Fareham News
The latest Fareham news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Coldeast Padel Centre: Four Courts by Holly Hill in 2028
A second covered padel centre with four courts and about 20 extra parking spaces is planned at Coldeast, next to Holly Hill Leisure Centre. Councillors decide on 2 November.
More stories
Bins
Fareham £44 Replacement Bin Charge Stays Despite 66% Opposed
Two in three residents opposed paying for replacement bins, but the final policy keeps the £44 charge. Bins broken by crews are free. Councillors decide on 2 November.
Planning
Fareham Park Community Centre Approved, Done by Spring 2028
A centre four times the size of today's was approved on 16 October. Building starts before the end of 2026 and the council now expects it finished by spring 2028.
Portchester
Portchester Wicor By-Election: Five Candidates for 19 Nov
Conservative, Labour, Reform UK, Restore Britain and Lib Dem candidates stand in Portchester Wicor on 19 November. Register to vote by midnight on 3 November.
Warsash
Granddaughter Walks Almost 100 Miles for Warsash Grandad
Katie Louise Hewetson, who broke her back at 20, walked the West Highland Way for her Warsash grandad Jimmy Knott, who died with Lewy body dementia in 2024.
Fareham
Fareham Claimant Count: More Than One in Five Now Under 25
295 of Fareham's 1,335 claimants in September were aged 16 to 24, a 22% share, up from 17% three years ago. The borough rate held steady at 2.0% of 16 to 64s.
Planning
Wickham Park Golf Club Plans: Up to 280 Homes, Say by 4 Nov
Crown Golf's Wickham Park plans show up to 280 homes, flats no higher than three storeys and a rerouted Tanfield Lane. Online feedback closes on 4 November.
Town centre
West Street Play Area Fence Goes to Council on 22 October
A motion at full council on Thursday 22 October asks for fencing options for Fareham's new West Street play area, citing parents' safety worries.
Planning
Fareham Planning: Five Objections No Longer Mean Committee
From 31 October, objections and councillor requests stop sending Fareham planning applications to committee. Home extensions can never go there now.
Transport
M27 Eastbound Shut Junctions 9 to 12 After Morning Crash
All three eastbound lanes of the M27 are closed from Whiteley to Portsmouth after a crash this morning. What is shut, the queues and when it should clear.
Hill Head
Hill Head Ex-Head in Her 70s Uses AI to Draw Reading Books
Hill Head's Eve Wilson, a retired headteacher in her 70s, taught herself AI to illustrate Bright Start, the reading books she first wrote for her grandchildren.
Titchfield Common
Abshot, KGV and Stubbington Play Areas Upgraded This Autumn
Work on the Abshot Road play area starts on 15 October, King George V in Locks Heath follows on 21 October and Stubbington in December. What each one gets.
Fareham Park
Menin House, Fareham Park: Funding Agreed to Rebuild Flats
The council has approved funding to demolish Menin House's 24 flats on Privett Road and build new affordable homes. The site is allocated for up to 50.
Warsash
Warsash 242 Homes Backed With 38 Affordable, Not 97
Fareham's planning committee backed 242 homes off Brook Lane and Lockswood Road in Warsash with 38 affordable homes, not the 97 policy requires. Here is why.
Portchester
AFC Portchester 3G Pitch: First Match at Wicor on 24 October
AFC Portchester's £1.1m all-weather pitch at Wicor Recreation Ground hosts its first game on 24 October, with an open evening for residents on 22 October.
Fareham
Fareham Population: 1,319 Deaths, 799 Births, Up Just 165
Fareham grew by 165 people to 115,373 in the year to mid-2025, as deaths outnumbered births by 520. Its median age is now 48, against 40.6 for England.
Fareham
Fareham Author's Debut Novel Turns the Town Into Fernham
Lee Knight started his time-travel novel under Fareham's railway bridge in 1998. It is out on 20 November, with the creek and Portland Chambers in it.
Community
Free Self-Defence: 1,000 Hampshire Women and Girls Trained
Ignite Your Power CIC has taught free self-defence to 1,000+ Hampshire women and girls, half under 18. Nearest sessions: Eastleigh 8 Nov, Winchester 21 Nov.
Town centre
West Street Play Area Now Open After Safety Inspection
Fareham's new West Street play area is open after an independent safety inspection. How to give feedback, what is in it, and what the scheme cost.
Parks
Fareham Parks Win Six Golds in South East in Bloom 2026
Six Fareham parks and open spaces won gold at the 2026 South and South East in Bloom awards. The Civic Gardens moved up a grade; Holly Hill kept silver gilt.
Parks
Holly Hill Woodland Park Wins £1.09m to Restore Its Lakes
Holly Hill's silted lakes and Victorian stonework will be restored with a £1,088,866 lottery grant. Step-free paths to the lakes and guided walks are planned.
Business
New Fareham Companies: 90 Registered in September
90 new companies gave Fareham addresses in September, down from 113 a year ago. A West Street wine shop and a Portchester grill are among them.
