A SIGNIFICANT project to refurbish and replace a number of lifts at The Malls Shopping Centre is due to start next week.

Following a number of breakdowns due to the age of the lifts, a project to replace two lifts and refurbish a further three lifts in the council-owned The Malls Shopping Centre will begin on Tuesday April 26.

The lifts at The Malls have broken down on a number of occasions and although swift action has been taken to repair issues, some repairs have taken longer to complete due to delays in the parts needed.

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Martin Jones, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s head of property and assets, said: “The lifts at The Malls Shopping Centre are incredibly important for visitors who have accessibility needs so it is vital that this work takes place to ensure they are able to access facilities.

“We would like to thank shoppers in advance for their patience and apologise for the inconvenience this temporary closure will cause while this important work is carried out.”

As previously reported the lifts were the subject of an urgent report at a full council meeting held last July, after visitors complained of 34 breakdowns in the past year.

It also revealed that the lifts had broken down 56 times in the past two years - roughly once every other week and costing a total of £68,000.

The council agreed plans to spend £300,000 to refurbish and replace lifts in the town centre.

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The first phase of the work will see the two lifts outside The Anvil temporarily closed to allow for work to replace these lifts. This is expected to take 12 weeks to complete.

During this phase of the project, the alternative lifts near Primark will remain open.

Following the completion of the work to replace the lifts outside of The Anvil, the lifts near Primark will then be temporarily closed to complete the final phase of replacement work that needs to be carried out.

As well as ensuring visitors to The Malls can continue to access the centre’s car parks, the new lifts will provide increased capacity and improved access to The Anvil.

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