Council begins talks for Welborne development

Following an evaluation, four organisations have been chosen which have the potential to deliver the new 6,000-home ‘garden village’.

Leader of Fareham Borough Council Cllr Seán Woodward said: ‘I am delighted that we can now begin detailed conversations with each of the four selected bidders. We will assess their visions and aspirations and consider how they propose to successfully work with us to deliver a new garden village.’

Planned for the north of Fareham, the major new development has proved to be a controversial issue amongst the local community and has been consistently set back due to disputes over planning between Fareham Borough Council and the two land owners, Buckland Devlopment and BST Warehouses.

Councillor Shaun Cunningham, who previously campaigned against the development, said: ‘For those who were hell bent on bringing Welborne forward, regardless of what others said, they carry a heavy responsibility to deliver a Welborne residents can generally be proud of.’

The council hopes to appoint a delivery partner in early 2018.