Fareham
| Fareham | |
|---|---|
 Fareham Shopping Centre in December 2006 | |
| Population | 97,504 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SU5806 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FAREHAM |
| Postcode district | PO14 - PO16 |
| Dialling code | 01329 |
| Police | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Fire | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
Fareham /ˈfɛərəm/ is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in the south east of Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the borough which comprises the town and its surrounding area. Fareham was historically an important manufacturer of bricks (which were notably used to build the Royal Albert Hall, London) and a grower of strawberries. Current employment includes retail (including a shopping centre with around 100 shops), small-scale manufacturing, and defence (with the Royal Navy's HMS Collingwood and the Ministry of Defence's Dstl nearby).
History
Archaeological excavations around the old High street area and the church of St Peter & Paul on high ground over the Wallington Estuary, have yielded evidence of settlement on the site contemporary with the Roman occupation. However, no extensive programme of investigation has been possible due to the historic nature of the buildings in this area. [citation needed]
The town has a recognised and documented history dating back to the Norman era, when a part of William's army marched up from Fareham Creek before continuing to the Saxon capital of England, Winchester.[1] Originally known by the name of Ferneham (hence the name of the town's entertainment venue, Ferneham Hall[2]), Fareham's location was determined by the ford of Fareham Creek at the top of Portsmouth Harbour. The ford was also the location of the Bishop of Winchester's mills; the foundations of these mills were subsumed in the A27 near the railway viaduct. Commercial activity continued at the port until the 1970s, and continues to this day[citation needed] on a smaller scale. By the beginning of the 20th century, Fareham had developed into a major market town.
In the 1960s, Fareham experienced a huge amount of development, as it was one of the areas highlighted for major expansion in the South Hampshire Plan. The idea was to create many thousands of homes to serve as a base for the many people who were looking to move away from the traditional urban centres of Portsmouth and Southampton. It was during this era that the large housing areas of Hill Park, Miller Drive, and much of Portchester grew until eventually one could drive through a continuous urban conurbation from Portsmouth City Centre to Southampton. By this time Fareham had expanded to almost encompass the surrounding villages of Funtley, Titchfield, Catisfield and Portchester.
In the late 1990s, a settlement called Whiteley, straddling the boundaries of Fareham Borough and the City of Winchester, was developed to the north of Junction 9 of the M27 motorway. The new development is predominantly residential, however it also features the extensive Solent Business Park.
In 1995 Cams Hall and Cams Estate were improved upon and turned into a modern technology park.
An urban renewal initiative began in 1999, renovating the town centre and historic buildings to include a new entertainment and shopping complex. It featured a major iron sculpture park.[3] The park was installed in 2001 to celebrate the work of influential Lancastrian iron pioneer, Henry Cort, who lived in neighbouring Gosport but who had an iron rolling mill in Funtley (or Fontley), on the outskirts of Fareham. There is also a school named after Henry Cort, the Henry Cort Community College.
Sport and leisure
Fareham has a Non-League football club Fareham Town F.C., which plays at Cams Alders.
Transport
Fareham is well served by the major road and rail networks. The M27 motorway passes around the northern edge of Fareham, and is the main traffic artery into and out of the area. It provides easy access to both Portsmouth and Southampton, and from there to London via the M3 and A3(M).
The A27 was the original route along the south coast before the building of the M27, and runs from Brighton to Southampton, passing through the centre of Fareham. The A32 passes through Fareham at the Quay Street roundabout, known locally as a notorious bottleneck, on its way from Gosport to Wickham, and then through the picturesque Meon Valley to Alton.
Fareham railway station is on the West Coastway Line, with regular services to Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton, Cardiff and London. Until 1953, passenger services also ran south to Gosport.
Bus transport in the town is provided by First Hampshire & Dorset, which runs nearly all bus routes in the area. Services run as far as Winchester. The main bus station is adjacent to the Market Quay development, and replaced an older station that was demolished in the late 1980s.
Places of interest
- Portchester Castle
- Titchfield Abbey & The Tithe Barn
- Westbury Manor Museum
- Fort Fareham
- Bursledon Brickworks - The last surviving example of a Victorian steam powered brickworks in the country
- Titchfield Canal - Britain's second-oldest man-made waterway
- Fareham High Street - Historic Georgian buildings
Welborne
Welborne is a proposed new development to the north of Fareham, intended to include 6,000 houses.
A history of controversy In 2010 the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) launched a postcard campaign on behalf of South Hampshire's Unheard Voices (SHUV), an alliance of over 35 organisations, with the aim of stopping the development. It was asked that people send a postcard to the Minister for Housing and Local Government. CPRE main points of concern: • would in-fill the only piece of open countryside between Wickham and Fareham with a town similar in size to Petersfield. •CPRE advocated a common sense approach that 75% of development should be on brownfield sites before greenfield land is considered. •The need for this development (a town larger than Petersfield) had not been justified. •The alternative options had not been properly examined. •Consultation had been inadequate.
