EAST Hampshire District Council has granted planning permission for a project to redevelop Bordon’s Forest Shopping Centre.

The decision, issued under delegated powers, comes after the plans went through a series of drafts, with flats causing concern among some residents.

The core aim of the project is said to be to breathe new life into the centre, which will see a number of changes to make it more modern and welcoming to customers and traders alike.

The centre has struggled in recent years, with store closures and the liquidation of the previous management.

As well as proposals for the centre itself, current owner and developer Orchard Grove Asset Management, in London, can now move forward with plans to build flats in Heathcote and in Pinehill Road.

These will take the shape of two detached buildings, comprising 12 flats and six flats respectively.

Vacant space above retail units one to three and nine to 13 will also be converted to provide 11 more flats, and two new retail units will be provided inside the centre.

The reconfiguration will include the removal of the entrance doors, and the installation of new bollards and planters with integral seating, and alterations to car-parking areas.

There was some public resistance to the application, particularly over the heights of the new flats.

Echoing these worries, Whitehill Town Council submitted objections to the scheme, although its members were later satisfied with the reduced size of new buildings.

East Hampshire District Council acknowledged the concerns about the flats but said: “There are some quite substantial buildings in the immediate area, including Lidl, Wilko and the church in Pinehill Road, so the height would be in keeping with the character of the area. The scale, height, massing and the external appearance of the proposed buildings and their relationship to adjoining buildings would be acceptable.”

As a result, it was concluded that the proposal “would provide an opportunity for the Forest Centre to be refurbished so that new tenants could be attracted, together with providing a mix of new affordable and market flats in an accessible location”.

Despite the town council’s reservations, leader Alan Waterhouse was happy the plans had been given the go-ahead.

“The town council is very pleased that this difficult planning application has now been approved and that work can soon commence on improving and bringing new life back into the Forest Shopping Centre,” he said.

East Hampshire District councillor Adam Carew also welcomed the news.

“Approval of these plans has been a long time coming,” he said.

“There have been various iterations due to a number of local concerns, regarding the height of the flats (in Heathcote and Pinehill roads); the lack of parking provision; lorry turning, and change of use from office space to residential.

“But I gather these have now been resolved to the satisfaction of the district council planners.

“The new town centre is some years away and will have a very different appeal so there is absolutely no reason why both cannot co-exist.

“Many people do not realise that the Forest Shopping Centre was a failing centre - its management company went into liquidation and we have lost our bank, the Co-op, the hi-fi shop and our superb green grocers in recent years.

“It’s true to say that the centre had, a few years back, been plagued by antisocial behaviour issues until they were sorted out by the police, and people simply stopped going there.

“Yet the western end of the Forest Centre is busier than ever. The new owners are keen to break with the past, there is more CCTV and the idea is to keep the shopping centre open later.

“Forest Shopping Centre is very much a creation of the 1980s. Claustrophobic, US-style shopping malls have, thankfully, gone right out of fashion in favour of a return to our traditional high streets. The new owners say they are very keen to modernise the centre, to open it up and to encourage it to be a social meeting place with cafe culture.

“I am pleased to say that the buses and taxis-only traffic regulation order at Pinehill Road will now finally be revoked. I expressed my reservations when this was instigated. It has never worked and it was a monumentally foolish decision to close this off to cars when the road still had to be accessed by buses and emergency vehicles.

“As a result, the Event Space and road itself, which was supposed to hold regular street markets, has very rarely been used apart from at the Armed Forces flag raising (ceremony) and Christmas fairs when a road-closure order is obtained in any case. There is no reason why such events cannot still go ahead.”

Mr Carew wished “the Forest Centre and its traders every success”.