A significant project to refurbish and replace a number of lifts at The Malls Shopping Centre has been approved by councillors at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Following a number of breakdowns due to the age of the lifts, councillors agreed to fund a £400,000 project to replace two lifts and refurbish a further three lifts in the council-owned Malls Shopping Centre, at a meeting on Thursday 15 July.

The lifts at The Malls have broken down on a number of occasions and although swift action has been taken to repair issues, some issues have taken longer to resolve due to delays in the parts needed.

As well as ensuring visitors to The Malls can continue to access the centre’s car parks, the new lifts will provide increased capacity and improved access to The Anvil.

Work will now take place to appoint a contractor to carry out the project, with construction work expected to begin later this year to avoid disruption during the festive period.

Cabinet Member for Economic Development Cllr Hannah Golding said: “The lifts at The Malls Shopping Centre are incredibly important for visitors who have additional accessibility requirements so it is vital that this work takes place to ensure they are able to access facilities.

“By improving accessibility, we hope this will enhance the shopping experience for all visitors and encourage more people to come into the town centre to support local businesses as part of the borough’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

“I look forward to this project getting under way later this year and I would like to thank shoppers in advance for their patience while this important work takes place.”

ENDS