A FORMER doctor’s surgery site is set to be transformed to deliver more affordable housing in the borough.

Building work is set to get underway this spring at the former Paddock Road Surgery site in South Ham to develop five two-storey houses for shared ownership.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council recently completed the sale of its land to Sovereign Housing Association, to enable the housing association to go ahead with the development.

Having been opened in 2012, the Paddock Road Surgery brought South Ham its first GP surgery in nearly 10 years.

However, the building is no longer fit for purpose and the facilities have been relocated to the nearby St Andrew’s Centre, in Western Way.

Deputy leader of the borough council and cabinet member for housing, regeneration, arts and heritage, Cllr Terri Reid, said: “Helping to provide affordable homes in the borough for local people is a key priority for this council.

“I’m delighted that our work with Sovereign has resulted in the creation of new housing opportunities for this piece of vacant land in South Ham. We look forward to seeing the new homes becoming occupied by local families and the site thriving once again.

“Many local people need a helping hand to buy their own homes and it is important we do what we can to generate the right type of housing to meet this growing need.”

When the work begins in the spring, the Paddock Road site will be demolished to make way for the five new affordable homes to be built.

The borough council said that delivering this site for development will bring much needed homes to the area.

Head of development at Sovereign, Stuart Roberts, added: “We’re really pleased that by working in partnership with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, we’ll soon be able to see work start on this redundant site to transform it into five new affordable homes.

"It’s only by working together we’re able to make much-needed affordable housing like this possible.”