Housing planned for greenfield site on Portland
Around 40 people have objected to plans to build new homes on a site on Portland used to graze horses
A greenfield Portland site used to graze horses could see 25 homes built, including five for affordable rent.
A planning application for the site, off Verne Common Road and Ventnor Road, is being debated by councillors for the second time next Thursday, September 9th.
It had come before councillors in February 2020 but is now being looked at again after the adoption of the Portland Neighbourhood Plan in June.
Officers are recommending granting permission subject to a financial contribution for grassland compensation and management for the Local Nature Reserve of £15,600 together with more than £59,250 for affordable housing elsewhere.
A report says that while the application may be in conflict with an open spaces policy the land is in private ownership, with public access to only a small area, with the rest of it fenced off and, as such, only has minimal public value.
New homes
The proposed homes are two, 4-bedroom units, fourteen 3-bed, four, 2-bed and five affordable 3-bed. The site would be accessed off Verne Common Road on the eastern boundary and the proposed layout of the scheme would create three tiers of housing with the properties stepped down the slope. The scheme also allows for 59 parking spaces and 22 garage spaces.
Objections
Almost forty people wrote to Dorset Council about the scheme, most objecting, although one said it would make a positive impact on the area help the local economy.
Many of those who objected said the site lies outside the defined development boundary for the area and should not be built on, protecting the island’s green space; that brownfield sites should be built on first, and questioning whether there is a need for more homes. There were also concerns about parking and highway safety and fears that some nearby homes would be overlooked. Some complained about the dropping of a play area from the original plans and said that the number of homes proposed would be an overdevelopment for the area.