A MAJOR street in a Hampshire town is set to be closed for more than six months as work starts on the latest phase of million-pound improvements.

Bell Street is the latest piece of the upgrade package to Romsey’s town centre which is aimed at enhancing the overall accessibility to the area.

Work is expected to take 28 weeks to complete, spread over two phases.

The first will end in mid-November to allow Bell Street to reopen for the Christmas period, before work commences again on January 2.

The overall scheme will be completed by May 2018.

However, there are fears businesses on the street could be hit by the closure, and many residents have branded the removal of the parking bays as an “error”.

Romsey Town Centre manager Mark Edgerley, pictured below right, said: “I very much look forward to this phase of the town centre enhancements; the appearance of whole street will improve immensely and no longer will people have to struggle with buggies and wheelchairs trying to negotiate the current narrow pavements.

“But the loss of on-street parking is regrettable as the existing bays are so important to local retailers; I feel this part of the design is an error.

“I would ask local residents and visitors to continue to support the retailers through the period of the works; they need to maintain good sales figures to be sure they survive to benefit from the improvements.”

Some other issues have been raised regarding the start date, with suggestions that work could be brought forward to this weekend.

However, Hampshire County Council leader Roy Perry has stepped in to reassure Romsey businesses and residents that no work will start on the Bell Street enhancement scheme until the advertised date September 4.

He said: “The scheme to enhance Bell Street is part of a package of improvements for Romsey, designed to help the town centre become a more vibrant and attractive place to visit.

“Some preliminary works involving surveys of utility services had been proposed to start this week, but I have asked for this work to be accommodated in the main scheme, starting in September, so as not to disrupt any businesses during the busy week leading up to the August bank holiday. Had this gone ahead, it would have involved a closure for vehicles (except for deliveries and emergency services) on Bell Street for three days between 9.30am and 4pm.

“I would like to reassure all businesses, residents, and visitors in Romsey that we, the council, are committed to keeping disruption to a minimum during these improvement works. As well as keeping works away from the busy summer trading period, the scheme has been designed in two phases so that there will be no road closures for a month around Christmas - and therefore, no disruption to local businesses.”

He added: “This investment in Romsey shows the county council’s commitment to boosting the town’s economic prospects while balancing its unique historic character and protecting the quality of life of those who live and work there.”

As part of the work, the road will be narrowed in order to reduce vehicle speeds and the footway and carriageway will be at one level to aid accessibility. A new drainage system will also be introduced to reduce the risk of flooding and maintenance required.

There will be a raised crossing at the entry to Bell Street and Broadwater Road to act as a gateway to Bell Street.

For the duration of the works, access for pedestrians, emergency services and deliveries will be maintained at all times, but there will be no access for other vehicles to Bell Street. Fully signed diversions will be in place, and Bell Street will be accessible via Church Street.

As reported, the Bell Street works are the second phase of plans to enhance the town.

The final phase will include making the Market Place a more welcoming and pedestrian-friendly area.

Earlier this year councillors on the scheme’s Project Board agreed to push forward with plans to enhance Market Place and unanimously agreed to create a more welcoming location to encourage a café culture.