Plans for refugee caravan village in Dorset to go to appeal
An inspector is being asked to look at the site at Blandford
A planning application for a 40-caravan ‘refugee village’ at Blandford Forum has now gone to appeal.
Around a hundred letters were received by the time public comments on the application closed at the end of August – most against the idea although a few had written in support.
Many feared the Deer Park Farm application, on the western edge of the town, could set a precedent for housing on the site.
Others were worried about the potential for the site to flood and the lack of facilities in the town to deal with what some claimed could be at least 160 extra people.
Said Jane Bray: “Blandford does not have the amenities to support this application. The doctors surgeries, hospitals, schools etc are already full to overflowing!!”
Others complained it would ruin the character of Blandford and eventually result in housing on the land.
Request for ruling by Planning Inspector
Bryanston (RFE) Ltd and the Rothemere Foundation, with agents Savills, have now lodged a formal request for the application to be decided by the Planning Inspectorate, rather than Dorset Council which had not come to a conclusion on the proposal.
The appeal documents say the 40 caravan application, for five years only, which would have also seen the conversion of a redundant building to an amenity block and community area, would have been “relatively out of sight from public view”, providing homes for Ukraine refugees.
It says the reason for the decision to appeal is that Dorset Council failed to decide the application within an eight-week period.
Site visit
The appeal application ask for an Inspector to visit the area to see the relationship between the site and the town but says that the decision could be reached through written representations, without the need for a hearing or inquiry in public.
Said a statement from Savilles on behalf of the applicants: “This application has been prompted by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, as a result of the ongoing conflict.
“It is the intention of the applicants to respond to this crisis through providing aid and safe housing to some of those impacted by the conflict.
"As such, this proposal seeks to station caravans temporarily on land within the control of The Bryanston Estate at Deer Park Farm. Additionally, it is hoped that by providing accommodation on the edge of an existing thriving, sustainable settlement, that the refugees can be welcomed into the community and take advantage of the existing facilities, employment opportunities and amenities already present within the town.”