A £5.5m plan to refurbish a multi-storey car park is set to go ahead.

Work is due to start on a new 800 space car park at Osborn Road multi-storey car park in Fareham.

The council are investing £5.5m into the project that will improve the site and provide drivers with bigger and safer spaces.

Despite ongoing maintenance, the car park has become run down but the project is set to improve the car park structure and appearance.

Motorists will benefit from wider spaces, better lightning and electric car charging points.

There are plans to install PV panels to the roof which could help generate power to run the car park, Fareham offices and library, street lightning and energy storage.

Council leader Sean Woodward said: "It is absolutely necessary. It has been an issue for over three decades.

"It certainly needs bringing up to a very good standard.

"There will be fewer spaces, reduced to 800, but they will be much higher quality and people will feel much safer and more secure. As vehicles have gotten larger over the years, they will be much more comfortably parked in the spaces.

"It is a very important car park."

The original car park was built in 1973 and makes up around 40% of the town centre's spaces.

The plans also include access to event venue Ferneham Hall which is currently under redevelopment.

Cllr Woodward added: "When Ferneham Hall replacement happens, then we need decent car parking right next to Ferneham Hall as that tends to be the favoured car park for people attending events there.

"It is a signal of a town that despite all the awfulness going on at the moment, that we area accepting that town centre's are changing and they are moving towards leisure. We are therefore investing heavily as a council."

The work is planned to begin in Summer 2021.