Whiteley

Whiteley is a planned community of 6,500 homes in the county of Hampshire, England, United Kingdom near Fareham. The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Borough of Fareham to the south and west, and the City of Winchester to the north and east.

Whiteley is located in southern Hampshire between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton and close to the market town of Fareham. The development is situated close to Junction 9 of the M27 motorway. Rail services are provided from Swanwick railway station to the south - services between London Victoria/Portsmouth and Southampton via Hamble, or Botley railway station to the north - services between London Waterloo and Portsmouth via Eastleigh. Cycle tracks interconnect the town with the two stations, and a Bus 28a connects to Swanwick and on to Fareham Bus Station.

Historically, the site now occupied by Whiteley was farmland and coppice. The nearest historical settlements are those of Park Gate situated just south of Swanwick Hill, Little Park to the South, Swanwick to the West, Botley and Curdridge to the North.

Farm land taken over by the initial development included Rookery, Yew Tree, Sweethills and Whiteley. North Whiteley development was based on land released by Bury, Bridge and Barn Farms. Barn Farmhouse which remains in North Whiteley is listed by Historic England as a C17 timber frame house with a C18 extension.

The wooded areas in Whiteley were used to provide shelter to troops in the build-up of forces for transportation to northern France in preparation for D-Day during the second world war. This is evidenced by the remains of a War Department water tank on the edge of the Bere Forest to the north of the community.

Part of the M27 motorway constructed to the south of the development was opened in February 1978.

In the early 1980s Hampshire County Council developed draft proposals for land north of what was then known as the western wards of Fareham. The new community was to be known as Whiteley after the name of the farm that lay in the centre of the development area. This development comprised 3,300 houses 16,500 m2 of offices and 7,500 m2 of retail, plus a community centre and a junior school.

Construction of the Solent business park started in the mid-1980s and the first houses were completed in the late 1980s, although construction slowed for a few years following a crash in the British residential property market during the mid-1990s. From 1996 construction recommenced, but has been paused since 2020 (covid epidemic).

One of the earliest buildings in Whiteley was the Solent Hotel and Spa which was constructed in the early 1990s.

In September 2007, British Land announced plans to spend upwards of £100m redeveloping Whiteley Village and reconstructing it as a district centre, while also adding housing and a hotel to the area.^[2]

The Whiteley village Outlet was demolished in Autumn 2011 (finishing by November 2011), with the exception of the medium-sized Tesco supermarket.

The new development was opened in 2014.

In July 2018 Winchester District Council approved an outline planning application for a further development, North Whiteley consisting of 3,500 residences with provision for two primary schools and a secondary school, plus three new routes linking Whiteley to Botley Road. This development should be largely complete by 2027.^[3]

The part of the development which falls in the Winchester district became a civil parish in 2003.^[4]

Whiteley was recognised as a Parish in Portsmouth Diocese in 2021. Hope Church Whiteley began as the town first became established about 25 years ago, within people's homes. It moved to the Community Centre in Gull Coppice before, in 2021, it moved to its new building at Cornerstone School. It is a multicultural, inter-generational church.

Apart from the residential areas, which house around 10,000 residents, the main focus is the Whiteley Shopping Centre, an open-air pedestrianised mall (not to be confused with 'Whiteley Village' in Walton-on-Thames). Stores include Marks & Spencer, Next plc, Boots, WH Smith and many other common High Street names but there are also other units that were specifically earmarked for local enterprises. Parking is available for 1500 vehicles and is free for the first 4 hours and after 6pm.^[5] In 2015 a new leisure complex adjacent to Whiteley Shopping opened, providing a nine-screen cinema and a further five restaurants.

Whiteley también alberga el Solent Business Park , que consta de varias grandes empresas, entre ellas Zurich Financial Services , la nueva sede de NATS (anteriormente National Air Traffic Services) y las oficinas y estudios de ITV Meridian .

