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Urban extension to 'come down from' 4,500 homes

By Pete Castle
September 26, 2011

MEMBERS of the public will have a chance to get a first glimpse of plans for the new Aldershot urban extension at an exhibition next month.

Grainger, the developer responsible for the massive housebuilding programme, is due to meet with council representatives and English Heritage next week to discuss outline proposals for some of the landmark historic buildings, such as the listed Cambridge Military Hospital and Maida Gym, which could be converted into flats or community facilities.

But managers in charge of the development, dubbed ‘Wellesley’ after the Duke of Wellington, said that it was unlikely that the development will reach the maximum 4,500 homes as envisaged in Rushmoor's strategic plan for the site.

Speaking at a meeting of the Cargate Area Residents’ Association on Tuesday, Alan Chitson, from Grainger, said developers were keen to maintain the highest quality of homes, rather than cramming as many as possible onto the site.

“Rushmoor’s strategic planning document quotes 4,500 homes, but whether we take it that far is doubtful, to be honest,” Mr Chitson said. “We see it as being a really high quality site. That number will need to come down from 4,500.”

He said that developers were keen to encourage the landowners, the Ministry of Defence, to agree that a lower-density development would bring in the best return on investment, and provide the best result for Aldershot.

Eric Neal, a county and borough councillor for Aldershot, said there was a need to have more ‘executive’ homes in the town to complement the current dominance of lower-value housing.

Mr Chitson said that some of the key sites, such as those adjoining the Basingstoke Canal, would most likely be used for large, high-value houses, but more than a third of the new homes would be considered ‘affordable’, with one and two-bedroom flats and houses and starter homes planned.

While conservation architects and landscape experts are currently thrashing out the overall shape of the development, council bosses and politicians will get a look at the early plans on October 10, he said.

Members of the public would be able to see the same plans, which could include preliminary ideas for what would be done with buildings such as the old military hospital and the imposing 4 Division Headquarters, at an exhibition at the Wellington Centre next month.

A planning application is expected to be submitted in May or June next year, with work scheduled to begin in 2013.

Mr Chitson said as well as providing a new lease of life for current empty heritage buildings, the development would be designed with the aim of revitalising Aldershot’s currently flagging town centre economy.

While the early plans provide space for a community centre, which could include a village hall, a pub, and a few small shops, the intention was to encourage Aldershot's new residents to use the facilities already on offer in the town centre.

Their added buying power and the positive effect of extra development would hopefully encourage more businesses into the town, the meeting heard.

“We want it to be completely integrated with Aldershot,” Mr Chitson said.

“We want to help bring the town forward. I know what people think of Aldershot, but it has so much going for it.

“In terms of businesses, it will be an attraction. The revenue that will be created in the town in retail will hopefully bring back some retails shops.”

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i remember when aldershot had its own fire station but that was deemed unnecessary as the army was being reduced so farnborough & aldershot merged at rushmoors current site. i wonder if the introduction of these houses & business's along with hundreds of other new properties (not to mention the population increase) in the aldershot area will trigger a rethink about re-establishing a fire station in aldershot. i doubt it.... wouldn't be able to afford councillors pentions as well as pay for decent public services

p p
04/10/2011 at 22:38

Hi Sleeping Beauty have a look at following web page of what Aldershot use to look like:- http://www.sloughhistoryonline.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=hants&f=generic_searchresults.htm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=10&m=quick_sform&text=aldershot&tc1=i&partner=hants&tc2=e&s=i6WGijOzYRH

Aldershot Born
30/09/2011 at 15:25

I am aware of the westgate project - and the number of years it took before the first wrecking ball was swung. In the meantime Aldershot dropped further and further into the pit of dispair - more shops closed, the cinema shut, the town filled with drug addicts and despondent youths with no hope or future. Pulling Aldershot out of that pit is going to take more that a new supermarket, a Nandos and a cinema - especially when you look at the economy in general. The public perception of Aldershot is not a good one - I have heard it referred to as All the **** in neighbouring towns - because it is where all the **** ends up. You can build all the schools, cinemas, supermarkets and hospitals you want, but unless they have grade one status in the league tables people will not move here and put their kids though those schools and establishing that status takes time. You also need to bring the existing infrastructure up to date and insure it is attractive to people. It will take Aldershot years to become established as a place where people want shop, to go to the cinema in the evening, to meet friends for a theatre evening - and it will take a dedicated council with backbone to ride the rollercoaster - and the big question is - does Rushmoor really have the interests of Aldershot on their priority list. Maybe it is time we had our own council - spending our money on our needs.

sleeping beauty
28/09/2011 at 18:08

One of the many points discussed at a recent "citizen panel" session on the urban extension was "What (in the future after the creation of the urban extension") is Aldershot famous for?

