10:21am Tuesday 2nd February 2010
By Julian Robinson
MILLON-POUND plans have been unveiled for a major revamp of a multistorey car park in a Hampshire town.
Civic chiefs want to breathe new life in to the rundown 30-year-old building between Southampton Road and Mitchell Road in Eastleigh.
The refurbishment, which will include structural improvements, CCTV upgrades and new ticketing technology, is expected to add an extra 25 years to the lifespan of the 13-storey car park.
Lighting will be replaced, road surfaces treated and concrete walls and columns whitewashed if the ambitious plan is waved through.
Meanwhile a ‘pay on foot’ ticketing system would also be introduced – similar to the town’s other multi-storey at the Swan Centre.
The action was proposed after surveyors found that the lower levels of the 500-space car park had widespread hairline cracks, which may increase the risk of corrosion.
Experts say it may have been caused by de-icing salt, carried in to the building on car wheels, which, over time, found its way to steel reinforcements in the concrete.
Cabinet members at Eastleigh Borough Council will be told that the entire works could be completed by May 2011 with the car park remaining open at all times. It would take around 30 weeks to complete.
The council wants to borrow £1,100,000 to pay for the scheme with annual repayments of £44,000 – not including interest, which would be £10,000 in the first year and £22,000 thereafter.
A report on the proposal says: “The multi-storey car park is an important element of the council’s business and generates revenue to underpin other services.
“It plays a significant role in the economic viability and vitality of Eastleigh and will be important to support any future development of the town centre. The recommended upgrade will extend the operational life by a significant number of years and enhance the image of the car park and the town centre overall.”
The proposal will go under the microscope when Cabinet members meet at Eastleigh’s civic offices on Thursday.
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