Proposals revealed for Langton 15 homes

A village green and community land are being promised as part of plans for a 15-home development at Langton Matravers near Swanage.

It will be built, if approved, on the site of a former preparatory school – founded in 1906 by former England footballer Rex Corbett in what was once a brewery.

The Old Malthouse School site, off the High Street, is mostly laid to grass but has a hard surfaced sports court, sports pavilion and redundant open swimming pool.

At its peak the school had around 100 pupils but gradually declined and closed in 2007, the building used afterwards for a short period for residential educational courses.

Proposals for the 4.5 hectare site in the centre of the village have changed since they were first discussed in 2022 and have been revised several times since May 2024 when 20 homes were planned.

Of the 15 market homes, nine will be 3 or 4-bed; with the remaining six designated as ‘affordable’ ranging from four 1 and 2-bed flats and two 3-bed houses. Access to the site will mainly be via Old Malthouse Lane.

A large area, to the north of the central ‘village green’, will remain as open space with the existing hedgerows and trees and existing public rights of way across the site maintained.

One of the former hard surface sports area will be made available for community and local school use as part of the site redevelopment.

Talks have been held with Dorset Council officers, the parish council and community land trust as the plans evolved with a public discussion at the parish council in February 2023.

Agents for the developers, OHM Land Ltd, say the aim of the project has been to “Create a characterful, distinctive place with locally inspired architecture, a strong sense of arrival, and a narrative that responds to both the local vernacular and the Conservation Area. This identity will be established through the considered use of architecture, spatial settings, materials, and urban design that avoids an estate-like character. By fostering a varied and layered environment, a community can develop that is rooted in its context, a place that can mature and endure over time.”