A RUNDOWN underpass in Christchurch has undergone a full makeover as part of a joint renovation project.

Residents walking through Christchurch will now be able to enjoy the revamped underpass linking Waitrose and Saxon Square after a joint project between BCP Council and Christchurch Chamber of Trade and Commerce.

The underpass 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 dwell time. Underneath the map is a QR code to the BCP Council tourism page to highlight places of interest.

Councillor 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 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.