ROMSEY community leaders are urging residents to voice their opinions on the future of the town.

On February 7, The Romsey Future Partnership, together with Test Valley Borough Council, published draft options to redevelop the area south of Romsey’s town centre.

Now there is just one week left for residents to have their say on the proposals, with the public consultation coming to a close on March 20.

The proposals included a new green shopping space along Broadwater Road, a new location for the Aldi supermarket and opening up access to the Fishlake stream, as well as a revised route for buses coming into the town.

Cllr Dorothy Baverstock, who represent Romsey Cupernham on the borough council, said: "I would urge everyone in Romsey to respond to this because there will be people who are for it and against it.

"If you do not have your say you cannot go and have a great moan about what actually happens; when we do these consultations people have really good ideas and we want to know about them.

"I feel in Romsey it is an an area which is quite dead and if we had a thriving area there it would help the shops."

She added: "I think people's main worry is they will lose the Crosfield Hall. They won't lose it, wherever it is there will be one in Romsey because we all value it as a very good public facility.

"We do have to really consider parking in Romsey because we want people to come into town, so we have to have car parking people can access easily."

Romsey town centre manager, Mark Edgerley, said: "I would encourage everybody to have their say, it is a long term development and a big area of Romsey."

When asked about the new location for Aldi, Mr Edgerley said: "If we are able to develop a new site it will be more suited to their way of trading; it will create space and we may be able to get some more shops along there."

Cllr Janet Burnage, who represents Romsey Cupernham on the borough council, said: "It is Romsey's future we are looking at and we need residents to have their input, because they make up the town.

"It is their home and their community."

Perkins and Will Architects will be attending a pop-up stall at the country market at Romsey Town Hall today, from 10am until 11.30am.

The plans are also on display at the Former Magistrates’ Court on Church Street, or people can have their say online at romseyfuture.org.uk/consultation.

The draft plans form a number of short, medium and long-term proposals for the area for the next ten years.

In the short-term, green spaces and passageways into the town would be enhanced, while the medium-term goals consist of a new green area along Broadwater Road that would make more of the town’s waterways.

It could also house new shops and other facilities as well as providing a new location for buses to travel through.

In the longer-term, the aspiration is to identify a new site for the Aldi supermarket.