COUNCILLORS and concerned residents in New Milton are banding together in the fight against two proposed gravel extraction sites.

To the surprise of New Milton Town Council, Hampshire County Council has listed both of the previously rejected sites of Downton and Ashley Manor Farms as preferred locations for gravel extraction.

But at the first meeting of Barton, Ashley and New Milton Dedicated Against Gravel Extraction (Bandage), which will take place tomorrow, members of the group, including New Milton Town Mayor Paul Woods, will put together a plan of action to fight the proposals during the review period.

The town council was especially disconcerted to discover the inclusion of Ashley Manor Farm on the county council's Minerals Plan because inspectors rejected the sites in 1996 and 1998.

New Milton town councillor Steve Clark, who is also a member of Bandage, said: "It is a very complex series of close-knit issues as it's not just the farms that will be affected but also the whole of the surrounding area.

"For example, Milford Road Cemetery lies in a corner of Ashley Manor Farm. If the proposals were to go ahead then the peace and tranquillity that is expected and needed at a spot like this would be destroyed.

"All of the issues involved will have an impact on the lives of our residents, so it is a massively complex problem."

Concerns over transport links and the site's close proximity to housing are the main issues that will be addressed at the action group, as well as the environmental problems such as dust, noise and impact on the green belt land that could be caused by the extraction site.

Cllr Clark added: "What we will be working very hard to do in our opposition to the sites at the Downton and Ashley Manor Farms is to ensure that Bandage are not pitting ourselves against the other local action groups.

"We are going to be liasing with the groups such as Damage (Downton And Milford Against Gravel Extraction) and the two groups at Walkford and Roeshot to ensure this doesn't happen."

As well as rejections by previous inspectors, New Forest District Council and New Milton Town Council have also strongly objected to the sites being used for gravel extraction.