Underpasses aren’t always the most attractive passageways and people can feel unsafe in them, so residents have welcomed the make-over of one that is well used.

In a joint project between BCP Council and Christchurch Chamber of Trade and Commerce, the underpass linking Waitrose and Saxon Square was subjected to a deep clean, wall artwork wrap and new safety initiatives. It was a continuation of renovation work started last year when stair treads were replaced.

The wall wrap design includes a new designed map of Christchurch Town Centre to encourage visitors to explore different areas of the town and increase their time there. Underneath the map there is also a QR code to the BCP Council tourism page to highlight places of interest. The rest of the wall wrap includes 14 photos of Christchurch and surrounding areas and where people can learn more at www.visitchristchurch.co.uk

Cllr Phil Broadhead, portfolio holder for regeneration, said: “It was great to see everyone using the underpass stop to look at it and there were so many positive comments, people even took photos and videos. This is part of our commitment to sprucing up our high streets in support of our local businesses and economic recovery through encouraging more shoppers into the area. It is also in line with our Cleaner, Greener Safer commitments to bring back a sense of community pride and improve our public areas and amenities for everyone.”

The final stage of the project is to consider if security mirrors can be installed so pedestrians can see who is in the underpass before they enter.