Turning change into opportunity for Botley: update from our March “Love Your Place” workshop

How does a community navigate a moment of significant change together? How do businesses, residents and local government work together to shape that change rather than just react to it? On Wednesday 11 March, FTIH ran “Botley as a Destination”, a bespoke Love Your Place workshop commissioned by Botley Parish Council to bring together local business owners and colleagues from Eastleigh Borough Council and Hampshire County Council.

With the bypass currently under construction, Botley businesses face a moment of change, with challenges to navigate and opportunities to explore.
The aim of the day was to begin building a shared vision for Botley’s future, imagining what the village could feel like, look like, and offer once the bypass opens and people start arriving, moving around, and experiencing the place differently.

Using the design‑thinking principles that underpin Love Your Place, we:

• built a picture of what an ideal experience could be for residents, businesses and visitors, identifying the qualities that could help Botley stand out as a destination
• explored how people might travel into and around Botley once the bypass is complete, and what would encourage them to stay longer and explore more of what’s on offer
• started digging into what would need to change across the public realm, local services and the business environment to bring that shared vision to life

It was a fantastic day, everyone came ready to listen, challenge assumptions and think creatively about what the future could look like.

Find out more about Love Your Place - Future Towns Innovation Hub .

Get in touch with us: futuretowns@soton.ac.uk