RETAILERS are divided over how multi-million pound town centre improvements should be achieved.

That's according to according to Romsey's town centre management, as Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council join forces in a bid to transform Bell Street and Market Place with a £1.8million scheme.

But as the deadline for consultation looms Mark Edgerley, Romsey Town Council’s town centre manager said businesses, while in favour of improvements, have different ideas as to how they should best work and where improvements should happen.

Cash will be used to enhance virtually all of Bell Street, from the junction with Middlebridge Street to Market Place.

They are looking to start the work in 2017 with improvements to the Market Place taking place the following year.

It is hoped the plans will make the area more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, reduce town centre traffic speeds and make the area more attractive.

Work costing more than £570,000 began in Church Street last summer.

This first phase of the works included the raising the road to the same level as the pavements which were widened to improve access for people with poor mobility.

In a bid to reduce speeds, the roads were also narrowed and new bollards installed.

Similar work is planned in Bell Street and Market Place.

But Mr Edgerley said businesses have different views on parking options in Bell Street.

At present roadside parking bays are used for short trips to nearby shops and deliveries and have proved popular.

Proposals consider two options - maintaining the five parking bays or scrapping them altogether and widening the pavement.

Some retailers feel widening the pavements would make the area more attractive to shoppers and more accessible to mobility scooters allowing them to pass each other.

However, others feel the loss of the parking bays could deter some of their customers and make deliveries more difficult.

Moira Brown, owner of Test Valley Vape, said their deliveries stopped outside and customers could never use the spaces anyway as they were always full.

She said: “They should widen those pavements because they are dangerous of you’re pushing someone up and down.

“There’s not enough free spaces in Romsey for it to have any effect by taking five away.”

However, a shop assistant on the road, said : “We need to keep the parking – it’s such a quiet street. It draws attention to the fact that this is a shopping area.”

Mr Edgerley said some businesses have put forward a possible solution – to restrict the parking bays’ use by transforming them into loading bays – an idea favoured by Bradbeers store, whose managing director said having just pavements would be “a nightmare” for their deliveries.

The scheme at Market Place has also prompted different views, although there is general agreement that extending the space for pedestrians would be beneficial, encourage people to say in the town longer.

But some businesses also favour a different scheme to what the council has put forward.

Mr Edgerley said debate is between extending the pedestrianised area of Market Place outside the area near Costa Coffee, which is less in shade - the council’s proposal - or to extend closer to Natwest bank.

This idea that has been suggested before by the Romsey and District Society would, some say, join up the area better with the Cornmarket which is on the same side of the road.

Greg Davies, managing director of Bradbeers, said: “If an increased pedestrian area was to be created, this could be on the Natwest side of the Market Place encompassing the statue, which would aid traffic flow and allow the bulk of the market to trade from the south side of the Hundred.”

Town planners have confirmed that Bell Street would need to be closed for 15 weeks.

Concern has already been raised about the effect on businesses and disruption to motorists, however, Mr Edgerley said steps were being taken with the councils to tackle both these issues.

He said this could involve a traffic management plan that could temporarily restrict parking in certain roads leading into the town centre to ensure traffic could pass freely and more signage.