Test Valley Borough Council is preparing to submit a bid to receive levelling up funding from the government, with plans to regenerate Andover town centre.
Members of the council will meet on the 23rd June to look into a bid of up to £20 million that will help deliver the plans they have for Andover.
Councillor Phil North, Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, said:
“We have huge ambitions to transform Andover town centre, and this money would enable us to rapidly accelerate those plans.
But while we’re progressing the physical changes, regeneration is already very much underway with a focus on transforming the town centre through cultural regeneration with a jam-packed, high quality evet programme.
The overarching goal of the Levelling Up Fund is to improve the quality of life and creating a vibrant and thriving town for the benefit of businesses and residents alike, can help to do exactly that.
There’s no question that it’s an incredibly competitive process but we are confident that we can make a compelling argument for Andover, and we will do everything we possibly can to give us the very best chance of securing the funds.”
The funding will be used to provide a new riverside park along Western Avenue, demolish the former magistrate’s court building and create a new cultural hub in the centre of the town, whilst relocating The Lights theatre. With the project expected to cost around £20.3 million, the council are hoping to receive £18.5 million in government funding, with the rest being provided by the council themselves.
Applications for shares of the funding will close on the 6th July 2022 and the council will need to start the project by April 2023, should they be successful, with it aiming to come to completion by 31st March 2025.
