Havant Borough Council is providing an update on the Waterlooville public realm improvement project, a key investment in the town centre designed to support economic vitality, encourage new business, and create a safer, more attractive and welcoming space for residents, visitors, and businesses. These improvements look to include seating, greenery, and other features to enhance accessibility and the overall experience of the town centre.
This follows the public engagement undertaken in 2025, where residents had the opportunity to provide feedback and help shape the improvements they wanted to see in the town centre.
Following this input, detailed design work was carried out to incorporate the feedback received into the project, whilst still retaining the aspirations of the scheme as discussed with Waterlooville residents during the summer of 2025. As the design has been refined, the Council has identified a funding gap. Early cost estimates were based on preliminary information, but rising material and labour costs, along with the additional requirements identified through detailed design, have increased the overall projected cost.
The council is currently exploring options to address this funding gap, including:
- A cabinet recommendation to Full Council to approve a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) bid for £1,000,000 additional funding. The recommendation will be considered on 26 February 2026.
- Undertaking surveys and other on-site tests to achieve best value for money for the project.
Councillor Antonia Harrison - Cabinet Lead for Community Assets & Waterlooville Town Centre Regeneration – stated "We understand that some residents and businesses may be frustrated with the pace of progress, and we thank everyone for their patience. We remain committed to delivering the improvements to Waterlooville town centre that residents helped to shape last year. This project is an important investment in our town, supporting economic vitality and enhancing the experience for all who live, work, and visit here.
“While costs have increased due to factors beyond our control, we are taking every step to ensure the scheme can go ahead in a financially responsible way, and we will continue to explore all options to address the funding gap and deliver these improvements, creating a safer, more attractive, and welcoming space for everyone.
“No final decisions have been made yet, and we will provide updates once we have reviewed all the options and agreed on the best way forward. Residents and businesses will be kept informed as the project progresses.”
For more information on Waterlooville town centre and the investment being made into the town centre, visit https://www.havant.gov.uk/regeneration-and-business/regeneration-havant-borough/waterlooville-town-centre.