THE Mayor of Haslemere has this week unveiled what he sees as a five-year development plan for the town.

"I would like to see more car parking to encourage people to stay longer in Haslemere and an end to the empty and derelict shops in the town," said Michael Barnes.

Among his hopes for the town's revitalisation are underground car parks.

Referring to a controlled parking zone scheme which could eventually rid the town's narrow roads of commuter cars, Mr Barnes said: "If you move cars off the road you have to find somewhere else for motorists to park.

"I would like to see one underground car park close to Haslemere railway station and another in the present High Street car park," he said.

Specialist shops, smaller chainstore shops and lots more of them are also on the top of his list for Haslemere.

"Haslemere prides itself on its specialist shops," he said.

"We have got to have the right facilities and it is not a good thing having empty properties," Mr Barnes continued.

He said he was looking for the public's support over the number of derelict properties in the town.

"I believe it is high time that the public voiced their concerns," said Mr Barnes, who claimed that some of the shops concerned were owned by the Gibbs Trust, a family trust which owned a number of shops and small parcels of land in the town.

Mr Barnes said he also wanted to see improvements to Wey Hill and a way of bringing the two centres together.

"I see Haslemere as one town."

He welcomed the scheme for Wey Hill and said he hoped Haslemere would win the bid for improvements.

"Haslemere deserves it because of the problems Wey Hill has had to suffer in recent years," believed Mr Barnes.

With £3,000 already set aside by Haslemere Town Council to engage professional help and draw up plans for the town, Mr Barnes said that nothing would happen without a "tremendous amount of public consultation".

Hoping to help raise the profile of the town further is a new town guide which is planned to be re-published in May.

Designed to update the earlier version published at the end of 2000, the cost of producing 40,000 copies of the new guide has been backed by Haslemere Town Council to the tune of £3,000, provided costs of publishing do not exceed the advertising revenue from it.

The new far-reaching plans for the town which are expected to be discussed by Waverley Borough Council soon, were first revealed by the chairman of Haslemere Initiative, Peter Purchon, last November, at the official opening of the town's newest mini shopping mall, Charter Walk.

He said: "There is a way to create better, good-quality buildings and encourage the population who now shop outside the town to want to shop in the town for everything."

He outlined plans to address what he believed was " a huge economic future in Haslemere that was not being realised."

But three months after the centre was opened the shops are only just nearing completion.

Doubts also still remain about full access from the shopping mall into the High Street car park because of ongoing negotiations with the developers and the Gibbs Trust which owns the small L-shaped piece of land across the rear of the development.