A NEW 578 home development in Basingstoke has been given the go-ahead.

Sentinel Housing and Barratt David Wilson received full planning permission from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to build the major development at the former Eli Lilly site in Chapel Hill, near Basingstoke railway station.

The two companies were granted outline planning permission for the development in January last year.

But specific details were yet to be agreed.

Mike Shepherd, development and regeneration director at Sentinel, said: “We’re delighted that Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have granted full planning permission for Chapel Hill.

“The redevelopment of this important town centre site is long awaited by the local community, and will deliver much needed family homes for Basingstoke residents to enjoy for generations to come.

“Working with Barratt David Wilson we’ve designed a flagship scheme that achieves a wide measure of support and encouragement from BDBC officers, local ward members and the local community. We’ve worked hard to address the local community’s views and concerns in the final scheme design, which includes large open space, keeping the iconic white building and delivery of a low rise housing scheme in keeping with the existing architecture.

“Building these homes will make a very important contribution to the overall housing supply in Basingstoke. And the permission received means we can start the building as soon as the current demolition phase is finished.”

As previously reported in The Gazette, demolition work at the site began in January with diggers used to pull down old buildings.

Basingstoke Gazette:

The 25.6 acre brownfield site will be a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes, 230 of which will be affordable for rent and shared ownership.

The development will also include a residential conversion of the iconic white building, which will be transformed into one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with secure parking for 31 cars and 56 cycles.

Vehicular access to the site will be from the north via Kingsclere Road, from the north east via the existing roundabout at the junction of Kingsclere Road and Chapel Hill, and Pelton Road to the west.

The development is part of Sentinel’s programme to build 2,000 homes over the next five years.