A group which aims to converse and enhance the “special character” of Petersfield has blooming ambitious plans for a major gateway to the town.

Petersfield Society member, Andrew Bulmer, believes the A3 and A272 roundabout next to the Winchester Road services could be the “most beautiful in the south”.

The plans include planting wildflowers on three areas by the overpass with talks being held with EHDC and a site visit being requested.

But there’s a bigger problem to pick up on – and it’s not one confined to Petersfield as keeping the roundabout free of litter is by far the biggest challenge.

“It’s not quite so evident at the moment as the grass covers most of the litter during the summer months,” said Mr Bulmer to the Post after giving a talk about the group’s ambitions to Petersfield Town Council.

“But it was different in March and we were constantly litter picking around the roundabout and its feeder lanes.

“We’re also looking at the roundabout area itself and how we can make it more attractive, but we can’t do it alone and it will need a group effort and education.”

Town councillors who listened to Mr Bulmer’s recent presentation seemed keen, as the area is the first part of Petersfield that motorists see if approaching from the west.

While Mr Bulmer was full of praise for McDonalds and their litter picking programme, it’s unclear whether there is a collective scheme for the area.

He said: “We need to understand who out of BP, Premier Inn, McDonalds and M&S is responsible for what area to litter pick, and we’ll go through them one by one.

“There’s no overall body that co-ordinates it all. We want to try and encourage them to look after the area more and make it look a bit more acceptable.”