A village road looks set to be closed for the foreseeable future amid concern from the community about the effect HS2 will have on residents living there. 

Roberts Lane in Chalfont St Peter will have locked gates installed to stop vehicles using it after fears were raised that the construction of the new HS2 haul road next to the M25 will result in extra traffic using the narrow country lane. 

The 15.8km long Chiltern Tunnel – which will start just inside the M25 south of junction 17 and come out northwest of South Heath – will start to be constructed in late 2019, with two tunnelling machines, each two football pitches long, doing the digging.

In a bid to alleviate traffic problems caused by the construction, Bucks County Council is currently holding a consultation to close part of Roberts Lane, between Roberts Farm and Three Oaks Farm, to prevent it from being used as a rat run. 

There are also plans for a turning circle at the closure point so bin lorries can turn around. 

Signs have appeared on the winding country lane, even though the consultation for the plans run until May 24 - giving residents an opportunity to comment on the

plans. Although the road is closed to traffic, pedestrians, horseriders and cyclists are still able to use the road, as are emergency services and maintenance vehicles by unlocking the gate. 

The consultation comes just months after HS2 bosses said it is still “too early” to say what effect it will have on traffic in Bucks, to the frustration of residents.

Dozens of residents raised their concerns about the project at a public meeting in Amersham, with one demanding HS2 bosses to “stop procrastinating” about revealing the impact the works will have on traffic.

David McCann, engineering manager for Chiltern, insisted the information would be made available to residents as soon as they knew.

To give your views on the closure, visit www.buckscc.gov.uk/have-your-say or write to Scott White at Highways Depot, Griffin Lane,  Aylesbury, HP19 8BP.