Permission has been granted for the first phase of a major new employment park at Welborne, marking another milestone for Fareham’s newest community. Following hot on the heels of important M27 Junction 10 motorway improvements, which are due for completion later this year, and the first new homes and new residents, this latest approval reflects the Council’s ongoing work to support investment, jobs and long-term prosperity for the Borough.
Fareham Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved detailed designs for nine high-quality commercial units, with a cumulative floor area of 22,445sqm (roughly equivalent to the size of three professional football pitches) as the first phase of the employment park at Welborne. The scheme forms a key component of the Welborne Garden Village vision, providing a range of commercial space for different types of businesses which will deliver employment opportunities for Welborne residents, the Borough and the wider Hampshire region.
As with previous milestones for Welborne, the Council has played a central enabling role helping to secure funding commitments to ensure the infrastructure needed to bring forward the development is provided.
Both the Council and Buckland Group, the Master Developer of Welborne, recognise the critical importance of delivering high quality placemaking and accessibility at Welborne. As well as being an attractive landscaped environment, the employment park will be served by new access roads, along with a multitude of footpaths and cycleways connecting throughout Welborne and to adjoining communities. The route of the Bus Rapid Transit will run through Welborne, providing bus services between Welborne, Fareham and other destinations. It is also located close to the employment opportunities, further encouraging sustainable travel for future workers and visitors.
Cllr Steve Dugan, Chairman of Fareham Borough Council’s Planning Committee, said: “We are pleased to see the first phase of employment development at Welborne progressing. This approval is an important step in ensuring the infrastructure and opportunities needed to support the new community are delivered in a coordinated way.
“The employment park has been carefully designed to provide space for a variety of jobs for local people and future Welborne residents and paves the way for businesses to come forward with confidence.”
John Beresford, Managing Director, Buckland Development, said: “This is exactly the kind of progress Welborne needs. To build a genuinely successful new community, people need places to work, businesses need room to grow, and local economies need proper long-term foundations. Getting the first phase of the employment park approved is a big step forward and it shows Welborne is continuing to move from plan to reality. The employment park will create real jobs, attract serious occupiers and investors, and give more people the chance to live and work in the same community.”
As Welborne Garden Village continues to grow, it will ultimately deliver thousands of new homes, four new schools, extensive and varied green spaces and the essential supporting infrastructure to form a sustainable, well-connected community.
Welborne Garden Village is a key project set out in Priority One of the Council’s Corporate Strategy: Provide Housing Choices.