Council
Fareham Taxi Licences: 764 Drivers, 84% Live Elsewhere
Fareham's private hire drivers rose from 272 to 764 in three years, and 84% of licence holders live outside the borough. The council wants a harder test.
Council
Fareham Homelessness Plan: B&B Nights Down 83% Since 2023
Nights in emergency B&B fell 83% in three years, Fareham's draft homelessness plan says. Lost private tenancies cause up to half of cases. Comment by 29 October.
Schools
Henry Cort Moves to Whiteley: Who Changes Catchment in 2027
Titchfield, St Columba and Orchard Lea catchments move to Fareham Academy or Cams Hill for Year 7 in 2027. Apply by midnight on 31 October.
Welborne
Welborne Primary Approved: Opens 2028 With One Class
Hampshire granted the 420-place Welborne primary school on 18 September. It opens in September 2028 with a single Reception class, and no parent drop-off bays.
Fareham
Fareham Bin Rules: Miss Window Cut to 4pm Next Day
Fareham's draft bin policy cuts the missed collection window from three working days to 4pm the next day, and a return visit for resident error now costs £25.
Portchester
Fareham Skate Parks: £190k Rebuild Starts at Wicor Today
Wicor skate park in Portchester shuts today for a concrete rebuild, with Stubbington to follow later this year. The council's tender put the job at £190,000.
Fareham
Fareham Claimant Count: Under-25s Near Five-Year High
295 under-25s were claiming in Fareham in August on revised ONS figures, close to April's 300, while the total fell to 1,315. Only Hart has a lower rate.
Fareham
Fareham Library Move Backed, but County Sets Conditions
Hampshire has backed moving Fareham Library within the shopping centre, in principle only. Nothing is binding, and the old building is the fallback.
Fareham
Fareham House Prices Hit £333,599, Highest Since 2023
The average Fareham home reached £333,599 in July, up 1.4% in a year and the highest since August 2023. Semis led the rise; flats fell £2,347.
Transport
M27 Junction 10 Underpass Opens Monday 14 September
The new westbound slip road, motorway underpass and four roundabouts come into use on 14 September. The link road runs one lane northbound to start.
Hill Head
Hill Head rowers aged 53 to 80 third in Great River Race
Seafarers Sailing Club's Oarsome crew took third in the Bursledon Gig class at the 2026 Great River Race, 59th of 268 entries. Rowsea finished eighth in class.
Business
Titchfield Festival Theatre: £8.2m HMRC Claim in Collapse
Administrators put the Titchfield theatre charity £7.9m short, driven by an £8.24m HMRC gift aid claim. Its second company was wound up on 20 August.
Food
Fareham Food Hygiene Ratings: No Zeros in 804 Venues
Not one food business in Fareham borough holds a zero rating. 618 of 721 rated venues have five stars, and 12 sit at two or below. The full list is here.
Planning
Warsash Affordable Homes Dropped for £452,285 Payment
No housing association would buy the five affordable homes at 75 Church Road, Warsash. Councillors are asked on 9 September to take £452,285 instead.
Business
Fareham Christmas Pop-Up: Local Makers in Vacant Unit
A vacant unit in Fareham Shopping Centre becomes Flo's Pop-Up, trading every weekend from November to Christmas. The council's own footfall data explains why.
Fareham
Fareham Civic Offices: £4.7m Patch-Up, Not a £25m Fix
Fareham's council HQ needs £4.73m of repairs, decided on 7 September. A full refurbishment would exceed £25m, so the failed cooling plant stays on hire.
Fareham
Fareham Freedom March: £30,000 Farewell Set for Summer 2027
Fareham Borough Council decides on 7 September whether to spend £30,000 on a Freedom March and a free heritage day in summer 2027, before the borough ends.
Planning
Fareham Local Plan 2044: Deadline Extended to 23 October
Fareham's Local Plan scoping consultation now runs to Friday 23 October, and the Call for Sites to 31 October. What the council's own evidence shows.
Fareham
Fareham House Prices Rise 0.8% as Flats Fall £1,858
The average Fareham home hit £328,364 in June, up £2,623 in a year. Flats fell £1,858, detached houses ended the year £29 down, and Havant is closing the gap.
Titchfield
Fareham traveller site refused at 221 Titchfield Road
A retrospective traveller caravan site at Chestnut Paddocks, Titchfield, was refused on 14 August. Fareham's own plan owes three pitches, and the one site it allocated needed an appeal to get permission.
Fareham
Oast and Squire: Fareham pub refurbishment approved
Planning permission and listed building consent were both granted on 14 August for a full refit of the Grade II listed Oast and Squire on Peak Lane, inside and out.
Fareham
Fareham Park Community Centre: Approved 16 October 2026
Approved on 16 October: an 800sqm centre off Henry Cort Drive, built by Neilcott. Work starts before the end of 2026; the council now expects completion by spring 2028.
Titchfield
Lidl Segensworth: store approved, 1,457sqm and 40 jobs
Permission was granted on 30 June for a 1,457sqm Lidl on the old county depot at Segensworth. Signage is approved and six conditions are still to be signed off.