The Royal Borough has issued a draft order to impose a weight restriction on Chobham Road, the main shopping area in the village, as large lorries and heavy goods vehicles are now commonplace along the narrow carriageway.

The order would prevent any vehicle weighing more than 18 tonnes from passing along a 200 metre stretch of the road which is hoped will stop lorries, said to often speed, from disturbing shoppers, drivers and local businesses.

Christine Gadd, who has lived in the village for more than 30 years and is chairman of the parish council, said she would 'absolutely support’ the restrictions in order to protect the vitality of the area.

She said: “It’s all about the shops and our businesses, I absolutely support any measures that will help preserve our village. The Chobham Road is an incredibly busy road. I have lived here since 1984 and I’ve seen the traffic build up. It’s not really built for large lorries, especially the bridge, and we do not really want large lorries trundling through our village – it’s so important to protect the character of the area.” Weight restrictions are applied by the council to improve road safety, prevent damage to buildings, roads or bridges, protect the attractiveness of the area, and to reduce traffic congestion.

Nigel Lewis, owner of butchers Lewis of Sunningdale, says the move is great news but doesn’t solve all the issues in the area. He said: “I think the main issue in Sunningdale is parking, that’s the main gripe. The big lorries is one thing, they come charging down the road very quickly, and it’s meant to be a 30 mile an hour limit, so it will be great to stop them, but the problem with parking is really what businesses are worried about.” Ms Gadd herself knows parking is a key issue for residents and says they are focusing on improving this in Sunningdale. She said: “We have focused on parking in the village to make it easier for our businesses and for residents. This is so, so important for the vitality of our village. We all know business is difficult in the current economy so we really want to ensure our businesses do not suffer from increased traffic.” A consultation on the proposal is currently running. Any objections to the plan should be submitted to the Royal Borough traffic management team at the Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead, before May 14 quoting reference number PN-1702-31.