Decision details

To seek approval for the creation of an evening route within Fareham town centre between Fareham Live, through Fareham Shopping Centre to West Street and Market Quay Car Park beyond.  This route will include a range of interventions to provide a legible, animated, and engaging route alongside security provision within Fareham Shopping Centre (FSC).  This will support the opening of Fareham Live and the wider Town Centre Regeneration programme.

The Council has a strong ambition to reverse the decline of Fareham Town Centre through regeneration, recognising the wider placemaking, economic regeneration and health benefits a more successful town centre would bring.

Work has already begun to deliver the Council’s significant regeneration ambition with the construction of Fareham Live, the demolition and replacement of Osborn Road multi-storey car park and the purchase of FSC in September 2023.

The Council has appointed an asset manager to manage the Shopping Centre alongside regeneration consultants to develop a deliverable and realistic Regeneration Strategy and Action Plan.  A final Regeneration Strategy and Action Plan will be presented to the Executive in Winter 2024.

In advance of the Regeneration Strategy and Action Plan, this report seeks agreement to bring forward the delivery of an evening route between Fareham Live, through Fareham Shopping Centre to West Street and Market Quay Car Park beyond.

The principal objectives of opening an evening route are to provide a direct, legible and secure connection from Fareham Live through FSC to West Street, to provide a high-quality visitor experience and to capture wider economic benefits for town centre businesses.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  approves the principal of providing an evening route between Fareham Live, through FSC to West Street and Market Quay Car Park;

(b)  subject to the approval of recommendation (a) above, approves a budget of £10,000 to provide improvements, including wayfinding and lighting (subject to Hampshire County Council), to the existing identified routes and delegates authority to the Director of Planning and Regeneration, following consultation with the Executive Member for Policy and Resources, to agree the final scheme design and delivery timeline and to enter into contracts to secure this, within the agreed budget;

(c)  subject to the approval of recommendation (a) above, approves a maximum budget of £51,000 to provide security officers at FSC and delegates authority to the Director of Planning and Regeneration to enter into or vary contracts to secure the delivery of this, within agreed budgets;

(d)  subject to the approval of recommendation (a) above, approves a budget of £76,800 for the provision of interventions, public realm improvements and wayfinding, and delegates authority to the Director of Planning and Regeneration, following consultation with the Executive Member for Policy and Resources, to agree the final scheme design and delivery timeline and to enter into contracts to secure this, within the agreed budget; and

(e)  subject to the approval of recommendation (a) above, delegates authority to the Director of Planning and Regeneration to draw on the remaining regeneration budget, if necessary, to achieve the delivery of the above.