A MAJOR row is brewing in East Wellow over a scheme to build a roundabout at a dangerous road junction in the village.

Some residents living close to the Whinwhistle Road and A36 junction will lose land, trees and even buildings if the Highways Agency plans get the green light.

The roundabout itself is proposed for the north side of the existing A36, on land owned by Keith and Nancy Dibden at Whinwhistle Corner.

A large chunk of the couple's land will be swallowed up by the proposed roundabout. Nancy said: "A 'no right turn' on to the A36 would be the best solution." She said the roundabout would be a "complete waste of money"

"The roundabout is unnecessary, bad driving is the problem," she told the Advertiser.

"Since the speed camera was installed it has changed the speed of traffic and there have been fewer shunts. We have got to play ball now with the Highways Agency to get the best deal on the land needed for the roundabout."

Jayne Reed and Jo Florance are two residents whose land is needed to build the three-arm roundabout but they claim there is no need for it and few people know anything about the scheme because it hasn't been properly publicised.

Highways Agency bosses says the site is dangerous and a number of people have been killed at the junction.

"The Highways Agency plans to compulsory purchase ours and other land alongside the A36," said Miss Reed.

"A report has put forward five options for the junction including the roundabout. After reading the report I think the roundabout proposal would make it even more dangerous. It will be confusing for motorists with two lanes of traffic.

Pointing out that driver error was the main problem at the junction Miss Reed added: "Everyone that I have spoken to is in favour of traffic lights not a roundabout."

Hampshire County Council's Romsey Extra division member, Roy Perry, says Wellow residents were largely kept in the dark about the proposals.

"I believe it is wrong of the Department for Transport and its agents to have got this far without making its plans quite clear to the public," said Mr Perry in a letter to residents.

However, following a meeting with Mott MacDonald officials on Tuesday morning, Mr Perry said: "I am now in positive frame of mind. I said I was neither in favour, nor against the proposed Whinwhistle Road roundabout. I am hoping as a result of the meeting, there will be an information and full consultation exercise on this. They promised to organise a properly consultation exercise and inform people about the plans."

He is now urging residents, living in his division who are affected by the scheme to make their views known to him.

Although the scheme is causing much debate in Wellow, a large part of the site is actually within Copythorne parish.

Highways Agency spokesman Robin Miller said the proposed roundabout could be in place as early as next year - providing landowners co-operate.

"This junction has poor visibility and has been the site of several fatal accidents. It has the worst rate of serious accidents on Highways Agency roads in the south-west region," he said.

Mr Miller said the Highways Agency has already met some landowners to explain the plans, although two had declined to meet them.

Next month the Highways Agency say they hope to meet the local MP, councillors and remaining landowners.

InterRoute, Mott MacDonald and the Highways Agency have produced the "A36 Whinwhistle Road Junction Improvements Scoping Study" detailing proposals to make the junction safer.

Five options - traffic-calming, a ghost island, single lane dualling, traffic signals and a roundabout - are put forward but the report favours the roundabout.

It states: "A roundabout would reduce the speed of all traffic travelling through it on this section of road. A roundabout is therefore the recommended option as it would be the most effective solution to problems associated with this junction considering all the relevant factors."