Whitehill & Bordon will soon have a new access to the town centre thanks to Hampshire County Council.

Work started on Monday on Arrival Square, which will eventually connect the town centre to the existing developments and make it easier for people to walk and cycle to the High Street. The work is scheduled to last around six months.

Cllr Nick Adams-King, executive lead member for universal services, said: “Once complete, this scheme will provide a high quality and inviting focal point for the new town centre, as well as facilitating the opening of a new supermarket, supporting the town’s vibrancy and contributing to community wellbeing.

"This project will also form part of a wider network of walking and cycling facilities linking the whole of Whitehill & Bordon and connecting residents living in the existing housing developments with the new town centre.

“Since the beginning of the town’s transformation we have worked in partnership with East Hampshire District Council and the Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company to deliver a range of walking and cycling improvements in the town to support its successful regeneration from a garrison town to a green, healthy and connected town, and we look forward to continued collaboration for the benefit of local residents.”

Arrival Square is the area at the top of Chalet Hill and includes the section of the High Street between the pedestrian crossing outside Coral and the roundabout at Budds Lane.

Hampshire County Council has appointed Mildren Construction Ltd to deliver these improvements, which include changing the existing traffic lights to a roundabout and enabling pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers to enter the new town centre from the High Street, and for the High Street to be easily reached by residents travelling on foot or by bike from the north, south and east of Whitehill & Bordon.

Better bus facilities, including two new bus shelters either side of the High Street, will improve the journey experience for passengers. New crossing points will enhance safety and through traffic will be encouraged to use the A325 relief road instead of travelling through the town.

To help maintain safety for the public and the workforce, the county council’s works will have temporary traffic lights in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the duration of the work, as well as a temporary one-way system along the High Street which will direct traffic northbound towards Farnham.

There will be no access southbound for vehicles. Pedestrian access will be maintained but the bus stops will be temporarily relocated for the period of the roadworks.

The bus stops outside the Sacred Heart Church on both sides of the road will be suspended, with the nearest shelters and stops being outside Tesco and the shops at Chalet Hill.

Diverted buses will use Havannah Way, and the currently unused bus stop in Havannah Way, behind The Shed, will come into use during the roadworks and could be an alternative for the out of action southbound stop opposite the Catholic church.

Cllr Adams-King added: “These works have been carefully planned and co-ordinated. However, I would advise people to leave extra time for their journeys and follow the signed diversion route to help reduce local delays. Businesses will be open as usual and we are doing all we can to support them during these essential works.”

More details about the scheme and the diversion route can be found on the county council website at https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/arrival-square-improvements