ALTON'S business community is throwing its considerable weight behind a drive for long- overdue repairs to a road running through the Mill Lane trading estate. Currently pitted with gaping potholes and flanked by verges in a vehicle-ravaged and unsightly state of disrepair, the condition of Mill Lane itself is top of the list in a current bid to turn the once "ugly duckling into a swan". On the shortlist to be included in Hampshire County Council's 2007/08 carriageway resurfacing budget, Alton business improvement facilitator Vernon Pearce believes repairs to the road are vital to the future prosperity of the area. So urgent has the problem become that Alton Town Council has added its plea for the £175,000 resurfacing project to be carried out in the next financial year. It joins Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Alton Initiatives Management (AIM) Ltd, the Alton Town Partnership (ATP) and local business people in fighting Alton's corner for a slice of the Hampshire highways cake. In a letter to HCC chief engineer Colin Taylor, deputy town clerk Greg Burt pointed out that AIM Ltd is leading a multi-agency project to give Alton's Mill Lane business area a much- needed facelift, to help propel it into the 21st century. But, he said, the state of the road was seriously hampering these efforts. In his letter he described the condition of the carriageway and adjoining grassed areas as "deplorable". "They present a disgraceful vista and experience, not only for daily users of the area but also to potential investors," commented Mr Burt. As the man charged with leading the Mill Lane regeneration project, Vernon Pearce said he was delighted to have Alton Town Council on board. "Mill Lane is a major gateway into Alton, as well as running through the centre of one of East Hampshire's major business areas, and it is a disgrace. The road is full of potholes and the grass verges have been ploughed-up by cars who regularly park on them and trucks which pull off the road to unload." He added: "As well as discouraging new businesses from setting up in the Mill Lane area, the opening of the Focus DIY store in Mill Lane means we need to improve the road as one of the means to attract visitors into the town centre to continue their shopping experience." Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) is firmly behind the regeneration project. Past president Mike Baker told The Herald: "The chamber has campaigned for a structural change to the thinking associated with the Mill Lane estate. "Established in the 1960s, it needs to be brought up to date to reflect the diversity of business that now exists on the site and the high-tech businesses and cluster groups that it must attract for the well being of the town's future." He added: "While the road is an issue, it is not a business 'stopper'. Nevertheless, what it does transmit is that the Mill Lane trading estate is old and tired when what it needs to transmit is that this is the entrance to Alton's modern and efficient business park." The Mill Lane regeneration project forms the largest and most challenging part of a three year Alton 2020 Business Initiative, funded to the tune of £100,000 by SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) to help make the town's economy more vibrant and successful. As part of the project, the Environment Agency has started work this winter on clearing the overgrown River Wey where it runs through the Mill Lane area. And vitally, according to Vernon Pearce, Alton-based architects Format Milton have now been appointed to prepare a design statement for the area, to provide a coherent plan on which to work. A spokesman for Hampshire highways has confirmed that a bid has been submitted for £175,000 funding from HCC's special maintenance budget to improve the Mill Lane trading estate. But while the engineers are confident funding will be allocated, they will not know how much has been allocated, nor which options they are able to consider for improvement, until after the full council budget has been set in February. Mr Pearce does not expect the funding to include grass verge improvements. That, he said, will probably be down to the businesses on the estate and may involve refurbishment to provide lay-bys, "grasscrete" parking areas and/or verges planted with trees and shrubs to prevent parking. But, he warned, until the business community can see some improvement to the carriageway it is unlikely to commit to what it would view as a one- sided partnership. His message is clear: "This was never going to be an easy project and we need to see some basic infrastructure improvements before we can expect businesses in the area to play their part."
