Construction
Published: July 26, 2024 | Updated: 26th July 2024
The Fareham Borough Council Planning Committee has approved plans for the Welborne Village Centre, with construction set to start this autumn.
The Centre will be the initial hub for the Welborne community, offering essential amenities such as a two-form entry primary school, a GP surgery, a pharmacy, a nursery, a pub/hotel, cafes, shops, and sports facilities.
In line with Welborne’s ‘local first’ supplier policy, the aim is to attract local and regional retailers and hospitality businesses to the Centre, with favourable rents offered to the first occupants.
The Village Centre will also include homes, with a mix of houses and apartments, including 14 affordable units. It will be partly built by Buckland Development, in the style of a traditional Hampshire market town, and is expected to be completed by early 2027.
The buildings will be heated and cooled by a low-carbon water source heat network. The area will also benefit from up to one gigabit superfast broadband and EV charging points.
The Centre will be a short walk from two new parks, Welborne Park and Dashwood Park, and will provide new public access to 38 hectares of Dashwood ancient woodland.
Mark Thistlethwayte, Chairman of Buckland Group, said: “In designing the Welborne Village Centre, we are aiming to create a community hub right from the start, with all the essential amenities residents will need within a beautiful setting.
“For the design, we have drawn architectural inspiration from popular Hampshire market towns like Alresford and Stockbridge.
“Whether it’s having a coffee in your favourite café, picking up your Sunday roast from the local butchers, or having a drink in a charming pub garden, the Centre will offer the best of local produce and hospitality.
“The early delivery of comprehensive community infrastructure is core to the Welborne development approach, which we believe is an essential investment for the long-term both financially and socially.”
As the Welborne community grows over the next decade, this initial village centre will be complemented by a larger district centre providing all necessary services within walking distance. There will also be two further primary schools and one secondary school.
This planning approval follows the approval earlier this year of the first wave of 474 homes, of which the first few are already in the advanced stages of construction.
