The future of regeneration lies in revamping old housing estates, according to Basingstoke MP Maria Miller.
The Government minister praised the Popley Islands regeneration scheme after visiting the site last month.
She was given a tour of the completed two phases of Faroe Close and Maldive Road by Sentinel Housing Association chief executive Martin Nurse, and Sentinel regeneration manager Simon Bridgen.
The £40m project razed more than 100 1960s flats and builders are constructing 202 homes.
The scheme is scheduled to be finished by November this year, two months ahead of schedule. The first 55 homes were opened to bidders at the end of May.
The four-part scheme will also see the demolishing of the derelict former Barbican pub, which will be replaced by 42 more houses.
The town MP also met a disabled resident who has moved into one of the homes, two flats that have been specially adapted.
Mrs Miller said the scheme is a strong example of putting more homes on previously developed land.
“I am really pleased to see how this ambitious project is transforming this part of Popley, which was very much in need of regeneration.
“It is great to see these new family homes and flats with gardens, communal play areas and a bright, safe environment,” Mrs Miller said.
“At a time when the council is considering future housing numbers and sites, I am particularly pleased to see this imaginative regeneration which makes excellent use of previously developed land.
“We need to ensure that the regeneration of older estates continues to be a priority – particularly when the land can be used to provide more homes in the same space and so keep the development of greenfield sites to a minimum.”
The comments come months after the borough council planning chiefs met to decide the number of houses built over the next 20 years.
In a letter to the planning and infrastructure chairman Stephen Reid, Mrs Miller urged councillors to slash the number of houses built in the borough per year to under 594, and focus on using brownfield sites rather than greenfield land.
