The transformation of Town Mills Road into Andover’s newest park is set to commence on Monday, October 12 as the next stage of the project begins.

The road will be torn up during phase two of the riverside park project, with landscaping converting it into a new green space right in the heart of town.

Work on the project, which started in February, has already created a new access for the Town Mills pub and car park from Western Avenue, while gas mains have been redirected after a slight pause during the pandemic.

As a result, the opening has slipped back from 2020 into 2021, with Test Valley Borough Council now hoping to have the works completed by the spring of next year.

Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Councillor Phil North, said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to Hampshire County Council for all their hard work on this project. It’s exciting to see the Town Mills riverside park development progressing to the next phase and I am really looking forward to watching the area take shape over the coming months. Making the most of the town’s green space, and in particular the river, is one of our key aspirations for Andover and this project very much marks the first step towards redeveloping the wider town centre, following the adoption of the masterplan last month.

“We are working closely with Hampshire County Council to ensure a smooth opening of the new access road from Western Avenue later this month and will keep residents and businesses updated on progress.

“This is great news for the town and having spent many an hour watching the ducks by the river as a child, it will be brilliant to see this area transformed.”

The riverside park is touted as the first stage of the Andover Masterplan, which will see most of Western Avenue removed to create an uninterrupted line of parkland running from the Town Mills to Andover College.