Welborne Garden Village

Welcome to Welborne Garden Village and your new home, located in a community designed for sustainable and connected living. We’re delighted you’ve chosen to be part of this exciting new chapter in Hampshire’s story.

Welborne has been designed around green spaces and walkable neighbourhoods. It will be built out in phases over a number of years and when complete will have a network of pedestrian, cycle, and public transport routes throughout.

Over this Travel Guide, you’ll discover a range of travel options available to residents as part of the first phase of the development to help you connect with your community and the local area. We will update the guide as new phases are built out and the travel network grows. A copy of the guide is attached at the end of this section.

Corner Cafe

We are also very pleased to confirm the recent opening of the Corner Cafe. This new addition overlooks Welborne Park, providing a welcoming place for residents and the wider community to come together as the new garden village begins to take shape.

The Corner Cafe sits at the heart of the first neighbourhood, adjacent to the popular playground and within easy reach of Dashwood - Welborne’s ancient woodland. The menu features a selection of fresh, high-quality options, including sandwiches, seasonal salads, pastries, smoothies, and barista coffee alongside a deli-style offering designed for both eating in and takeaway. A small pantry area also showcases local produce and seasonal items.

The Corner Cafe is open seven days a week, from 8am to 5pm - Monday to Saturday and from 9am to 5pm on Sunday. 

Welborne has been designed to incorporate an extensive network of walkways and cycleways that will connect residents to all aspects of community life and the wider countryside as the network grows over time. From day one, there will be footpaths and cyclepaths linking you to facilities in Fareham for work and school.

For those who enjoy leisurely strolls or more vigorous exercise, there is a combination of existing public footpaths and new walkways connecting you to the open green spaces of the Welborne Mile, a 2.3km circular path in Dashwood woodland and access to Fareham Common.

Bridleways will also be locations where pedestrians will share the route with cyclists and horse riders. Whilst shared use routes will be used by both pedestrians and cyclists, priority is not given to any user of shared access paths, so please be considerate when walking and cycling in these areas.

Welborne’s pedestrian and cycle routes have been designed to ensure safety and accessibility with controlled crossings and other pedestrian-friendly features at key locations. Please familiarise yourself with these safe crossing points.

The footpath and cycle path network will grow and connect to daily destinations such as schools, shops, and recreational areas as they are built out at Welborne. In time, more routes will be available offering a variety of circular routes to choose from with 3km, 5km, and 10km paths. These routes will offer an excellent opportunity to explore the community, meet your neighbours, and stay active.

The map is shown below.

Fareham Healthy Walks

Welborne residents have access to the Fareham Healthy Walks programme, organised by Community First. These walks are led by Volunteer Walk Leaders and offer a range of benefits.

Fareham Healthy Walks cater for people of varied abilities, with walks lasting between 30 and 90 minutes. The programme provides details on the length, fitness level required, and accessibility of each walk, allowing you to choose walks to suit your preference and ability. To join a Fareham Healthy Walk, simply turn up at the start point a few minutes early to complete a registration form.

For more information or to view the current walking programme, visit https://www.cfirst.org.uk/wellbeing/health-walks/ or contact the organisers at w4h.fareham@cfirst.org.uk or call 01329 223140.

Cycle Storage

To support and encourage cycling, Welborne will have ample bicycle parking facilities at key locations throughout the community. Cycle storage has been designed into the Village Centre which will be built out as part of the first phase of development. These storage facilities will make it convenient to incorporate cycling into your daily routine.

Why take the bus?

• The walk to and from the bus is a great way to incorporate some physical activity into your daily routine.
• Relax and read a book whilst you travel to your destination.
• Season tickets offer unlimited travel on services and can prove cheaper than running a car.

Public transport is a key component of Welborne’s sustainable transport strategy. The community is designed to be well connected by bus to provide residents with convenient and sustainable travel options for both local and longer-distance journeys.

Current Bus Services

The Stagecoach 69 service offers connections between Winchester and Fareham, passing close to Welborne along the A32. This service runs approximately every hour Monday to Sunday, leaving from the Forest Lane bus stop on Wickham Road. It provides Welborne residents with easy access to Winchester’s amenities and educational institutions as well as Fareham’s shopping and transport links.

