A NEW initiative is underway to promote businesses off the High Street in Winchester.

As part of a collaboration between Winchester Business Improvement and Winchester City Council, new wall-mounted signs have been designed to spread footfall further around the city to some of the “key” historic areas.

Kingsgate Village, Jewry Street, The Square and Little Minster Street are just some of the nine selected areas which are hoped will benefit from new black and white boards containing a “did you know” fact, brief information and an archaic picture in a bid to spread tourism to some of the lesser-visited sides of the city.

Winchester BID manager, Catherine Turness, told the forum last Thursday there are “constant issues” for traders located off the beaten track, following a recent Independent Retails Health check.

“There’s a lack of promotion for shops off of the High Street,” she said. “The minimum criteria for the project was required to be sensitive to the historic areas of the city. We also wanted to link them to the existing Wayfinding Scheme, carried out by Hampshire County Council, to encourage visitors off the High Street and promote specialist shops.”

The new signs have been designed with the help of Rivermeade Signs to be “elegant, easy-to-read, and cost-effective”, she told the meeting.

“We wanted unanimity, despite location, size of any building constraints,” she added. “I would love to have flashing neon signs but we have to be very mindful.”

The first signs will be installed, following the consultation, this autumn, in line with the View Winchester initiative.