CIVIC chiefs will be holding a public exhibition next week to give residents the chance to discuss plans for a major revamp of Winchester city centre.

Officially known as the Central Winchester Regeneration project (CWR), plans for the Silver Hill 2 scheme aim to create a vibrant area for both residents, shoppers and tourists to enjoy.

Council officers will meet with members of the public on Tuesday, November 14 to discuss the recently launched draft supplementary planning document (SPD), which sets out the architects’ vision.

Councillor Caroline Horrill, leader of Winchester City Council, said: “I’m determined we don’t lose the fantastic involvement we’ve had from the public, businesses and visitors throughout the development of the SPD and I don’t want to wait until the start of the formal, legal consultation process to hear what they think.

“The Central Winchester Regeneration project is all about creating a city centre which delivers for residents, business, the local economy and visitors.

“I’m excited to see the vision unfold as we prepare to finalise the SPD for the benefit of the entire district.”

As previously reported in the Hampshire Chronicle, the architects behind the scheme, JTP, unveiled the SPD to the public at a meeting of Winchester City Council’s Informal Policy Group (IPG) last month.

Marcus Adams, JTP’s managing partner, said: “There’s a lot of detail in the SPD and this ‘drop-in’ will give people the chance to talk through the plan with us and the council and give some initial feedback before they respond to the formal consultation.”

If the draft SPD is approved by the city council’s cabinet next month, the plans will see a mixed-use quarter created, celebrating the city’s culture and heritage while also including spaces for retail, leisure, commerce and housing.

The area covers 4.5 hectares of land at the bottom of High Street and encompasses Upper Brook Street to the west, Friarsgate and Middle Brook Street car park to the north, St John’s Almshouses and Lower Brook stream to the east and the Broadway and lower High Street to the south.

The new project follows the collapse of the original £150million Silver Hill scheme.

At the drop-in exhibition held between 4pm and 8pm in the Walton Suite at the Winchester Guildhall, there will be highlights from the various sections of the draft SPD displayed on exhibition panels, as well as copies of the draft SPD and consultation questions being made available.

The plans will go before Winchester City Council’s cabinet for approval before the formal consultation process begins on December 11. A final SPD will be approved in spring/summer 2018.

Copies of the draft SPD are available on the council’s website and hard copies can also be collected from the city council’s reception in Colebrook Street.

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