A LANDMARK listed building in Shaftesbury could be converted to flats if plans are approved.
Castle Hill House, in Bimport, was most recently used as a care home – but a new plan submitted to Dorset Council on behalf of James Stuart-Bruges would see it converted into 11 apartments.
The plans said the scheme sought to “secure the viable long-term future” of the Grade II-listed building, which has been empty since the care home closed around three years ago.
“The scheme seeks to preserve the architectural significance of the late eighteenth-century core, while recognising that large parts of the building have already been extensively altered through twentieth-century institutional use as a maternity hospital and later as a care home,” the application said.
“The proposals therefore focus on retaining and enhancing the most significant surviving elements while allowing sensitive adaptation of later fabric to secure the building’s viable long-term future.”
Of the 11 planned apartments, two would be one-bed, five would have two bedrooms, and four would have three bedrooms, with one arranged as a duplex.
Additional windows would be installed as part of the redevelopment, with balconies in some apartments, and private gardens for others.
“These features contribute positively to residential amenity and support the creation of comfortable long-term homes within the converted building,” the plans said.
A roof garden would also be created as part of the plans, with “limited visibility from public viewpoints”.
“The proposals seek to preserve and enhance the appearance of Castle Hill House through sensitive restoration and carefully-considered interventions,” the application added.
“The principal listed frontage will remain substantially unchanged other than the repair and replacement of deteriorated windows.”
A total of 13 parking spaces would also be provided, with stone boundary walls retained, with the “majority” of the grounds being communal.
The scheme will now be considered by council planners. For more information, and to comment on the plans, log on to dorsetcouncil.gov.uk, reference P/FUL/2026/03521.
READ MORE: Planning news from your New Blackmore Vale
We’re interested in hearing more about these apartments as potential purchasers. So please add me to your mailing list.
This sounds a well thought out plan and if it really does maintain the listed frontage and also provide much needed housing as a neighbor, it certainly has my vote.