A public exhibition on the SG1 regeneration of Stevenage town centre has received a positive response from residents, according to developers Mace.
The three-day display and preview for businesses - which included a model and series of information boards - attracted more than 500 people.
Developers, a team of architects, landscape designers, planning consultants, and transport engineers, along with representatives from Stevenage Borough Council were available to answer questions.
Feedback was collected and residents were also encouraged to place additional thoughts on an 'ideals wall'.
Comments collected included: "This is a future town! Thank you!", "Go for it! Be brave and bold and take full advantage of the fact that we are so close to London," and "a great start to a much-needed regeneration of Stevenage! Good for future generations."
READ MORE: Visitor centre to share regeneration plans opens in Stevenage Town SquareDevelopment director at Mace, Kevin Cowin, said: "We've been blown away over by the enthusiastic reaction of Stevenage residents and local businesses, sharing their thoughts for regeneration of their town centre and what's important to them.
"One of the key messages we received loud and clear was that local people want to see improvements in the town centre and for the whole process to get under way.
"People generally welcomed our plans to introduce new homes, shops, offices, places to eat and drink, and public services, along with our commitment to high quality design, and new landscaped public spaces.
"We will continue to engage with the community throughout the planning process and look forward to reporting back on the way in which local opinion has helped shape our proposals."
Councillor John Gardner said: "Once the SG1 programme is complete, the population of people living and working in the town's central spaces will be significantly increased, leading to greater demand for services like bars, restaurants, clothing outlets and much more.
"SG1 will also deliver something that has been largely absent from the town centre in recent years - an evening economy. We're highly optimistic about the future."
The exhibition boards are now available via sg1consult.info. Residents can comment on the plans via the website until the consultation closes at the end of September.
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