HARD on the heels of the £100,000 SEEDA grant awarded in December the recently formed Alton Town Partnership has achieved yet another success. It has been awarded £20,000, by the Learning and Skills Council for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to fund a project aimed at providing information regarding Alton's retail offerings. The award is specifically aimed at towns which have shown signs of weakening against the competition from more significant towns and cities and the objective is to ensure that Hampshire's market towns remain retail locations. A research team will study aspects of the shopping experience in Alton to provide a picture of how the town centre is performing as a local service centre, supply feedback on the results and make recommendations for enhancement where this is necessary. The bid was led by the Alton Town Partnership (ATP) with support from Alton Town Council, Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Alton Initiatives Management (AIM) Ltd to meet the submission deadline of January 3. "In the surveys that we conducted as part of the town plan preparation, the people of Alton made it very clear how important it is to have an inviting and vibrant town centre with a good mix of lifestyle and specialist shops which will attract shoppers from a wider area than at present," said ATP chairman Chris McCallum. "It is believed that the result of this study will help to identify where there are shortcomings in the retail experience and provide the necessary steers to overcome them." Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mike Baker said: "The High Street is a dynamic and competitive business environment and any steer that will enable the town to 'up its retail game' is to be welcomed." Further information regarding the town centre retail study can be obtained from Chris McCallum on 01420 549684 or by contacting [email protected]">[email protected]