To mark National Tree Week (November 23rd – December 1st), Oxfordshire housebuilder Pye Homes has put down roots – literally – at the new Welborne Garden Village development near Fareham, Hampshire, by donating a rowan sapling which was grown and nurtured on the Blenheim Estate.
The rowan tree has a long, sacred history. Since ancient times people have been planting a rowan beside their home; in Celtic mythology it is known as the Tree of Life and symbolises courage, wisdom and protection.
Roger File, Director at Pye Homes, commented: “This rowan sapling is hugely symbolic for us, as it marks our first housebuilding project outside Oxfordshire, in a groundbreaking partnership.
“Pye Homes has been part of the Blenheim Estate since 2018, and so it’s only right that we have introduced a Blenheim sapling amongst one of the first trees at Welborne. We are committed to creating new communities of which residents can be proud and Welborne is no exception. We are delighted to have begun crafting these beautiful new homes, alongside the delivery of new green spaces and essential amenities.”
Pye Homes was appointed by Hampshire-based Buckland Group, alongside CG Fry & Son and Thakeham Homes, to deliver the first 600 of the proposed 6,000 homes at Welborne, which will be one of the largest developments in the UK. Work started this month with foundations being laid, with the first Pye home set to be completed in late summer 2025. Pye Homes is responsible for 210 homes in this first tranche of work.
Taking a nature-led design approach, more than 50% of Welborne will be green space woven throughout, and it will be biodiversity positive with wildlife and natural habitats restored from the previously intensively farmed agricultural land.
The initial houses at Welborne will be built by Pye Homes, CG Fry & Son and Thakeham Homes, and will form part of the Chesterfield and Dashwood neighbourhoods. The houses will range from one to five bedrooms, including apartments, terraced houses, semi-detached and detached properties.
A nationally significant development comprising 6,000 homes, Welborne is located between the South Downs National Park and the Hampshire coast, just north of Fareham. Set to be a modern sustainable community for the 21st century, it will pair local traditional architecture with a layer of modern technology that will ensure a more sustainable, future-proof way of life across the thousand acres of Welborne.
