Construction green light for Hampshire garden village

Construction of the first wave of hundreds of homes for a new garden village at Welborne in Hampshire has been approved by the Fareham Borough Council Planning Committee.The first phase of 363 homes will be built by Welborne’s house build partners – Thakeham and Pye Homes.Master Developer Buckland has formed a joint venture with three house builders enabling the construction to follow a single Design Code and Street Manual across the site which will eventually house 15,000 people.More than 50% of Welborne will be green space woven throughout the community, and it will be biodiversity positive with wildlife and natural habitats restored from the previously intensively farmed agricultural land.Mark Thistlethwayte, Chairman, Buckland Group, said:“After almost two decades in planning, I am delighted that the first homes will be built at Welborne this year and we hope to welcome our first residents this winter.“We have a different development approach compared with mainstream companies. By forming joint ventures, we can work with smaller housebuilders who share our focus on quality craftsmanship and work to the same design code, meaning Welborne’s neighbourhoods will be beautifully designed and built, in keeping with the local area, and green space will be prevalent throughout.“We are looking forward to working closely with Pye Homes and Thakeham and expect a third planning application from our joint venture with CG Fry to go ahead in the coming weeks.”During the first construction phase, a village centre will be built in the Chesterfield neighbourhood which will have essential local amenities, including a primary school, a GP surgery, a nursery, a pub/hotel, cafes, shops and sports facilities. A planning application for the Village Centre has been registered and approval is anticipated this summer, enabling building to start imminently.Graham Flint, Managing Director, Pye Homes, said: “We are committed to creating new communities of which residents can be proud and Welborne is no exception. This significant milestone marks a major step forward and we are keen to begin crafting the beautiful new homes in our scheme, alongside the delivery of new green spaces and essential amenities.“The planning process has been thorough, and we extend our gratitude to the Fareham Borough Council for their support, and we look forward to working with the Buckland Group to use our years of expertise to create something truly special at Welborne.”Rob Boughton, CEO, Thakeham, said:“We’re thrilled to have secured planning and look forward to creating beautiful homes and a timeless, sustainable and thriving place to live.”The planning applications also cover infrastructure to support the homes, including roads, street trees, parking, utility connections and other services.