The Basingstoke Opportunity - a new home for academic excellence

The Basingstoke Opportunity

A new home for academic excellence

Vision of the future

A new home for academic excellence in a productive and happy place near the capital.

Is this the story of your higher education establishment and Basingstoke?

Imagine, in the not-too-distant future, a contemporary new campus has been established in a convenient location between London and the south coast. With its innovative use of indoor and outdoor spaces and a commitment to sustainability that sets it apart from other universities, it is a welldesigned hub for innovation and collaboration between the university and business communities.

For international students, the campus is a destination in its own right. The living, learning, leisure and social opportunities meet the needs of a diverse student population, with a range of accommodation options, excellent academic facilities and prospects for cultural exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

A talented workforce wishes to work and settle here to benefit from the excellent transport links that allow for the pursuit of intellectual and cultural interests in the wider region. Being based in an affordable and desirable Hampshire location creates a great work-life balance.

With a forward-thinking council and a university partner both dedicated to removing barriers and enabling students and staff to achieve their full potential, the campus contributes to a thriving local economy.

As the years go by, this campus of the future becomes a place where people come from all over the world to learn, to create, to connect and to be part of something truly special.

For those who helped bring this achievement to the region, it is a legacy that will endure for generations to come.

The Basingstoke campus time is now

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 the local further education colleges attract 6,000 students per year, the majority of whom leave the area in search of higher education opportunities further afield.

The global higher education landscape has become increasingly competitive in recent years, with many universities vying for top talent from around the world. We understand that competition means universities need to be innovative and ambitious in their strategies to attract and retain local and international students and staff from increasingly diverse backgrounds.

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 to 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.

8th most levelled-up place in England

185,200 Largest town in Hampshire with a population of 185,200

Career prospects

In Basingstoke and Deane you would be part of an established business, further education and diverse community ecosystem. It is a bustling hub of culture and trade, a place where dreams and ambitions are made.

Students wouldn’t need to look far beyond the buoyant local job market for their first career opportunity, as well as the wide choice of opportunities in cities nearby.

• 7,100 local job postings per year

• 18% increase in local job postings between 2017 and 2022

• Top profession categories:

– Information and Communication Technology

– Healthcare

– Sales and Trading

– Administration and Customer Service

– Engineering

– Insurance and Finance

25% of the population is under 25

6,000 additional homes forecast to be built by 2028

Student and talent pipeline

Basingstoke benefits from two excellent further education local colleges, mostly offering up to level 3 qualifications.

Queen Mary’s College

A sixth form college rated OFSTED ‘Outstanding’ for students’ behaviour and attitudes.

• 99% A level pass rate with 81% of students achieving A*-C grades

• 2,000+ applications for the college’s 60+ Level 3 courses for September 2023

• State-of-the-art eSports facilities

Basingstoke College of Technology

Offers vocational qualifications through full-time and part-time courses, as well as apprenticeships, T-levels and Access courses to higher education . They also offer higher education diplomas in Science, Medicine and Medical Sciences.

• ‘Outstanding‘ Ofsted rating

• 93.8% pass rate for all level 3 courses

• In top 18% of all further education colleges offering advanced technical skills and is joint best in Hampshire

• 96.1% of students progress to university, employment or further study

• 60+ full-time courses, 40 different apprenticeships and 160 part-time courses

• 3,900 students per year

Beyond Basingstoke

• Yateley Sixth Form College

A snapshot of A-Levels in Hampshire

• academic year

• 5,554 STEM students in the academic year 21/22 (65%)

• 527 computer science students

– Information and Communication sector had 914 vacancies in the same period

• 3,415 students (40%) on scientific courses

1 A level and other 16 to 18 results, Academic Year 2021/22 – https://explore-education-statistics. service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results

2 Lightcast labour market analytics May 2021 to May 2022

Higher education opportunity

The local area is undersupplied with skills needed to fill roles

58% of all job postings in Basingstoke and Deane require an education level of a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 41% a level 4+.3

Employers find it difficult to recruit local people with higher level skills

This is due to a combination of factors including high employment in the borough, relatively high job density and skills shortages at level 4 and above (sub-degree through to post-graduate equivalent). 4

There are opportunities to meet local demand for higher level skills

We can build the capacity of the existing workforce given the higher than average proportion of residents qualified at level 3 (A level equivalent). 5

Local employers report higher level technical skills shortages

This is particularly in software development, cyber security, artificial intelligence technologies, digital technologies, clinical skills (including nursing), research and development and engineering. These reflect national shortage areas in science, technology engineering and mathmatics (STEM) disciplines.6

Business backing

There's a warm welcome waiting from the local business community.

