REVAMPED plans to develop on a former school site have been submitted to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

As previously reported in The Gazette, The King’s School site, in Bramblys Close, Sarum Hill, was closed in 2017 following “increasing financial pressure”.

Since its closure, an application to build 16 new houses on the site was refused by the borough council as it would be “an overdevelopment of the site”.

Now, a new proposal has been submitted to build nine new homes on the old school site.

The proposed site, which is owned by Basingstoke Community Churches (BCC), is currently made up of a “collection of outdated school buildings”.

A planning statement provided by Bell Cornwell on behalf of the applicant, BCC, read: “The proposals will provide sufficient community benefit to outweigh the loss of the existing facility or service, meeting evidence of a local need.

“The council will work positively with local communities and support proposals to retain, improve or re-use essential facilities and services, including those set out in neighbourhood plans.”

The planning statement adds: “The marketing report and building condition reports we have submitted also demonstrate that the existing building on the site is not practical, desirable or viable for any future uses.”

As the site is currently owned by a charity, any money raised from the sale of the homes would go back into the BCC group.

The statement added: “The money raised from the sale will enable BCC to cover the costs of the closure of the school and focus their efforts and finances on their remaining services, which will continue to provide a benefit to the community.”

The application is due to be decided on by October 22.

To view the planing application or comment on it, go to planning.basingstoke.gov.uk and search for the reference code 18/02735/PIP.