It is not often that we see whole new towns being built in the UK, but that is exactly what is happening in Hampshire. Welborne is a new development that is designed like a “garden village”, and there will be thousands of new homes available to buy. According to developers, prices for these new builds start at £460,000. Described as “the most ambitious development that Fareham Borough Council has ever planned and will take many years to deliver”, it is located just north of the town of Fareham between South Downs National Park and the Hampshire coast.
It is connected to surrounding areas by the A32 and is close to Junction 10 of the M27 motorway. The first houses have not been completed, with planning having started all the way back in 2008. For a while, it was up in the air as to whether or not the dream would come to life, but it is finally becoming a reality. While houses are being built, green spaces and a village centre are also in the works, with the aim of creating a community focus in the area.
Welborne will also feature 9,7250m of employment space, which aims to create more than 5,700 new jobs. Plus, there will be a secondary school and three new primary schools, as well as neighbourhood centres, according to Hampshire County Council.
Despite concerns from residents in nearby towns and villages, the owners of the land on which Welborne is being built have promised that it will be a “garden village” and not another copy-and-paste housing estate.
Nearby residents have complained about building on green space, even nicknaming the new development “Hellborne.”
However, the development has seen its fair share of protests and opposition over the years. But plans remain in place after it was given the official go-ahead in 2021.
John Beresford, the MD from Buckland Development, the firm responsible for bringing Welborne to life, said: “The Thistlethwayte family has owned this land for 500 years, and they wanted to make sure that they left a legacy.
“It’s been a long journey in terms of planning. You need deep pockets and be extremely strong-willed to be able to navigate the planning process.”
As well as schools, plans have been put in place for rail connections, a GP surgery and a dentist’s office. John told the Hampshire Chronicle: “We have even been told to make sure we have got room for a vet, because when our landowner starts thinking about a new town, he thinks about places like Petersfield and Romsey and what they have got there. If we are to be as big as places like that, then we need to have the same facilities.”
The total land area of the site on which Welborne Garden Village is being built is around 1,000 acres. However, only 440 acres is being used ti build, so the rest will be parks and woodland for locals to enjoy.
John added: “We will maintain the verges and trees. That gives us the ability to line the streets, unlike new developments, which don’t have trees due to the costs associated with them.
“We have set up Welborne Garden Trust, a not-for-profit organisation. We have not signed up to a management organisation that fleeces you. It’s not for profit, created for Welborne people by Welborne people.”