In November 2010 Fareham Borough Council voted to approve its local development framework core strategy, including the North Fareham Strategic Development Area - proposing again 6,000-7,000 homes to the north of Fareham despite the Government housing minister having received approximately 1,000 objections and over 700 postcards against the proposals.
In December 2010, in a Press Release called "So Much For Public Consultation, CPRE noted how shocked they were that Fareham Borough Council "had pulled the plug on an live online survey." In withdrawing the survey, the Council said: "We feel we have no option but to re-launch the consultation, and disregard the responses provided on the draft Corporate Vision and Objectives so far." CPRE said that the Council had failed to take account of the views of residents of those in the villages of Knowle and Wickham who feel disenfranchised from the survey process as they are in Winchester City District.
The consultation relaunch took place 4th January onwards.
In January 2011, in an Press Release titled "Vote of No Confidence from Wallington Village Community Association" CPRE reported that in a letter to Fareham Borough Council, Wallington Association had decried the lack of proper consultation on the North Fareham SDA, saying that Fareham Borough Council "has taken scant regard of the issues and concerns raised in the Community Liaison Group forum over the past 18 months." It was noted that since the Borough Council had not convened a meeting of the Forum since July 2010, the Community Group held its own meeting and they decided against resigning en masse from the forum, but recorded instead a unanimous Vote of "No Confidence" over the manner in which FBC has both handled and consulted on the SDA thus far."
In January 2011 CPRE reported that Councillors Paul Whittle (left) and Nick Gregory had received a petition against the development from 1,400 of their local residents.
The petition declared: "We, the undersigned call on Fareham Borough Council to REFUSE to back plans for 7,000 homes filling in the gap between our town, Wickham and Knowle village. 7,000 homes could mean 14,000 more cars on local roads and 20,000 people using local schools, doctors and services."
In Jan 2011 CPRE Responded to Fareham Borough Council's Consultation with a detailed 39-page response to the consultation on Fareham's core strategy. The submission covered three main areas, that the Core Strategy:
• is not justified - it is not based on robust evidence and there has not been adequate public consultation
• is not effective - it is not deliverable, is not flexible and cannot be monitored
• is not consistent with national and regional policy.
In February 2011 CPRE in a Press Release called "Campaigners call for Public Inquiry to Stop Fareham New Town" CPRE stated that seven separate submission documents had been handed in to Fareham Borough Council with evidence to show that the Core Strategy for the borough is 'unsound', and called for a Public Inquiry into how the council's consultation process has been handled.
In August 2011 CPRE Hampshire and other members of the campaign vowed to fight on after the Inspector gave the Scheme the 'green light.
CPRE vowed to fight on for "quality of life and protection of grade A farmland that could be affected pointing out major uncertainties over budgeting and planning of traffic, transport and schools."
Despite the 2011 'Stop Fareham New Town' campaign (see above) the Borough council pushed ahead with plans for its development - in late April 2013 the council produced its draft plan for the town, that after public consultation it had decided would be called "Welborne." The draft plan was published for consultation from 29th April to 10th June 2013, and in a press release of 30th April 2013, CPRE Hampshire and its coalition partners raised continuing concerns about:
•Traffic generation
•Over-reliance on the as yet unfunded Bus Rapid Transit system
•Lack of infrastructure funding
•Derisory small green wedges
•Flooding risk.
In January 2014 Fareham Council voted in an open meeting to press ahead with the proposals despite huge local opposition. Those opposing were given 10 minutes to speak.
Twin towns
Notable residents
- William Randal Cremer, born in Fareham[5]
- Robert Goddard, author
- Sir John Goss, composer (and organist at St Paul's Cathedral for 34 years)
- Adam Smith, Entrepreneur, public speaker and mentor.
- Betty Warren, actress born in Fareham 1905
- Tom Oliver, actor, most famous for playing "Lou Carpenter" in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, grew up in Fareham.[6]
References
- ^ [1] Sept 2001 Portsmouth News article concerning the Norman Invasion, as reported by the Fareham Meon Rotary Club - "....and Fareham Creek was the landing site for 1,000 men whose mission it was to capture the ancient Saxon capital of Winchester."
- ^ http://www.fareham.gov.uk/town/activities/fernehamhall/ fareham.gov.uk
- ^ Council website
- ^ "British towns twinned with French towns [via WaybackMachine.com]". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- ^ Nobel Prize: William Randal Cremer
- ^ Lamb, Rachel (2001-02-01). "From Fareham to Ramsay Street". Hampshire, United Kingdom: thisishampshire.net. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
Actor Tom Oliver is known to millions of viewers as wheeler-dealer Lou Carpenter in Aussie soap, Neighbours. Although the 62-year-old actor has made his name in a show produced in the Antipodes, he was born in London and grew up in Fareham, Hampshire.
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