Huge strides made at the Hampshire town being built from scratch - with first residents loving it
Inside the Hampshire town being built from scratch
The first residents of a new Hampshire town have been settling into life in their new surroundings as great progress has been made in creating what developers believe will be a very different kind of home for its residents.
Welborne Garden Village is already home to 13 residents, with great progress being made on the first phase of 700 of the 6,000 new homes being created at the front of the site to the north of Fareham.
Fiona Gray, director of place at Welborne, said the aim is to building something “beautiful” for the new town which has been two decades in the making.
She said: “The best thing has been having the first residents here. That has been really exciting for all of us. The first residents moved in on Halloween last year, and it has grown since then.
“We are seeing a range of residents come here.”
Retired couple Jane and Paul Cadman, both 61, left their home in Hill Head and moved to Welborne only seven weeks after viewing their new house and falling in love with it.
Jane said: “The houses themselves are beautiful, but it was the community that sold it to us.
“It was a no-brainer. We were originally by the sea, and there was a lot to love, but we were not close to amenities.
“We are now closer to our children and grandchildren.”
The pair particularly enjoy having several green spaces on their doorstep – from the developing ‘Welborne Mile’, to Dashwood, a 38-hectare ancient woodland bordering on the development. This has also proven popular with their two dogs, Alfie and Ruby, their grandchildren and “granddogs”, with Mrs Cadman also having made new friends part of a local dog walking group.
Designs are being drawn up for the first of four new school schools, groundworks have also began on the village centre and a new cafe is due to open next month - with a number of families already attracted to Welborne’s first play park and green spaces.
Another of Welborne’s first residents is Parri Rad recently moved to the development from her home in south London with her partner Ben Hardy and their four-year-old daughter, Noelle.
The 36-year-old teacher said the “preposterous” house prices in London are what prompted them to look elsewhere, with Welborne fantastic for families looking to spend more time together.
Parri, who grew up in Basingstoke, said: “The area we lived in started to degrade, and this area is so much nicer for young families.
“Living here is great and I really love it.
“It was a six-month wait to get here. Everyone here is so welcoming and friendly.”
Welborne will comprise of a mixture of townhouses, flats, and detached and semi-detached properties at various price points. Many of these have already been built in ‘Chesterfield Village’ - the first phase of the site.
As well as the house building, progress is also being made on a nearby business and employment site thanks to the result of the ongoing junction 10 upgrade works on the M27 which will create an access route to the site, as well as provide better transport links for Welbourne residents and those in neighbouring Knowle and Wickham.
Several flats by Pye Homes and Blenheim, are now complete, with one two-bedroom flat on the market for £450,000.
Cheaper homes will be available, but details of these are yet to be released to “manage demand”, according to the Welborne team.
Sales director George Long said the style of the buildings was “inspired by the Hampshire vernacular”, following the design of lead architect Ben Pentreath to ensure consistency across all areas.
All houses are also served by a ground source heat network system, a drainage system feeds into the local eco system and the Welborne team is also taking responsibility for things like hedge trimming.
“The key thing is that there is going to be a house for everyone,” he added.
Work has also begun to create a 240 metre-long community orchard, which will eventually stretch across the front site and feature more than 300 fruit trees such as apples, plums, mulberry and quince. More than 16,650 bulbs and nearly 6,000 wildflower plants will also be planted, and it is hoped that local primary school children will take part in the planting after the school opens in September 2028.
Around half of the total area of the site allocated for green space adding up to 180 hectares - the equivalent to 277 Wembley-sized football pitches, and green transport links ar ealso being put in place connecting Welborne to Fareham, Knowle and Wickham.
The entire Welborne Garden Village, which will have a pub, health facilities, a hotel, two additional primary schools and a secondary school is expected to be complete by 2046.
An open weekend is taking place at Welborne this weekend (April 18 and 19). For more details visit www.welborne.co.uk