ALRESFORD'S residents are being urged to vote on the projects they would most like to see the town tackle.

A survey was launched last Thursday (March 13) at Alresford's Annual Town Meeting, offering community members the chance to choose their five most pressing concerns for the settlement, from a list of 25.

Schemes put forward by the Alresford Town Partnership (ATP) include providing more car parking in the town, identifying sites for affordable housing and investigating the feasibility of CCTV security.

Other possible ideas to consider include to improve standards of street cleanliness, establishing a small business centre, promoting and recognising volunteering and improving the quality of bus transport around the town.

The survey is part of a £60,000 grant application to the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to help fund a new 70-space car park at Perins School. It is hoped the new parking facility will be up and running by October.

It is also part of a city council market town health check initiative that aims to provide a picture of where Alresford is now and where it would like to be in the future.

Encouraging residents to get involved in the study, Cllr Roy Gentry, chairman of New Alresford Town Council, said: "It's very important for no other reason that it's a fundamental requirement of obtaining the SEEDA grant and that's the driving force behind it."

Dr Nigel Paterson, chairman of ATP, added: "We have been gathering ideas from many individuals and groups, and now we have a long list! We want residents of Alresford to tell us which of the projects are important to them and their family.

"This is one part of a much bigger project and I think people have made it loud and clear that parking is an issue."

But Dr Paterson denied suggestions that the results of the survey would be quickly forgotten once the project to build the new car park had been completed.

He said: "It is easy for individual councillors to carry the day for a particular project but in the end the community must want it too.

"The bigger the number of people that respond to the survey the bigger our mandate is."

Voting forms are available in the town's library on Broad Street, from selected shops in the town and from www.alresford.org.

For more information telephone Sarah Coe on 01962 735881 or email sarah.coe33@aol.com.