After years of waiting and countless accidents at a ‘deadly’ junction in Petersfield, it seems we finally have a start date.

Councillors have given a cautious welcome to news that a bid to improve safety at the town’s worst accident blackspot should begin in autumn.

Hampshire County Council (HCC) have provisionally circled October 26 on the calendar with the Pulens Lane scheme set to be signed-off at a D-Day meeting on Monday, June 22.

The news has “delighted” David Podger and Nick Drew, county councillors for Petersfield Butser and Hangers, respectively, as it follows years of campaigning.

Work is expected to take around five to six months to complete and will initially focus on the ‘deadly’ Durford Road crossroads, subject to a final sign-off.

Neither councillor is expecting any hiccups at the Executive Lead Member Decision Day meeting in Winchester on June 22 but Cllr Podger has promised not to take HCC’s word for it.

He said: “October is the date we’ve been given at the moment and if it’s not we’ll be there stamping our feet and saying ‘get on with it.’

“We can’t probably give further details until then but it’s looking as though, as we thought, the Durford Road scheme will begin in October.”

“We would both like to acknowledge the efforts of all councillors, past and present, who have contributed to this long-awaited outcome,” said both councillors in a joint statement.

Full details of the scheme can be seen by searching for Pulens Lane Improvements on www.hants.gov.uk but the project effectively involves a series of traffic calming measures between the Torberry Drive junction and Tilmore Brook bridge on Pulens Lane.

The work will include raising the Durford Road/Heath Road East crossroads and the addition of a pinch point next to the bridge over Tilmore Brook. A separate scheme involving the replacement of the Pulens Lane bridge over the brook should follow once work is completed.

Improvements to drainage are also planned with part of the crossroads being inundated by surface water during last week’s heavy rainfall.

Cllr Drew was also pressed to give more information about the Pulens Lane scheme when he gave his first monthly report to Petersfield Town Council.

“We’ve been battling this for years and we know about the problems and issues,” said Cllr Steve Dewey in calling for progress to be accelerated.

“We really need that project delivered and agreed because this has been going on for 30 or 40 years.”

And not everyone is a fan of the proposals, with Cllr Lesley Farrow suggesting the changes won’t make a difference to speeding motorists. Indeed, one prominent member of the Pulens Lane Against Speeding group recently spotted a vehicle being clocked at 60mph on the speed sensor close to the junction.

Cllr Farrow said: “I don’t know why there’s a raised table because people won’t slow down approaching it – they’ll drive just as fast, if not faster, and fly over it.

She added: “It’s going to cause more accidents, not less.”