THE Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company this week responded to last a Bordon Herald article in which residents Fiona and Peter Davey spoke of their fight to stop trees being lost during the town redevelopment.

On behalf of the Regeneration Company, Christine Webb said: “We are very sympathetic to residents’ concerns about the Whitehill and Bordon regeneration project and have met Mr and Mrs Davey to address their specific apprehensions.

“We want to see Whitehill and Bordon transformed into a prosperous Green Town and working with the local community is key to this.

“We make every effort to reach out to people to keep them informed of progress and consult on each element of the project. We are publicising what we are doing on site through newsletters, social media, traditional media, leaflets and public-consultation events. However, we are reviewing our methods of communication to see what more we can do.

“Some trees have been removed around the Budds Lane pitches in line with the scope of works for the new Mill Chase secondary school. This is to survey the ditches and works needed to provide the right environment for the school. The delivery of the new school is proceeding as planned and will be a fantastic new addition to the town.

“We monitor the work contractors undertake when looking after the sports pitches and grass areas, and we tidy the Prince Philip Barracks land under our responsibility as required.

“A couple of the pitches were churned up due to quad bikes (and similar users) and we instructed contractors to reseed the pitches and provide useable space. We continue to monitor the use of the pitches and make repairs as required.

“At the Hogmoor Inclosure, work is now under way to produce a new play area for children and new dog-walking areas. Upon completion, Whitehill and Bordon will have the third largest Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) in the country.

“We are setting up cameras on site for security but also to capture the transformation of the area over the life of the project.

“We welcome the support of the community with this project and are more than happy to add to this library any additional pictures of the changes.”

She added that work on “key physical” aspects of the scheme - roads, water, electricity, broadband and gas - and “social” aspects - the leisure centre, schools, new green spaces and BOSC - were “under way as planned”.

“The project has been designed to deliver these facilities and amenities early so that all existing and new residents, and workers, can benefit from it,” she said. “There are several years of work to be undertaken but changes will become more evident soon.”