Town's £21m development plan wins council backing

A plan to build a market town's first multi-storey car park on the site of a community hall has won council backing.

Test Valley Borough Council is proposing to demolish the Crosfield Hall in Romsey, Hampshire, and replace it with parking on three levels, as part of a wider £21m redevelopment project.

The town centre bus station and surface car park would be replaced by a new smaller community hall as well as businesses and 20 flats.

Councillors, who voted to progress the scheme, were told time was running out before the budget would be lost due to local government reorganisation.

However, hours later, the government announced plans to postpone mayoral elections by two years until 2028.

Previously, some visitors to a planning exhibition in Romsey said the high-rise parking could be "ugly" and "a public monstrosity".

About 50 members of the public attended Wednesday's full council meeting.

Neill Beasley, from Romsey and District Society, told the meeting he had "concerns" that the new community hall should be a "special building" surrounded by open space, rather than shops and flats.

Councillor Mark Cooper replied: "Romsey always resents change. Incomers want to keep their town exactly as it was when they moved in."

Council leader Phil North said the planning process had taken 10 years already.

He said there was only a year left to complete it before the budget would be lost, ahead of Test Valley Borough Council being abolished.

However, the Conservative was speaking hours before the government announced a delay to mayoral elections and has been approached for comment.

The council voted to appoint architects to draw up detailed designs, ahead of a planning application in 2027.

The Crosfield Hall, which is used for exhibitions and classes, was built by a local philanthropist and opened in 1936.

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