Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s cabinet has agreed in principle to sell Vyne Meadow car park, next to the railway station, for social-rent homes. Council officers say town-centre parking studies found a surplus of spaces and that Vyne Meadow, with 349 bays, has “the lowest occupancy levels” and is “deemed surplus to requirements”. Backers say the sale could bring genuinely affordable homes to the town centre, but critics say the council is underselling a key public asset without testing other options. He said reviews of council land and town-centre parking found Vyne Meadow was “the only site left standing” with realistic potential to speed up affordable housing. Cabinet papers say any below-market sale would include safeguards, including a buy-back option if the housing provider fails to deliver.