by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
The merging of Chickerell and Weymouth has come a step closer with agreement for 328 new homes on a site east of Chickerell and south of Coldharbour.
The proposal, more than five years in development, comes from Persimmon Homes and includes around 150 ‘affordable’ homes.
The company claims it will bring £2million in public benefits to the area, including providing land for a new primary school.
But despite committee agreement to the mixed full and outline application the deal is not finally done – the developers will yet have to conclude a series of agreements including protection for wildlife and payments towards Weymouth swimming pool, the Willowbed Hall, public open spaces and the NHS. A site will also be provided for a two-form entry primary school although there is no agreement about whether Dorset Council or the Department of Education will pay for the building, or even if the school will be needed in years to come.
Agreement will also have to be reached about when the central road will be provided – likely to be at the point 100 homes are built.
Ward councillor Simon Clifford told the area planning committee that it was “not a good look” that the committee were deciding the application before the end of the public consultation period on July 26 – although officers said any ‘material’ new objections would be considered with the chance the scheme could come back to another committee meeting.
Cllr Clifford said the claims about Chickerell desperately needing more housing was misleading: “No it does not, Chickerell barely has a blade of grass left,” he said.
He said the decision was another step towards the merger between Chickerell and Weymouth with another large housing proposals nearby likely in the near future.
Cllr Clifford said the recommendations, yet to be signed off, missed the need for a primary care health centre in the area and said the scheme could have done better for wildlife provision.
Resident Esther Dadds said that everything she had heard during the meeting suggested the decision was “a done deal”.
She said that the proposal, if built, would take the number of new homes in Chickerell in recent years to more than 1,000 – all at a cost to open spaces and wildlife.
She said that 15 years ago a Government Inspector had outlined how important it was to maintain open space between Chickerell and Weymouth, yet that advice was now being ignored.
“Please reject this application which is so obviously not located in a suitable area and to save yet more greenfield space from being eroded and destroyed in and around Chickerell” she told the Dorset Council area planning committee.
Several councillors pushed back on the idea that the decision had, already effectively been made. Among them Wyke councillor Kate Wheller who said that more than three hours at the meeting and rigorous questioning by councillors indicated it was anything but a decision already made.
The site is adjacent the area’s electricity sub-station, a solar farm, golf course and a battery storage facility which has planning permission, but has not yet been built.
The meeting heard that part of the agreements yet to be concluded with the developers included a 10m wildlife buffer around existing hedgerows, a metal bridge for doormice and tunnels for other creatures under the proposed Central Avenue. Bat and bird boxes would also be required across the site as well as ponds.
Councillors were told that over five years significant improvements had been made to the proposals although there remained some concerns about design quality, parking provision and the potential flood risk – with a map displayed at the meeting showing how some areas would see an increase in the level of flood risk, although other places would see a reduction, overall the balance was considered positive.
Other issues include the risk of ball strike from two holes on the adjoining golf course – although design changes should now avoid that happening.
The committee was told that, subject to concluding a range of agreements, the scheme was now considered acceptable and would signed off later once those agreements had been concluded and after the consultation period had closed.
Senior planning manager for Persimmon, David Buczynskyj , said the development would provide what he described as ‘much needed’ new homes, fitted with heat pumps, including 150 for social rent and shared ownership.
He said that in response to negotiations over the past five years the number of proposed homes had been reduced by 35 per cent and the development would now provide more than £2million of investment in local facilities.
The vote to back the proposal was 7-4 which will leave officers, with the planning committee chairman, to tie down the final agreements and conditions.
Upwey and Broadwey Lib Dem councillor David Northam was excluded from the debate and vote after returning late to the meeting after lunch, the debate having already started.
