PROGRESS on plans for a new development to bring more than 3,000 new homes to Basingstoke has moved forward.

As one of the biggest proposed developments in Basingstoke and Deane, the Manydown project has been at the centre of much debate.

However, at a recent Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council meeting, councillors agreed on the Manydown Development Brief, which provides a detailed framework of the extensive work that would be undertaken.

As joint land owners, the borough council and Hampshire County Council have been taking tentative steps to ensure this development is done correctly and the development brief is the next stage of this.

The idea of the development brief is that it would fit with the recently adopted local plan and would give councillors greater clarity and detail.

Portfolio holder for planning and infrastructure, Cllr Mark Ruffell, praised the work of officers on the concise details of the document.

Cllr Ruffell said: “The document has been consulted on by members and officers and in committee they praised what a great piece of work this is.

“This is just one of the development briefs which the council is putting forward across the borough and this has fulfilled one of the objectives when we adopted the local plan that we have a member involved in the development briefing.”

The leader of the Basingstoke Labour group, Cllr Paul Harvey, agreed that development briefs give a clear indication about what was happening.

He said: “This is a very important step forward on the whole process that we are taking on Manydown.”

He added: “However, it is disappointing that the reference to the 40 per cent affordable housing is not worded as such and if this is what we want to be achieved it needs to be clearly stated.”