A HOUSING development company has reassured residents after concerns were raised about the lack of affordable housing in the scheme.

Plans for Welborne Garden Village near J10 M27 are currently under public consultation.

Buckland Development Limited (BDL) have applied to Fareham council to build 6000 new homes, schools, shops, a business park and health facilities.

However, concerns about plans for the new Hampshire village were raised over the amount of affordable housing in the development and the environmental impact of the build.

Managing director of BDL John Beresford said: "The scheme is still delivering affordable homes. Important to note though that, the impact on affordable homes is only proposed for the first phase of the development where a reduced amount (10%) will be delivered.

"There are mechanisms to redress the reduced homes in later phases once the burden of the huge upfront payments for the motorway have gone – maintaining our commitment to delivering 1,800 affordable homes (30%) over the lifetime of the scheme."

Plans had previously been approved in October 2019. However, an agreement was not signed as funding was uncertain.

John added: "When the local enterprise partnership (LEP) reallocated the funding away from Welborne it was a huge blow. The current proposal gets the scheme going but leaves the door open for the lost LEP funding to flow back into the project. When it does, the affordable homes will increase back to where they should be."

Other concerns were raised that Welborne village would damage the environment.

John said: "We want to try and make Welborne as ‘organic’ as possible. When people look back at Welborne in years to come we want it to feels like a place that evolved naturally rather than a big, modern housing estate."

Project director Fiona Gray added: "Accessible natural green spaces, parks, gardens, woods and playing fields will form approx. 50% of the total land use across Welborne and are an integral part of the place. We have been undertaking ecological and environmental surveys and monitoring work of the area for well over a decade now."