Basingstoke: Construction work underway on new headquarters for major town employer

Work has started on a new headquarters for a major Basingstoke employer, thanks to funding from the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership and support through the borough council’s Invest to Grow Fund.

One of the largest international pharmaceutical companies, Eli Lilly and Company, will move into a new 45,000 sq ft headquarters at Basing View from its current campus facility on Priestley Road in Basingstoke.

National urban regeneration specialists, Muse Developments – the borough council’s development partner for the regeneration of Basing View – has selected sister company Morgan Sindall Construction as the main contractor for this phase of development.

Over the coming months, it will focus on enabling the site for development ahead of the main construction work for Lilly’s new headquarters, preparing an adjacent site for a second new Grade A office building, and constructing a shared multi-storey car park for both buildings.

Located within the Basing View Enterprise Zone, the new development, which has been designed by architects TP Bennett, is the first pre-let office building in the M3 corridor for seven years.

Upon completion in late 2020, it will be owned by the borough council and will be its second largest asset.

Cabinet member for regeneration and property at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Cllr John Izett said: “I am delighted to see work now underway on a new headquarters for one of the borough’s largest employers. This is an important milestone in our ambitious regeneration of Basing View and it is an invitation to other major international companies to look at what Basingstoke now offers as an increasingly attractive business location.”

Chris Scott, development director at Muse Developments, said: “We’re excited to be breaking ground and starting the next stage on the journey to create a new Grade A business district for the borough. We’re looking forward to working closely with both the borough council and Morgan Sindall Construction over the coming months, to deliver a quality new home for Eli Lily and Company.”

Chief executive of Enterprise M3 Kathy Slack OBE said: “We are thrilled that Eli Lilly and Company will continue their growth journey in Basingstoke, with this move to new offices at one of our enterprise zones. As an innovative and knowledge intensive pharmaceutical company, Lilly perfectly reflects the strengths of the Enterprise M3 economy. The decision to move to Basing View demonstrates a confidence in the Enterprise Zone as an excellent location for successful companies to realise their ambitions.”