A 6,000-HOME garden village in Hampshire is closer to reality after a major land purchase.

Buckland Development Ltd (BDL) is now the majority landowner of the proposed site for Welborne garden village near Fareham after it acquired Dean Farm from the Benge family, holding 90% of the total land totalling 885 acres.

The family had previously been ordered to sell Dean Farm after a High Court ruling in February by Murray Rosen QC who said it should be sold the open market.

BDL has been working on plans for Welborne for over 10 years and submitted an outline planning application in early March for the whole 1,000-acre site, in accordance with the council’s Welborne plan which is seeking to appoint a delivery partner to lead on the construction of the proposed village.

Previously, Buckland Development, run by the Thistylewayte family, owned 52% of the total land required and had argued with the Benge family for more than a decade over the controversial development before acquiring Dean Farm.

Only a number of private farms and pockets of land are now left out of Buckland’s hands which they and the council are looking to get on board in order to get the development started.

Cllr Seán Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council said: “This is a major step forward for Welborne. Our aim is and always has been to secure a comprehensive delivery of the new Welborne Garden Village and Land assembly has always been a key consideration for the Council in devising plans for the new community.

“It has been a stalemate for the last few years as nothing has been done to move the development forward until now.”

The plans are part of a government initiative to bring the first ever garden villages to England totalling more than 48,000 homes, by 2017.

Mark Thistlethwayte, Director of Buckland Development said: “We are delighted to confirm the purchase of Dean Farm and thereby bring together under one ownership the vast majority of the land required for Welborne. We have been working on this acquisition for a very long period and are pleased the legal hurdles have been overcome.

“We want to make it an exemplary development that represents a new generation of sustainable communities for future generations.”

Councillor Shaun Cunningham, from the Liberal Democrat opposition on the council, said: “I welcome the news about Dean Farm as the development can now go-ahead which will reduce pressure and threats on green spaces across the borough but I must stress that consultation with residents is of utmost importance which needs to be addressed.”

Work could start on site this time next year if outline plans are approved later this year.