Fareham Borough Council has confirmed that a new walkway is now open through Fareham Shopping Centre until 11:30pm each evening, providing a safe and comfortable pathway between Fareham Town Centre and Fareham Live.
With many pubs and restaurants on West Street and the High Street, this new walkway will provide a quick way for theatregoers to pop into the heart of Fareham for pre or post-theatre drinks and/or dinner. It also allows visitors to park in Market Quay car park or use Fareham Bus Station and walk easily to Fareham Live.
Trees around Fareham Live have been lit to provide an appealing setting, lighting the way to the shopping centre which features new hoarding designed to encourage selfies as visitors make the way to and from a variety of performances and/or events.
Fareham Shopping Centre has already seen an increase of 10% footfall since the first test events in Fareham Live at the end of September. Upwards of 30,000 tickets have been sold to date and with some shows already sold out, that number is only set to increase.
Cllr Simon Martin, Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, said: ‘It is really exciting for everyone to see how Fareham Live is already transforming our town centre. The work on regeneration has only just begun but these early signs are really encouraging. There are very few councils across the country that have been able to kick start a regeneration programme with a brand new community, arts and entertainment venue. We are very fortunate in Fareham and I do hope the whole community enjoys Fareham Live, not just the theatre but everything else this incredible venue has to offer.’
The new route, together with a security team, has been funded by the Council for an initial one-year period during which numbers will be monitored to understand how people prefer to travel in and around the town centre.
There are around 1400 parking spaces, including Market Quay, within walking distance of Fareham Live, all of which are free after 6pm.
