REDEVELOPMENT schemes seem to come and go with great regularity.

But Silver Hill, which promises to transform Winchester city centre, has shown staying power since it was first discussed more than 20 years ago.

There have been times when it looked likely to bite the dust.

However, as the Daily Echo reports today on pages 8 and 9, the biggest stumbling block to the £130m project has now been removed with a deal between the developers, the city council and a key landowner.

It will still take years to come to fruition – with all the attendant disruption that such a major project inevitably brings.

But eventually Winchester will be able to offer shoppers an experience that rivals Southampton, Basingstoke and Portsmouth.

With thousands of jobs promised, it is most certainly something to celebrate.

However, what is vital is that the reasons why shopping and spending time in Winchester is such a pleasure now are not lost. As the complaints about the problems caused by the popularity of the city’s Christmas market show, getting the small details right is as important as the bigger picture.