Cover image: Hampshire Story - Maplewood at Chineham Park
There is a place with the talent, potential and determination to thrive. It is a place reimagining what people value in life and in business: a place for personal and professional growth.
This is Basingstoke and Deane, the boldly ambitious Hampshire borough designed around the happiness and success of its community.
In Basingstoke and Deane, you are part of an established business ecosystem and a diverse community you can count on. It is a bustling hub of commerce and trade, a place where dreams and ambitions are made.
There are lots of opportunities to be part of Basingstoke’s evolving success story.
The council and its partners are reimagining the town centre’s vibrant future, breathing new life into its flagship business destination and bringing new attractions to its leisure park. All this to keep it a regional draw with a growing portfolio of mixed-use regeneration, retail, residential and commercial development projects to get involved in.
The time to invest in Basingstoke is now.
8th most levelled-up place in England
185,200 Largest town in Hampshire with a population of 185,200
6,000 additional homes forecast to be built by 2028
People are happier in Basingstoke and Deane, that is a fact. The latest survey results show that the resident satisfaction rate is at an impressive 93%, a figure that has remained consistently high in recent years and well above the South East’s 74% average and the national 80% average. The area also rates in the top 5% for happiness amongst local authorities in the UK.
Did
Life satisfaction in Basingstoke is rated 7.6 out of 10 and feeling life is worthwhile 7.9 out of 10 — figures that are higher than the national average.
We focus on making this a place where people can live happily in lively neighbourhoods with lots of great things to do. Happy workers are 13% more productive, and in an era of fierce competition for talent, it has never been more important for businesses to invest in employee wellbeing. With affordable homes, a caring community and fulfilling career opportunities, businesses can get the Basingstoke boost — retaining and attracting a happy, productive workforce.
84% of the population is economically active, compared with the whole of Great Britain at 79% Top 6%
GVA per hour worked is £50.90, placing Basingstoke in the top 6% in the UK
£699
The average weekly earnings is £699
£334,995
The median house price is £334,995
Basingstoke and Deane is a place for scale-ups and ambitious entrepreneurs — a place for those who believe employee happiness is key to business success and for those eager to realise their fullest potential and leave a lasting impact.
A new 5G innovation ecosystem, complemented by augmented reality and virtual reality studios, is being created for businesses to explore new immersive technologies.
Basingstoke was one of the first areas/places included in Openreach’s Fibre First Towns Programme, ensuring Basingstoke has the infrastructure in place to meet the future demands of the home and workplace.
Basingstoke was named in the top four UK places for investment by Tech Nation in 2019.
£5.4 billion local economy value
7,385 Home to 7,385 businesses
24% of population aged 20 and under 90% start-up survival rate
£24 million investment attracted by local companies in last five years
The borough is already home to established businesses such as Eli Lilly and Company, Vitacress, Fujitsu, The AA, Lenovo, Sony, Aecom and Lavazza. We have the space, connections, and wide-ranging talent for future success, and this is evident in our high start-up success rate of 90% that sees 830 firms surviving their first year.
The borough’s strategic position in north Hampshire creates a magnet for skilled talent. With quick rail links to London and nearby cities and six universities only a short distance away, businesses have a rich talent pool to tap into.
Situated within easy reach of major urban centres, but without the high overheads, Basingstoke is supported by transport infrastructure that offers superb connectivity.
is a high-growth cybersecurity, networking, and IT automation specialist, born and bred in Basingstoke. Our culture is one of looking forwards, being innovative and remembering that it’s okay to fail along the way sometimes, but it’s not okay not to try. In seven years, we have moved four times – always in Basingstoke – to support our employee growth and their productivity with great access to talent within a 20-mile radius, and fabulous train links to both London and the north.”
Richard Butcher, Managing Director, NomiosWell connected
London
45 minutes
London Heathrow
45 minutes
London Gatwick
1 hour
Farnborough Airport
25 minutes
Southampton Airport
40 minutes
Portsmouth port
55 minutes
Southampton Freeport
45 minutes
Did you know?
