Luke Murphy says he envisions Top of Town as 'thriving'

Luke Murphy, who won the Basingstoke seat for Labour on July 4, was questioned on a variety of topics at an event run by not-for-profit organisation, Destination Basingstoke.

Partnerships manager, Mark Jones, asked Mr Murphy what his vision was for the Top of Town, an area identified by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council as a 'priority for regeneration'.

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Mark Jones and Luke Murphy (Image: Lola Crossman)

In response, the politician said: "My vision is going to be in partnership with the businesses that I speak to. I think the one thing is that we're not going to return to the retail we had 15 to 20 years ago due to changes in shopping behaviour."

He explained that although he believes the previous government 'could've done more' the decline of the high street is 'not just down to the government' and is instead a 'change in the market'.

Residents have called for the rejuvenation of the Top of Town with the borough council announcing an action plan in early July to encourage shoppers to visit the area.

Luke Murphy added: "My vision for it is a thriving marketplace, a destination place to go, and that does mean that bars like the Gabardine probably need more competition.

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"Consumers need choice and that's what draws people in, we need more anchor institutions in the area to bring footfall in and I'm determined to support them [businesses] to do that."

The historic location includes the Willis Museum, the Sainsbury Gallery, and the Haymarket in addition to other independent businesses and restaurants.

"It is a phenomenal asset, there aren't that many places that have such a beautiful market square but it's not what it could be, there is huge potential there that could be tapped," concluded Mr Murphy.

The MP was also questioned on a variety of other topics including his immediate impact on the town, what businesses could expect from the upcoming government's budget announcement and mental health.