Whiteley
Encyclopedia
Whiteley is a community in the county
of Hampshire
, England
, near Fareham
. The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Borough of Fareham
to the south and east, and the city
of Winchester
to the north and west.
and Southampton
and close to the market town of Fareham. The small development of 3,000 homes is situated close to Junction 9 of the M27 motorway
, while rail services are provided nearby at Swanwick railway station
.
during the mid 1990s. From 1996 construction recommenced and continues today.
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 and Swanwick to the West. Farms in the local area included Rookery, Yew Tree, Sweethills and Whiteley. 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.
The part of the development which falls in the Winchester
district became a civil parish in 2003.
One of the earliest buildings in Whiteley was the Solent Hotel and Spa which was constructed in the early 1990s.
' in Walton-on-Thames
). This pedestrianised shopping centre consists of a number of discount stores, particularly designer fashions. 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.
Work commenced on the rebuild of the Whiteley Village Outlet Centre on the 4th July 2011 and is expected to complete during H2 of 2012. The rebuild will inclue the demolishment of all existing retail buildings (excluding Tesco) by November 2011.
Whiteley also contains the sizable Solent Business Park
which consists of a number of large companies, including Zurich Financial Services
, the new headquarters for NATS (formerly National Air Traffic Services
) and the offices and studios of ITV Meridian
. Development at the business park continues as further offices are constructed.
As with many large new developments the community experienced problems in development owing to a slow provision of local amenities. Today the development boasts a modern and sizeable medical centre including a doctors' practice and pharmacy; a private medical establishment incorporating NHS dentists and a physiotherapy clinic; a local store; food take-away stores; a hairdresser; three pre-schools/nurseries; a community centre; a leisure centre; a sizable recreation ground having football, cricket and tennis provision; numerous children's playparks; a retail outlet including a supermarket, petrol station, a restaurant and cafes; a skate park; a three form entry primary school; and maintained wooded areas.
Some problems persist, including oversubscription of the primary school (proposals for the resolution of which have led to controversy) and a severe lack of adequate public transport.
Further problems exist with regard to transport infrastructure. The community enjoys only one primary route in and out (via the M27 Junction 9 roundabout
), although a controversial secondary route through a residential area is often used by local traffic, as well as commuter traffic travelling to the business park. The construction of further transport links to surrounding major routes is restricted by issues relating to land acquisition (anticipated by compulsory purchase) and associated costs. As a result of the transport infrastructure the volume of traffic using the M27 Junction 9 roundabout is elevated, although this was partially alleviated by the introduction of traffic controls.
During 2008, Whiteley Parish Council, with input from Hampshire County Council, conducted a survey which looked at residents' opinions about road access, housing, retail provision and other aspects of living in Whiteley. 90% of respondents said that Yew Tree Drive or Rookery Avenue, or both, should be opened now, according to the Survey Summary Results. Following a recent traffic census, Hampshire County Council has carried out a survey within Whiteley and affected surrounding villages (Burridge
, Swanwick
and Park Gate
) asking similar questions, but accompanied with information about the consequences of various road openings.
as a possible urban extension and if the community were to be expanded northwards it would include further residential developments of up to 3,000 houses and associated infrastructure including transport, educational and community facilities.
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, near Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
. The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Borough of Fareham
Fareham (borough)
Fareham is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Fareham. Other places within the Borough include Portchester, Stubbington, Hill Head, Titchfield, Warsash, Locks Heath, Sarisbury and half of Whiteley...
to the south and east, and the city
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
of Winchester
City of Winchester
Winchester is a local government district in Hampshire, England, with city status. It covers an area of central Hampshire including the city of Winchester itself, and neighbouring towns and villages including New Alresford, Colden Common and Bishops Waltham....
to the north and west.
Location
Whiteley is located in southern Hampshire between the cities of PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and close to the market town of Fareham. The small development of 3,000 homes is situated close to Junction 9 of the M27 motorway
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
, while rail services are provided nearby at Swanwick railway station
Swanwick railway station
Swanwick railway station is a railway station serving Park Gate, Locks Heath, Whiteley and Swanwick, in the borough of Fareham, in Hampshire, England. Despite the name, the station is actually in Park Gate and not Swanwick .The station opened on 2 September 1889, and was specially built for the...
.
History
Whiteley contains a residential community, retail and a business park. 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 marketBritish residential property market
The affordability of housing in the United Kingdom deteriorated significantly from the late 1990s onwards, with house prices rising faster than earnings and the average age of first-time homebuyers increasing...
during the mid 1990s. From 1996 construction recommenced and continues today.
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 and Swanwick to the West. Farms in the local area included Rookery, Yew Tree, Sweethills and Whiteley. The wooded areas in Whiteley were used to provide shelter to troops in the build-up of forces for transportation to northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in preparation for D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
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.
The part of the development which falls in the Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
district became a civil parish in 2003.
