A new milestone has been marked in the ongoing regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon Town Centre with ground being broken on the new Sainsbury’s store.
The start of work on the new 16,000 sq. store at Bordon, in Hampshire, is the latest step forward in the major redevelopment of the former Army site, which has already seen the delivery of 2,400 new homes by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and its development partners.
The new supermarket is expected to bring around 75 jobs to the area and will welcome its first customers in summer 2026.
The start of the project was celebrated by key stakeholders involved in the regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon, who were joined by members of the local community, dignitaries and local business owners for an official groundbreaking ceremony.
The new supermarket will be the cornerstone of the emerging town centre, and the start of works marks a significant milestone for the regeneration project, the pace of which is accelerating due to a recently-formed local taskforce.
Plans are rapidly progressing for the town’s new Health Hub and construction of this key town centre facility will follow the completion of Sainsbury’s. Meanwhile upgrades to dining and entertainment space The Shed have recently been completed, revitalising the longest standing feature of the new town centre.
James Child, Project Lead at The Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company, commented:
“We are absolutely delighted to get construction under way and welcome Sainsbury’s to Whitehill & Bordon. This is a significant milestone for the regeneration of the town centre and a lot of people have worked incredibly hard to get us to this point. Not only does this milestone mark the beginning of a busy and productive period of development for the town centre, it also brings the quality and convenience of a much-loved supermarket brand to the heart of our local community.”
Robert Smith, DIO Deputy Head of Major Disposals commented:
“The start of works on this new supermarket is an important moment in our plans to transform this
site into a thriving new town centre. The regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon is a great example of how, through strong partnership working, we can make the best use of surplus public land to benefit local communities.”
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Chief Property and Procurement Officer & MD of Smart Charge, commented:
"It’s fantastic to be celebrating the start of construction of our new Sainsbury’s supermarket at the heart of Whitehill & Bordon’s growing town centre. This is a really exciting moment for us and we look forward to working with everyone involved in this project to bring the new store to life in the coming months.
“As well as creating new jobs, our investment will allow us to bring our unbeatable combination of quality fresh food, great value, innovative products and brilliant colleague service to the town – alongside a Click & Collect service giving customers access to our much-loved brands of Argos, Habitat and Tu Clothing.”
Cllr Andy Tree, EHDC Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Whitehill & Bordon Area, and Leader of Whitehill Town Council, commented:
"Having announced they were coming to Whitehill & Bordon in 2024, I am delighted to celebrate the start of the building work by taking part in the breaking ground ceremony. I look forward to welcoming Sainsbury’s to Whitehill & Bordon when the store opens, including the Argos click & collect. Fellow local residents want to see delivery of facilities and this is a very positive step forward. Thank you to all those who work behind the scenes who have driven this project to fruition.”
Notes to Editors:
About Prince Philip Park
Prince Philip Park is part of one of the most exciting, innovative and largest regeneration projects in the UK. WBRC is a joint venture between Dorchester Regeneration and Taylor Wimpey, appointed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to redevelop the former Prince Philip barracks in Whitehill & Bordon. The scheme involves key stakeholders including Hampshire County Council, East Hampshire District Council, EM3 LEP, and the Homes and Communities Agency.
The development will provide sustainable growth in Whitehill & Bordon taking a community of 14,000 people to one with over 23,000 people. The vision is to make Whitehill & Bordon one of the most desirable places to live and work in the region.
The new town centre will feature new shops, offices, cafes, restaurants, and a grocery store. A new relief road, a cricket pavilion, a skate park, a new leisure centre, the Future Skills Centre, and a secondary school have been created, while the existing primary school will be extended. The delivery of a cultural centre and a comprehensive top-of-the-range health hub are also proposed.
The redevelopment of Prince Philip Park will provide an extensive network of green spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife, which will total over 100 hectares of new and improved spaces, converting large areas of concrete and tarmac into natural and functional spaces. The conversion of the existing 54-hectare Hogmoor Enclosure into a fantastic green space for the community means that Whitehill & Bordon has the third largest Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) in the country.
Visit: www.princephilippark.co.uk
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is an enabling organisation of the Ministry of Defence. It is responsible for enabling defence people to live, work, train and deploy at home and overseas. It supports the armed forces and military capability by planning, building, maintaining, and servicing infrastructure.
In 2015, DIO appointed The Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company, a joint venture between Dorchester Regeneration and Taylor Wimpey, as its development manager, to redevelop, in partnership with DIO, the former Bordon Garrison as a major regeneration project.
The site is part of DIO’s Land Sale Delivery Partnership portfolio (LSDP) a generic term for sites where DIO has appointed a company or consortium to act as its development manager; typically dealing with large, redevelopment sites with regeneration potential, and bringing them to the market, normally in phases over a number of years. DIO Estate representatives sit on the LSDP delivery and governance teams in support of project/program delivery.