AMAZON is planning to open a new distribution hub on the outskirts of a major Hampshire town, documents suggest.

The multinational company looks set to take one of four warehouses proposed on Basingstoke's Oakdown Farm, adjacent to Junction 7 of the M3.

Ever since plans for the site, known as Basingstoke Gateway, were revealed in June, rumours have been circulating surrounding the eventual occupiers.

It has now been uncovered documents which seem to indicate that online retail giant Amazon is set to take the largest of the warehouses.

The file name of a planning document submitted to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council indicates that Newlands, which is proposing the site, has a folder for ‘Amazon ARS Basingstoke’ as one of its 2020 projects.

Daily Echo:

The name of this file indicates Amazon's interest.

Newlands said that it cannot disclose the identity of the future occupier because of “legally binding commercial negotiations”, instead confirming that the application was submitted “in direct response to occupier interest”. Amazon said it doesn’t comment on rumours or speculation.

Campaign group Clean Air Green Environment, set up to protest against the warehouses, has labelled the latest development “bad news”.

Spokesperson Christine Northam said: “You don’t get eight hundred movements in and eight hundred movements out without some emissions."

Newlands has history working with Amazon, advertising how its directors, under a different name, developed facilities for the retail giant.

So far, 305 out of 314 comments submitted on the application by members of the public were objections.

An outline application was submitted for the site in August, with a full planning application then drawn-up for the largest warehouse, which is 630,000 square feet.

The site as a whole contains 1.25 million square feet of distribution space, and would bring £150 million of investment to the borough as well as 1,500 new jobs.

Newlands hopes pending planning permission, development will begin in early 2021, with occupation by autumn 2022.