As annual meetings go, it was a big one for residents or anyone with an interest in the future of East Hampshire’s biggest town.

Some were there to get awards for their community work, while others wanted an update about plans for a new Sainsbury’s in the town centre.

But the biggest draw may well have been the chance to get an update and ask questions to the man overseeing the regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon.

James Child, project leader at the Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company (WBRC), has faced a fair bit of criticism over the last half decade amid concerns that promises haven’t been kept for new residents.

True, there’s been plenty of things to shout about: The A325 bypass, there’s a gleaming new secondary school in the form of Oakmoor, and love it or loathe it, but The Shed has welcomed more than a million visitors since it opened before Covid. A new leisure centre has also been built to replace the lost facilities at Mill Chase.

But for every positive, there seems to be a negative. The Shed is either too hot or cold and not as exciting as it used to be.

Oakmoor and the leisure centre were too small to start with and are already being extended. And that’s before we mention the health hub, cinema, Mess Hall, the Future Skills Centre, and the endless construction of new housing with seemingly little in return in ways of infrastructure or treats.

So the recent Annual Town Meeting in the Forest Community Centre was a chance to get an update from the horse’s mouth on why progress has slowed and what the future holds for residents who were “sold a dream”.

“I moved here in 2017 with my wife and children,” said Courtney Epps, the first member of the audience to speak at the meeting.

We went to the Barratts office and they spent about an hour talking about all the facilities coming to Bordon.

“There was no talk about properties, it was all about the fantastic shops, the health centre and things coming to the town centre. That’s what they were selling.

“In reality we’ve had an *expletive* show.

“We have a shed that’s not fit for purpose and it’s a glorified Uber Eats. The leisure centre is too small and Oakmoor School was built too small.

“How are things really going to move forward?” Mr Child admitted to the audience that 2024 had been an “appalling year” and that things had slowed down, not just locally, but nationally due to rising costs and labour shortages among other reasons.

He insists the WBRC and its partners are now “back on it” and set to deliver with his announcement being followed up a week later with Sainsbury’s signing a contract to build a 16,000 square foot store in the town centre.

While many will view that as a positive – Mr Child called it a “big thing” and a “positive” to have three food retailers in W&B – others feel it’s a slight let down.

The store will be smaller than the Liphook branch while the area is well-stocked with Sainsbury’s, given they also have stores in Farnham and Alton. At least Morrisons, the retailer intended for the town centre, would have provided something different with their nearest branches being in Horndean and Aldershot.

Groundwork will begin on the store after Easter with a summer 2026 opening date being circled on the calendar. Mr Child and his partners hope that will begin a domino effect of development, with the store’s arrival being followed by the health hub and the Mess Hall…

Last autumn the Herald ran a story about five years of The Shed and the venue welcoming its millionth visitor.

Such a milestone would normally be welcomed, but it barely raised an eyelid. Within a few months of the article the last original tenant had left, following on from the likes of Dylans and Hermanos.

One of the big criticisms about The Shed is that its cavernous nature makes it susceptible to temperature changes, with trader claims that bosses were unwilling to whack up the heating during colder periods.

Mr Child told residents that efforts will be made to address its fluctuating temperatures, while affirming his believe The Shed has been a success.

He said: “I still believe The Shed is a great venue and 800 to 1,200 people go through it every day.

“Yes, it can be cold in winter, so we’re bringing in heat source system to try and address that. And in summer, yes it can get hot so we need to address those concerns.”

And what about a cinema? Readers may remember that a multiplex was part of “the dream” but it seems that proposal has been well and truly cut.

Mr Child added: “We did have plans and had two cinema operators lined-up to make that happen.

“We had two well-known operators waiting to come in but the world and their operating model changed through Covid. They’re no longer financially viable without paying them to be here.

“It would cost the scheme £10million just to open a cinema and effectively give them money to operate it. They’re not packed out as they used to be and you’ve only got to look at the one in Brightwells to see that.”

While a cinema won’t be going up, things could be coming down within the next couple of years at Sandhurst Block.

The imposing clock tower building is in a sorry state and is often a byword for anti-social behaviour, with residents asking when renovation will finally begin amid concerns about safety and its potential for future vandalism.

Residents heard the block’s renovation is part of the second phase of the town centre work but the demolition of its wings could be brought forward because of said issues, with talks taking place with developers and consultants.

Bruce Collinson, WBRC project manager: “It’s true we’ve had some anti-social behaviour at that building and we’ve done our best to board it up and seal up the windows.

“We have onsite security and other security systems so the anti-social behaviour has reduced, recently.

“We are looking to make it more attractive but we do need to do that sympathetically.”

Mr Child added: “We’ve spoken to East Hampshire District Council about getting permission to demolish the wings sooner.

“We’re looking at getting them demolished next year and we’ve started consultations, but that is a really big demolition project.”

While many at the meeting and afterwards spoke of needing to see “spades in grounds” the meeting finished with a mood of cautious optimism.

There’s hope for the Future Skills Centre as Whitehill Town Council leader, Cllr Andy Tree, said Hampshire County Council have begun negotiations with an education provider, while the ‘Northern Gateway’ EcoStation site looks set to remain in community use.

And like Cllr Tree, Mr Child seems confident that big things are coming to Whitehill & Bordon, albeit later than expected.

He said: “It’s an endless thing for me, because I want to get it right.

“I’m optimistic about the future but with a tinge of realism.”