Located at the edge of Basing View and overlooking Eastrop Park, this site sits at a pivotal threshold between town centre commercial buildings and established parkland. The brief was to deliver a high-quality Build-to-Rent development that would act as an urban marker while responding positively to its context—particularly concerns around height, bulk and townscape impact.

The original submission in April 2024 proposed 375 apartments arranged as a series of connected volumes. While the architectural language and materiality were welcomed, dialogue with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council focused on two principal areas: the height of the tallest element and the perceived cumulative massing. Through a structured and collaborative series of meetings with the local authority between July and November 2024, we revisited the scheme to ensure it remained ambitious, yet more finely tuned to its surroundings.

We stepped back and stripped the design to its base massing principles. From there, we reshaped the composition into four clearly defined volumes: the Taller Element, the Horizontal Link, the Corner Turner and the Feature Corner.

The most significant move was reducing the tallest element by six storeys, alongside lowering the central shoulder by two storeys. This reduced the total apartment count from 375 to 326 and softened the skyline presence while retaining the building’s role as an urban anchor.

Rather than a singular mass, the development now reads as a layered composition. The Taller Element maintains vertical emphasis and a clear top, middle and base. The Horizontal Link introduces contrast through lighter buff brick and horizontal banding. The newly articulated Corner Turner reinforces hierarchy and frames Basing View, while the Feature Corner strengthens its relationship with Mountbatten House through refined detailing and anodised bronze accents.

A unifying base ribbon grounds the building within the parkland edge, adding tactility and robustness at street level. The reduction in height also unlocked opportunity introducing an additional 433 sqm roof terrace to enhance resident amenity.

Parking provision remained consistent at 124 spaces, but with the reduced apartment numbers this equates to a higher percentage provision (38%), alongside 25 EV charging spaces and 326 cycle spaces. The approach supports sustainable living while meeting practical needs.

The revised proposal demonstrates that evolution strengthens design. By listening carefully and responding proactively, we have delivered a more legible, contextual and human-scaled scheme without losing ambition.

The composition now offers clearer hierarchy, richer articulation and improved wayfinding. From Eastrop Park, the building steps more comfortably into the skyline. At street level, grounded materials and defined entrances create a stronger relationship with public realm and community.

This is progressive by design: a development shaped through collaboration, iteration and rigour providing 326 high-quality homes, enhanced amenity and a confident yet considered addition to Basingstoke’s evolving townscape.

Appointed by Packaged Living to develop proposals for a BtR-led scheme on a brownfield site within Basing View – a 65-acre business district in the heart of Basingstoke. This high-quality, residential-led mixed-use development will transform the area by providing opportunities for people to live right in the heart of the town centre while enhancing local public parks and the natural environment.

The development will feature a mix of 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartments with generous amenity provision for a diverse community to develop. Ground floor commercial spaces will support local independent businesses and will contribute to a vibrant public realm. The clever use of the site’s topography allows for semi-basement parking and generous cycle storage, minimises visual impact, maximising green space, and prioritising ecology.

Our proposals include extending neighbouring parks on to the site, increasing accessible green space for the people of Basingstoke, and improving connections to sustainable travel networks. A residential tower will act as a beacon to the site, and landscaped roof terraces will provide opportunities for extensive views of the wider rural landscape. Residents will also benefit from a private podium garden, further enhancing their connections to nature and the site’s biodiversity.

This project is part of a broader redevelopment of the existing business district to create a more sustainable, mixed-use area that supports hotel, leisure, retail, and residential uses. By working closely with the local authority through a series of planning meetings and workshops, we have ensured that our design aligns with the Basing View masterplan, respects neighbouring listed buildings, and fits seamlessly into the wider context of Basingstoke.