Town Mills development progress
Construction continues on Town Mills riverside development
The works to transform the area surrounding Town Mills into a picturesque riverside park are forging ahead, despite the national restrictions that have recently come into place.
Unlike the situation during lockdown earlier this year, which saw the project put on hold as contractors were redeployed to work on emergency works elsewhere, the construction works have not been affected by the recently introduced restrictions this time and the development continues to progress well.
Phase two of the project, which started last month, will see new walkways being constructed in the area, as well as the creation of the new riverside park and enhanced Pocket Park. The new park will be bursting with trees and greenery to really showcase the river and the new spot will become the ideal space for people to relax, picnic, play and enjoy.
The scheme is a joint project between Test Valley Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and Andover Vision and has received more than half a million pounds in funding from the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). It marks the first step towards the total transformation and redevelopment of the town centre after the council approved the masterplan for Andover at the end of September.
Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Councillor Phil North, said “I’m really pleased that the Town Mills riverside development has not been affected by the latest national restrictions as the project is developing so well. We are all working hard to deliver the new riverside park and as we get further into the second stage of the works we can really see the development coming together. This will be a fantastic asset for the town that residents, visitors and people of all ages will be able to enjoy for years to come.”
Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader of Hampshire County Council and Executive Member of Economy, Transport and Environment, said: “It’s business as usual for our work to improve Hampshire’s road network during this second period of national COVID-19 restrictions and we’ll make good use of this quieter time on the roads to press ahead with improvements across the county, which includes the Andover Town Centre improvements. This scheme supports Test Valley Borough Council’s regeneration plans for Andover Town Centre, and will help to make the town centre become a more attractive area for pedestrians and cyclists.
“Hampshire County Council has appointed Skanska to carry out these works. We are keen to actively support our market towns across Hampshire and we are investing capital funds to help them prosper. Every effort will be made to minimise disruption for businesses and residents during the works.”
It is hoped that the work to create the new riverside park will be completed in spring 2021.
For more information visit Hampshire County Council’s scheme web pages: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/andovertownmill