One of the earliest buildings in Whiteley was the Solent Hotel and Spa which was constructed in the early 1990s.
Whiteley today
Apart from the residential areas, which house around 6,000 residents, the main focus is the Whiteley Village outlet centre (a retail centre not to be confused with 'Whiteley VillageWhiteley Village
Whiteley Village, in Hersham, Surrey, England, provides homes for needy elderly people. It was formed as the result of a bequest of £1,000,000 in 1907 upon the death, by murder, of William Whiteley...
' in Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames is a town in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey in South East England. The town is located south west of Charing Cross and is between the towns of Weybridge and Molesey. It is situated on the River Thames between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock.- History :The name "Walton" is...
). This pedestrianised shopping centre consists of a number of discount stores, particularly designer fashions. 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.
Work commenced on the rebuild of the Whiteley Village Outlet Centre on the 4th July 2011 and is expected to complete during H2 of 2012. The rebuild will inclue the demolishment of all existing retail buildings (excluding Tesco) by November 2011.
Whiteley also contains the sizable Solent Business Park
Business park
A business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
which consists of a number of large companies, including Zurich Financial Services
Zurich Financial Services
Zurich Financial Services AG is a major financial services group based in Zurich, Switzerland.-History:The Company was founded in 1872 as subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Insurance Company under the name Versicherung Verein...
, the new headquarters for NATS (formerly National Air Traffic Services
National Air Traffic Services
NATS Ltd. is the main air navigation service provider in the United Kingdom. It provides en-route air traffic control services to flights within the UK Flight Information Regions and the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area, and provides air traffic control services to fifteen UK airports and Gibraltar...
) and the offices and studios of ITV Meridian
Meridian Broadcasting
Meridian Broadcasting is the holder of the ITV franchise for the South and South East of England. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting Limited....
. Development at the business park continues as further offices are constructed.
As with many large new developments the community experienced problems in development owing to a slow provision of local amenities. Today the development boasts a modern and sizeable medical centre including a doctors' practice and pharmacy; a private medical establishment incorporating NHS dentists and a physiotherapy clinic; a local store; food take-away stores; a hairdresser; three pre-schools/nurseries; a community centre; a leisure centre; a sizable recreation ground having football, cricket and tennis provision; numerous children's playparks; a retail outlet including a supermarket, petrol station, a restaurant and cafes; a skate park; a three form entry primary school; and maintained wooded areas.
Some problems persist, including oversubscription of the primary school (proposals for the resolution of which have led to controversy) and a severe lack of adequate public transport.
Further problems exist with regard to transport infrastructure. The community enjoys only one primary route in and out (via the M27 Junction 9 roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
), although a controversial secondary route through a residential area is often used by local traffic, as well as commuter traffic travelling to the business park. The construction of further transport links to surrounding major routes is restricted by issues relating to land acquisition (anticipated by compulsory purchase) and associated costs. As a result of the transport infrastructure the volume of traffic using the M27 Junction 9 roundabout is elevated, although this was partially alleviated by the introduction of traffic controls.
During 2008, Whiteley Parish Council, with input from Hampshire County Council, conducted a survey which looked at residents' opinions about road access, housing, retail provision and other aspects of living in Whiteley. 90% of respondents said that Yew Tree Drive or Rookery Avenue, or both, should be opened now, according to the Survey Summary Results. Following a recent traffic census, Hampshire County Council has carried out a survey within Whiteley and affected surrounding villages (Burridge
Burridge
Burridge is a small village in the borough of Fareham, in the south of Hampshire, England. It lies approximately 14 miles south of Winchester on the A3051 between Botley and Park Gate, to the north east of Sarisbury and to the west of Whiteley...
, Swanwick
Swanwick, Hampshire
Swanwick is a village in Hampshire, England, east of the River Hamble and north of the M27 motorway.The village is located within the borough of Fareham and is the site of the London Area Control Centre and the London Terminal Control Centre part of National Air Traffic Services Air Traffic...
and Park Gate
Park Gate
Park Gate is a locality in the borough of Fareham in Hampshire, England. It merges into Locks Heath to the south, Segensworth to the east and Sarisbury to the west. Within the area are two churches , a primary school and a police station. It is located to the south of Swanwick railway station....
) asking similar questions, but accompanied with information about the consequences of various road openings.
Demographics
The development has an overwhelmingly young population (79% under 44 years ), white (96.95%), home-owning (87.23%) population of professionals and aspirational skilled workers (80% in social grade AB and C1). Whiteley is reported by the local health authority to have a higher than average rate of divorce and separation (11% versus 6% nationally).The future
The area north of Whiteley is included in the South East PlanRegional Spatial Strategy
Regional spatial strategies provided regional level planning frameworks for the regions of England outside London. They were introduced in 2004...
as a possible urban extension and if the community were to be expanded northwards it would include further residential developments of up to 3,000 houses and associated infrastructure including transport, educational and community facilities.