Businesses are cheering as the go-ahead has finally been given for ‘ugly’ scaffolding to be removed from Andover High Street, two years after it was erected.

Test Valley Borough Council and Andover BID manager, Shelley Coburn have been putting pressure on Entain, the owners of Ladbrokes to start structural repair works on the listed building, to stabilize and make the building safe. 

A spokesperson from Test Valley Borough Council said: “We have been applying significant pressure to the parties responsible for the maintenance of the building and have been informed that plans to begin repairs are now mobilising. We have been advised that works are expected to begin at the end of November and will take around 16 weeks to complete."

“We will be closely monitoring the situation and hope that there will be no further changes so that the scaffolding will finally come down.” 

READ MORE: Costa Coffee pics: See how fresh refurb wins over customers

Ms Coburn said: “Businesses will be thrilled, it’s been a blight on the town centre. We’ve been working so hard to get this eyesore removed, so this is terrific news and means that the removal of the scaffolding and bollards will open the street up to more events. The priority now is to get the scaffolding down at Waterstone's before the Christmas.”

The scaffolding, plastic sheeting and bollards were put up in front of Ark Hair Design and Ladbrokes in June 2022 and has upset business owners.   

Gerald Kingsley runs Ark Hairdressing, which is hidden behind the plastic sheeting said: “I haven’t had a view out of the window for two years and people think we’re closed. This is great news as the passing trade will come back again and I’ll be able to see daylight again.”

Andy Gisby, 56 is the owner of Andover Framing on the High Street said: ‘It’s fantastic news if we’re going to see the repairs completed soon, I can’t wait to see the scaffolding and bollards removed from our wonderful town centre. It can’t be underestimated that the impact of the footfall has been down on our side of the street. It's so ugly and makes the town look unkempt."

Ms Coburn added that scaffolding outside Wetherspoons on the other side of the High Street was due to be removed two weeks before Christmas.