The changes to the nature of the urban development outlined in the article were not shared with panel members.

It was made clear that there would be no local employment built into the development other than in a few shops and a small business centre - emphasis was placed on "small" but that there would be a fair percentage of "affordable homes".

Perhaps the changes outlined in the article are to avoid Aldershot becoming famous as a Nepalese Ghetto within the urban extension.

The urban extension hardly lends itself to integration with Aldershot town given its distance and no houses in between - unlike other developments such as North Town, Heron Wood and Tices Meadow.

Retired of Aldershot, Aldershot
28/09/2011 at 16:59

Sleeping beauty, from your comment it tells me that you are unaware of the Westgate project and the Princes hall next door which is a theatre, this should answer your comments also with the addition of 2 schools so there will be an infrastracture

aldershot11, Aldershot
28/09/2011 at 11:13

I wonder who will get the bulk of the social housing ????? any ideas

doormon, Aldershot
28/09/2011 at 09:08

Aldershot 11 has a point

Outermongolian
27/09/2011 at 18:04

if you are going to build executive homes for people to aspire to then you also need to have the infrastracture to support those aspirations. this means decent Schools and at all levels, colleges, shops, wine bars, restuarants, cinemas, maybe even a theatre. which means you need to get rid of the druggies and criminal elements that have decided to use Aldershot as their base for the south and these infrastructure changes will only happen if the Council starts putting some effort into marketing and changing Aldershot. you only have to look at Camberley, Basingstoke and Woking to see what a pro-active cauncil can achieve. yes they have there issues in the evening - but at least during the day i can shop safely and even in the evening take my family for a meal. When we drive into Aldershot during the day - my kids put the locks down on their car doors and look terrified.

sleeping beauty
27/09/2011 at 17:21

The blue print for the project states 2 new schools, dentist and doctors surgery but nothing about the fast amount of Nepalese moving into the borough, so i suspect a large portion of the new dewllings will be used to accommadate these people that are now entitled to be housed, may be the project and the right of the Nepalese was already thought out by the goverment and the council, makes you wonder

aldershot11, Aldershot
27/09/2011 at 15:29

i'm afraid nothing will put aldershot back on the map

tinks 41
27/09/2011 at 15:16

More likely , this change of tact is designed to reduce the number of migrant Nepalese investing in this development. This does seem a bit crazy , as there are plenty of 'wealthy' neighbourhoods in the conurbation that executives and upwardly mobile youngeters aspire to, and I doubt these new 'executive' homes will hold their value. But if this development was solely social/affordable housing , the perceived services crisis would deepen considerably as AB suggests. Just one question .... what will happen if the takers are largely from the Nepalese community ? Will they be denied , prefering empty homes to cultural change?

Si G, Farnborough
27/09/2011 at 15:10

I agree with James - cramming in another load of cheap rabbit hutches is hardly going to put Aldershot back on the map - and equally Aldershot Born is so right about the need for more resources - I think a school is in the plan - not sure about another hospital but perhaps the Centre for Health still has capacity for growth...

sharona, Aldershot
27/09/2011 at 14:07

Also Aldershot will need more grave yards, maybe a section of the land could be used as there is a high concentration of elderly folk now

aldershot11, Aldershot
27/09/2011 at 13:53

Actually I agree with Eric Neal - if we keep building affordable homes then Aldershot can never aspire to be anything better than the low-rent area it is at the moment because you won't attract any higher income families into the area.

I know quite a few 'young professionals' moving into the area because Aldershot is relatively affordable - where do they go when they outgrow their affordable starter home? Elsewhere, usually, because there aren't many options for bigger and better houses at present - if you begin to raise a family in Aldershot with all the associated ties that creates then surely you'd be tempted to stay if the homes were available?

Aldershot is well placed and has potential, it just needs a kick-start and hopefully this will be it.

James Harris
27/09/2011 at 13:00

We need the homes as their is a shortage - but like I have said before we need another hospital and another school in aldershot because with all the people moving in to the rushmoor area - where are you suppose to go for treatment and schooling when thousands move in?