AN invitation to take a night walk in the Bordon Inclosure was one of the events offered to residents by East Hampshire District Council in its latest 12-page brochure on the town’s development.

The brochure - entitled Whitehill & Bordon From Garrison Town to Green Town Your Questions Answered - is being delivered to homes and businesses in the GU35 postcode, and seeks “to answer some of the frequently asked questions about the town’s regeneration”. Questions posed include “when can I enjoy a coffee in the new town centre?”, “how will the proposed 5,500 job be created?”, and “when can I ride my bike around the new cycle routes?”.

It is possible some of these questions might have to remain unanswered bec-ause, at present, the first stage of the project is the building of homes at Quebec Barracks, due to start this year, followed next year by the development at Louisburg Barracks.

And it is estimated that it will be five years before the new town centre, which has now got outline planning permission, is built. The district council hopes that it will attract big-name retailers, businesses, open-air restaurants and cafes, set around a square with a market.

There might also be a wait for the planned new secondary school, health centre and GP surgery, plus an arts and cultural centre, as the regeneration plan covers a 20-year period - up to 2036.

But there are some projects which now have a completion date, such as the new relief road, with the first section opening next year and the final stage in 2018. Also by 2019 the Green Loop is due to be completed, giving residents cyclepaths around the town

Whitehill Town Council is proceeding with its plan to run the Bordon Inclosure, where 24 hectares (about 59 acres) are set to be turned into a “fantastic green space” for the community.

To encourage people to visit the nature reserve, on Friday, October 23, there will be a Hallowe’en pumpkin trail, between 5pm and 7pm, during which guests are invited to walk down the Inclosure path to the Woodlark pub. Also in a bid by the district council to encourage residents to explore the green spaces on their doorsteps, a woodland fair will be held at the Deadwater Valley Reserve on Saturday, October 10, from 11am to 3pm.

The brochure has a section on town secondary school Mill Chase Academy and offers a timeline detailing when the council hopes the projects will be finalised.

It also describes an offer available to residents of a 25 per cent cashback payment if they install energy-saving devices, and 50 per cent cash help for solid wall installation.

There is an offer of £5,000 to the first 100 new homeowners at Quebec Park who put in external wall insulation.

At one time when it was to be an eco-town, backed by Labour Government money, it was felt nothing could be done until five years after the Army left in 2015.

But now things seem to be moving fast and two of the country’s biggest builders, Dorchester Living and Taylor Wimpey, have set up the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company which is putting the plans into operation.