A public consultation is set to be held in a bid to find a long-awaited resolution on the future of the Bar End Depot.
Winchester City Council is inviting members of the community to the reception of Winchester Sports and Leisure Park between 3pm and 7.30pm next Tuesday (March 8) to discuss possible uses for the land off Bar End Road.
Civic chiefs agreed last autumn to sell the disused plot, in part to address the council's financial problems caused by the Covid pandemic. But they said they were in no rush to offload and would wait until the time was right.
READ MORE HERE: Highcliffe residents pressing for community facilities on Bar End Depot
Community groups have previously been vocal about their desire for the land to be put to public use and have expressed concerns that once the site is sold the council will lose control over what is developed there.
However, in a bed to reassure residents, the council has now moved to seek feedback on what they would like to see featured on the site ahead of progressing with marketing to potential buyers later this summer, in addition to explaining more about the potential for a healthcare use on the site.
The council has revealed it has been approached by Hobbs Rehabilitation which has express an interest in creating a neurological rehabilitation centre offering therapies for people with neurological conditions on a third of the site.
Bosses say the “state-of-the-art” facility would have the potential to create jobs and offer complementary facilities to those at The Pinder Trust’s Hydrotherapy Suite at Winchester Sport & Leisure Park.
Councillor Kelsie Learney, cabinet member for housing and asset management, said: “The opportunity to secure Hobbs Rehabilitation is in line with the council’s priorities, both around ensuring all residents’ health and wellbeing and in terms of creating jobs for local people. We are really keen to continue to collaborate with local people around potential uses for the depot site and would encourage people to give their feedback.”
This latest event follows extensive previous engagement to develop a design framework for Bar End, in which over 1,000 responses were received, and 70 face-to-face meetings were conducted.
A “shared vision” was developed which allows for the provision for a mix of uses, green buffer zones, height restrictions, a convenience store, community facilities and permeability through the site to Winchester Sport & Leisure Park.
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The first phase of realising that vision is already complete - with the launch of the new leisure centre bringing a wide-range of accessible facilities to Winchester including a 50m swimming pool and learner pool, multi-use sports hall, 200 station fitness suite and spinning studio, two exercise studios, four squash courts, Crussh café and a hydrotherapy suite.
Members of the project team will be available on the day of the consultation to answer any questions and provide more details about how this fits in with the wider Bar End Design Framework. The team from Hobbs Rehabilitation will also be present to outline the specifics of their proposals.
In the past, potential uses of the depot have included housing, commercial, healthcare, shops and a hotel.
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