Basing View, Basingstoke
Introduction to Basing View
Basing View is one of the best connected and affordable business destinations within the South East. Basingstoke’s central business district is located less than five minutes’ walk from Basingstoke train station with direct links to London in 45 minutes, Reading in 15 minutes and London Heathrow in under an hour.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council owns the freehold of the 65-acre site and is working in partnership with Muse Developments to transform the urban business park, originally developed in the 1970s and 1980s, into a 21st century central business district.
At Basing View, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is creating a leading commercial location along the M3 corridor that rivals other major centres and offers a significant cost advantage for businesses.
The business district is home to around 180 national and international businesses as well as a growing SME community representing a diverse range of sectors including professional and financial services, engineering, construction, tech/digital and marketing. Current occupiers include Network Rail, Waitrose, ENI, The AA, Sun Life of Canada, Unum, BNP Paribas, WSP, Wates, the Ministry of Defence, Sovereign Housing Association, Reassured, RSM and Penningtons Manches Cooper.
With around 4,5000 people currently working at the park, over the next 15 years there is potential to double the number of jobs available at the park by providing over 700,000 sq ft of office development to meet occupiers’ contemporary requirements supported by complementary town centre uses such as retail, leisure and residential.
Alongside this, Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have adopted the Basingstoke Transport Strategy to maintain the vibrancy and connectivity of the town centre and Basing View.
Enterprise Zone
Approximately half of Basing View falls within a multi-site Enterprise Zone called ‘EZ³ – The London and South Innovation Valley’ which will have a combined government backed investment of £229m across three sites totalling 40 hectares.
The status means eligible businesses, either locating to or expanding in the zone, can obtain business rate relief of up to £275,000 within their first 5 years of occupation. Over a 25 year period EZ³ will become one of the most connected enterprise zones to the UK’s key transport and commercial hubs, with a strong digital technology focus.
Recent additions
A new 45,000 sq ft headquarters building for international pharmaceutical business Eli Lilly and Company, including a new retail/cafe unit and adjacent multi-storey car park, completed in 2021. The building is owned by the borough council and has been jointly funded by the council, the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership and the Invest to Grow Fund.
A 153-bedroom business class Village hotel opened in February 2020, bringing new amenities to the park including a gym and swimming pool, bar, restaurant, on-site Starbucks, conference facilities and co-working space.
Current and planned development
Planning consent has also been granted for a further 40,000 sq ft Grade A office building on the same site. The 42,528 sq ft five-storey building, named Benchmark, will include a roof terrace, green roof and double height entrance and is being marketed by Muse Developments as a pre-let opportunity.
For more information see benchmarkbasingstoke.com
Plans have been submitted for a further 45,000 sq ft Grade A office development called Neon on the site of the outdated Norden House building, which was purchased by the council for redevelopment in 2018. The building is being marketed for pre-let and designed by global architecture practice BDP to meet BREEAM Excellent and EPC A standards.
For more information see neonbasingstoke.co.uk
Glasshouse presents a pre-let opportunity for office enquiries of between 25,000 – 51,000 sq ft.
For more information see glasshousebasingstoke.com
Eni House is a landmark town centre office building providing a modern, adaptable, and safe working environment with fitted or open plan suites available to let from 4,449 to 31,789 sq ft on flexible sublease terms.
For more information view the Eni House brochure here.
A number of existing office schemes at Basing View are also undergoing or planning significant refurbishment, including Quantum House, Southern Cross and Mountbatten House, a 154,000 sq ft Grade II listed office building, known for its ‘hanging gardens.’
Tech sector
Basing View has a thriving tech community with its hub at Belvedere House, which hosts a range of networking events and tech start-up support. It is also the planned location for a 5G commercialisation Living Lab to enable start-ups, SMEs and larger businesses to trial products, services and applications and bring these to market faster. The Living Lab, together with a planned Digital Growth Factory incubator, will provide a comprehensive 5G ecosystem, supported by indoor and outdoor 5G connectivity, that will include business incubation and acceleration, technical expertise and support, networking and events, commercialisation support, access to academic research, VR and AR facilities, skills development programmes, and flexible incubation space.
Basingstoke’s tech credentials were highlighted in the 2019 Tech Nation Report, which ranked Basingstoke in 4th place in its list of top UK cities for scaleup tech investment from 2015 to 2018. In the 2018 Tech Nation Report, Basingstoke was also recognised as one of 16 tech towns in the UK with above average digital density and ranked in the top five for productivity. The town was also ranked as the 9th best UK city or town for careers in IT by a CompTIA study in 2019.
Delivery
The redevelopment of Basing View will be fulfilled primarily through a partnership approach between the public and private sectors. The joint venture partnership between the freeholder, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and its development partner Muse Developments, started in 2013 and will deliver the regeneration of 13 acres of cleared development sites. The remaining plots provide further opportunities for development, as evidenced by Abstract Securities’ Florence Building, through a long-lease arrangement with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. There is also a continuing partnership with Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership as they have invested more than £8m of funding in Basing View to facilitate new business space and facilities. EM3 has also moved to offices on Basing View.
Build to suit offer
Currently there are several ‘build-to-suit’ opportunities in Basing View:
- Plot C – a 0.5 acre site, located opposite the John Lewis at Home and Waitrose store capable of delivering a new office building of circa 60,000 sq ft. Alternative suitable uses may be considered.
- Plot V – a 0.9 acre site capable of delivering a new office building of circa 70,000 sq ft
- Plot W – Located adjacent to the new Village Hotel Club, the site is capable of delivering a new office building of circa 60,000 sq ft.
Plot size and estimated floor space provision
Breakdown of estimated floor space provision by proposed use at Basing View
| Use | Floor space (sq. ft.) | Floor space (sq. m) |
| Offices | 726,563 | 67,500 |
| Hotel/Leisure | 59,201 | 5,500 |
| Residential | 193,750 | 18,000 |
| Retail/Hub Facilities | 150,694 | 14,000 (inc. John Lewis Partnership) |
| Total | 1,130,210 | 104,500 |
Planning status
Planning policy SS8 within the town centre allows for residential, retail, hotel and office-led development. The latest Masterplan for Basing View has been developed by BDP, in agreement with the freeholder, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
View the planning policy here.
Landowner: Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Local authority: Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Development address: Western Corridor, Basingstoke, RG21 4HG
You can find out more about our Digital sector and our Finance sector in Hampshire here.
