PUPILS at Bordon Infant School learned some civil-engineering and ecology skills when the team behind the new Whitehill and Bordon relief road visited them.

Around 60 year-two children spent the afternoon with staff from Hampshire County Council and Raymond Brown Ltd, the Ringwood-based construction firm which completed the first phase of the relief road, learning skills to help them with their geography project to design a new town cafe.

The youngsters learnt about the redevelopment of Whitehill and Bordon, wildlife mitigation, and how to design and plan their own cafe.

Rob Humby, executive member for the environment and transport at Hampshire County Council, said: “The county council is committed to the successful regeneration of Whitehill and Bordon.

“I hope many of these children in year two will go on to benefit from the investment in the area going on around them, including the new school building for Mill Chase Academy and the new Future Skills Centre, which will be a state-of-the-art, modern facility offering construction and skills training for the built environment. The relief road, once complete, will provide access to new housing developments.

“All these elements promise to make Whitehill and Bordon a vibrant community for future generations.”

Construction of the southern section of the relief road has now started.

This part of the road will pass between the garrison redevelopment area and the Hogmoor Inclosure. It will include a double-roundabout junction at the southern tie in with the A325.

In addition, two traffic-light-controlled junctions - one to access the new garrison housing development and the second at the intersection with Oakhanger Road - will be provided. The work is due to be completed for the summer of 2018.

The full cost of phase two of the relief road is just over £20m and is being constructed and managed by Hampshire County Council, using £15.5m of the Local Growth Fund from the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership.