Residents reacts to latest Buckskin and South Ham plans

More than 150 residents of Buckskin and South Ham attended the first of four public meetings at the Ridgeway Community Centre on Tuesday, January 4, where further details about the regeneration of South Ham and Buckskin were provided.

Boards displaying information highlighted 'first priority areas' for development in purple, and 'areas of limited change' in beige were dotted around the hall. The remaining areas, which were left unhighlighted, are 'areas of further study', meaning they may or may not see regeneration, subject to future discussions.

Zena Lindsay, chair of the action group Save BASH, attended the meeting. She said she wasn't happy that information about Pinkerton Road being a 'first priority' area was revealed online ahead of schedule, meaning that many residents found out before they received their letter from SNG.

(LtoR) Della Gill, Zena Lindsay and Ann Horner (Image: Newsquest)

She said: "SNG made a bit of a mistake, and not for the first time. Their communications need to be more secure.

"There needs to be more transparency; even this information today is quite vague. There is nothing here they couldn't have told us a year ago, and the areas of limited change were revealed too late."

Also in attendance were Della Gill and Ann Horner, who echoed Ms Lindsay's opinion of it being "vague".

Ms Gill said: "It should never have come out that early, and it is very vague, we don't know what will happen in the white areas."

While Ms Horner said: "It isn't specific enough, a lot of people won't be comforted by these revelations."

Other residents were "pleasantly surprised" by the latest update, including David Crossby, vice chair of Save BASH.

He said: "There is a bit more information than I expected, and some of my questions have been answered.

David Crossby, vice chair of Save BASH (Image: Newsquest)

"I'm one of the fortunate ones as my home is highlighted in beige, but I feel sorry for all those who are not beige, and not purple. No one likes being in limbo."

He called for more clarity over other concerns, including discussions with residents and like-for-like replacements of houses.

"We have still got to hold them to account. They say they are going to involve more residents going forward, but it depends on how genuine it is.

"The question everyone wants to know the answer to is 'are you going to lose your home?' Obviously, everyone wants to know everything as soon as possible. Will houses be like-for-like? Will they fund refurbs of houses? I wanted to do mine up but I was reluctant to do any work as I wasn't sure if it was under threat.

"The other concern I have is that South Ham is one of the cheaper areas of the town, and if you wanted to buy an equivalent house elsewhere, it is £20,000 to £30,000 more."

Ellen Marshall called for more bungalows (Image: Newsquest)

Ellen Marshall, 80, said she would like to know whether there are plans to build more bungalows for disabled and elderly residents.

She said: "Particularly disabled children, they can't cope in a flat with no garden. I worked with children all my life, and special needs children can't cope well in that kind of environment.

"It would be nice for them to have a garden and a place to enjoy the sunshine."

Jason York thinks SNG 'get a lot of stick' (Image: Newsquest)

Jason York, who lives in Tweedsmuir Close, believes that throughout the process, SNG took the brunt of a lot of criticism over things which are "outside of their remit".

He said: "They got a lot of stick for things that aren't really down to them, like improving roads and general tidying up in the area.

"I think people are misinterpreting what this regeneration is meaning. They're not demolishing half of Basingstoke. Do some houses need demolishing? I'd say yes, a lot of them were never built to last and are not up to modern standards.

"I do think the intent is well-meant, but it's not come across like that for a lot of people. SNG started off on a bad footing, but hopefully they can change that by involving residents and the local authorities more."

Polly Gardner, director of regeneration and major projects at SNG (Image: SNG)

Polly Gardner, director of regeneration and major projects at SNG, said: “Our first public exhibition of 2026 brought together more than 150 residents, including several generations of local families, who attended to learn more about the proposals for the redevelopment of Buckskin and South Ham.

"We appreciated the time people took to speak with us and share their views, and we listened carefully to the feedback offered throughout the session.

"People also heard more about the plans for the priority investment area in Pinkerton Road, as well as the small pilot refurbishment areas that form an early part of the wider programme.

"We encourage residents in these areas to attend one of the preview sessions they’ve been invited to. They can also contact the project team to arrange a one‑to‑one meeting to learn more and discuss any support we can provide.

"With three further events planned, we hope to continue hearing from residents across the area and encourage anyone who would like to know more to come along and speak with the team.”