The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane covers an area of over 245 square miles, over 90% of which is agricultural land, woodland or in other greenfield uses. Less than 8% of the borough is built up, supporting the bulk of a population of well over 155,000 people. Approximately 60% of the borough population (93,000) is housed within the expanded town of Basingstoke, which has grown to more than five times its size half a century ago. Current forecasts indicate a continuing increase of up to 10,000 additional population over the next 5 years, mainly on the northern periphery of the town.
The second largest settlement in the borough is the Tadley/Baughurst/Pamber Heath area, on the northern Hampshire boundary, with a population of nearly 16,000. The western half of the borough is dominated by the sparsely populated North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the periphery of which are a number of settlements of 3,000-5,000 population, such as Overton and Whitchurch, both of which lie within the upper valley of the River Test. Elsewhere, numerous smaller villages and hamlets are scattered throughout the borough, whose attractive rural environment and historic significance is characterised by 46 conservation areas and over 1800 listed buildings.
At the time of the 2001 Census, the population had a younger than average age profile with over 25% of the population aged 19 or under. 17% of the population were aged 60 or over. Looking ahead to the medium term, it is the over 60 age group that is predicted to increase the most, reaching 33,000 people by 2011. While work on the South East Plan continues, for the purposes of projecting population growth, the average annual number of dwelling completions by district is assumed constant for the period 2011 to 2026 with an overall result of a borough population approaching 185,000 by 2026 - an increase of more than 21% from 2001.
The number of people commuting out of the borough to work in the larger commercial centres of London, Reading, etc is matched by in-commuters from other parts of Hampshire and surrounding counties. The borough provides jobs for 2/3 of its residents which represents a higher self containment ratio than any other Hampshire District. Unemployment is relatively low at around 1.1%, with a lower percentage of economically inactive people than the county, region or nationally.
The English Indices of Deprivation 2004 (ID2004) indicate that Basingstoke and Deane as a borough experiences relatively little deprivation in the national context. When all indicators are combined into the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ (IMD2004), none of the borough’s geographical areas fall within the top 1/3 most deprived areas in England. More than half fall within the least deprived 20% in England, 12 of them within the top 1% nationally.
The 2001 Census showed that 21% of Basingstoke and Deanes working age population are educated to degree level or equivalent and this compares favourably to the South East and is higher than both Hampshire and national averages.
There are 6,400 businesses employing 75,000 people in the borough, key sectors are finance, IT and manufacturing. Companies with headquarters in the borough include The AA, Game, SONY (Europe) and Scott Wilson.
Basingstoke’s strategic location on the national road and rail networks has contributed to its success as an employment centre, with 83% of the borough’s jobs located in the town. The borough’s close proximity to London, to the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth and to Heathrow and Gatwick airports have also helped its commercial success.
While levels of car ownership are high in the borough, access to affordable transport in rural areas and for some parts of the town remains an issue.
The two key tourism markets for the area are day visitors for leisure, culture and shopping activities and business visitors.
Day visitors are attracted to Basingstoke from surrounding area due the wide range of leisure provision. Key leisure attractions include: The Anvil Concert Hall 150, 000 plus visitor each year; Basingstoke Leisure Park including Milestones, Hampshire’s Living History Museum, The Aquadrome, Bowplex and Vue cinema with over 2 million visits each year; and a number of rural attractions including Whitchurch Silk Mill and The Vyne – National Trust.
Festival Place, a major redevelopment of Basingstoke town centre in 2002, along with the proposals to refurbish The Malls are enhancing the Borough`s shopping, restaurant/cafe and leisure facilities, attracting local shoppers and bringing people to the area from further afield.
Business visitors represent the main customer group in Basingstoke hotels 80-90% in 3-4 star hotels and 60-70% in budget hotels. Mid week occupancy is very high between 90-100% however there is low occupancy at weekends with limited leisure visitors.
| Inward Investment Elizabeth Verner 01256 845652 |
Tourism Daniel Garnier 01256 845720 |
Property Helen Harbour 01256 845654 |
Planning Mark Lambert 01256 845750 |
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