Council announces Fareham car park closures
By Connor Steel
FAREHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL have announced the closure of two popular car parks in the town centre from next Monday (August 8), which will allow construction and remodelling work to begin on the brand new ‘Fareham Live’ site aimed at revamping the popular Ferneham Hall facility that closed back in January 2020.
From the above date both surface car parks, named Ferneham Hall, will be closed until further notice to all traffic; the space being used for a construction side and vehicle park for required vehicles. All other car parks around the town centre will be unaffected by this move announced in a press release on Thursday last week.
The closures are necessary to keep members of the public safe alongside construction teams, who will be working on the project believed to be costing around £13.35 million. Plans indicate that the finished facility will feature a bigger main theatre with comfortable seating, flexible studio space and a bar / café on site for visitors once open in 2024; an original finish date of summer next year pushed back due to Covid-19 rules.
Regular town centre visitors are advised that the small access road, leading to the front of the site, will stay open for vehicular access to the library and taxi rank; whilst the main back entrances to the town centre near Waterstones will remain unaffected. This is expected to be the case throughout the car park closures set to finish in spring 2024, although further information will be provided if this is forced to change during the work.
Executive Member for Leisure and Community within Fareham Borough Council, Councillor Mrs Sue Walker, said in a very short online statement: “It is incredibly exciting that we are finally getting started on Fareham Live, which is set to become a vibrant arts and entertainment venue in the heart of Fareham town centre. The closure of these two small car parks is necessary to keep everyone safe through the remodelling process and we are certain that we have suitable alternatives so that people can still visit Fareham easily.”
Readers can see details of alternative car parks in Fareham town centre alongside maps by clicking this link or viewing the above featured image. More information about the Fareham Live project, including a range of detailed plans and past press releases, can further be found here via the leisure tab on the council website.
PICTURED BY FAREHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL: Map graphic showing car park closures from August 8.
