‘Overly ambitious’ timeframe for new Hampshire town
There's concern completion will be a year late
Fareham council is on a collision course with the planning inspectorate which has described the timeframe for building Welborne Garden Village as ‘overly ambitious’.
In a letter to Fareham Borough Council, the planning inspector shared concerns over the housing trajectory of Welborne – suggesting it should be pushed back a year.
The inspector, Helen Hockenhull said: ‘There was considerable discussion at the hearing sessions about the delivery and build rate assumptions for this site.
‘Whilst I accept that efforts to bring the site forward are now gathering pace – I consider completions in 2023/24 to be overly ambitious.
‘The site should be pushed back a year in the trajectory.
‘The council commissioned a report on the delivery trajectory for Welborne in 2017 which concluded that 250 dwellings per year were realistic, with a possible increase to 275 dwellings if evidence was available to support that figure.
‘The above would suggest a delivery rate of 300 as indicated in the trajectory is overly optimistic.
‘Based on the current evidence, a peak delivery rate of 260 dwellings would be more realistic.
‘The housing trajectory should be amended accordingly.’
Councillor Sean Woodward, leader of the council responded: ‘The inspector was presented with evidence from the council and, probably more important our delivery partners, Buckland, saying what the trajectory was likely to be.
‘We don’t think it is as the inspector describes and she’ll be presented with a lot more evidence in response.
‘We’re agreeing there probably is some months difference that needs to be made up but certainly not the shortfall she was suggesting.
‘Absolutely not a year, up to six months perhaps – she’s made points and we’ll be making some back to her in concert with Buckland.
‘I am confident that we can provide compelling evidence – there is strong evidence there and it needs to be set out.’
The inspector asked the council to produce a revised housing and supply topic paper which will be considered in an executive meeting on July 4.
The executive meeting report states that the inspector’s findings, if adopted, would result in the loss of 814 homes over the local plan period.