The north gateway to the oldest street in Petersfield is set for a 21st century revamp.

Petersfield Town Council is keen to improve and enhance Folly Lane with plans afoot to make sensitive but needed changes to part of the historic thoroughfare.

The Folly Lane Project is the brainchild of the council’s Street Scene Sub Committee and aims to improve its entrance, attract people to the area and enhance its historic value.

The project has been split into three objectives with the first focusing on improvements to the north end of Folly Lane and road crossings.

The second will focus on improving pedestrian access from Festival Hall car park to the High Street and Rams Walk via Folly Lane, while the third involves improving the fountain area and the creation of a new civic space.

Early achievable proposals include sprucing up the memorial area beside Central Car Park with the fountain and benches being renovated and the planters being possibly removed.

Vegetation on the waterway and banks will be cleared and removed with “appropriate bushes and flowers” being planted, and repairs will be made to the footpath.

The plans also include resurfacing the areas at the top end of the footpath and around the “crossroads” section at the north western corner of the Folly Market.

Plans are also afoot to spruce up the lower end of Folly Lane, but progress is dependent on permission from Winton House and the Environment Agency.

There will be no physical changes for the near future with members agreeing at a recent meeting to confirm objectives for the next 12 months and plan the phase one works.

There could also be a push to remove litter and abandoned road signs more frequently, although some aspects will involve lobbying, reporting and monitoring action by other bodies.