News that work would be starting this week at Nordon in Salisbury road, Blandford, the former headquarters of North Dorset District Council, prompted an outcry on social media from local people expressing their dismay, and asking whether anything could be done to prevent the development.

Outline planning permission was granted to Aster Homes by the district council in its last week of existence for the demolition in 2019 of the Edwardian villa originally built as the home of Blandford St Mary brewery boss George Woodhouse at the turn of the last century, and redevelopment of the wooded site with an estate of 50 properties.

The application followed years of discussion on the future of the site which had been held in secret.
Bids to have the building listed by Historic England, who had opposed the application and to have the decision reversed by the Secretary of State failed, and the continued objection from Blandford Town Council and a petition signed by nearly 2500 people failed to prevent the grant of detailed permission by Dorset Council’s Northern Planning Committee last December.

Now neighbours have been advised by Dorset Council Building Control of work by C G Comley & Sons starting on March 30, which in the first instance will include preparatory work before the demolition can begin. Nearly 130 people engaged in a debate on Blandford Public Forum Facebook page with comments ranging from their disgust at the decision and the way it had been made to
appealing to Aster to
revise their proposals.

Town councillor Roger
Carter, who fought the
application with the
town’s two county
councillors Byron Quayle
and Nocturin Lacey
Clarke and others, said:
“Believe me, we tried and
fought tooth and nail.
Dorset Council wouldn’t
change their minds. It would be great for
someone to create an
almighty stink about it
but, apart from DC
planning having their
collective feet held to the
fire, the end result would
be the same. It rates as the
worst planning decision
that the old NDDC took.
I would love to think that
we could put a stop to it
but, very sadly, apart from
expressing our anger,
outrage and frustration, I
don’t think there’s
anything else we can do.”

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