Basingstoke is between London and the Solent Freeport in Southampton, with both destinations within 45 minutes’ reach.
75% of the land in the borough is agricultural or woodland, of which 33% is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
250-acre
A new 250-acre countryside park is being created in the town
65-acre
The 65-acre flagship business park, Basing View, is a short walk from the town centre and Eastrop Park, which features a large boating lake and walking trails
Basingstoke and Deane is a harmonious blend of urban convenience and rural tranquillity. The birthplace of Jane Austen, these are the views that once inspired the acclaimed novelist. Today, the picturesque landscape that surrounds Basingstoke and Deane inspires greater wellbeing.
Explore 226 miles of rolling hills and murmuring streams as you walk and cycle along countryside trails around Whitchurch, or breathe in serenity at Beacon Hill a historical hill fort with expansive views over the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
In Basingstoke and Deane, miles of countryside will take you from screen to green, restoring a healthier balance in work and life.
“From the very beginning Silchester Farm ticked all the boxes for us: the beautiful location, 18th century farmhouse, original barns and acres of green space for kids and animals to run through. It has taken a great deal of TLC but a fabulous opportunity to indulge in our passion for creative restoration. We always wanted to create a place people could get together and enjoy… Not just a venue for a wedding or celebration, conference, or team building, but a venue for the community and local people to enjoy all year round.
“Our location provides respite from the faster moving local towns, bringing a rural retreat to our visitors and staff. We strive to support local businesses and work closely with a hand-picked selection of suppliers. We are extremely grateful to have been able to find our dream space within such a prosperous and forward-thinking town. Transportation links to Basingstoke and Reading ensure that we are easily accessible, while our spacious and unique site offers the opportunity to leave the wider world behind.”
Al and Carla Winsey, Silchester Farm
“Vitacress Salads has been a part of the Hampshire community for over 70 years, starting with just one acre of watercress beds. As one of Europe’s leading growers and packers of watercress, salads, fresh herbs and vegetables we supply supermarkets with their own-label products and with our nature-friendly, fully recyclable salad bags, Steve’s Leaves. Located on the headwaters of chalk streams, we feel privileged to be the guardians of such a special part of Hampshire, and our long-term environmental plans to become net zero carbon will help us protect these beautiful surroundings.”
Chris Jinks, CEO, Vitacress
Basingstoke and Deane is a powerhouse of cultural, heritage and leisure activity and its diverse programming is a source of energy and community spirit. From a modern concert hall presenting renowned international symphony orchestras to the annual Basingstoke Festival and Love Basingstoke town centre events programme, there is enough on to uplift anyone.
The place boasts a wealth of sports and leisure clubs catering for a wide and diverse range of activities. From esports to indoor skydiving, our facilities have helped to produce athletes who compete successfully at national and international level, including in taekwondo, table tennis and dance.
Inspiring year-round programme
Basingstoke Festival: the annual outdoor arts festival that attracts 6,000 visitors with 80 performances across three weekends
Anvil Arts: the largest performing arts organisation in Hampshire operating three remarkable cultural venues in Basingstoke, and presenting world-class artists, comedians and musicians
Whitchurch Silk Mill: a working museum in rural Hampshire, preserving traditional weaving techniques
iFLY: host of the British Indoor Skydiving Nationals
Basingstoke Half Marathon: the annual race that attracts 1,000 runners and has a gold rating on RaceCheck
Did you know?
Queen Mary’s College was the first esports facility in the UK to include a dedicated yoga room.
The world-famous Bombay Sapphire Gin is produced locally in a quaint former 18th century paper mill and exported to 120 countries. The historic distillery outside Whitchurch is an international visitor attraction.
Highclere Castle, backdrop to the award-winning period drama Downton Abbey, is one of the finest Jacobethan homes still in existence.
