Purpose

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.

Decision

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.