AN ABANDONED building in Basing View is set to be transformed into flexible office space.

Grosvenor House, which has been left derelict since Hampshire Constabulary moved out in 2012, has been acquired by a firm that runs eleven other hot desking offices across the south of England.

Arena Business Centres plans to turn the building into 56,000 square feet of "exceptional office space", covering eleven storeys.

The councillor responsible for Basing View's regeneration, Cllr John Izett, labelled the acquisition as "brilliant news".

As previously reported, one of the council's top priorities for the recovery of Basingstoke and Deane after the Covid pandemic is to turn the town into an office relocation destination, providing alternatives for residents who would traditionally commute into London.

This is a key element of Arena's plans for the derelict building, with the firm saying that Grosvenor House will meet "the increasing requirement for local office hubs that help shorten daily commutes".

Sharron Domanska, Director, Arena Business Centres comments: “Now more than ever we are helping businesses of every size from entrepreneurs, SME’s to corporates with their flexible office space requirements whether that is a 2 person office or space for 200 people.

"Our continuing investment in Basingstoke is a hugely exciting opportunity to help businesses find a new way of working in the coming months and years.”

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Property Cllr John Izett said: “This is brilliant news. I congratulate Arena on their acquisition of another business centre in Basingstoke.

"Their investment will bring new life to a prominent Basingstoke landmark that has been empty for a long time.

“I look forward with anticipation to seeing a revitalised building appearing on the Basing View skyline.

"This is further endorsement of the town as a place to invest and do business and is especially important as we emerge into the post-COVID recovery.

"I am also delighted that as freeholder, the council has been able to play its part in enabling this to happen.”