New town north of Fareham approved

Outline planning approval's been given to a new town north of Fareham in what's been described as a 'great step forward'.

6,000 homes, a secondary and three primary schools, along with a shopping centre and community facilities are set to be built.

Planning consent has been issued to Buckland Development Ltd (Buckland) for its outline planning application for Welborne Garden Village.

We're told this significant milestone means preparatory work can now begin onsite to deliver Welborne.

Creating a new community of Welborne’s scale is a complex and lengthy process, with many partners involved from both the private and public sectors. It has taken several years to reach this point in the project, and Fareham Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and Buckland will continue to work closely together on the next stages.

Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Councillor Seán Woodward, said: "This is a momentous leap forward for Welborne and marks a real turning point in terms of bringing forward our new community. In the coming decades we will see six thousand new homes, a huge boost to the local economy and provision for almost six thousand jobs.

"Its importance to the Borough of Fareham should not be underestimated. We will be supporting the delivery of a secondary school, three primary schools, a district shopping centre, a number of local centres and many community facilities along with a huge amount of public open space.

"We have worked hard to secure the funding for the new motorway junction at junction 10 of the M27 and we have held firm to the pledge I made years ago that not a brick of Welborne will be laid until all of the infrastructure required is identified, we know where it is going and most importantly how it will be funded."

Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader and Executive Lead Member for Economy, Transport and Environment at Hampshire County Council, said: "The Planning Permission, together with the Section 106 agreement, is a long-awaited milestone.

"Importantly for us, this signals confirmation of a significant funding contribution from the developer to enable the construction of Junction 10 on the M27, as well as funding for other necessary highways improvements and infrastructure, including a new school. In terms of Junction 10, with both the financial commitment from the developer and additional government funding on the horizon, we can now proceed to the next stages and move closer to the delivery of this critical scheme which will help bring forward the wider Welborne development."

Managing Director of Buckland, John Beresford said: ‘This is a great step forward – over the coming months we will be sharing our designs of what Welborne will look like, engaging with local businesses and choosing our housebuilding partners.

"Welborne will provide a significant boost to the local economy - aside from the new homes, there will be one million square feet of employment space which is often over-looked.

"The Welborne Technology Park will be the best place to work on the South Coast. We are steadfast in our commitment to deliver a thriving and beautiful place in which people will still want to live and work, 100 years from now."