A Great Place to Live and Work
Andover is the largest employment area in Test Valley accounting for more than 40% of Test Valley jobs. There are many public sector jobs in the area, as well as wholesale and retail trade, and business services. It has a variety of business parks with significant activity in manufacturing and transport and logistics. Andover is also the home of the British Army Land Forces HQ.
The town centre will see significant transformation during the 2020s through an ambitious regeneration programme, informed by extensive public consultation through Andover Vision. A new theatre will be built providing an auditorium and modern spaces to host a wide range of activities and creative classes. Plans for Western Avenue will see the creation of a picturesque walkway, opening up the River Anton and redesigning the gyratory so that two-way traffic can run on the western side of the river.
A New Home
Andover is a great place to live. It is well served with facilities and jobs, well-connected transport links and has a great sense of community. It is also growing, with opportunities to move into our new neighbourhoods.
Andover has a home to suit every taste and every pocket, from affordable apartments in the centre of the town to period properties – from historic houses to new developments. It now has over 22,000 homes and is continuing to grow. There is a good mix of tenures – private (to both buy and rent), affordable (renting from a Registered Provider) and Shared Ownership (part buy/part rent from a Registered Provider).
For new employers, a good supply of housing to rent can be important for employees re-locating and the Council has a dedicated team responsible for working with landlords to ensure that private rented housing in Andover is maintained to a good standard. For information on the Council’s housing services, including details of forthcoming affordable housing developments, please visit Test Valley Borough Council – Housing
Education
Andover has 10 primary schools and 3 secondary schools in the town The secondary schools are:
Andover is also well-served by independent schools:
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Rookwood School (Andover)
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Farleigh School (Red Rice, near Andover)
Andover College, which is part of Sparsholt College, offers a wide range of A Level courses. It also boasts impressive vocational facilities including a Technology and Future Skills Centre, with courses in fields including nursing, education, automotive, construction, digital skills, and engineering.
The University of Winchester is on our doorstep and is heavily involved in Andover’s Higher Education provision.
Leisure and Fun
Andover’s fantastic theatre The Lights is a great asset to the town and will be relocated into the heart of the town centre in a larger building with increased capacity as part of the regeneration plans. A five screen Odeon cinema has the latest 3D technology. http://www.andover-leisure-centre.co.uk/
Andover Leisure Centre in the town centre has everything the sports enthusiast could want to keep fit and Charlton Sports Centre has a running track, sports pitches and a pavilion. Andover has a great range of community sports clubs and opportunities to look after yourself. A good example of this is the Andover Park Run.
Andover's Museum of the Iron Age, featuring Danebury Hillfort, contains one of the best displays on that era in the country.
Within the town there are many lovely open spaces including Rooksbury Mill, Charlton Park, Anton Lakes and the Ladies Walk footpath overlooking the town. The countryside around Andover offers a wealth of opportunities for informal recreation including nature reserves, walks and now a community woodland, Harmony Woods.
Shops
Andover has a range of shopping, both in the town centre; with its traditional mix of independent retailers and multiples in the High Street and Chantry Centre, and also in the large superstores and retail parks on the edges of the town. ASDA, Sainsbury, Tesco, Lidl, Aldi and Waitrose all have at least one large store here.
The Council bought the Chantry Centre shopping centre and some adjacent High St retail properties in 2019 and now manages the Centre directly rather than by using a management company. As the owner, we have greater flexibility to shape the Centre’s development and use. We are making it easier for new businesses and organisations to operate in the heart of Andover by working directly with traders to provide the support they need, including through selling trading spaces in the malls, offering pop-ups of variable duration, providing easy in/easy out licences, and leasing units long-term.
Health
Andover has its own War Memorial Hospital with a minor injuries unit, Winchester provides the closest A&E and caters for more serious injuries and illnesses. Within the Chantry Centre, the Andover Health Hub, a collaborative project between Test Valley Borough Council, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board and Andover Primary Care Network, provides a range of services including health checks and vaccinations. The Andover Primary Care Network is a collaboration between five GP surgeries within the town.
Community
Andover is a friendly town with a great sense of community. Its many local groups and societies together with its very own Love Andover radio station demonstrate just how strong Andover’s community feeling is. Andover is a town to grow up in where youngsters remain in touch throughout their lives in business and in pleasure.
