Hundreds of comments made on Salisbury Station and Fisherton Gateway upgrades
Wiltshire Council's been hosting a public consultation
Last updated 12th Aug 2022
More than 860 comments have been shared with Wiltshire Council on the plans to redesign the forecourt of Salisbury's train station and the so-called Fisherton Gateway area.
The authority's been given a total of £9 million from the Government's Future High Streets Fund to make improvements to the area.
That's being split three ways:
- £5.3 million for Salisbury Station Forecourt to 'redesign' and 'make it more attractive and accessible for visitors and residents'
- £3.2 million for Fisherton Gateway including improvements to the road network and public spaces along South Western Road and Fisherton Street
- £800,000 for Heritage Living, redeveloping a vacant listed building and creating apartments in unoccupied spaces above shops
The Heritage Living aspect was not part of the consultation process at this stage, but some comments were still made about the idea.
179 questionnaires were completed during the six week consultation, with a report now published collating all the comments made.
The most popular comments suggested overall support for the schemes, with a number of responses saying it would 'create a more welcoming impression' of Salisbury for people arriving by train.
But there were almost as many comments saying the 'proposals don't go far enough', 'are largely cosmetic' and that 'more needs to be done to reduce the volume of cars' through the area.
Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said:
"We are pleased with the number of responses received and that it's generally very positive on the projects presented to the local community. As stated in our Business Plan, we aim to create and support vibrant town centres that help the local economy and encourage the growth of business activity in a sustainable way, which these projects will help us to do.
"A presentation was given to the Salisbury Area Board in June 2022, giving a brief overview of the public consultation and the outcome of the survey questions.
"The next step is for the project teams to consider the responses and use them to develop detailed designs for the two schemes, before sharing these with local people once again.
"The £9 million investment from the Government's Future High Streets Fund is a great way to ensure that Salisbury remains a thriving and vibrant tourist location where locals and tourists alike can support local businesses, especially its independent and creative artisans which this modern medieval city is renowned for."