Community
Chineham lies on the north-western edge of
Basingstoke in Hampshire, UK and although it is mentioned in the
Domesday Book, most of the house building in the area has taken place
since 1980. The Domesday Book records that the landholder was Agemund. A
moat still remains but now surrounds a piece of open public land. Prior
to 1979, the great majority of Chineham was green fields. There was a
small amount of ribbon development along the A33 Basingstoke to Reading
road, dating from this century, housing about 400 people. It is now a
densely populated residential community forming one of the major, almost
exclusively private, housing areas on the north-eastern edge of
Basingstoke. The population is now approaching 10,000.
The vast majority of housing is privately owned, ranging from starter homes up to five-bedroom detached houses. There are two sheltered accommodation projects locally suitable for retired people and there are also two low-cost housing developments.
Chineham is an area that has attracted professional and managerial people, has a relatively low unemployment rate and a lifestyle characterised by materialism, drive and success. However, experience of recession in the early 1990s and the current trend of constant, and sometimes sudden, change that is evident in working life has resulted in significant levels of insecurity and stress. In addition, the steep increases in house prices and mortgage rates at the beginning of the 1990s put considerable pressure on people and marriages. There is a very high marriage-breakdown rate, currently one of the highest in central southern England.
There is a Village Hall, used by many groups including the Chineham Social Club. There are two small shopping areas within the parish, one thriving doctors' practice, housed in premises on land adjacent to Christ Church, and two dental surgeries. A pub, 'The Chineham Arms', opened in 1989. There is a large out-of-town shopping centre in Chineham, but separated from the residential area by the realigned A33. Apart from shops it includes a library and a post office.
There are three schools in the parish - Four Lanes Infants and Junior Schools, and Great Binfields Primary School - although some parts of the parish fall within the catchment area of schools in other parts of Basingstoke. The Junior School includes certain community facilities. There are no secondary schools within the parish.