COUNCILLORS have agreed to purchase the freehold of land needed to start work on Manydown North, subject to necessary due diligence.

The land was originally bought under a long lease - with the option to purchase the freehold - by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hampshire County Council in 1996.

At an extraordinary meeting of the borough council’s cabinet on Monday, November 13, councillors voted in favour of the acquisition and the transfer of the freehold.

Cabinet member for major projects and regeneration, Cllr Onnalee Cubitt, said: “I never thought we'd get to this place, and I can't thank this cabinet enough for the inordinate amount of work that has been expended in the last six months to get us to where we've got to. It is a seismic event.

READ MORE: Manydown: Plans to finalise freehold purchase of land move forward

Basingstoke Gazette: An impression of what Manydown will look like“We are about to embark on a very exciting next phase in the story of the history of Basingstoke and Deane. I also can't thank the chief executive enough and his team for really going the extra mile in the last five months. It was not inevitable that we got to where we are today.”

She continued: “We haven't had a five-year housing supply because we haven't delivered on this strategic site which in 2016 we said we were going to build on the northern part and build 3,500 houses by 2028 and, of course, we are 2023 and the deal hadn't been done and not one brick has been laid.

“It means we are on the road to having proper planning of our borough.”

Previous deputy leader, Cllr John Izett attended the meeting and said: “I agree wholeheartedly that it has taken too long to get to this point for which I accept my share of the responsibility. Too many obstacles have had to be overcome because of our deadly and cumbersome planning and procurement systems and because of those who have long wanted to stop Manydown being developed for new homes.”

SEE ALSO: No sight of houses being built at Manydown 20 years after council backed scheme

Council leader Paul Harvey said: “The best part [is the delivery] of 1,400 affordable homes, now they are not going to be delivered overnight, we get that, but the ability to say now because we are close to finalising the deal that we will be able to create that amount of affordable housing." 

Once the terms of the purchase, which are commercially sensitive, have been agreed by both councils the legal and financial documents can be drawn up to complete the deal.

The councils are in a partnership with master developer Urban&Civic, part of the global charitable foundation the Wellcome Trust, to develop new communities at Manydown.

The site has outline planning permission for a new community of 3,520 new homes, a 250-acre countryside park, two primary schools with land reserved for a potential secondary school, two local centres, businesses, shops and community facilities.