The council's masterplan for Manydown South shows 4,500 homes, 1,800 affordable, and three schools. Councillors scrutinise it on 1 October; no plan is due before 2028.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s own masterplan for Manydown South shows 4,500 homes, 40% of them affordable. That is 1,800 affordable homes on farmland at the south-west edge of the town.
The figures are in a presentation to the council’s Environment and Infrastructure Committee, which meets on Thursday 1 October at 6.30pm. (Committee presentation)
The council is writing here as a landowner, not as the planning authority. It and Hampshire County Council jointly hold the land. Nothing has been applied for, and the covering report says an outline planning application would only be prepared from 2027/28 at the earliest. (Committee report)
What the masterplan shows
The presentation’s masterplan page lists:
- 4,500 homes, of which 40% (1,800) would be affordable
- two primary schools and one secondary school
- two local centres
- more than 50% of the site as green space, including blocks of ancient woodland
- a 104-acre strategic gap
- a 91-acre Scheduled Monument and Heritage Park
- 27 acres for a sports hub
- a 7km route through the development with frequent connections to and from the town centre
The monument is an Iron Age settlement 400m south-east of Battle Down Farm, Historic England list entry 1001835, according to the presentation. The masterplan would keep it as open land for walking, nature-based play and possibly community archaeology.
What stands in the way
The presentation is frank about why no homes are close. It says delivery is “currently constrained by”:
- significant upfront and early infrastructure costs
- complex access arrangements
- the Local Plan allocation position
- multiple landownership and legal considerations
- current market and institutional factors
The access problem includes the railway. “Resolution of the rail crossing” is one of the first jobs on the list for 2026/27.
It also affects a smaller piece of land. Parcel 6a, a 32-hectare site already allocated in the current Local Plan, “could accommodate between 300 and 450 homes subject to the type of crossing over the railway”. Its north-east corner holds important archaeological remains.
The three-year timetable
The report sets out the programme to 2029.
| Period | Planned work |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 | Push for a Local Plan allocation; access and highway solutions, including the rail crossing; infrastructure strategy; legal clarity on the Option |
| 2027/28 | Continue planning promotion; set out proposals for an outline planning application; choose a delivery model and start appointing a partner |
| 2028/29 | Establish the delivery approach; progress the outline application; complete planning promotion |
The report says success depends “in part” on the Local Plan timetable and on decisions about local government reorganisation. The council restarted its Local Plan in September, and adoption is now not expected until September 2029. On 7 September the government withdrew its decision to replace the borough with a new council. The presentation still lists “clear governance under a new authority” as a condition for choosing a delivery partner.
Why the councils own it
The two councils bought a 999-year lease on the Manydown Estate in 1996 for a shared £10M. The report says the estate covers about 800 hectares, enough for around 8,000 homes with schools and other facilities.
The lease comes with an option agreement. Under it, the councils are obliged to promote the land through the Local Plan and to secure its development.
In October 2024 the councils bought the freehold of Manydown North and passed it to their joint company, Manydown Garden Communities LLP. That is the site now under construction, and the one the council recently pledged to the National Housing Bank. The lease still covers the rest, including Manydown South.
The wider picture
Manydown South is the councils’ part of a bigger area called Southern Manydown. The presentation’s land map shows two neighbouring owners:
- South Wood Farm (marked “SMV”); the report names the St Monica Trust as a neighbouring landowner
- land marked as Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s proposed new hospital location
The report says the council works with both to promote the wider area, but it covers only the council’s land.
In the November 2025 draft Local Plan, which has since been abandoned, Southern Manydown was proposed for 2,750 homes within the plan period. Our planning news page lists the other big sites. The council’s figure of 4,500 covers its own land only and is not tied to a plan period, so the two numbers do not measure the same thing.
What it means for you
- Nothing is decided on 1 October. The committee is asked to comment and to “note the progress”. Its comments go back to the Director of Regeneration and the Cabinet Member for Major Projects.
- You can watch or attend. The meeting is in Committee Rooms 1 and 2 at the Deanes. The agenda page has the papers.
- The real say comes through the Local Plan. Manydown South only moves forward if it is allocated. The report says the councils have drawn up an engagement plan to keep residents informed as they promote it.
- Costs are shared. Both councils fund the promotion work. Some of those costs are recoverable from the eventual land value under the lease, and the report says 2026/27 spending is within budget.
- Living on the west side of town? Check what else is proposed near you on the planning news page.
Have your say