county councillors are being urged to give approval for the multi-million-pound road scheme to be designed in partnership with developers.

Detailed estimates would then prepared for funding from the Depart-ment for Transport, Local Govern-ment and Regions.

Councillors will be told that the link road will fulfill an integral part of the county council's and Eastleigh council's planning strategy. Supported by developer contributions it will provide:

Access to existing commercial land avoiding the A335 through Eastleigh town centre.

Access to proposed commercial development land to the south of the existing rail yards, giving further employment opportunities in the town.

A link between junction five of the M27 and the B3037 Bishopstoke Road which would serve as an alternative transport link to Bishopstoke and beyond and for any further development to the south-east of Eastleigh.

Opportunities to provide bus priority measures on the B30357.

It is hoped that plans for the major route from Chickenhall Lane to Wide Lane will be approved and ready to become a reality during 2003-4.

Southampton Airport operator BAA has given notice that it is to fight the controversial road plans in the High Court over safety reasons.

But design work will take into account the legal challenge and look at the cost of building part of the road in a tunnel to avoid the airport's runway end safety zone.