TO BID or not to BID — that is the question facing Andover businesses in the town centre.

The Business Improvement District or BID is a company that is funded by businesses to carry out improvements to a defined part of the town centre with a view to increasing business traction. In the case of Andover, that applies to all businesses with a rateable value of over £10,000.

This does not include many small businesses or the town council itself. Coming from a business family, with a strong background in retailing, the prospects of a BID offers an opportunity to help revitalise the town centre.

The stormy meeting in the Guildhall (Tuesday September 4) raised concerns.

A number of retailers complained about a lack of communication from the BID team. Some of these were below the BID limit. Their views could be regarded as irrelevant, but I would have liked the BID team to err on the side of inclusion, as the BID would impact on them and they are key players. If communications had been sent to a nominated person within the business organisation, this might have avoided a lot of aggro later on. The other issue was a general complaint about the lack of action by Test Valley Borough Council to support local retailers. One of the gripes was parking charges which put town centre retailers at a disadvantage to the retail parks.

At the time of writing, the BID business plan which will be the subject of the referendum has not yet been made public. It would have been useful if this document had gone through a public consultation phase, as the consultation document is sparse and has failed to persuade many businesses especially retailers about its merits. Clear information may remove some of the concerns. It would also have allowed a discussion of key questions such as the boundaries of the BID zone.

Why does it go down the middle of a street so shops on either side are treated differently?

Why is Andover College included but not Asda?

Why is the levy set at 2 per cent whilst Basingstoke pays significantly less?  There are also differences of opinions between independents and chains, retailers and others. I am sure there are good answers to all these questions, but they have to be articulated.

Whilst in principle an Andover BID could confer significant advantages to the town centre and Andover itself, the plans need to reflect this in detail. Retailers will look and make their own individual cost benefit analyses. Furthermore, plans are one thing, execution is all.

Luigi Gregori, Charlton Road, Andover.