Aster Communities Ltd already has detailed planning permission to transform the site at Norden, Blandford. Dorset Council has announced that the sale of the site was completed on March 29 – and the development is now imminent. Developers said they hoped the first families would be able to start moving on to the new development in early 2022. The development will be a mix of social rent and shared ownership homes, consisting of one-bedroom maisonettes alongside two, three and four bedroom-houses. Amanda Williams, Group Development Director at Aster, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Drew Smith of Vistry Partnerships to deliver 40 new homes at Blandford Forum for shared ownership and social rent.
What the retail park will look like at Weymouth Gateway. Picture: Avercet Property and London Metric WEYMOUTH will be open for business thanks to the creation of a new multi-million pound retail park which has been given approval. The Weymouth Gateway scheme off Mercery Road will bring new stores to the area and create 280 jobs. President of the Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, Craig Oakes, said in a statement that the development could change what Weymouth can really offer in and out of season and noted Weymouth is open for business . Concerns have been raised the development is on a site earmarked for industrial use and instead should be for businesses that provide high quality jobs. But councillors agreed the retail scheme would create a significant economic boost and would make use of a vacant site.
NEW allotments that have transformed abandoned land in Weymouth are almost ready for public use - to the delight of town leaders who say they will be a major boost to residents health and wellbeing. Seven plots on the site, off Pinemoor Close, Preston, will be available to the public and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. When the builder of the Pinemoor housing development went bust, Dorset Council received money from the liquidator which was used to set up the allotment site and maintain it. But Weymouth Town Council is in discussions to take over the maintenance and ownership.
Home energy UP to £1.5million in home energy grants could soon be available across rural Dorset. Dorset Council is part-funding the scheme with the help of a £859,000 award from the Government Green Homes grant. The money will be administered through the council’s Healthy Homes Dorset scheme and will help improve home heating and insulation in existing properties. The funding will not be available for new build or self-build projects. Cllr Tony Ferrari says the scheme will help reduce bills and improve the health of those whose homes can be kept warmer as a result of the work. He said that because the money had to be spent in a year he hoped to be able to invite applications as soon possible to allow contractors to press on and complete the work.