11.1.1 Dorchester is the county town of rural Dorset, with a population of approximately 19,060. It is the district’s largest town and it has a significant demand for housing, employment and retail development, and a substantial affordable housing need.
11.1.2 The town currently also has around twice as many jobs (15,100) as it has economically active residents (7,680). Workers commute in from nearby towns (particularly Weymouth) and from the surrounding rural area. One of the challenges for the local plan is to try to improve the balance between housing and jobs in this area.
11.2.1 In 2031 Dorchester will:
11.2.2 There are a number of developments currently taking place that will help achieve this vision, and further proposals that should come forward within the plan period. These include:
11.2.3 The existing and proposed sites outlined above provide development opportunities at Dorchester but fall short of meeting the needs for housing and employment towards the end of the plan period. However there are no easily deliverable sites for major growth. A proposal is therefore included for Crossways (a village to the east, connected to Dorchester by the railway line) which is contained in the following chapter. Options for meeting the future needs of Dorchester will be taken forward through a plan review to be put in place no later than 2021. The review will also reappraise development potential at Sherborne as it is one of the more sustainable settlements in the Plan area. For all settlements regard will be taken of proposals supported through the neighbourhood planning process.
11.2.4 Dorchester lies within the hydrological catchment area for Poole Harbour. It is known that any development within the Poole Harbour catchment may contribute to an increase in the discharge of nutrients into the harbour, largely through sewage treatment and disposal. This may cause excessive macroalgal growth within Poole Harbour, resulting in a significant adverse impact upon the internationally designated wildlife site. Development within Dorchester must be nitrate neutral in order to prevent additional nutrients entering Poole Harbour. For further information regarding this issue, please refer to policy ENV 2.
11.3.1 Land within the line of the bypass at Poundbury was designated from the late 1980s to meet the long term needs of the town, including new homes, employment workspace, a new school, community, leisure and recreation facilities and public open space. The Poundbury Development Brief adopted in 2006 established a number of principles for development, based upon the local plan policies of that time and lessons learnt from the delivery of the earlier phases.
11.3.2 Outline permission was granted in December 2011 for the final phases of the development, permitting the erection of 1,200 new homes, a new 450 children primary school, 25,000m2 of non-residential development and associated roads, drainage and other infrastructure. It is anticipated that this development will be completed in the early 2020s. The following policy reflects this delivery:
DOR 1. POUNDBURY MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT
i) Land at Poundbury (as shown on the policies map) will provide
for the strategic growth of the town through a comprehensive mixed-use
development of homes and businesses and associated community facilities.
ii) The development of the site will be in accordance with the
Poundbury Development Brief (2006) and subject to:
11.3.3 The existing employment area south of the Parkway (known as Poundbury Parkway Farm Business site) is a well-contained site within the bypass and physically part of the town. The site has good road links and is located away from nearby homes and other potentially sensitive uses, and therefore provides an opportunity for less neighbourly business uses to be located in the area. There is scope to extend this site to the south-west. Although (like much of Poundbury) the site is within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, any buildings should be sympathetically designed so that the development can be accommodated into the landscape without visual harm.
DOR 2. POUNDBURY PARKWAY FARM BUSINESS SITE EXTENSION
i) Land south-west of the Parkway Farm Business site (as shown on the policies map) is designated for non-neighbourly B2 and similar employment uses, subject to the provision of satisfactory design, landscaping and mitigation measures to reduce any adverse impacts to an acceptable level.
11.4.1 The history of the town is evident in the layout of the area within the town walls of Roman Dorchester (Durnovaria), marked by tree-lined walks along the west, south and east sides of the town centre. Much of the built character is derived from Georgian times (as major fires in the 17th and 18th centuries burnt down most of the earlier buildings). Although the area needs to evolve with the times, its historic character is central to the success of the town.
DOR 3. DORCHESTER ROMAN TOWN AREA
i) Any development within the Roman Town Area, as shown on the policies map, should help reinforce the historic character of the area.
11.4.2 The Charles Street project is moving ahead with the first phase (district council offices, library and adult learning centre) now complete. The second phase has outline permission for a mixed-use development that includes new shops, car parking spaces, affordable homes, and a hotel.
DOR 4. CHARLES STREET
i) Land at Charles Street, Dorchester, as identified on the
policies map, is a key town centre site, to deliver significant
new retail development with ancillary mixed uses. The development
of the site will include a significant element of public car parking
and provide improved pedestrian links to South Street.
ii) On completion, the site will form part of the primary shopping
area.
