The Army has been training inside Fanum House in Basingstoke, it has confirmed, after soldiers were spotted by an urban explorer.
The former AA building on Basing View has been empty since late 2024 and was taken over by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council after the AA surrendered its lease on December 31, 2025.
In the months since, the site has been temporarily used for filming, including the Marvel film Spiderman: A Brand New Day, filmed in October 2025, with actors Tom Holland and Michael Mann spotted.
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Questions about recent activity at Fanum House began circulating after an urban explorer, known as Urban.xplores on social media, entered the premises and encountered what appeared to be soldiers.
Urban.xplores said he entered the building through a tunnel, believing it was empty, and later returned on February 8 after seeing Army vehicles parked outside.
The camo vehicles featured typical Army number plates, which consist of two numbers, followed by two letters, and ending with further numbers.
During a livestream from the site, he described seeing uniformed personnel inside, including two soldiers who appeared to be armed, as well as tents set up within the building.
The explorer said he entered the site “with the intention of exploring the building” but unexpectedly encountered military personnel.
The Gazette contacted Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, who referred the paper to the Ministry of Defence.
An Army spokesperson said: “We can confirm the Army has been conducting routine training within Fanum House, Basingstoke.”
According to the Army, the unit involved is a regular Army unit and activity has been confined to the Fanum House site with 'disruption limited'.
Urban exploring is not a criminal offence in the UK; accessing abandoned or disused private property without permission typically constitutes civil trespass, not a criminal act.
However, it may become criminal if entry involves breaking and entering, causing damage, theft, interfering with certain protected sites, or ignoring legal orders and injunctions.
Fanum House has played a significant role in Basingstoke’s history, having served as the AA’s headquarters since it first opened in 1973.
The site was under a 99-year lease from the council before the AA vacated the premises and surrendered the lease at the end of 2025.
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