A NEW Tesco Express store has opened on a housing development near Beggarwood.

The new store, in Hounsome Fields, officially opened its doors in the last week.

As previously reported, construction began on the new convenience store at the Hounsome Fields housing development on the A30 Winchester Road in November last year.

Plans to build a shop at the site where 750 homes are being built were approved by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in 2021.

SEE ALSO: Tesco store built on new housing development to open in 'next few months'

Basingstoke Gazette: Tesco Express in Hounsome Fields has officially opened its doorsTesco Express in Hounsome Fields has officially opened its doors (Image: Newsquest)

A Tesco spokesperson previously said: “We’re always looking for the best ways to serve local communities and are excited to be planning a new Tesco Express store at Hounsome Fields in Basingstoke.”

The new store has been built on a 0.34ha piece of land formerly used for agriculture, adjacent to the A30 on the east of the new spine road and directly north of the new roundabout. It will border the planned new primary school site to the north.

Vehicular access is provided via the spine road to the west and a shared surface car park provides a through route to parking and a servicing area directly outside of the store.

A planning application from Pegasus Group said: “This retail unit will be a vital local facility, in a sustainable and logical location. All new residents within the wider scheme will be only a few minutes’ walk or cycle from the store, while adequate visitor parking will allow passers-by an opportunity to stop and shop.”

Prior to its opening, the closest shops to residents at Hounsome Fields were Sainsbury's supermarket, Lidl at the nearby Hatch Warren Retail Park and The Co-Operative Food store in Beggarwood.