THE WELBORNE VISION
“My ambition is to build a place in which people will still want to live, one hundred years from now.”
Mark Thistlethwayte, Chairman, Buckland Group of Companies
Welborne is a new generation sustainable garden village in Hampshire, we are creating a place that is sensitive to the surrounding area and villages and unashamedly traditional in its architecture. Welborne will be a new community of 6,000 homes just outside Fareham in Hampshire. It is the biggest private housing development of its kind in the UK.
We are looking at the whole project from the outset, ensuring we are building a community we are proud of. This method requires a long-term view as well as the necessary financial acumen and the backing of various stakeholders.
We have worked on our vision over the last 15 years including travelling across the UK studying a range of housing schemes – some 100 years old and others new. Of the best schemes we found there were four common themes that made them successful places:
Good architecture
Thoughtful landscaping
Place-making
Place-keeping or stewardship
Our vision for Welborne has focused on these four elements to create a holistically planned, characterful and self-sustaining place which we want to be a new addition to Britain’s rich legacy of new communities. Our homes will be beautiful, regardless of size, type or tenure.
We fully understand the importance of beautiful, green spaces and we are keen to protect and enhance the biodiversity in this special place. The video featured shows Dashwood woodland, a 38-hectare area of woodland that is part of Welborne and will be opened up to the public.
More than 50% of Welborne will be green space, with no home more than 300 metres away from publicly accessible space. In addition, a further 20% of the overall development will be made up of private gardens. In total, it will have 70 hectares of green space, equivalent to nearly 100 Wembley-sized football pitches.
One of the main differences between Welborne and other new housing schemes will be the design of our streets. Streets will be diverse, lively and pedestrian friendly. It will have a complete community ecosystem of schools, shops, business premises, healthcare, playgrounds and public transport, along with parks and open space.
So often we see housing developments being built that are dominated by cars and tarmac, failing to deliver a more traditional green street scene. Streets at Welborne will have wide green verges with trees leading to front gardens which is enduringly popular.
Homes will be linked via an interconnected framework of green spaces to shops, schools, sports, jobs and more. Streets will be safe and attractive, so people actually choose to walk and cycle between their destinations.
Finding people we trust to build the first homes on the Welborne site is not something we take lightly. As the Master Developer, Buckland will provide continuity of vision from now until the town is well established. We have formed partnerships with the very best people so we can build the very best community and with our vision and our Design Codes, we are setting out how Welborne will look and be developed.
Welborne is being built sustainably and to last. It is being built by people that share our vision to create a new village that’s rooted in the traditions of the area while being fit for the future.
