A BID is being made to get a historic Basingstoke building listed in an effort to save it from the bulldozers.

Basingstoke Heritage Society is making the move in the hope of preserving Fieldways - home of Basingstoke master builder and former mayor William Mussellwhite.

Basingstoke Heritage Society has applied to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to have the large Edwardian house in Russell Road, Cliddesden, listed.

A planning application is at present before Basingstoke council from Laing Homes to demolish the house and replace it with four four-storey blocks of flats - a total of 60 two-bedroom flats.

"This house is particularly important and the society has taken the step of asking the Department of Culture to consider listing the property," said Heritage Society secretary Debbie Reavell.

"This will be difficult but we have made a case for its importance to the town both as a building with original features - including panelling from an earlier building in Cross Street - and as the home of William Henry Mussellwhite, builder and mayor of the borough."

The department is carrying out an investigation, which will take seven or eight weeks to complete.

Mrs Reavell said: "Other groups are campaigning for the house not to be demolished and, if all this raises the profile enough, it is quite possible the council might feel that the house should be retained."

She added: "We will be appearing at the development control committee to object to its demolition - and I understand a number of local residents will be objecting too. If the building was listed it could not be knocked down."

A spokesman for Basingstoke council said: "The Fieldways application has not yet been given a recommendation by planning officers and we do not know yet when it will come before the development control committee."