WEST END residents are invited to contribute ideas to help create new pieces of public art in the village.

Eastleigh Borough Council is asking residents to tell what West End means to them, in a bid to help create new pieces of public art that will form part of the West End Heritage Trail.

As previously reported, the heritage trail aims to mark the entrance points to the village centre and update and improve access to the history of West End.

The borough council is now using developers’ money to create replacement boundary signs and an artwork for Barratt’s new housing development.

The new boundary signs will replace the dilapidated boards that are currently in place in Botley Road and High Street, at either end of the village centre.

The authority said their replacement will be an opportunity to create "something more visually appealing" that welcomes visitors and reflects the history of the area and the view of local residents.

A new artwork will also form the centrepiece to the the Pavilions Housing scheme. Formerly Moorgreen Hospital, the Victorian building at the heart of the development was originally built as the area’s workhouse.

Cllr Cynthia Garton, chair of the Hedge End, West End and Botley Local Area Committee, said: “West End has a very strong identity and there is a high level of civic pride in the village. We hope local residents will give their ideas to the artists working on the two projects to create artworks that help tell a story about West End’s heritage, its attractions and its people.”

Residents who want to have their say are invited to email westendart@eastleigh.gov.uk by September 30.