THE new Romsey town centre manager has been revealed.

Lisa Mortimer, who has lived in the market town since 2005, has replaced Mark Edgerley after he served six years in the role.

Now, the chartered surveyor has said she is excited to help businesses and attract visitors back into Romsey amid the coronavirus crisis after being employed by Romsey Town Council (RTC).

Lisa, 58, said: "I started my role on Monday (September 7) and my husband, Michael, persuaded me to apply for the job after seeing it advertised in the Romsey Advertiser.

"What prompted me to apply was the fact that town centres are going through a difficult time at the moment and I can use my commercial property experience to help new and existing businesses in the town, as well as the community.

"I am excited to find a way forward for the town centre through the coronavirus crisis and how to regenerate the town centre into a place where people want to come and spend money.

"Romsey is a very lovely place to live and work and now we have the south of the town centre development, which will be very exciting to get involved with."

Lisa added she wants to "encourage people to stay local and shop local", suggesting a way to do this could be to create a platform where "local retailers can show their prices compared to Amazon".

She believes this could help nearby stores reel in more business if shoppers can see buying from Amazon is not always cheaper.

When asked about her opinion on The Hundred closing in a bid to allow visitors to socially distance, she said: "Obviously it has worked well, but it does need refining because in the high winds the plastic barriers can blow about a bit.

"I have got a call with Hampshire County Council about this issue and hopefully we will have a very positive discussion and find a way forward."

Chief officer of RTC, Judith Giles, said she was "delighted Lisa Mortimer had agreed to be the town centre manager".

Lisa moved to Romsey "mainly for work" after living in Emsworth, near Chichester.

She has worked as a senior surveyor at Associated British Ports from May 2012 to August 2016 before going on to work as the head of professional and maritime consultancy at London Clancy Property Consultants.

Lisa also became a chartered surveyor in 2004 and is an external examiner for the University of Portsmouth's MSc Coastal and Marine Resource Management Course.

She graduated from the university in 2002.