Road where councillor died to be improved

Hampshire County Highways department are undertaking a casualty reduction scheme at the junction of Gardeners Lane and the A3090 at Ridge near Ower, where Test Valley Borough Councillor Margot Townsend was killed in a car accident.

The former Anna ward councillor from Abbots Ann, who was 73 when she died, was driving out of Gardeners Lane when her vehicle collided with an oncoming car last September.

New road linings and non-skid surface improvements will now be put in place to draw drivers' attentions to the hazards at the location, and the County Council's Safety Engineering Team will carefully monitor its effectiveness.

Hampshire County Councillor Roy Perry praised the improvements and paid tribute to his former Conservative colleague.

"I welcome this proposed action by the County Highways team," he said.

"This is a difficult junction with fast traffic on the A3090 and which has not been made easier by the heavy traffic accessing the gravel extraction site on the other side of the A3090.

"Fortunately those movements should be coming to an end now following the recent rejection of the appeal to continue mineral work there.

"The loss of such an outstanding public servant as Margot Townsend is one we still keenly feel and it was right for the Highways Department to examine if anything could be done to help at this junction.

"I sincerely hope we never again experience such a tragedy at this site," he added.

Conservative Cllr Townsend joined the council in 1999 and had a significant role in the Church of England in her own parish and the Diocese of Winchester.

She was also an elected representative of General Synod the National Assembly for the Church of England. On news of her death The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Michael Scott Joynt, paid tribute to her work.

He said: "All who have known and valued Margot as a colleague and friend, enjoyed her company and come to depend on her wise advice."