A SECOND Subway is to open in Andover by the autumn.

As exclusively revealed by the Advertiser earlier this year, more than 100 jobs will be created at a new retail park featuring a McDonald’s, a petrol station and several shops.

Surveyors told this paper that the multi-millionpound development, on the former Vauxhall dealership site on New Street, will be fully open before Christmas.

It will include a drive-thru McDonald’s, the reopening of the filling station – delivering a much-needed competition boost to the town’s petrol market – and the arrival on to the Andover retail scene of Majestic Wine and Topps Tiles.

It will now also include Subway, who already have a Chantry Centre store.

Community figures have welcomed the jobs boost, but nearby residents have already expressed fears over noise and traffic problems.

The site will feature:

*  A McDonald’s drive-thru, employing at least 75 full-time and part-time workers.

*  The return of a petrol station, run by independent operator MRH under BP branding, creating 10-12 jobs. It is rumoured it could be open as early as July, though this may be pushed back to autumn.

*  The arrival of Topps Tiles, whose nearest stores are currently in Winchester and Salisbury.

*  A Majestic Wine branch, whose closest shops are also currently in Winchester and Salisbury.

*  The relocation of Aztec Flooring from Enham Arch into a bigger premises on the site.

Part of the site, also known as Munro’s Corner, will be demolished to make way for the arrivals, while 100 parking spaces and new access routes will be created.

A spokesman for McDonald’s said: “We can confirm that the McDonald’s development in Andover aims to open towards the end of this year.

“The drive-thru restaurant will bring over 75 new jobs, both full and part-time, and will provide significant investment for the town.”

While the new stores will create dozens of jobs, the scheme is not without its critics. Andover Town Council objected to the plans, raising concerns over noise and the proximity of the drive-thru to houses.