Drivers using the A30 Winchester Road near Junction 7 of the M3 will soon face a lower speed limit after Hampshire County Council approved plans to extend an existing 50mph zone.
The council has agreed to extend the 50mph limit on the A30 between Trenchards Lane and the M3 Junction 7 interchange, bringing a stretch of dual carriageway currently subject to the national speed limit under the lower restriction.
According to council documents, the change is needed to reflect major development in the area, including a new industrial park, a planned roundabout serving the site and further growth nearby.
The authority said the reduced speed limit would help create safer approach speeds for motorists using the new roundabout and lower the risk of collisions.
It also aims to improve safety for pedestrians travelling to the industrial park, particularly those crossing the A30 from proposed housing developments.
A speed survey carried out near the Trenchards Lane junction in 2023 found average speeds of 44.3mph northbound and 42.8mph southbound, both below the proposed limit.
The new restriction will begin about 750 metres south-west of the Trenchards Lane junction, extending the existing 50mph zone.
A public consultation held between May 29 and June 19, 2026, attracted no objections.
Hampshire Police did not oppose the scheme, although officers raised a point about the positioning of terminal speed limit signs near Junction 7.
The proposal was backed by local county councillors Juliet Henderson and Steve Forster, Hampshire County Council’s executive member for highways and passenger transport.
Share