PLANS for a new office building at an Eastleigh gateway site have been unveiled.

A four storey office building and 200 parking spaces could be created on the former civic offices site in Villeneuve St Georges Way.

The plans have been submitted by Eastleigh Borough Council and the new development will be part of the authority’s property portfolio.

As previously reported, civic chiefs in Eastleigh can already boast names such as Pets at Home, Matalan, Travelodge and Wetherspoons among their tenants and revealed that their property portfolio brings in more than £5 million in rent every year.

Now the authority has submitted plans for a new gateway building.

The cost of the investment and the names of the potential tenants have not been revealed yet.

But in an official statement the authority said: “The site is allocated for development in the local plan and will provide an ideal location for additional employment land for new businesses with the creation of jobs and opportunities for local people.

“We will retain ownership of the site, and the business premises will add to our property portfolio providing a significant rental income to the council.”

In October 2015, the site was granted outline planning permission for a range of uses and residents were consulted.

The potential uses identified at the time included a car dealership, commercial offices and fast food outlets.

But the council said that while the range of uses was deemed appropriate for the site, residents did not welcome the idea of having fast food outlets and the proposals were reconsidered.

Mark Baulch, head of policy and representation at Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "Hampshire Chamber of Commerce welcomes the news of a new four storey office building and 200 parking spaces on the former civic offices site in Villeneuve St Georges Way, Eastleigh.

" With excellent connections to both the M3 and M27, it would be expected to be a very popular choice for businesses that are looking to expand in Eastleigh as well as for potential new firms from outside of the area. It is also very well located for the new staff there to utilise the new leisure facilities right on their doorstep.

"This positive boost to local employment prospects and to the local economy is particularly interesting at this point in time, as we examine the Local Plan recently published by Eastleigh Borough Council."