New village could be formed in Dorset with 1200 homes
A NEW village could be formed in Dorset as an area is earmarked for 1200 homes.
A NEW village could be formed in Dorset as an area is earmarked for 1200 homes.
Ideas have been launched to build Canford Garden Village, which would see half of the homes made into affordable housing.
W.H. White, which specialises in land promoting and planning, has put the scheme to BCP Council to determine if an environmental impact assessment would be necessary ahead of any formal planning application.
The early-days scoping request aims to understand the ecology, landscape and biodiversity of the site.
A spokesperson for W.H. White said the Canford Garden Village vision came about following BCP Council’s draft local plan, which was rejected by the planning inspector.
The council was told it must do more to meet national housing targets, including considering using Green Belt land to assist this need.
Cllr Millie Earl, leader of BCP Council, previously said: “It is important that we balance our future development priorities whilst protecting the beautiful area that we live in and the precious natural environment we are so lucky to have.”
A new local plan is expected to be submitted in March 2028 following public engagement and two rounds of public consultation.
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Ward councillor for Bearwood and Merley, Richard Burton, said: "We've had a lot of development in Bearwood and therefore I know my residents will be very worried about this because of the impact it could have."
However, he said the scheme is in the very early stages and this scoping application does not mean the local authority is supporting it.
“From a political point of view, I do totally understand that we need more affordable housing in BCP, but just choosing the easiest places to build, which is currently Green Belt, isn’t the way forward and it’s not sustainable," said Cllr Burton.
The Canford scheme aims to create a new community focusing on family housing and social infrastructure.
A total of 600 of the homes would be dedicated to first-time buyers, social rent and shared ownership schemes.
Current farmland is also earmarked to be turned into 90 hectares of publicly available green space with new habitats and allotments.
A new village centre would include a two-form entry primary school, a medical centre, a community hall with a co-working hub for small businesses and shops for produce, café and leisure facilities.
There are plans to have a dedicated extra care neighbourhood for older residents, as well as sustainable transport infrastructure.
W.H. White said there would be a commitment to low carbon construction with solar energy, ground source heating and opportunities for localised renewable energy.
A spokesperson for W.H. White said: “The current shortfall in housing supply, combined with well-documented viability challenges of delivering homes on urban land, has prompted renewed interest in strategic and deliverable opportunities such as at Canford Village.”
BCP Council previously said it would soon initiate a new call for potential development sites in the conurbation as part of ongoing efforts to deliver new homes.
