Local businesses will get an update on the Top of The Town regeneration programme at a special ‘one year on’ summit next week.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is inviting town centre business owners to get together to see the developments being made to the area under the Basingstoke Town Centre Programme and to help plan the way forward.

The annual town centre meeting will be held at the Proteus Creation Space, in Council Road on June 24, between 4pm and 6pm.

The action plan for the town centre aims to renew Basingstoke’s Top of The Town to make it economically vibrant, in line with other parts of the town centre, and to meet the challenge posed by online and out of town shopping options.

Recent successes under the plan include:

• The Eat Street food festival.

• The ShopStart scheme bringing its first empty retail unit – Aspiral in Church Street – brought back to life.

• Environmental improvements, including the refurbished Market Place.

• A shop front grant scheme to encourage visual improvements.

• The production of a vision for the Top of The Town following wide consultation.

The summit will include discussions with experts on business improvement districts (BIDs) which are business-led bodies formed to improve a defined commercial area, such as a town centre.

There will also be a chance to network, to contribute views and listen to the latest plans.

The council’s cabinet member for housing and regeneration, Councillor Terri Reid, who is now leading the town centre improvement plan, said: “This is an exciting time for our town centre with a whole raft of new initiatives and projects underway.

“I encourage all interested business people to come to the summit and find out how we can work together to benefit the area and local ventures.”

The summit is free to attend but pre-registration by email to towncentre@basingstoke.gov.uk is being encouraged.