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
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.
More stories
Town centre
West Street Play Area Stays Shut Until RoSPA Report Lands
Fareham's new West Street play area will not open until the council has read RoSPA's final report. No date is set. What the design shows, and what it 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 at Five-Year High
305 under-25s were claiming in Fareham in August, the most since September 2021, while the borough total barely moved. Only Hart has a lower rate in Hampshire.
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.
Sport
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: Have Your Say by 2 October
Fareham's new Local Plan to 2044 is open for comment until 2 October, and the Call for Sites until 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 plans in, decision due 1 Oct
Neilcott appointed and plans lodged for an 800sqm centre off Henry Cort Drive. Decision due 1 October, but the council says completion is three years off.
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.