11.4.3 The development of Charles Street will provide a significant boost in the retail floorspace available in the town centre. There is scope for further expansion of the primary shopping area for the later phases of the plan period through the redevelopment of land to the west of Trinity Street. The amount of land included within any scheme will be dependent on land assembly costs and scheme viability, together with an appropriate amount of car parking. Creating a stronger frontage on to Trinity Street would be a positive redevelopment benefit. Upper floors of any new development could be suited to a mix of residential and other town centre uses.
DOR 5. FUTURE TOWN CENTRE EXPANSION
i) Land off Trinity Street, as identified on the policies map, will be the preferred location for future retail expansion of the primary shopping area. Any scheme will need to retain an appropriate amount of public car parking.
11.5.1 The former brewery site and adjoining land at Weymouth Avenue has planning permission for a comprehensive mixed-use scheme, and is under construction. A development brief for this site has been produced and many of its guiding principles remain relevant.
DOR 6. WEYMOUTH AVENUE BREWERY SITE
i) The former Brewery site and adjoining land at Weymouth Avenue (as shown on the policies map) is an important area linking the town centre to the railway station. The development of the site will be guided by the Weymouth Avenue Development Brief (2004) and will include the delivery of:
11.6.1 Land at Red Cow Farm off St George’s Road has been granted permission for 54 new homes, allotments and 6 light industrial units. The development is dependent on the extension to Lubbecke Way linking it to St. George’s Road.
DOR 7. RED COW FARM, ST. GEORGE’S ROAD
i) Land at St. George’s Road Dorchester is allocated for new homes and employment development. The development will include the provision of an extension of Lubbecke Way linking it into St. George’s Road.
11.6.2 Land south of St George’s Way, adjoining the bypass, could provide an additional site for housing (subject to suitable noise and odour mitigation from the bypass and nearby sewage treatment works), or employment. There is a woodland belt either side of the bypass, and dense vegetation along the site boundaries with adjoining land. Public rights of way run along the site boundaries linking to the wider network.
DOR 8. LAND SOUTH OF ST GEORGE’S ROAD
i) Land South of St George’s Road, as shown on the policies map, is allocated for housing and/or employment use. Any development should not have a significant impact on the amenity of nearby residential properties. A landscape strategy will be required to ensure that there is no significant adverse impact on wider landscape views, and that public rights of way linking to the wider network are retained.
11.6.3 There is also potential for the two areas of undeveloped land south of the railway, off Alington Avenue, to be developed for housing, subject to suitable landscaping and noise mitigation.
DOR 9. LAND OFF ALINGTON AVENUE
i) Land off Alington Avenue, as shown on the policies map, is allocated for housing. A landscape strategy will be required to ensure that there is no significant adverse impact on wider landscape views.
11.7.1 Traffic through the centre of Dorchester has returned to the same levels experienced before the bypass was opened. With this amount of traffic, there are problems with air pollution (and an Air Quality Management Area has now been designated), conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians and a knock-on impact on the quality of (and people’s experience of) the town centre.
11.7.2 A Dorchester Transport and Environment Plan (DTEP) has been devised in consultation with the local community. Its objectives include supporting the economic prosperity of the town, reducing through traffic, and providing a higher quality environment (both in terms of the historic fabric of the town and for pedestrians, cyclists, the elderly and disabled). The reduction in traffic using High East and High West Street is one way in which the air quality issues can be managed. These improvements should be achieved while still making sure that there is accessible car parking for shoppers, residents and essential users, and maintaining access for emergency, servicing and public transport. A simple but quality approach to design is called for, so as not to distract from the high quality historic buildings.
11.7.3 Key to its success is the reduction of east-west traffic along High East Street and High West Street, to create opportunities to enhance public space in the town centre. Improvements and changes are also needed at the Top O’ Town roundabout, the Fiveways junction at the southern end of South Street, and at the junctions at Maumbury Rings and Great Western Cross. The scheme needs to reflect the needs of both local residents and workers and the needs of the wider rural communities that the town serves, as well as making provision for other visitors to the town.
11.7.4 The provision of a new larger park and ride site on the outskirts of the town will help achieve these objectives. A study of traffic movements around the town indicates that, if delivered as a single site (which is more feasible), the site should be located between Monkey’s Jump and Stadium roundabouts to capture the main commuting flows. The preferred site is on land to the south of Stadium Roundabout, which is within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. However, the public interest of delivering the scheme and the lack of suitable, available alternative options outside the designated landscape are considered to be sufficient to justify the allocation within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
DOR 10. DORCHESTER TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT PLAN
i) The Dorchester Transport and Environment Plan will be implemented
in the plan period. Any development that would significantly undermine
its delivery will not be permitted.
ii) Land to the south of Stadium Roundabout (as shown on the policies
map) is allocated for a park and ride site.
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