Twenty years ago this week big plans were unveiled to revamp the town centre with proposals to build blocks of flats, shops and car parks.
At the end of May 2003, talks also began regarding the development at Manydown with the hope that the thousands of houses planned would begin within 10 to 20 years.
The town was also getting excited for the second Basingstoke Festival with big party plans for Eastorp Park.
Take a look below to see some of the pages from the paper printed on May 23, 2003.
READ MORE: This Week in Basingstoke's history: Phone mast worries and Run 4 Fun
1. New vision for town's future
On the front page in May 2003 were details about the council's vision for the town centre.
Leader of the council at the time, cllr Rob Donnelly, had big ambitions and he wanted all residents to get involved by sharing their opinions.
He said: "One of the things I am tremendously keen on is pride in our town. That is why I believe these proposals are worthy of the people of Basingstoke looking at and getting imaginative about.
"Much of the central area still looks unfinished. This report envisages how that central area of our town could be completed. I think it is exciting.
"We have to get this right because it's going to be there for the next 30 years."
SEE MORE: Manydown: New construction accesses approved despite objections
The draft vision included:
- Improving New Road's image by building blocks of shops, offices, and flats along its length
- Turning surface car parks into multi-storeys
- Giving The Malls a new public face by building shops and offices on each side of the entrance
- Creating a whole new neighbourhood along Churchill Way West
- Building houses and commercial premises on the 'missing' side of historic Cross Street
Twenty years on, we know that New Road has been transformed with new blocks of flats but the vision for The Malls, was never quite pulled off.
2. Fire drama at club and Manydown Talks
A big story leading the second page was a fire at the disused Caribbean Club in Priestley Road, near the hospital.
A popular venue between 1984 and 1993, the club was set alight on May 21 in 2003 with approximately 20 firefighters tackling the blaze that caused the roof to cave in.
At the time of the fire, the building has been derelict for eight years and was filled with rubbish and old furnture.
In the News Briefs, the town was getting excited for the second ever Basingstoke Festival with a number of free events including music, dance, theatre and a hot air balloon festival.
READ MORE: Hampshire Food Festival to be bigger than ever this year
A number of public meetings were planned to discuss the development being planned for Manydown - also penned as 'Oakleystoke'.
In the local plan it was suggested that the area could be developed over the next 10 to 20 years. Of course, now we know that up to 3,520 new homes will eventually be constructed.
3. Royal Visit highlights the plight of hospices
In 2003, the Duchess of Norfolk visited staff and patients at Basingstoke's St Michael's Hospice and used the opportunity to speak out against the Government's funding of the hospice movement, branding it 'iniquitous'.
The Duchess, who was the founder and president of the Help the Hospices organisation laid the foundation stone at St Michael's in 1991, and came back to check on the progress that the hospice has made.
At the time, she said: "It is great to come back to St Michael's. The people who I have talked to all said that the day-care unit is the most amazing way of getting out of their homes.
"People don't just come to St Michael's to watch television. They are taught to paint, do wood wook and press flowers. It's great."
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