Deadline looms for having your say on Basingstoke's future
Town centre survey closes on Friday
Time is running out to share your views on early ideas for the future of Basingstoke town centre.
Initial ideas as part of the development of a new masterplan for the area include opening up the town centre to make it more accessible, dialling up the town’s entrepreneurial spirit and ensuring the town centre is a vibrant hub during the day and night by creating opportunities for more community and cultural activities and more green spaces.
To ensure the town centre continues to meet residents’ needs and brings valuable jobs to the borough, suggestions include reimagining the existing Malls building to open up the area, creating opportunities for a range of uses in addition to retail including space for community and cultural use, space for entrepreneurs, education and modernising shopfronts at the Top of the Town while celebrating the borough’s rich heritage.
Helping to meet the borough’s challenging climate change targets and encouraging a healthier lifestyle by making the town centre more walkable and cycle-friendly, opportunities being explored include the introduction of new traffic zones, introducing two-way traffic on New Road, creating a new bus interchange at Churchill Way and a new multi-storey car park in New Road.
In addition to the existing town centre green spaces, the vision is to create a ‘greener’ feel through new open spaces in Church Street and in the Top of the Town as well as new planting throughout to improve the area’s biodiversity.
Leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Cllr Ken Rhatigan said:
“It is vital that we develop a long-term vision to deliver our aspirations of ensuring our town centre is a top shopping, leisure and cultural destination that attracts people to the area during the day and at night.
“We cannot do this alone and it is important that our town centre’s offer reflects the wants and needs of everyone who uses it. I would urge residents, visitors and businesses to take 20 minutes of their day to share their views and shape the future of the town centre that they, along with their children and their children’s children, will enjoy for years to come.”
The survey will be open until Friday 12 November at www.talkbasingstoketowncentre.co.uk