It is important to our businesses and organisations that they have access to a highly-skilled workforce and talent to ensure growth and development. They recognise that a university presence in the town will help meet local skills and workforce needs and offer collaboration and research opportunities.

A number of businesses and organisations have expressed their endorsement of our plans so far, including:

• Castle Trust Bank

• Croudace

• GTK UK Ltd

• Hampshire Chamber of Commerce

• Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• LG Motion Ltd

• MiniTec UK Ltd

• Nomios

• RazorSecure

• Reality HR

• Ridge and Partners LLP

• Thermo Fisher Scientific

• Queen Mary’s College

Space to meet your ambitions

A variety of town centre locations are available, with potential investment from the council as landowner.

Basing View

Fanum House

This redevelopment site on Basing View’s central mixed-use estate offers all the advantages of an out-of-town campus in a town centre location. It’s a premium destination, but without the price tag.

The hub of a thriving community, it is situated a 15-minute walk away from the train station, a large shopping destination and an award-winning park with a boating lake.

• Excellent opportunity to acquire a landmark HQ building in central Basingstoke.

• Substantial potential to repurpose or 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.

• Opportunity to be provided with a clean site and backing from council.

• Highly accessible location via road, rail and air transport links.

• Well located for Basingstoke town centre.

The Civic campus on London Road

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.

An excellent location

Situated within easy reach of major urban centres but without the high overheads, Basingstoke is supported by transport infrastructure that offers superb connectivity.

Well 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.

A strong, diverse economy

The borough is 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.

The site is in the heart of the business community and is perfect for a separate campus whilst enjoying opportunities for socialising, great transport connections, shopping and leisure opportunities. It has really great access to green space both close by and within easy reach of walking and cycling.

£5.4 billion local economy value

7,385 Home to 7,385 businesses

90% start-up survival rate

£24 million investment attracted by local companies in last five years

Priority sectors

Digital tech

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.

Financial and professional services

We offer a business location with a wealth of experience. It is why The AA was one of the first multinationals to move here in 1973 and why many businesses have followed, including BNP Paribas and Sun Life Financial.

Whether you are a financial or educational provider looking to locate near like-minded businesses, thinking about where to locate your support functions to or looking to improve your operational efficiency, Basingstoke has attracted business in this sector for many years.

Manufacturing and engineering

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.

Pharma and Med-tech

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.

Further important sectors

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.

Basingstoke boost: the happy, productive town

People are happier in Basingstoke and Deane. The latest residents' survey results show the satisfaction rate at an impressive 93%. This figure has remained consistently high in recent years and is 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 you know?

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 appreciate that happy students are more likely to stay in school longer and have higher levels of academic achievement. They are also more likely to have positive relationships with their peers, teachers and parents. In addition, we understand that happiness has been linked to better physical health, which can help students to maintain their energy and focus.

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

A well balanced lifestyle

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 borough 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.

In Basingstoke and Deane, miles of countryside will take you from screen to green, restoring a healthier balance in work and life.

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

Let's talk

As your proactive and pro-business partner we are looking forward to working closely with you on bringing a new university campus to the region.

We are a major local landowner, therefore we are able to offer competitive terms and put our own investment towards the shared ambition of creating a new centre for academic excellence, business collaborations and innovation at the heart of Basingstoke.

A variety of town centre locations are available, from existing buildings and development sites to mixed-use and redevelopment opportunities. Let us work with you on removing barriers and making key introductions and let's bring prosperity to the region for future generations to continue to thrive.

With our expert local knowledge, we will work with you on:

• finding the right property and securing competitive terms and/ or investment

• supplying research data and analyses for a strong business case

• introductions to the business community and local organisations

• coordinating with internal teams to make the journey to success as smooth as possible.

We are here to answer any questions and work with you on the next steps.

Contact Rebecca Emmett Deputy Chief Executive