FOUR trenches costing £490,000 will need to be dug to allow archaeological work to be carried out before a regeneration project for the centre of Winchester can start. 

Winchester City Council's regeneration committee gave a timeline and approved funding for archaeology works for the Central Winchester Regeneration (CWR) plan at its meeting on February 7. 

CWR was formally known as Silver Hill and was derailed in 2015 for various reasons including a series of rows and a high court challenge. 

Now, the council has resurrected the scheme for a revamp of the land between the Friarsgate and The Broadway.

The council said the development partner for the scheme will be announced on March 17.

Former city councillor Ian Tait was at the meeting and spoke as a member of the public. He called for the council to set out specific times to avoid further delays. 

He said: “The thrust of what I want to say is about the lack of progress since Silver Hill was derailed in 2015.

“There are currently no specific plans of what to do with the Friarsgate Surgery. Could it deliver a housing scheme?

"There has been excellent work by the estates team to improve Kings Walk. I welcome the clarity from the leader of the council. It's a real challenge, we need a timeline we can buy into.”

Veryan Lyons, head of programme for CWR, said they have asked the planning authority to delay the Friarsgate Surgery planning application to incorporate archaeology works on the site.

But she added: "We will revisit it.”

The committee approved £350,000 to pay in part for the four trenches to be dug in the eastern part of the site, around the bus station. 

The rest of the money has previously been approved. 

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Mrs Lyons said: “The trenching work will help to inform the proposals. There is very little known about the eastern side of the site.

"The purpose of trenching is to investigate. Data will not automatically lead to a big dig. If we do find something, there will be further discussions.”

The committee also discussed the future consultation for CWR.

Leader of the council, Cllr Martin Tod said: “There is no question as to the importance of this openness." 

He said that some meetings would happen in private, but said it was 'common practice for project management.' 

The committee also said that a business case for the area around the railway station called Station Approach will go to cabinet in June with a masterplan published in spring next year.