The international fashion brand Burberry has its roots in Basingstoke.
Exit 6 Film Festival is an annual international event featuring independent short films from around the world.
“Basingstoke Academy of Dancing was established in the early 1970s and has grown to train thousands of dancers of all ages and abilities, also supporting many in their professional career development.
“We are proud winners of the Dance School of the Year 2019 and Place to be Proud Of 2022. As part of Team England, we were delighted to have contributed to winning the overall Dance World Cup across 2017-2022.
“Basingstoke is a thriving place for culture and sport, and we look forward to continuing the development of our dance community here.”
Now more than ever, investors are looking for a trusted, long-term partner. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council can offer that.
Focused on building a robust economy, the council has already delivered £13 million of investment to kickstart the business district regeneration. More importantly, the council is the major commercial landowner in the town and can offer competitive deals.
The council’s progressive outlook is fuelling change as it continues to invest in mixed-use town centre regeneration, new sustainable homes, innovative business parks and leisure facilities.
The most recent example is the £30 million investment by new owners Longstock Capital in refurbishing Mountbatten House on the council owned business park, Basing View. In addition to that, LevertonHELM has also signed a lease on a council owned site at Viables Business Park. One of the largest global manufacturers of lithium carbonate, which is used in car batteries, the company has signed a 20-year lease — demonstrating their commitment to Basingstoke.
“We have worked with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for a number of years and our relationship has grown stronger and stronger with their ‘can do’ approach to business. We look forward to the next opportunity to work with the Council again.”
Oliver Bertram, Head of National Development, Panattoni
“I find the Council to be proactive in communicating with businesses in the borough, whether it’s to share future visions and plans, to get feedback from businesses or simply create networking events for people to get to know each other.”
Hossam Ashraf, European President, Lavazza ProfessionalBasingstoke and Deane Borough Council is part of a pioneering partnership with global charitable foundation Wellcome Trust, the UK’s leading master developer Urban&Civic, and Hampshire County Council to develop a sustainable new garden community.
The council has ambitious plans to become carbon neutral by 2030.
In Basingstoke and Deane we have identified four high growth clusters — geographic concentrations of interconnected businesses, where we can offer competitive prospects:
Health and Care:
The largest employer in the borough
Construction:
The 5th largest employer in the borough
Wholesale, Retail and Leisure services: 22% of GVA
Digital and tech has been classed as one of the local economy’s priority sectors due to its high density and economic output, earning Basingstoke the nickname 'Silicon Suburb'. The borough, which was ranked the 4th best UK location for investment by Tech Nation, saw £425m invested in the cyber sector between 2015 and 2018, a figure ahead of Sheffield, Oxford, and Cardiff domestically, and level with Prague, Strasbourg, and San Jose internationally.
We offer a business location with a wealth of experience. It is why the AA was one of the first multi-nationals to move here in 1973 and why many businesses have followed, including BNP Paribas, RSM and Sun Life Financial.
Whether you are a financial provider looking to locate near like-minded businesses, thinking about where to locate your support functions or looking to improve your operational efficiency, Basingstoke has attracted business in this sector for many years.
Throughout history, Basingstoke has been the home of many large-scale and famous manufacturers such as Burberry and Thornycroft. In recent history, the borough has continued to grow its manufacturing sector, calling itself home to big names that include Lenovo and De La Rue. With £13.3m funds raised in the last five years, local manufacturing businesses have the resources available for research and development that will bring new innovative products to market.
Scientific research and development is a sector that is rapidly improving and searching for the solutions to the problems of tomorrow. Many businesses are making Basingstoke their home to facilitate this development, including Eli Lilly and Company, Crescent Pharma, and Genus. With 762 companies and 2,700 employees, this sector forms an important part of the local economy.
Basing View is a 65-acre mixed-use business zone situated in the heart of Basingstoke, a short walk from the railway station, town centre, large shopping centre and award-winning park with large boating lake. It also benefits from a new Village Hotel with a bustling restaurant and bar, pool and gym facilities.
