Developed by Taylor Wimpey South Thames and Dorchester Regeneration, the new homes take a slice off the town’s 3,350 new-home target.
This development also represents another piece of the puzzle for disused military land, coming on the heels of new homes at Quebec Park and the former Louisburg Barracks.
Most of the new homes in the town will be on what was Prince Philip Barracks - the first batch of which, Dukes Quarter, includes 172 houses.
The Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company, a conglomerate between Taylor Wimpey and Dorchester, has outlined permission to build 2,400 homes in total.
Promised associated infrastructure will also arrive in tandem with these developments - some aspects are already taking shape, such as the new Bordon and Oakhanger Sports Club set to open this summer.
The Regeneration Comppany has said it will shed light on the specifics of its new town centre in June - which it also has the green light to develop - hopefully addressing concerns about Bordon’s lack of amenities.
The firm has broadly committed itself to a new town centre featuring up to 27 new shops and restaurants across 71,000 sq ft; a 20,000 sq ft supermarket; a theatre; a six-screen cinema; a start-up business hub; 19,000 sq ft of office space; an indoor market place; a heritage centre and 178 new apartments.
The new town centre is set to open in 2020, on land adjacent to Budds Lane and the A325.
Although not yet finished, the first homes on neighbouring Dukes Quarter will be unveiled on Saturday, May 19. In a statement, the developers described the regeneration project as “one of the largest in the UK”, and said new residents will “benefit from a wealth of brand new facilities such as a new town centre with a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants”.
Keen to encourage potential buyers, they explained there is “already a range of existing amenities and leisure facilities and a good selection of schools in close proximity to the new homes at Dukes Quarter”.
All of which “are easily accessible as the development is well connected to surrounding areas by both rail and road”.
Bordon’s closest rail links are sited in neighbouring Alton, Farnham and Petersfield.
They go on to highlight that Haslemere and Guildford train stations “are just over half an hour away by car and offer services to London Waterloo in under an hour”. The A3, A31, M3 and M25 are “close by for access to London, Portsmouth and Southampton”.
Although part of the regeneration scheme is to provide 5,500 jobs, these homes are apparently ideal for people who want to live in Bordon, but get out of it easily and frequently.
Susan Joseph, sales and marketing director for Taylor Wimpey South Thames, said: “We are thrilled to be launching the first of our homes at Dukes Quarter and opening up opportunities for people to become a part of the new and growing community at Prince Philip Park.
“Whitehill and Bordon is an exciting place to be making a home and really does offer something for everyone. We have a range of homes at Dukes Quarter to suit first-time buyers, young couples, growing families and downsizers alike, and I would urge anyone interested in finding out more to get in touch with us to ensure they don’t miss out.”
The overall target figure for new homes - which has varied significantly over the years - was scaled down from 4,000 in 2012. It now stands at 3,350.
While it is difficult to be specific when forecasting decades into the future, there are certain restrictions on just how fast these can be built.
If too many homes appear at once, the market becomes saturated and the houses worth less.
Ultimately, housing developers will deliver homes at the optimum rate to maximise profits.
For the Regeneration Company, this is “approximately 300 to 400 per year” up until 2030. This is perhaps higher than the rate at which they can be sold conventionally, but that is because the Regeneration Company provides a “full range of housing tenures”.
A spokesman said these include “affordable, private, for rent, for military, housing targeted at the over 65s and 75s, plus custom build and self-build”.
“For this reason, the rate of absorption depends on how each of the different markets respond to the housing on offer, and economic cycles which naturally affect the property market,” he added. “The Regeneration Company’s commitment is to provide a broad range of supply to meet the full range of market demand.”
The homes are still under construction, but new residents could arrive as soon as this summer.