Basingstoke’s Skyline Plaza sees official opening

On Friday 12th October the Deputy Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Councillor George Hood officially opened Skyline Plaza a prestigious development by Berkeley Homes in partnership with Kingfisher Housing Association.

The Deputy Mayor, Alisdair Chant Managing Director of Berkeley Partnership Homes and Graham Bone, Vice Chairman of Kingfisher Housing Association addressed dignitaries and representatives from local businesses before unveiling the model of Skyline Plaza and inviting guests to view the four superb show apartments.

Alisdair Chant, Managing Director of Berkeley Partnership Homes said: “Berkeley Homes is delighted to be working with Kingfisher Housing Association. The difficulties faced by people, in particular first time buyers, in getting on the property ladder are now a major challenge and partnerships on schemes like Skyline Plaza set new benchmarks for the rest of the industry.” He continued: “Shared ownership offers the opportunity for those people who struggle to find an entry point onto the property ladder. The products being offered by Kingfisher are proving to be affordable and in strong demand”.

Skyline Plaza, locally known as the IBM building has undergone a major refurbishment to provide 375 new apartments and penthouses, 225 of which are for private sale and 150 for shared ownership. Two storeys are being added taking the tallest point of the tower to 19 storeys, creating Basingstoke’s tallest building; a new landmark for the town.

Graham Bone, Vice Chairman, Kingfisher Housing Association said: “At over £16 million, this is Kingfisher’s biggest project to date. We have already seen a huge interest for shared ownership homes and we hope the first new residents will be able to move in, in spring 2008.”

Before unveiling a model of how the whole development will look when complete. The Deputy Mayor, Councillor George Hood said: “My first reaction is one of amazement at what has been achieved from what was once a vacant office building. It just goes to show, that with well planned schemes you can achieve something really innovative.” He continued: “The partnership between Berkeley Homes and Kingfisher Housing Association has created affordable housing in a really sustainable and prime location near to the station, shops and leisure facilities.”

Skyline Plaza enjoys a truly sustainable location in the centre of the town. Commuters have a short walk to the bus station and Basingstoke’s mainline train station, the latter providing fast and frequent services to London’s Waterloo and Paddington stations in approximately 35 minutes. The nearby Festival Place shopping centre features over 165 shops, 28 bars and cafes, a 10 screen cinema, night club, state of the art sports centre and library.

The apartments for private sale at Skyline Plaza are designed to appeal to a variety of tastes and lifestyle requirements. Prices start from £115,000 for a studio apartment, from £150,000 for a one bedroom apartment, £186,000 for a two bedroom apartment and from £200,000 for a duplex apartment.

The marketing suite features four show apartments and is open daily from 10am to 6pm. To find out more visit Berkeleyhomes.co.uk.