An EM3-funded project to create a public park by the river in Andover has been given the green light by planning authorities.
Councillors from Test Valley Borough Council’s northern planning committee and also Hampshire County Council have approved the Town Mill riverside project, to totally overhaul the area around the Town Mills pub.
It will be completely transformed into a picturesque public park which will highlight the river and incorporate a new shared cycle and footpath from Western Avenue and riverside boardwalk.
Enterprise M3 LEP has contributed more than £500,000 to the £1.2m project.
We are delighted to support this major urban realm regeneration project. Supporting our towns as vibrant, prosperous places for people to live, work and grow busineses is high priority for Enterprise M3 and is featuring prominently in our emerging Local Industrial Strategy.
By removing traffic and opening the river at its most attractive position in the historic Town Mills area, it will transform the heart of Andover Town Centre for businesses, residents and visitors.
The work will involve closing off vehicle access from Bridge Street into Town Mill Road, with a new access created from Western Avenue to the existing car park and businesses.
As part of the consultation for the renewal of the Andover Vision initiative in 2016/17, many of the 4,000 respondents were keen to see more made of the River Anton in the heart of the town centre.
Residents said that they wanted it to become somewhere people could stay, play, picnic and enjoy the river.
This is absolutely fantastic news. This is such an exciting project which will mark the start of our work to transform Andover town centre.
We are lucky to have such a beautiful river flowing through the town but we could make so much more of it. And we have received consistent feedback from residents and businesses over the years echoing that view.
The redevelopment of the town centre is my main priority and I am delighted that we are already making real headway in our journey to change Andover.
The project is being delivered in partnership with Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council. The latter will put out a tender for the contract to deliver the changes, with a view to work starting in early 2020.
The project is being funded by Enterprise M3 and developer contributions.
We’ve designed this scheme to reduce congestion and improve air quality in the town centre by providing a new access to the Town Mill car park. This improvement is linked to Test Valley Borough Council’s regeneration plans for Andover Town Centre, and means that all the town car parks will be accessible from the ring road, making the town centre a more attractive area for pedestrians and improving provision for cycling and walking into town.
The County Council is keen to actively support our market towns across Hampshire and is investing capital funds to help them prosper.
From 1 April 2024, the responsibility for LEP functions across the Enterprise M3 LEP region has transferred to Hampshire County Council and Surrey County Council.
The Enterprise M3 Board met for the last time in March 2024 and Enterprise M3 LEP is no longer operating as an organisation.
For any enquiries relating to economic development across the counties of Hampshire and Surrey, please visit the Hampshire County Council website and Business Surrey respectively.
Please note that Enterprise M3 LEP staff have transferred to Hampshire County Council to continue to deliver services and activities in Hampshire, including the Growth Hub, the Careers Hub, work on key business sectors, and trade and investment.
They can be contacted by emailing growth.hub@hants.gov.uk and careers.hub@hants.gov.uk respectively. Alternatively, please contact the economic.development@hants.gov.uk.
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