Would you want to live in a town built by Facebook?

Mark Zuckerberg is taking a leaf out of a Victorian chocolatier’s book and building a model village for Facebook employees.

Echoing John Cadbury and Bournville, the company has bought a 56-acre plot of land for $400million (£262million) near its Silicon Valley headquarters for offices, houses, shops and even a hotel for workers.

Facebook’s John Tenanes told the Silicon Valley Business Journal the new development in Menlo Park, where the social media giant already has a 57-acre site, would be developed with the existing community in mind.

“We feel you just can’t build a corporate campus, it has to be integrated into the community,” he said.

Facebook is already planning on moving to new headquarters in Menlo Park - where one in four who live there work for Facebook - shortly.

A Facebook spokesperson told i100.co.uk: “This purchase is an investment in our future and the future of Menlo Park. Being a good neighbor is extremely important to us and we look forward to continuing our dialogue with city and community leaders on local priorities in the months and years to come.”

Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal