200-home regeneration of former military site to begin

Wates Residential’s Daedalus project to build 200 homes at a former military site in Gosport has been given the go-ahead by borough council planning bosses.

120 private homes and 80 affordable homes are set to be built. The homes will be split equally across two development sites with construction expected to start in summer this year.

The approved proposals are designed to preserve the historic character of the area and the military buildings on site. Red brick bands and textured brick patterns will be used to complement the existing buildings.

The scheme will be built through Home England’s Direct Commissioning Initiative, which is designed to enable the Government to fast-track the building of homes on publicly owned land and diversify housing delivery. Wates Residential will build the 200 homes at double the pace of the industry standard.

Daedalus is a historic Royal Navy air station in Lee-on-the-Solent. It originally served as a seaplane base in 1917 during the First World War and later became the main training and administrative centre of the Fleet Air Arm. Since its decommissioning in 1996, the site fell into disrepair before being acquired by Homes England.

Wates Residential will take on 10 apprentices throughout the project and provide work experience placements for local students. The developer is also planning a two-week ‘Building Futures’ programme aimed at unemployed local adults to teach them about the construction industry and boost employment prospects.

Paul Nicholls, Managing Director of Wates Residential South, said:

‘The Daedalus housing project will provide much-needed homes for the local people of Gosport, which are designed entirely with them in mind.

‘The council’s unanimous support for our vision for the area is recognition not only of the quality of the work Wates Residential delivers, but also our commitment to ensuring this project brings economic and social value to Gosport and the wider Lee-on-the-Solent area. We are hugely excited to begin breathing new life into this historically significant site.’

Stephen Kinsella, Strategic Director for Land at Homes England, said: ‘This exciting new development at Daedalus is an excellent example of both Homes England’s commitment to bringing public land back into use for new homes, and our work to diversify the housebuilding market to help increase the speed and scale of housing development.’