Timetables on route 69 have changed, giving users a faster journey time into both Winchester and Fareham. It is now scheduled to take around 9 minutes from Forest Lane to and from Fareham Bus Station. The new timetable can be viewed here: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/routes/south/69/fareham-peter-symonds-college-winchester/XPAO069.I. There is also a new link to Marwell Zoo on Sundays!

Don’t forget the £3 fare cap which means single bus fares are capped at £3 until at least March 2027. Make the most of this offer and use the bus to travel around today! For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/3-national-bus-fare-cap.

As Welborne develops, we will work with Stagecoach to explore opportunities to integrate this service more closely with our community, potentially including bus stops within Welborne itself. For full timetable information and other Stagecoach bus routes please visit: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/.

Future Bus Services

A cornerstone of Welborne’s public transport strategy is the introduction of a new Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) service. This high frequency service will connect Welborne to Fareham Rail Station, running every 10-15 minutes. The BRT will be introduced when Welborne reaches approximately 210 homes. This is currently expected in 2027/2028 and will provide fast, reliable transport for residents, enhancing connectivity with the wider region.

We will be sure to keep residents updated on the progress of the BRT in future Welborne newsletters and this webpage.

Welborne residents have convenient access to rail services at Fareham Railway Station (FRM), opening up many possibilities for commuting, day trips and longer journeys further afield. The railway station is located approximately 3.5km southwest of Welborne Village Centre and can be reached within a 15 minute cycle ride or a 12 minute walk from Fareham Bus Station (which is served by Stagecoach 69). The future BRT service will provide a direct link between Welborne and Fareham railway station.

From Fareham railway station, South Western Railway services run on a frequent basis to London Waterloo (1 hour 40 minutes journey time). Additional destinations include:

• Portsmouth Harbour (26 minutes)
• Winchester (27 minutes)
• Southampton Central (27 minutes)
• Brighton (1 hour 21 minutes)

Find out more destinations here: https://www.southwesternrailway.com/

Fareham Rail Station provides customer help points, seated waiting areas, toilets (including accessible), refreshment facilities, and public Wi-Fi for rail users. Discover more about the station here: https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/fareham

The station is also well equipped for people planning a journey by bike and train with provision of 266 sheltered bicycle storage spaces. Monitored by CCTV. For more information on train travel with bikes, please visit: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/on-the-train/train-travel-with-bicycles/

Why take the train?

• Can include a walk or cycle to the station or incorporate a link trip with the bus.
• Taking the train means you can work on the go or relax, without the stress of driving and parking.
• It’s good for the planet, trainline will show you how much C02 you saved based on your journeys!
• It can be faster than travelling by road.

Car Sharing with Liftshare

Save money by sharing costs with other people – a commuter can typically save around £1,000 a year by car sharing, whilst reducing stress and cutting their carbon footprint.

Liftshare is a free car share scheme where passengers can request and drivers can advertise a ride. Liftshare is a great way to get around your local area or beyond and make new friends! Request a ride or advertise your journey for free at https://www.liftshare.com/uk.

Electric Vehicles

Considering the national move towards hybrid and electric vehicles in the coming years, now is the time to make the switch and go electric!

Electric and hybrid vehicles are more affordable than you think and can offer remarkable benefits such as:

• Lower/no fuel costs.
• Lower/no emissions tax.
• Lower maintenance costs.
• Eco-friendly with no emissions.

In addition to the on-site electric charging facilities, https://www.zapmap.com/ or the Zapmap App provides useful information on public charging points across the country.

Efficient Driving Tips

Still need to drive your own car? There are many ways to help your fuel efficiency, which in turn saves you money on your fuel bill. Why not try some of the following techniques:

• Remove unnecessary weight from your car such as roof racks or boxes.
• Avoid breaking and accelerating hard by driving smoothly.
• Limit the use of your air conditioning.
• Check your tyres are fully inflated.
• Stick to the speed limit – speeding often leads to higher fuel consumption.

Each address at Welborne will also have access to the Welborne Travel Guide, including details of walking, cycling and public transport opportunities as the development grows.

The latest Travel Guide is attached below, for you to download.