THE Town’s skyline has changed over the past few years thanks to the £100million makeover of Sainsbury’s Basingstoke depot.

Creating 150 new jobs, bringing the total at the depot to 850, it is set to be officially opened tomorrow.

Construction works began in 2012 to demolish the existing distribution warehouse complex on Houndmills Road and replace it with a new distribution depot.

The works took place in three phases, and saw the opening of a new chill warehouse serving 68 stores and a new produce and ambient warehouse. Now with the final phase complete, the depot consists of 615,000 sq ft - 43 per cent bigger than the original store, serving 69 supermarkets and 24 convenience stores.

Originally opened in 1964, the depot and was a national packing facility for Sainsbury’s meat and dairy products.

It later became Sainsbury’s main distribution centre serving hundreds of stores across the South.

Simone Fogg, Sainsbury’s Depot general manager said: “The distribution centre at Basingstoke represents a significant investment for Sainsbury’s. “We’re always looking at ways to serve our customers better and the improvement works will provide us with a central location to support our growing retail business in the South.”

In line with Sainsbury’s 20x20 sustainability targets, the new depot will include a range of environmental features including LED light fittings, rainwater harvesting on the roof plus car charging points in the colleague car park. The facility will also recycle or put to positive use all its general waste. A veterans day will also be held at the depot, for former depot colleagues on October 20.

Among those hoping to attend is Charlie Bird, from Buckskin, who is a former warehouse colleague, trainer and foreman.

Mr Bird, 81, who retired in 1992, He said: “Although I enjoyed my time at Basingstoke when it was first built in 1964, originally I worked for Sainsbury’s in Blackfriars.

“I would have loved to have been working in the new build site as it is now.”