COMMUNITY leaders hope that a facelift will turn a roundabout into a “gateway to Basingstoke”.

Key figures, including former borough Mayor and Hatch Warren and Beggarwood councillor Dan Putty, current Deputy Mayor Cllr Anne Court, and representatives from Sainsbury’s and the Old Down and Beggarwood Wildlife Group have met to discuss plans to rejuvenate Hatch Warren Roundabout.

Former Kempshott Infant School pupil Cara Evans and the parents of former pupil Melissa Godfrey, who passed away in 2008 following a battle with Cystic Fibrosis, joined in the discussion.

Cara and Melissa won a competition held by the supermarket, in Wallop Drive, 26 years ago to come up with a design for the sculpture.

Sainsbury’s has already carried out work to revive the prominent roundabout after it gave the sculpture a fresh lick of paint earlier this year and carried out maintenance on the land surrounding it.

And, in conjunction with the wildlife group, supermarket bosses have decided to plant seeds before the New Year to enhance the roundabout which is passed by people coming into Basingstoke from junction seven of the M3.

Cllr Putty told The Gazette: “We are promoting this area as the ‘gateway to Basingstoke’. The wildlife group is going to take over the flowerbeds, with the help of Sainsbury’s, and they are going to make it a magnificent entry point to Basingstoke.

“It is really important for anyone coming to Basingstoke to really see first-hand the magnificent sight of Basingstoke, coming through Hatch Warren and Kempshott and going to the next roundabout.”

He added: “When you come in from the south, you see the structure and the flowers but you also see the view of town. That is the first view we get, so people will think what a lovely place I am coming into.”

Cllr Putty added: “Sainsbury’s have been really supportive and they are very community-minded.”

Daryl Copper, store manager at Sainsbury’s, in Hatch Warren, added: “We got the roundabout back to basics – we tidied it up and got the sculpture repainted back to their originals colours.

“Rather than having tulips, daffodils and the usual flowers there, we wanted to make the connection with Old Down and Beggarwood Wildlife Group. This is a good way of us looking after the roundabout.”