A VISION for Alton 2020 was launched this week and with it an exciting opportunity for more people to get involved in shaping the future of the town. In performing the honours before an enthusiastic gathering in Alton's newly- refurbished Assembly Rooms, Hampshire County Council chairman John West congratulated Alton on being among the first four market towns in Hampshire to complete the Countryside Agency health check. And he wished the community well in carrying out the tasks highlighted within the resulting town plan which, he said, would "bring Alton into the 21st century". Conceived in 2002 in response to the Countryside Agency initiative which recognised that many market towns were struggling and required a strategy if they were to remain thriving and commercially sustainable, Alton 2020 has been three long years in the making. Developed "by the people for the people", the new town plan is the result of considerable local effort and public participation, driven and managed by the Alton Town Steering Group. In thanking his fellow steering group members for their "time, perseverance and effort " in producing Alton 2020, chairman Mike Heelis outlined the healthcheck process which had led to the drawing up of a Vision for the future of Alton and to a plan with which to implement that vision. The aim now, he said, was to set up a new independent body to drive and deliver the plan. His message was clear: "Everybody in Alton has a stake in this vision" and more volunteers, be they individuals or representatives of organisations, were needed to bring it to fruition. The Alton Town Partnership would progress, monitor and evaluate projects and, in particular, keep the community involved and informed. A charter for this new entity was currently being drawn up. While initial development work had been conducted on a voluntary basis with some financial support from Alton Town Council and East Hampshire District Council, it was now proposed to set up a resource and funding budget to help finance the projects. The plan itself is split into four sections: environment, local economy, health, community and recreation and, finally, transport and travel. Proposed initiatives include: Environment: l To determine the scale and rate of Alton's expansion and ensure that it is matched by the necessary infrastructure. l To influence the location and quality of development in the town l To ensure Alton benefits from the South Downs National Park. Local economy: l To improve the gateways to Alton, particularly around the station and at other key commercial locations. l To stimulate the establishment of new business and actively support existing business. l To actively promote the town's employment prospects. l To develop a marketing and communications plan for Alton. Health, community and recreation l To improve the provision of healthcare services l To actively pursue all means, including CCTV, to ensure that Alton remains a safe place to live, work and play. l To support, develop and implement plans to improve community facilities in the town - in particular provision of a new community centre, a replacement sports centre and the provision of venues for live music and drama. Transport and travel l To develop and pursue the implementation of plans to improve and optimise traffic management throughout the town l To work with public transport providers to ensure the provision of convenient and integrated services; to seek the restoration of double track working on the line between Alton and Farnham and the reopening of a peak-time rail service to Alresford and to extend the Cango Bus service. l To work with HCC to effect further improvements in the road link to Basingstoke. While the plan will build upon events which have recently benefited Alton, it envisages further new developments to provide "a full service" town for those living and working in Alton and the surrounding villages. But Mr Heelis added: "It is important to stress that this is a working document and the process of revitalising Alton as a market town is not set in stone. It will be an evolving task and regular reviews will take place to ensure that the actions and projects we propose to deliver take account of changing circumstances and continue to meet the needs of all sections of the local community. "This is just a starting point to set us on the road ahead." The process of implementing the plan has already started. According to Mr Heelis, the Alton 2020 strategy has been entered into the South East Market Towns Awards 2005 and five projects have been submitted to East Hampshire District Council for consideration by the north west area community committee. And working in partnership with Alton Initiatives Management (AIM) Ltd, funding has been allocated for improvements to the appearance of the Mill Lane industrial estate. Mr Heelis also pointed out that presentations had been made to the 19 parish councils surrounding Alton which used the town as a service centre, to keep them informed and to help them feel part of process. In thanking Mike Heelis and his committee for their work in producing the new plan, Alton Town Mayor Paddy Mendham sought to reiterate the message that "no change is not an option". In urging people to get involved he added: "We can't stand still, we have got to go forward with vision and it is up to all of us to take that vision forward."
