Hello and welcome to the website which explains the proposals to deliver a new garden community to the North of Dorchester.
Here you’ll be able to find out about the plans for the North Dorchester Garden Community and how it will sustainably deliver the homes, jobs and infrastructure the town needs for generations to come, whilst protecting and opening up the natural landscape for local residents, providing much needed public green space.
We’ll also explain why we’re promoting this land to be part of the Dorset Local Plan, which will decide where growth should go across the county to 2038. The site is currently allocated for development within the draft Local Plan.
Please do take the time to read the information available, get in touch with any questions and sign up for updates on the plans.
The North Dorchester Garden Community has the potential to become a new neighbourhood for Dorchester: a beautifully designed community sustainably delivering the homes, jobs and infrastructure the town needs.
The North Dorchester Garden Community would create a new northern link road for the town, relieving pressure on the High Street and southern by-pass.
Our proposals also include rewilding and opening up the natural landscape for local residents and visitors for generations to come. This includes a 200-acre public country park within walking distance of the town centre.
Development in this location is a positive growth option for the town. As part of the proposals, we would provide both new schools and medical facilities to meet the needs of existing and future residents, alongside a range of affordable and private family housing for all.
The North Dorchester Garden Community will be designed and built with sustainability at its heart.
New homes and buildings will be highly energy efficient, with the addition of solar panels and other energy saving measures, and allotments provided to enable families to live as sustainably as possible.
Walking and cycling will be the primary method of travel, with homes just a few minutes from employment spaces, shops, schools and other key services. Several new walking and cycling routes into the countryside to the north will encourage exercise, helping residents to have a healthy lifestyle.
Unlike other growth options for Dorchester, a new 200 acre, publicly accessible Frome Valley Country Park and nature reserve is central to the design of the North Dorchester Garden Community.
The Country Park will enable residents to walk and cycle from the town centre, through the water meadows and into North Dorchester. This nature reserve will enhance the wildlife and will be safeguarded, to ensure future generations will be able relax and enjoy the space for years to come.
Whilst there are no specific areas of interest linked with Thomas Hardy within the site itself, a new Frome Valley Country Park offers the opportunity to enhance the Hardy Trail, linking the trail through the Frome Valley to the town as well as on to Charminster, Cerne Abbas and the landscape to the north.
A new visitor centre and café could be provided as part of the proposals, helping to improve the tourism offer in the town. It is our desire to recreate a representation of water meadows so local people and visitors can appreciate what the wider Frome Valley looked like in the 19th Century.
Dorset Council received over £16.7m from developer contributions in the last financial year according to recently released documents. Section 106 agreements, along with the newer Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), are legal financial agreements between a council and a developer to […]
