A PLANNING application which would have seen 44 houses built on parkland near Blandford has been refused by Dorset Council.

The plans, submitted by EG Carter and Aster Group, would have seen houses consisting of two, three and four-bed homes built on 12 acres of land at Park Hill in Charlton Marshall.

But Dorset Council refused the plans on grounds that the proposed estate is outside the development limits for the village and that the site’s location would make accessibility to the “very limited” services and facilities in Charlton Marshall and further afield difficult for pedestrians.

The council also came to the conclusion that the plans would result in “significant harm” to the area’s wood pasture and parkland, with no mitigation or compensation included to offset the loss.

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The decision notice read: “The residential development and future use of the parkland would result in the deterioration of irreplaceable habitats in the form of veteran trees.”

The “harmful” development was also criticised for its crammed housing layout, which, coupled with building on historic parkland, would cause “significant local landscape and character harm”.

“The proposal would develop a historic parkland site that unquestionably contributes positively towards the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside,” the notice added.

“The proposed development would not respect key local landscape sensitivities, nor provide suitable opportunities to mitigate the local landscape harm.

“The harmful intrusion and encroachment of built form onto the parkland site would be emphasised by the excessive quantum of development proposed, which would manifest a crammed layout and density and urban grain that would not respect the character and distinctiveness of the locality.”

EG Carter and Aster Group said they responded to the pre-application advice by reducing its impact on the development of large, mature trees and that the plans would have provided “much needed” homes in the area within an accessible and sustainable location.