Council acquires properties ahead of Hedge End village regeneration
Eastleigh Borough Council is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of all the properties adjacent to the former Budgen’s Supermarket site, located at Upper Northam Road, Hedge End.
The Council promised, when it acquired the former Budgen’s site, that it would regenerate Hedge End village centre. To ensure the viability of any regeneration scheme it became clear that the Council would need to acquire all the properties in this area of the village centre.
The Council has now acquired numbers 1-7 Upper Northam Road from the former Budgens site to the Wilton Carpets/Costa’s premises that enables the Council to begin planning for the exciting regeneration of this area over the coming years.
Cabinet Lead for Regeneration (South) Cllr Ian Corben said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the Council has completed the acquisition of these properties. This is great news for Hedge End as it now presents a fantastic opportunity for us to plan for the regeneration of the village centre for the benefit of local people and businesses.
He added, “However this will not happen overnight. This will require comprehensive and thorough planning so that we ensure we get the right solution for the future of our village centre. Over the coming months the Council will now also be working closely with the current tenants to help these important and long standing local businesses find replacement premises in Hedge End centre so they can continue to serve their customers, while making sure they will not be financially disadvantaged with legal and moving costs.”