After more than 17 years of planning, spades hit the ground at Welborne, an exciting new housing development in Fareham. The first of many thousands of lines of hedges was planted by Secretary of State Rt Hon Michael Gove MP in a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the occasion.
Welborne is a nationally significant development. It will be a Garden Town for the twenty-first century, built around a modern sustainable community.
The project is one of the largest private developments in the UK, comprising of 6,000 homes, shops, schools, woods, parks, business premises and healthcare facilities. There will be fourteen neighbourhoods, each with its own identity, designed in a traditional Hampshire vernacular with wide streets and mature trees. The Village Centre will have an array of shops and cafes, making the most of locally sourced produce and maximising local employment opportunities. The development will also pioneer the first large-scale use of an underground heat source network heating scheme. All homes at Welborne will be heated (and cooled in the summer) by this renewable, zero carbon technology, delivered in partnership with Rendesco and Portsmouth Water.
Unlike many other existing and recent developments of such size and scale, Welborne takes its cue from the Garden Village movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a period sometimes referred to as the ‘golden age’ of housebuilding. The upkeep and stewardship of the site will be taken on by the Welborne Garden Village Trust, a resident-led initiative and a nod to garden villages and towns like Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City.
The development has benefitted from £40m of forward funding via the Housing Infrastructure Fund from Homes England, which will be used to partially fund the upgrade at Junction 10 of the M27. This deal was brokered by Hampshire County Council under its leader, Cllr Rob Humby. The scheme, which was originally conceived by Cllr Seán Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, will see the first residents move in next year.
Welborne has been designed by architect Ben Pentreath and landscape architect Kim Wilkie, both of whom have worked on some of the most renowned developments in the country including Poundbury and Faversham.
Construction of the first phase will be undertaken by three regional building firms – CG Fry, Pye Homes and Thakeham Homes through individual joint ventures with Buckland Development – having been selected for their craft skills and high quality of workmanship.
Suella has been a longstanding supporter of the Welborne project throughout her time as the Member for Fareham and was delighted to take part in the ceremony.
To learn more about the Welborne project, please visit www.welborne.co.uk
Commenting, Suella said:
“As we tackle the challenge of building more homes, we must ensure that we build the right homes. Since I became the Member of Parliament for Fareham, I have been a strong advocate of the Welborne vision that will deliver high-quality homes and new jobs, engulfed in a setting of superb green spaces.
“Welborne has been meticulously designed to the very last detail. Drawing on the Garden City Movement, Welborne will have beautiful homes and a complete community ecosystem of schools, retail, business premises, healthcare, playgrounds and public transport, framed by a generous network of parks and open space. Welborne will be a wonderful place to live, in the short-term, the mid-term and for generations to come.
“It was a truly momentous occasion to see work begin at Welborne and it was excellent to be joined by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove MP, at this significant event. My thanks to Hampshire County Council, Fareham Borough Council, Buckland Development and everyone else who has worked hard to make this project a reality.”
Commenting, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, said:
“Protecting our beautiful landscapes in cherished places like Welborne is vital, while we seek to deliver the high quality homes and infrastructure that local communities need.
“I was delighted to see first-hand this ground-breaking vision for a modern garden village where local communities can input into the surroundings of the area they call home.
“As part of our commitment to build 300,000 homes every year, we want developers right across the country to embrace projects like Welborne so local people can reap the benefits of beautiful homes and greener neighbourhoods as we continue to deliver on our housebuilding targets.”
Commenting, Mark Thistlethwayte, Chairman of Buckland Group, said:
"After more than seventeen years of hard work behind the scenes, it's a pleasure to see that our vision for Welborne is finally taking shape. It is great to have the support of the SoS, Homes England, HCC and FBC as we progress with this, one of the biggest privately funded community developments in the UK. At Welborne we are seeking to create a place that people will be happy to call home now, and in one hundred years’ time."
Commenting, Cllr Seán Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, said:
“Welborne is really good news for Fareham, providing high quality new homes and jobs in a beautiful green setting.
“The Council has secured almost £400M for the essential infrastructure that will allow the development itself to go ahead, including schools, roads, parks, transport, health and wellbeing facilities required to support the residents, workers and visitors to our new garden village. The Council will continue to lead on making Welborne a very special place to live in, work in or to visit.”
