Urban business park set for success

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TBM Team

Illustration of the Sienna Building, currently under construction at Basing View and adjacent planned Benchmark building

The pace of change at Basing View has accelerated, with new amenities, pre-let office opportunities and a wide range of high-quality refurbished space now available, says Kate Dean, project director (Basing View and commercial) at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

A £500 million regeneration programme, spearheaded by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, is transforming Basing View, creating new office space and providing new facilities for companies located at the urban business park.

The council’s active role as an engine for change and regeneration has revitalised the business park, after many years of declining market. With its town-centre location, excellent connections and amenities and a strong pipeline of prime-quality Grade A office space, Basing View is now ideally placed to attract occupiers from the Thames Valley and M3 corridor.

Early in 2020, a new £20m Village Hotel opened at the park, bringing a wide range of facilities including a Village gym, swimming pool, group cycling studio and more than 400 fitness classes a month. The 153-bedroom hotel also offers a bar/restaurant, on-site Starbucks and co-working space.

The new 45,000 sq ft Sienna Building, pre-let to international pharmaceutical business Eli Lilly and Company, will complete later this year and two new pre-let opportunities are available.

Benchmark, a 42,000 sq ft Grade A office building with roof terrace, was granted full planning consent in early 2020 and is being marketed for pre-let by Muse Developments, the council’s joint venture partner at Basing View.

The building is located within the Basing View Enterprise Zone and levelling work on the site to enable construction was funded by the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership. The LEP also relocated its head office to Basing View in 2019, reflecting the strength of the park’s location and connections.

A second pre-let opportunity, Neon, has also been launched by the council. A planning application has been submitted for the 45,000 sq ft office scheme, which has been designed by architects BDP to deliver high quality, energy efficient and flexible office space. The Neon building will be located on the site currently occupied by Norden House, which was bought by the council for redevelopment with funding from the LEP.

Reflecting the council’s commitment to tackling climate change, Neon has been designed to BREEAM Excellent and EPC A standards and to encourage sustainable travel to work, will be equipped with showers, changing and drying facilities. The adjacent three-storey car park will have electric car charging points and 57 cycle spaces.

Basing View’s choice of refurbished space is also on the increase. At the 154,000 sq ft Mountbatten House, Squarestone Growth has been granted planning consent for a high-quality refurbishment of the iconic Grade II listed building and roof gardens. Work is also underway on the refurbishment of the 37,000 sq ft Quantum House, which was purchased by Arena Business Centres last year and will be its second serviced office centre at Basing View.

Basing View is a hub for the town’s tech community, with a hi-tech business accelerator and regular meet-ups and networking events at the DeskLodge co-working space. Work is currently underway to create a 5G commercialisation Living Lab to enable start-ups/SMEs and larger businesses to trial products, services and applications and bring to market faster.

Last year, the town’s tech credentials were boosted by ranking fourth in the UK for investment in growing technology companies in the Tech Nation Report and 9th in CompTIA’s Tech Town Index. This year, Basingstoke has also featured in the top 10 Small European Cities of the Future 2020/21 – Business Friendliness.

If you haven’t visited Basing View recently, you may be surprised how much it has changed and the opportunities available for businesses.

basingview.co.uk

COVID-19: Support for local businesses

Local businesses struggling with finances as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak are now receiving support via grants from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. Measures include business rates relief for eligible businesses, grant funding for businesses normally eligible for small business rates relief and further support for businesses renting premises from the council.

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