'Magical' city centre revamp plan moves forward

A planning application for a "once in a lifetime" city centre regeneration project could be submitted by the end of next year.

The Silver Hill development in Winchester has been subject to multiple iterations and over more than a decade.

Winchester City Council cabinet members are expected to approve the first milestone of the current project since the signing of a development agreement last April with partner Jigsaw Consortium.

Jigsaw has produced a development delivery outline for the Central Winchester Regeneration scheme, which includes the bus station, Kings Walk block and Friarsgate car park.

It said the project was a "once in a lifetime opportunity to create a magical new place that unlocks this part of Winchester and brings new life to this timeless city".

Council leader Martin Tod said it was an "absolutely vital opportunity to bring new life to the heart" of the city.

"This is not going to be a false start," he told a council scrutiny committee on Wednesday.

"At the moment, the difficult financial situation nationally means that many regeneration schemes are falling by the wayside but we are not going to fall by the wayside," Tod added.

The indicative programme timeline suggests, subject to planning approval, a phased construction process will be completed by 2034.

Two previous schemes for Silver Hill hit the buffers due to economic factors and legal action.

In February 2015, the city council's then leader Rob Humby resigned after the High Court ruled decisions relating to those plans were unlawful.

Jigsaw's proposal sets out that a masterplan could be completed before the end of this year, ahead of a planning application being submitted in late 2026 or early 2027.

The city council's cabinet will be asked to approve infrastructure plans at a meeting on Thursday.

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