Welborne Garden Village Explained: Homes, Schools, J10
Welborne is a planned community of up to 6,000 homes north of the M27 at Fareham. This is what Fareham Borough Council, the Welborne website and National Highways say about it.
According to Fareham Borough Council, Welborne has outline planning permission (issued 25 November 2021) for up to 6,000 homes north of Fareham, with schools and a village centre. Hampshire County Council says the M27 Junction 10 improvement began opening in phases on 14 September 2026.
What is Welborne Garden Village?
Welborne is a planned new community north of the M27 at Fareham, in Hampshire. Fareham Borough Council describes it as the most ambitious development the council has ever planned, one that will take many years to deliver, and its Welborne pages are the council's main source. The outline planning application was made by Buckland Development Ltd, and the Welborne website, welborne.co.uk, describes a garden village of 6,000 homes positioned between the South Downs National Park and the Hampshire coast. This guide only reports what those organisations say, and attributes each figure to its source. It does not cover house prices or give a view on the scheme.
How many homes has Welborne been approved for?
According to Fareham Borough Council's November 2021 press release, planning consent was issued on 25 November 2021 to Buckland Development Ltd for its outline planning application for a new community of 6,000 homes north of Fareham. The council called it the largest development scheme it had ever approved. Its story so far page puts the outline permission as up to 6,000 dwellings, including a care home.
Outline permission sets the overall shape of a scheme. Individual parts, such as each neighbourhood or the village centre, then need their own detailed approvals, which is why the council's pages list separate milestones for different parts of the site.
What else is planned: schools, village centre and jobs?
On schools, the council's 2021 release says the development will deliver a secondary school and three primary schools, alongside community facilities. The story so far page lists a secondary school, primary schools and pre-schools, and says a public consultation on the first primary school scheme was scheduled for 2026. For where schools stand now, check the council's Welborne pages and Hampshire County Council as the education authority.
On the village centre, Welborne's own site says a village centre will be built with the first 700 homes, including cafes, shops, a village hall, a pub and a community office. It also says the scheme aims for over 50 per cent publicly accessible green space, and that a Welborne Garden Village Trust stewardship office on site will maintain green and public space. The council's page lists approved uses that include commercial and employment space, general industrial and warehousing, and retail.
What has been built or opened so far?
The council's story so far page says construction has begun on critical infrastructure, including the M27 Junction 10 improvements, and that reserved matters approvals were issued for housing in the Chesterfield and Dashwood neighbourhoods. It lists the first residents moving to Chesterfield and the opening of the first Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace at Dashwood as 2025 milestones, and a public consultation on primary schools in 2026.
The Welborne news page reports that planning approval was granted for the Welborne Village Centre on 25 July 2024, and that Welborne opened The Corner Cafe, in an item dated 8 January 2026. The Welborne website says the homes are being delivered by three regional housebuilders. The council and the Welborne website are where updates on the numbers of homes will appear.
What is happening with M27 Junction 10?
The M27 Junction 10 improvement is being delivered by Hampshire County Council to support Welborne, with National Highways working alongside it. National Highways' scheme page says the scheme includes a new underpass beneath the M27, that work started in October 2024, that completion is expected in autumn or winter 2026, and that the M27 was closed between Junctions 9 and 11 from 24 December 2025 to 3 January 2026. The council's Welborne page lists Junction 10 completion as a 2026 milestone, and a Welborne news item of 20 January 2026 is headed "Major Milestone Reached as M27 Junction 10 Scheme Nears Opening".
Phases, opening dates and temporary restrictions can change, so use Hampshire County Council's M27 Junction 10 page for the current position. For wider traffic information see our M27 commuting guide.
Timeline as officially published
For the record, the dates published by the council and the developer are as follows. Outline planning consent was issued on 25 November 2021. The council lists the first residents and the first greenspace at Dashwood as 2025 milestones, and Junction 10 completion and the primary school consultation as 2026 milestones. For when later neighbourhoods or schools will be delivered, see the council's Welborne pages.
Where to find official updates
Fareham Borough Council runs the planning side, so its Welborne pages and planning portal carry the decisions on each phase. Buckland's welborne.co.uk carries developer news and a visitor centre. Hampshire County Council covers Junction 10 and school provision. For local democracy questions about the scheme, see our councillors and MP guide.
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