Plans have been submitted for the first phase of the new town centre at Whitehill & Bordon, East Hampshire, which include retail, leisure, entertainment and office space
Whitehill & Bordon is one of 10 developments that form part of the NHS “healthy new towns” scheme. The first phase of the new town centre will include up to 27 new shops and restaurants across 71,000 sq ft, a 20,000 sq ft supermarket, a theatre and a six-screen cinema, alongside a start-up business hub, 19,000 sq ft of office space, an indoor market place, heritage centre and 178 new homes. Buildings will be set in new landscaped public spaces and gardens, which will include a town centre square.
Conversations are at an advanced stage with national operators to occupy the supermarket and the cinema. Discussions are also ongoing with a supplier to integrate smart living technology across the town centre and wider town itself.
Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company, a joint venture between Taylor Wimpey and Dorchester Regeneration, is currently in talks with Nicholas James Group, owners of Harbour Hotels, to help deliver the new town centre.
The scheme has been influenced and strongly guided by the framework in place for Whitehill & Bordon, working in close partnership with East Hampshire District Council. There has also been significant emphasis on taking on board the local community views on the design and placemaking elements.
The new town centre forms part of Prince Philip Park, one of the biggest natural spaces of its kind in the UK, which on completion will feature 2,400 new homes, a new secondary school, extended primary school, sports pavilion and pitches, hotel and spa, and a number of new health facilities.
Lee Bishop, director of Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company, said: “Prince Philip Park is part of one of the most exciting, innovative and largest regeneration projects in the UK that will create one of the largest towns in Hampshire. It will be one of the most desirable places to live, work and play in the region and the newly built town centre will not only act as the focus point of the new community, but will draw in visitors from across the county, including many of its most affluential villages. Prince Philip Park town centre provides a platform for retailers and leisure operators to reach an ABC1 audience and be part of a technologically advanced consumer experience.”
Separate applications are also expected be submitted, at a later date, for a leisure centre with a 25m six-lane pool, a 100-station gym, spinning studio and dance studios and an energy centre which will provide heat for the town centre and surrounding buildings.
Subject to approval, work will begin in the spring of 2018, with an expected completion towards the end of 2019.
Cllr Ferris Cowper, EHDC’s Portfolio Holder for Whitehill & Bordon, said: “The new town centre is going to be the jewel in the crown of Whitehill & Bordon’s regeneration. It will give the town a thriving core – a place where people can meet for work or for leisure, a place to shop, to walk, to grab a bite to eat or to catch a movie or a show.
“These exciting plans are the corner-stone of our work in Whitehill & Bordon and will be one of the most important, most transformative steps we take in its development. I can’t wait for people to see them and study them for themselves.”
The development is set to open in 2020. KLM Retail is advising on the scheme.
To send feedback, e-mail amber.rolt@egi.co.uk or tweet @AmberRoltEG or @estatesgazette
