Council says it will buy up land to build 6,000-home Welborne

A council has voted to buy up huge swathes of land if that is what it takes to build a 6,000-home new town
An artist's impression of WelborneAn artist's impression of Welborne
An artist's impression of Welborne

Fareham Borough Council’s executive committee met tonight to discuss Welborne, which is planned for fields in the north of the borough.

It decided that it will look for a development partner - which will manage the project - and will also, if need be, use a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to buy up the land.

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The council’s executive leader Cllr Seán Woodward said: ‘Whilst the council is aware that all landowners and site promoters remain committed to the development of Welborne, to date no planning applications have been put forward for consideration.

‘This raises a question mark over the key delivery dates for housing as outlined in our Local Plan, and agreed by the Inspector. By taking the steps of seeking a development partner and being willing to consider the use of compulsory purchase, the council aims to reinstate certainty around delivery of housing and the supporting infrastructure.’

The council says Welborne is needed to meet Fareham’s future housing requirement, including 2,000 affordable homes, and that it will reduce the need to use other greenfield sites for housing.

It will also include an upgrade to Junction 10 of the M27, which the council says will be finished before any homes are built.

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However, it has previously been revealed that if the CPO is needed, Welborne could be delayed by about 18 months - and some campaigners fear that this could lead to more homes being built elsewhere in the borough.

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