Proposals by Gleeson Strategic Land Limited for 30 homes on land at Catherine’s Well, Milton Abbas, have been dismissed at appeal by the Planning Inspectorate.

The application was refused by Dorset Council in August last year after being amended from an original plan for up to 58 homes in February that year, and the subsequent appeal was decided on written representations.

The site is outside but adjacent to the village settlement boundary, and was not included in the Milton Abbas which was formally incorporated into the Dorset Local Plan on June 26. It had been considered but rejected in favour of three other sites which provided sufficient housing to meet the identified need in the village.

The main issues were considered to be whether the appeal site was a suitable location for housing taking into account the spatial strategy; the character and appearance of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (the AONB); and the effect on heritage assets, including several listed buildings and the historic village and Milton Abbey registered park and garden.

The conclusion was that while the public benefits, including 40 per cent affordable housing, out-weighed the less than substantial harm to heritage assets, the adverse impact of allowing the proposal, which conflicted with the Neighbourhood Plan, would significantly outweigh the benefits.

Planning inspector S Harley said of the setting back of some of houses from the road with greenspace and extra planting: “Neither this in itself, nor the open spaces along two of the other boundaries or the retained paddocks, are sufficient to demonstrate that the houses themselves are arranged in other than a suburban estate like layout, somewhat randomly placed in a field.”

Support Us

Thank you all so, so much for the love and appreciation you’ve shown us since we launched the New Blackmore Vale.

Please show your support and add a review on our Facebook page or on Google.