A programme of major redevelopment is transforming Basing View and opening up a wide choice of business space options for companies of all sizes.
One of the best connected and affordable business destinations in the south east, Basing View delivers an attractive combination of convenience, excellent road and rail links, a great working environment and access to a highly skilled workforce.
As the freeholder, the council is playing a key role in helping promote and stimulate new investment in the area and is committed to investing long term in Basing View.
The business district is currently home to more than 180 national and international businesses as well as a growing SME community.
Recent successes include:
• £30 million investment by new owners Longstock Capital in refurbishing Mountbatten House, now called Plant.
• £3.2 million of public and private investment in a private 5G network and state-of-the-art 5G Living Lab
Current occupiers include:
• Network Rail
• Waitrose
• Eli Lilly and Company
• ENI
• The AA
• Sun Life of Canada
• BNP Paribas
• WSP
• Wates
• Ministry of Defence
• Sovereign Housing Association
• Penningtons Manches Cooper
• Castle Trust Bank
• Genus
New Grade A offices are planned or being developed to meet current and future demand in the Thames Valley and M3 corridor, and a variety of sites and redevelopment opportunities are available.
This redevelopment site on Basing View’s central mixed-use estate offers a unique opportunity to acquire a key location in central Basingstoke.
• Substantial potential to repurpose/ redevelop the existing asset, suitable for various alternative uses.
• Large central site totalling 7.8 acres (3.2 ha).
• Opportunity to acquire a new long leasehold interest to be granted by the freeholder, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
For more information, please contact Martin.JonesPS@basingstoke.gov.uk , Head of Property and Assets.
Situated on 60 acres of land near the town centre and owned freehold by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, this site offers a range of investment and development opportunities as part of a recently adopted masterplan.
The council is looking for private sector partners to take up development opportunities and add exciting new facilities and uses to the existing leisure offer, which includes:
• iFly Indoor Skydiving: host to the British Indoor Skydiving Nationals.
• Milestones Museum: an award-winning modern living history museum with more than 20,000 objects.
• Planet Ice rink: a new sponsorship agreement with the English Ice Hockey Association and the NIHL will see the brand be known as the Planet Ice National Ice Hockey League.
• Odeon Cinema: a 10-screen cinema complex showing the latest releases with both 2D and 3D format.
• Aquadrome: a council-led opportunity to create a modern health and fitness facility, including a larger competition swimming pool, learner pool and leisure pool, modern fitness suite, exercise studios, a spinning studio, a multi-level soft play zone and indoor adventure climbing – designed to attract users from across the region.
• Hollywood Bowl: bowling alley.
• Buzz Bingo: a bingo club.
• Various restaurants and takeaways.
Negotiations are also currently underway with Great Wolf Resorts on a proposed 500-bedroom hotel, an indoor water park, conference facilities on an adjoining site.
Find out more about Basingstoke Leisure Park vision and masterplan: www.basingstoke.gov.uk/leisureparkproposal
For enquiries about Basingstoke Leisure Park, please contact James.Mercer@basingstoke.gov.uk , Development Manager
Development opportunities near train station and large shopping centre
Located on the doorstep of Basingstoke train station, the town centre attracts local and regional shoppers. The area includes The Malls shopping centre that is owned by the council, the historic Top of the Town and Festival Place which is home to 150 stores, 200 big brands and 35 restaurants, bars and cafés.
A masterplan has been drawn up to set the future direction for the town centre over the coming decades to ensure it is a vibrant hub.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has been working with designers, architects and property specialists to develop an ambitious strategy for the future of the area.
The masterplan includes the creation of new high quality and low carbon urban areas, providing opportunities for a range of uses in addition to retail, including space for community and cultural use, space for entrepreneurs and education, as well as celebrating the borough’s rich heritage.
