PLANS to spend £1.5million sprucing up a major Basingstoke business district have been drawn up by the borough council.

The facelift and proposals to dispose of land for a hotel would be the first steps towards Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's revamp of the Basing View area, which it owns.

Council leader Councillor Andrew Finney said: "I have given a call for action sooner rather than later in the form of something visible for people to see."

If it gets the go-ahead, the total bill for the six-year project, which would begin in the 2009/2010 financial year, is predicted to be £1,537,000.

More than £250,000 could be spent on alterations such as landscaping and entrance signs at Norn Hill, Churchill Way East slip road, the area north of Eastrop Roundabout and at Basing View's gateway to Eastrop Park.

A council report outlining the ideas suggests spending about £340,000 on street furniture, £300,000 on improving footpaths, £150,000 on signs for each building plot and almost £300,000 on planting.

The report will be discussed by the borough's economic and community development overview committee today before the Cabinet considers it.

The committee will also look at disposing of the former gasworks site in Basing View, probably via a long lease, to an operator willing to build a quality hotel.

A report prepared for the committee by Helen Harbour, head of property and facilities management, suggests there is demand from major operators for a three or four-star hotel in Basingstoke.

Disposal of the site is not expected to generate more than £2m for the council, the report states.

However, it warns that demand for a hotel could evaporate if another developer wins permission for a hotel elsewhere in town.

It notes that the Chineham-based Hampshire Court Hotel, a four-star facility, was given planning permission last year for a 56-bedroomed extension, which is likely to absorb short-term demand.

Councillors will be asked to discuss whether an upmarket hotel is the best use for the site. They will also consider whether a conference facility should be a mandatory part of any development brief.

Their comments will be included in a future report to Cabinet.