THE scale for regeneration of Andover town centre could be part of “unprecedented” future change in the borough — but the council “does not currently have the capacity” to fully deliver it, an independent report has said.

Test Valley bosses have been told by peers from the Local Government Association (LGA) different approaches could give a resource boost needed to match their ambition for revamping the district’s northern town.

A joint venture partnership was recommended to make up for the authority’s shortfall of “in-house capacity”, to bring in expertise and extra resources to support the vision becoming a reality.

The recommendation comes as the body based at Beech Hurst underwent a review in October last year by members from other local authorities in a “corporate peer challenge”.

Chiefs from authorities such as Sevenoaks District Council and Leicester City Council looked at TVBC’s organisation and leadership, financial planning and capacity to deliver to name a few.

In a report, peers said: “While Andover has seen some key developments in recent years, the potential scale of future change is unprecedented for the borough. The Andover Vision – published in 2017 - sets out a clear partnership aspiration for the town.

“Positively, the council is giving very careful consideration to the potential retail, leisure and residential offer for the town centre.

“The council does not currently have the capacity in-house to fully realise the significant growth ambitions for Andover set out in its vision.

“A joint venture is one route for the council to gain the necessary expertise, skills and capacity to ensure that development can be delivered effectively and at a pace that can respond to market demands.”

Beech Hurst chiefs welcomed the findings and told the Advertiser it shared the view of their LGA peers over the regeneration and did not expect to have full capacity in-house.

Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, councillor Phil North said: “As we were at the point of considering how best to approach our ambitious growth and development plans for Andover and Romsey, we used this opportunity to seek the views of our local government colleagues on this subject.

“We will continue to explore all options as we move forward with the project but we are pleased that the feedback from the peer challenge team is very much in line with our own views.

"The council expressed the view to the Local Government Association that, given the scale of our ambitions for Andover, we would not expect to have the necessary expertise in-house and would therefore inevitably engage with experts in town centre redevelopment.

"We were pleased that the association shared our views.”

The body was also praised for being a “well-led and effectively managed” authority, with a “strong track-record” of good investments and delivery, affordable house building and a strong financial position.

Peers also described the council as committed to understanding the needs of the local area, and a respected partner locally and regionally, following positive feedback from a wide range of organisations about the authority’s ambitions for Test Valley.

Cllr North added: "“I feel very proud to be the leader of a council where members and staff alike are absolutely committed to supporting local communities and helping them to thrive.”

The LGA peers collectively spent more than 250 hours compiling the review.