WHEN will something be built?

That is the call from councillors at Winchester City Council who are frustrated with the lack of timescales about the future of the Silver Hill site.

As reported in the Chronicle the project has gone back to square one after TH Real Estate were axed earlier this year, after their scheme was criticised for being too large for the location.

The £150 million scheme which evolved from the late 1990s onwards was challenged in the High Court by Conservative councillor Kim Gottlieb.

The rebel won which derailed the scheme and led to a scathing report by Claer Lloyd Jones into how the council operates.

Now the scheme has been set back several years and currently a cross-party informal policy group are attempting to create a Central Winchester Regeneration Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

The document will be looked at by leading councillors on Winchester City Council's cabinet, and it is hoped the documented will be produced by June 2017 so it can be adopted by the end of 2017.

However councillors in Winchester have aired frustrations at a cabinet major projects committee meeting over a lack of action and communication by Winchester City Council about the site.

Conservative councillor Ian Tait said:"A number of times people say to me what is happening, they have a passing interest and they want to know is when they will see something happening on Silver Hill.

"The general public want to know when it is likely something will be built on the site if you have a timeline and some key dates that means something to members of the pubic."

"I know it is difficult to put a particular date but it is it not a good discipline to set a date? People are belittling Winchester for its inability to deliver projects, for me there would be a benefit of realistically setting a timeline.

His thoughts were echoed by Winchester Liberal Democrat Group Leader Lucille Thompson.

Cllr Thompson said: "I don't often say this but I agree with councillor Tait about this we always get asked when is something happening on Silver Hill.

"Residents are genuinely interested and concerned I get questioned about it all the time."

Conservative councillor Eileen Berry said: "People are not interested in Station Approach they are interested in Silver Hill and they have been interested for the last 40 years to get it sorted, they do not understand the fights that you have and the intricacy of it all."

Cooperate Director at Winchester City Council, Steve Tilbury said:"The project that is before you is producing the supplementary planning document which is an essential prerequisite before development."

He added there was always going to be uncertainty after THRE were axed.

Leader of Winchester City Council councillor Stephen Godfrey agreed the timeline needs to be refined and there needs to be more communication on the long-term strategy over the area.

Deputy leader of Winchester City Council and leader of the informal policy group Vicki Weston said the council is seeking interest from an urban design specialist who can help formulate the SPD.