IT would be 'quite devastating' if plans for 90 homes were to be given the go-ahead, according to one councillor.

Developer Gladman has put forward an application for land east of Dottery Road in North Allington, Bridport.

It includes a park, planting, landscaping, a public open space and children's play area. Access to the site is proposed off Court Orchard Road.

The 90 homes are of varying sizes, types and tenures and Gladman claims 35 per cent will be affordable housing.

But Bridport Town Council's planning committee, which discussed the proposals on Monday, has made the 'strongest objections it can make' to the development, which it says ignores both the Local and Neighbourhood Plans.

While councillors accepted the need for affordable housing in the area, they felt the development would not address this. Cllr Julian Jones said the developer had 'no interest' in Bridport and 'only in making profit.'

"It won't really be affordable housing," he said.

Other issues raised by councillors included the impact on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), in which the entire site sits, existing traffic problems and the likelihood of these being exacerbated and the proposed location - outside of the defined development boundary.

Cllr Sarah Carney said the proposal was 'very speculative' and that the site had already been assessed and rejected. "It contravenes the Neighbourhood Plan, the Local Plan and national planning policy," she said. "The whole point of these is to have a more stringent to approach to planning and these would make a mockery of that. It would be quite devastating for this to go ahead."

Cllr Dave Rickard said traffic in the estate was already 'appalling', pointing out the town council's own bus - Service 7 - recently got stuck as it was unable to pass parked cars on either side of the road.

"It would be unthinkable to add more traffic," he said.

Dorset Council's own landscaping officer has produced a report in which he says he is unable to support the application as the requirements of the Weymouth and Portland and West Dorset Local Plan have not been satisfied due to the size and density of the proposed development.

Gladman carried out a consultation on the plans in April, when it delivered leaflets to 615 homes in the area.

Further public comments can be made to Dorset Council via its website until June 18, after which time it will make a decision.