SIXTEEN affordable homes could be coming to Beaminster on a site north west of the Broadwindsor Road industrial estate.

The homes are part of a larger development, off Cockroad Lane, which in total could bring up to 58 new homes to the area.

Dorset Council has given in principle permission for the scheme from Gladman Developments Ltd.

It includes recreation land, a children’s play area, informal public open space and a sustainable drainage scheme on the 4.6 hectare farmland site.

The Beaminster Society says it supports the overall strategy for the site and the ‘green infrastructure’ to help integrate the development into the landscape and says it would welcome the use of building materials commonly found in the town. It would also like to see some element of employment use on the site, including housing for people who live and work from home.

Town councillors have called for an integrated traffic scheme to integrate the site and other housing sites being proposed to the west of the town centre and object to a residential-only use of the site, preferring to see some employment uses.

Dorset Council’s housing team say they currently have 1,760 households registered as being in need of affordable housing across the council area – 90 with a connection to Beaminster and say the project could make a welcome contribution towards meeting that need.

There has been concerned about the integration of the scheme with other housing proposals in the area, near the Clipper Tea factory and Bugler agricultural depot. Senior landscape architect at Dorset Council, Sarah Barber, says that the Gladman outline proposals have a: “general lack of ‘integration’ between the proposed site and the adjacent allocation in terms of the access arrangements/strategic landscaping and housing layout strategies…an overall landscape framework plan for both areas would be advisable. The scheme, as presented, would fail to provide the ‘robust network of green infrastructure’ in terms of the wider allocated area.”

She says there is also a conflict with the Local Plan over the proposed access through the eastern boundary woodland which would prevent the provision of a green ‘buffer zone’ which the Plan suggests.

Dorset Council has given outline consent for the development subject to 21 conditions relating to the exact layout, scale and appearance of the buildings, the need for a water management scheme for the site, landscaping and additional woodland and other planting.

It is also calling for a travel plan for the site before the first home is occupied and says it will also need to approve the details of a proposed bridge across the River Brit tributary into the site.

Full details of the scheme are expected to be submitted at a later date and it could take at least three years before development starts.