Green light given for 100 homes on Duchy-owned land

Plans for more than 100 homes on Duchy of Cornwall-owned land in Dorchester have been given the green light.

Dorset Council has approved plans to build on four fields near St Georges Road and either side of the Dorchester bypass and railway line.

The development has been discussed for almost five years and out of the 107 properties proposed, 35% will be affordable homes.

The project will be undertaken by C G Fry, one of the principle builders for the Duchy's Poundbury development and will provide jobs for at least two years.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, one of the four paddock plots is next to Thomas Hardy's Max Gate home and runs downhill parallel with Syward Road to the rail line.

The homes will be a combination of coach house apartments, located above garages, and two, three and four bedroom terraced or detached houses.

New road junctions in St Georges Road and Syward Road will be created to access the area, with another access point from Friars Close - which some residents in Louds Piece had objected to.

The application also acknowledged the development would impact the setting of Max Gate, which is operated by the National Trust.

It said: "This change would not materially affect the experience of the house from the surrounding area, nor the experience within its grounds.

"On this basis it is concluded that the proposed development would not result in any harm to the significance of the house."

Dorset councillors heard on Tuesday that most of the existing trees and hedgerows would be kept with additional landscaping used within the four areas.

Dorset Council's area planning committee previously agreed the development in July 2024 and the agreements have now officially been signed off.

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