WHITCHURCH is probably one of the smallest towns in the country but it still has the same aims and faces the same problems as everywhere else.

Housing is a major issue, says town mayor and town council chairman Norman Tayler, and has become even more important with the forthcoming introduction of the new 10-year borough local plan.

Several sites have been earmarked for development but the mayor is quick to point out that at present, 'they are nothing more than a developer's wish list' and not all will be built upon.

"We have a new industrial estate being built, which will bring a lot more jobs to Whitchurch," Cllr Tayler adds. "More jobs means more people and more people means more houses."

The recent £3.5 million project at Firsway by Kingfisher Housing Association has been deemed a great success, managing to replace 17 concrete houses and aluminium bungalows with 50 modern, energy-efficient homes.

Another major improvement scheme in the pipeline is to enhance and widen the river path along Church Street to Fulling Mill thanks to funding from Hampshire County Council. There are also attempts to improve the footpaths and cycleways through other parts of the town to encourage children to cycle to school and to reduce the amount of traffic in Micheldever Road.

The lack of parking has been a major problem in the town, particularly at the station, but a new scheme is about to be introduced which will make life easier for residents living nearby.

"We are about to introduce new parking restrictions in Station Road to the delight of many people and the concern of a few others," says the mayor.

"In the longer term, there is a plan to put in a new car park to the north of the railway line which is what the commuters need."

Another issue close to the mayor's heart is the Whitchurch Community Bus, which looks likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

He says: "We should be getting our own minibus which will be 'sign written' as the Whitchurch Community Bus and we are hopeful it will be much newer with better facilities and providing a more comfortable ride.

"We need drivers, as always, but we hope the new bus will have power steering which will make it more accessible to a lot more people."

Cllr Tayler adds: "There are a lot of good things about Whitchurch and an awful lot of people that do a lot of hard work for the town."