A two-year overhaul of Farnham town centre looks set for a September 2024 start after the county council formally scheduled two years of road closures.

The road closures, advertised via the https://one.network/ website, represent a proactive step by the Farnham Infrastructure Programme to stop other utility companies booking roadworks over the same period.

However, the Herald understands the town centre works are set to get underway soon after the traffic orders come into force this September.

Separate notices have been issued for road closures from September 1, 2024 to September 1, 2026 in West Street, The Borough, Castle Street, Park Row, High Park Road, Bear Lane, Woolmead Road, East Street, South Street, Union Road, Longbridge,  Bridge Square, Downing Street, Lower and Upper Church Lane.

But the £14 million town centre project will be phased, with only sections of the town centre and one-way system closing at any one time.

Details of this phasing are yet to be confirmed, and the county council has previously stated it hopes to complete the works within 18 months.

A September start date would though mean disrupting two key Christmas trading periods for town centre retailers, something shopkeepers have already taken issue with.

In December, Chancellor and South West Surrey MP, Jeremy Hunt, and Surrey County Council leader Tim Oliver called for a July start to avoid a double Christmas overlap.

This after the county council's Farnham Infrastructure Programme (FIP) team proposed a January 2025 start date.

The £14 million Farnham town centre project will deliver wider pavements throughout the town centre and new right-hand turns out of Castle Street and Waggon Yard, reversing sections of the one-way system in Downing Street and The Borough.

View a PDF map of the town centre plans here.