A sapling from a historically significant tree has been planted to mark a new garden village development.

The rowan sapling, grown on the Blenheim Estate, was donated by Oxfordshire housebuilder Pye Homes to the Welborne Garden Village, near Fareham, to mark National Tree Week, which ran from November 23 to December 1.

The rowan tree, revered in Celtic mythology as the Tree of Life, symbolises courage, wisdom and protection.

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Roger File has celebrated the start of the construction at WelborneRoger File has celebrated the start of the construction at Welborne (Image: Pye Homes) Director at Pye Homes Roger File said: "This rowan sapling is hugely symbolic for us, as it marks our first housebuilding project outside Oxfordshire, in a groundbreaking partnership.

"Pye Homes has been part of the Blenheim Estate since 2018, and so it’s only right that we have introduced a Blenheim sapling amongst one of the first trees at Welborne.

"We are committed to creating new communities of which residents can be proud and Welborne is no exception.

"We are delighted to have begun crafting these beautiful new homes, alongside the delivery of new green spaces and essential amenities."

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More than 50 per cent of Welborne will be green spaceMore than 50 per cent of Welborne will be green space (Image: Pye Homes) Pye Homes was appointed by Hampshire-based Buckland Group, alongside CG Fry & Son and Thakeham Homes, to deliver the first 600 of the proposed 6,000 homes at Welborne, which will be one of the largest developments in the UK.

Work started this month with foundations being laid, with the first Pye home set to be completed in late summer 2025.

Pye Homes is responsible for 210 homes in this first tranche of work.

Taking a nature-led design approach, more than 50 per cent of Welborne will be green space woven throughout, and it will be biodiversity positive with wildlife and natural habitats restored from the previously intensively farmed agricultural land.

The initial houses at Welborne will be built by Pye Homes, CG Fry & Son and Thakeham Homes, and will form part of the Chesterfield and Dashwood neighbourhoods.

The houses will range from one to five bedrooms, including apartments, terraced houses, semi-detached and detached properties.

A nationally significant development comprising 6,000 homes, Welborne is located between the South Downs National Park and the Hampshire coast, just north of Fareham.

Set to be a modern sustainable community for the 21st century, it will pair local traditional architecture with a layer of modern technology that will ensure a more sustainable, future-proof way of life across the thousand acres of Welborne.