Adopted by the council in December 2022, the masterplan supports the council’s challenging climate change targets and includes plans to improve accessibility by introducing new traffic zones.
Starting in spring 2023, locations around key entrances to The Malls will be improved for people living in and visiting the town centre. Public art will welcome visitors and residents to a brightened area.
To continue to take this project forward, the council is looking for potential partners who are interested in bringing the masterplan to life.
Find out more about the vision and masterplan: www.talkbasingstoketowncentre.co.uk
For enquiries about the town centre future, please contact Sarah.Longthorpe@basingstoke.gov.uk, Director of Regeneration
An ideal opportunity for a public sector organisation or higher education provider.
The current Civic Campus is a potential redevelopment site of 2.6 acres with a setting overlooking War Memorial Park in a conservation area and located near the high street. Located 1.5 miles from junction 6 of the M3 motorway, it is next to War Memorial Park, a popular event location and beautiful historic Georgian park with a large, new BMX/ skatepark, bandstand, aviary, sports pitches and all-weather tennis courts.
The site currently houses the 35,000 sq ft Deanes building, the 30,000 sq ft Parklands building and the listed 7,500 sq ft Goldings building, and includes 128 parking spaces. Across the road from the Civic Campus is Eastlands l with 10,487 sq ft internal floor area and Eastlands ll with 4,321 sq ft. The Eastlands car park includes 170 parking spaces and electric vehicle charging points.
The total internal floor area available as part of this opportunity is just under 90,000 sq ft and 300 parking spaces.
Basingstoke and Deane is the area in the south of England, within easy reach of London, where there currently is very limited higher education provision.
Yet, with the local further education colleges attracting 6,000 students per year, the majority of whom leave the area in search of higher education opportunities further afield, there is great untapped potential.
Basingstoke can offer a range of good value options for a campus location and for student and staff accommodation, as it is in one of the most affordable areas in north Hampshire and Berkshire.
There is a growing momentum behind Basingstoke’s evolving success story. The council and its partners are reimagining the town centre’s vibrant future, breathing new life into existing assets and bringing new attractions to its leisure park. All this is focused on ensuring the town remains a regional draw with a growing portfolio of mixed-use regeneration, retail, residential and commercial development projects available for inward investment.
A university campus is part of this future, and the council is ready to invest with the right partner to make this ambition a reality.
For more information, please contact Martin.JonesPS@basingstoke.gov.uk , Head of Property and Assets.
For more information, please contact Rebecca.Emmett@basingstoke.gov.uk , Deputy Chief Executive.
Garden community development opportunity.
A transformational new garden community offering a range of residential-led development opportunities with outline planning consent for 3,520 new homes, community facilities and a 250-acre countryside park.
Master developer Urban&Civic is leading the delivery of Manydown on behalf of a partnership with global charity Wellcome Trust and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hampshire County Council, as joint landowners.
Find out more by contacting andrew.reynolds@basingstoke.gov.uk, Project Director (Manydown) & Chief Operating Officer
MGC LLP
Visit www.manydownlife.co.uk
Potentially one of the most significant strategic development opportunities in the south.
The opportunity to create an exceptional mixed-use development within 700 hectares of well-planned, sustainable net zero carbon communities of around 8,600 new homes.
Forming a new gateway for Basingstoke, situated adjacent to Junction 7 of the M3 motorway, these regional facilities could include a state-of the-art health care campus to serve people across north and mid-Hampshire and a new strategic employment area, creating around 6,700 new jobs, supported by enhanced digital infrastructure including a fibre spine link to enable tech-led industries and innovators to grow their businesses.
As joint landowners, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hampshire County Council are working with the Society of Merchant Venturers as an adjacent landowner to promote and bring forward this opportunity.
Find out more by contacting andrew.reynolds@basingstoke.gov.uk, Project Director (Manydown) & Chief Operating Officer
MGC LLP
Visit www.manydownbasingstoke.co.uk
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