La ciudad se originó con un parque empresarial, un hotel y un centro comercial outlet, ubicados junto al cruce 9 de la M27. La única entrada y salida provocaba atascos al inicio y al final del día. Se han implementado numerosos planes para mitigar el tráfico, pero las obras resultantes se han prolongado durante más de 10 años y los problemas de acceso a la M27 persisten mientras continúan las obras.

• El nuevo proyecto urbanístico incluye un conjunto de carreteras (Bluebell, Curbridge y Whiteley Way) diseñadas como vías de paso a baja velocidad hacia Botley Road A3051. Estas carreteras son propiedad de las empresas promotoras de North Whiteley, lo que genera problemas legales, ya que aún no han sido adoptadas ni gestionadas por el Consejo del Condado de Hampshire.

El continuo desarrollo urbanístico en North Whiteley y las consiguientes obras generan ruido, polvo, barro y congestión vehicular. Los contratistas utilizan vehículos de limpieza vial para mitigar el polvo, pero con resultados limitados.

• La gestión de algunas zonas comunes fue adjudicada a empresas gestoras por los promotores. Los residentes locales deben supervisar y controlar las tarifas que cobran estas empresas gestoras.

Los alumnos de secundaria tienen que desplazarse diariamente al Henry Cort Community College (a una hora a pie). La solicitud del municipio de Hampshire para construir una nueva escuela secundaria en Whiteley fue aprobada y la construcción comenzó en 2025. Esto mitigará el problema a partir de 2027, aunque durante un periodo de adaptación, los alumnos que viven al sur de la M27 serán transportados en autobús a la nueva ubicación.

• En 2026, la escuela primaria Cornerstone alcanzó su capacidad máxima, por lo que los alumnos de primaria serán trasladados a parroquias cercanas. Se está considerando la construcción de una segunda escuela primaria, pero aún no se ha obtenido el permiso de construcción.

• La nueva construcción ha amenazado con desplazar a las especies locales. Los promotores implementaron medidas de mitigación, como cajas nido para murciélagos, erizos y pájaros, según lo exigido por el Ayuntamiento de Winchester. Estos espacios verdes con gran biodiversidad deben ser protegidos y mantenidos a largo plazo por el Ayuntamiento.

Whiteley limita al este con bosques públicos gestionados por Forestry England , que conducen a Botley Wood y a los bosquecillos de Everett y Mushes . Botley Wood está gestionado por el Consejo del Condado de Hampshire.

El pueblo está construido alrededor de una serie de pequeños bosquecillos y arboledas. Estos incluyen: Round Coppice entre Solent Hotel y Village Centre; Hill Coppice entre Business Park y M27; Coldland Copse al sur de Ridge Lane; Coldland Meadow al norte de Barn Owl Close; Suttons Copse al oeste de Ridge Lane; Bedlams Copse entre Ridge Lane y Bluebell Way; Hangman's Copse entre Bluebell Way y Botley Road; Quavey's Copse al suroeste de Bluebell Way; Glassfield Copse al oeste de Bluebell Way; Round Copse al norte de Bluebell Way; Sawpit Copse entre Bluebell Way y Whiteley Way; Bushy Land dentro de Sweethill Crescent; Gull Coppice entre Yew Tree Drive y Meadowside, y Yew Tree Woodland Park al sur de Yew Tree Drive.

El desarrollo tiene una población abrumadoramente joven (79% menores de 44 años ^{[ 6 ]} ), blanca (96,95% ^{[ 6 ]} ), propietaria de vivienda (87,23% ^{[ 6 ]} ), población de profesionales y trabajadores cualificados con aspiraciones (80% en clase social AB y C1 ^{[ 7 ]} ). Según informa la autoridad sanitaria local, Whiteley tiene una tasa de divorcio y separación superior a la media (11% frente al 6% a nivel nacional ^{[ 8 ]} ).

• El Foro Whiteley
• Escuela Primaria Whiteley
• Ayuntamiento de Whiteley
• Botley Wood