Development in Rooksdown

Local Plan

Outline planning permission was granted in May 1997 for a mixed-use development of approximately 1,250 dwellings and a village centre at Rooksdown. This was in addition to the 500 existing dwellings (to the left in the map below). This included development of the hospital complex as a core area for the Rooksdown development to provide community facilities. The clock tower, water tower, main hall, six fan buildings and the four garden pavilions were all to be retained. They were converted to either residential, office or community use. There is a GP surgery, pharmacy, hairdresser, small supermarket and Costa Coffee. The existing gardens were also retained as open spaces.

The ongoing development of the area was originally drafted as part of the North Basingstoke Action Plan. This is complemented by the 2004 Conservation Area Appraisal. The area was designated in 1998.

New Development

English Partnerships, later the Homes and Communities Agency and from 2018 Homes England, acquired the site in April 2005 and secured detailed planning consent for 1,021 homes. A number of these were intended to be affordable homes. The main area for 854 homes (including 156 affordable homes) was purchased by Taylor Woodrow and the smaller area for 137 (including 47 affordable homes) was purchased by Persimmon Homes. The company was selected after a Design for Manufacture competition to build homes at a cost of £60,000 to encourage efficiency and innovation.

The plan shows the area where development took place. The development was being marketed under the name ‘Limes Park’. Taylor Wimpey were responsible for development of the areas bordered in purple, but they brought in other builders. The top area of this is the main hospital site where many buildings have been retained and refurbished. The refurbishments have been done by specialist Thomas Homes, who also built some adjacent new homes. Here will be the main community and commercial areas. The lower section is new housing on the green field site between the current development and the North Hampshire NHS Trust.

Persimmon Homes were responsible for the development shown in red.

The blue area is the former golf course land for which Homes and Communities that is being developed by Barratt David Wilson. 585 homes are scheduled for completion in 2020/21.

In addition, the area between the lower purple line and the A339, know locally as ‘The Trumpet Land’ on account of its shape, is being developed for a further 122 houses.