The area was built with mansionettes as part of the rapid expansion of Basingstoke.[vague] The new estate did not age well. The area became increasingly run-down and proved hard to let.[citation needed] In 1997, a group called the Oakridge Central Regeneration group was set up to have the estate redeveloped. HTA Architects was appointed and planning permission was granted in 2000. The redevelopment was built in phases: Phase 1 comprised mostly terraced housing, and Phase 2 most three-story apartments (Phase 3 was built by another contractor entirely). 149 homes were replaced with 299, increasing both the population density of the area and its urban green space. People[according to whom?] nowadays call Oakridge a suburb instead of a village. [vague]
