Planning inquiry opens into Charminster housing development
Proposals for 80 new homes off Westleaze are proving controversial
A planning inquiry has opened into an application to build 80 homes near Wolfeton House at Charminster.
Developers have revised the scheme off Westleaze - known by locals as Strawberry Field.
Dorset Council and residents opposing the development are concerned about the impact on the Grade 1 listed historic Wolfeton House.
Back in 2019, plans for 120 homes on the site were refused.
A site visit will take place before the Inspector decides whether to grant outline planning permission.
Matthew Clark, who lives next to the listed Riding House building at Wolfeton, said that in his view, as an arborist, no matter how much landscaping was applied to the site it would be impossible to mitigate the effect of so many houses.
He spoke about the night-time impacts of the extra properties and additional cars on what he said was currently a “tranquil and bucolic setting” where walking out at night meant still being able to see countless stars in peace.
He also warned about relying on existing trees around Wolfeton to screen the property saying that many were now ‘veterans’ and unlikely to be around forever.
Council conservation officer Sarah Baines argued that any building would affect the setting of Wolfeton House itself and other listed features such as the recently restored Riding House, the old stable building behind it and the recently listed grade 2 Lodge just off the Dorchester to Yeovil main road.
She told the Inspector of the remains of a medieval village which could still be seen close to the main house and said that, all of the features collectively, in their open landscape 'significantly contribute to the high status and feel of Wolfeton'.
Council senior landscape architect Colm O’Kelly said that any building would significantly change the area from rural, agricultural and pastoral into suburban, which, in his opinion could not be mitigated.
James Atkin, from the Pegasus Group which is promoting the development for Land Value Alliances, told the hearing that the houses would be ‘blended’ into the landscape and argued that their impact would not be as stark as residents and Dorset Council claimed.
He put their impact as between ‘minor and moderate’ claiming it was ‘entirely possible’ to mitigate their presence with the measures the developer was proposing, although he conceded that some landscaping would take time to be effective.