Oakley

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Oakley is a large village with a population of over 5,000 (source: 2001 census) and is divided into two districts, namely Church Oakley which encompasses the older, original village with its picturesque pond bordered by attractive thatched dwellings, and East Oakley which features housing estates, an expansion due to housing requirements in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane. The bulk of today's village lays between the south-west rail line and the south coast line which merge to the east of the village before reaching Basingstoke. Oakley once had a train station on the south-west line; the buildings still exist but nowadays they house a small and local industrial / retail 'park'. Oakley is well-served by various local bus routes and walkers can find the Wayfarers Way close by. It is increasingly popular with cyclists.

Oakley has a large primary school, a handful of shops, mostly in two (separate) parades and a cafe, 'Jolly Ollies'. Three pubs serve Oakley. The Barley Mow is in the older part of the village close to the pond and as of 2014 features a well-thought-of restaurant, 'Louis @ The Barley Mow'. The Beach Arms is west of the village on the B3400 Overton Road is a Crown Carvery tavern, found not far from the old Oakley Station site, on the western side of a railway viaduct. The third pub, the Fox, is a free house on the B3400 to the north, opposite which is Oakley Sports Ground, though in reality this is the adjoining village of Newfound.

To some extent Oakley depends on Basingstoke, which is not far from the east of the village, itself reinvented and hugely expanded as a 'new-ish' town since the mid 20th century. The western edge of Basingstoke is currently bounded by "Roman Road" which connects the A399 Newbury road to the B3400. Such is the pressure for new housing, that Manydown, the stretch of land immediately to the west of Roman Road, is subject of bitterly-opposed plans encompassing many new houses and shops. Though funding for improved roads in the borough is becoming a reality, the lack of infrastructure to support the Manydown remain concerning.