Overview
The creation of a new community to the north of Fareham, inspired by the best aspects of the English Garden City movement. Welborne will deliver local growth aspirations and become a sustainable development that prioritises placemaking, design quality and long-term stewardship. We have been pivotal in leading the planning strategy and securing the outline and reserved matters consents required to deliver Welborne.
Project Highlights
Clients
Buckland Development Limited
Welborne Land Limited
Date
2012 - Present
Scale
6,000 homes, 105,000sqm commercial space
Welborne Garden Village is a large scheme of 6000 homes and over 1 million sqft of employment space. Big schemes are extremely complex and require the services of some of the best brains and experience in the industry. There are only a handful that have this. David Lock Associates do, and they are our trusted advisor dealing with the complex planning process. But equally important is the ability to be part of a much wider team. I would recommend (DLA) not just because they know their onions, but also because they are very productive members of our team and a joy to work with. This is a sentiment also echoed by the LPA and stakeholders we deal with.
John Beresford, Managing Director, Buckland Development LTD
The Project
Located on approximately 377 hectares of largely agricultural land to the north of Fareham, Hampshire, Welborne will be designed holistically with legacy in mind. It will provide up to 6,000 new homes, supported by a connected network of multifunctional open space, new schools and local and village centres. The creation of Welborne will significantly improve the region’s growth potential, with substantial new commercial provision and opportunities for employment and training. The development also includes substantial new integrated infrastructure, including much needed improvements to Junction 10 of the M27.
Long-term legacy is at the heart of Welborne, with a local landowner-led approach to delivery that secures design quality and longevity, as well as a consistent vision reflecting a garden village true to Ebenezer Howard’s principles. This will be supported by the not for profit Welborne Garden Village Trust, who will maintain the community facilities and vast network of open spaces and support the growth of a thriving new community.
The Process
We have led Welborne through the planning system since 2012, securing its allocation in the 2015 Fareham Local Plan. We coordinated the submission of an outline planning application for the entire Welborne site, including motorway junction improvements. A critical element of the development is the comprehensive green infrastructure network, including significant provision of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG). This SANG network provides substantial mitigation against recreational impacts on local Special Protection Areas as well as important open space to serve the community.
We played a key role in the public information events and wider consultation with a range of stakeholders, whose comments informed the submission of further updated application information prior to the outline planning permission issued in September 2021. The site was the largest housing-led scheme in the country that was granted permission in 2021 and was shortlisted for Planning Permission of the Year at the 2022 Planning Awards.
Our current work to support the delivery of Welborne includes providing strategic planning advice, working with the project architects in the preparation of site wide design codes, supporting and coordinating housing reserved matters applications, as well as submitting and negotiating numerous complex enabling infrastructure and landscaping applications. Development of the enabling infrastructure started on site in 2023, with housebuilding beginning in 2024.