Fareham Borough Council has granted outline planning permission for the creation of Welborne Garden Village, a holistically-planned new place whose spirit, character and form are inspired by its landscape setting. The 6,000-home settlement by Buckland Development Ltd. is amongst the first of the Government-backed new wave of garden communities
LDA Design has played a pivotal role in unlocking the site’s potential. Early involvement included defining the initial vision and framework and shaping the Welborne Plan, adopted in 2015. More recently, LDA Design has guided preparation of the planning application via the Welborne Delivery Group.
“We facilitated collaborative delivery group meetings involving both the council and developer,” explains LDA Design Director, Frazer Osment. “Through these sessions, which took place over the past 18 months, we were able to build confidence that the proposals would result in great placemaking, meeting the aspirations of both the landowner and the council.”
Welborne is designed to meet the needs of 21st century living, to be easily walkable, served by good public transport and providing close contact to nature. Active lifestyles, health and wellbeing, and enterprise are key drivers. Infrastructure is planned and designed as part of a holistic, overarching strategy. Social facilities will be integrated early on with housing delivery, providing tangible benefits for first settlers.
This garden community will include work spaces, schools, a health centre, woodland, parks and shared open spaces, and even a hotel, as well as a good mix of housing types and tenures. Welborne will bring significant new employment opportunities to the area, with an estimated 5,700 new jobs. The Welborne Plan sets a target of 30 per cent affordable housing. A not-for-profit Trust will provide support and stewardship as the Village grows, overseeing maintenance for public realm and encouraging resident participation.
Commenting on the factors that helped realise this vision for Welborne, John Beresford, Managing Director of Buckland Development Ltd, said: “LDA Design’s involvement helped the local authority focus on the most important aspects of placemaking, ensuring design integrity was safeguarded. They were able to bring their experience of delivering similar-sized schemes to the table, which meant we could keep the project moving forward.”
Sarah Ward, Welborne Strategic Lead, Fareham Borough Council, added: “LDA Design has been invaluable in providing key specialist advice and support to the council over several years to get Welborne Garden Village to this milestone stage. From landscape design, through masterplanning to support on large sites delivery and phasing, LDA has undertaken both a technical and a strategic role and contributed a consistent high level of expertise throughout.”
A detailed planning agreement between the Council and Buckland Development Ltd. will now be finalised over the coming months.