Buckskin and South Ham: Councillors don't want flats

Four events will take place in Buckskin and South Ham in February, providing information on proposed areas, which will undergo significant changes, identified as being a 'first priority' for investment, and those areas which will see less significant change.

The information was revealed during the first South Ham and Buckskin Regeneration Committee meeting in the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council civic offices on January 8.

As some councillors raised concerns about tower blocks of flats being built in the areas, Polly Gardner, director of regeneration and major projects at SNG and Sarah Fordham, head of community engagement at SNG revealed that February will be an important month for the project.

Residents of Buckskin and South Ham at a Save BASH meeting in July (Image: David Crosby)

During the meeting, Cllr Tony Jones called for clarity on the types of housing and timelines of the project, and said: "We do not want to see blocks of flats."

Ms Gardner responded: "In terms of clarity, that's what these February events are for. We have absolutely heard that message that people want clarity as soon as possible. As we continue to develop that masterplan, we will continue to do that.

"February is very much around areas of limited change and first priority areas."

Cllr Andrea Bowes echoed concerns about types of housing, and said: "People who live in bungalows are worried they are going to be shoved in a top-floor flat.

"February at the latest is when people have to know, not the masterplan, it should be before that.

"We need to know, if we own our own house, whether we can sell it or not. That would be good to know in February, not just the people who are in the regeneration area, but the people who aren't."

Ms Gardner explained that many of these concerns will be addressed next month.

She said: "In terms of their homes, we will be sharing that in February. We won't have the answers to everybody, but we will keep building on that as soon as we can.

"We can talk about the range of houses, but without having designs, we can't say more."

According to SNG, the first priority projects are on track to be revealed in early February.

It follows a year of engagement with residents and the council.

"A one-size fits all approach is not right for Buckskin and South Ham," Ms Gardner added as she recapped SNG's summer of engagement.

Ms Fordham said: "Since 2023, we have engaged with residents using multiple methods." This included the website, events, surveys, workshops and newsletters."

She revealed that 33,000 people visited SNG's dedicated website for the project, adding: "The focus was to listen to as many people as possible. We had teams doorknocking... offering home visits, having more in-depth conversations.

"Feedback has been provided in our updated community insight report."

Details of what the February meetings will entail, and where they will be held, will be revealed in the coming weeks, SNG has confirmed.

Cllr Sean Dillow, chair of the South Ham and Buckskin Regeneration Committee, concluded: "February is a key month, with the four events, the announcement of the priority areas and hopefully the areas that will be having limited impact."