FIGURES showing that less than one affordable house a month has been built over the last 15 months in north Dorset have been described as “heart-breaking”.

Just 11 have been built in the district since April 2017 – a fall from 137 in 2016/17 – according to figures published ahead of last Monday’s meeting of North Dorset District Council’s cabinet.

And despite the “disappointing” figures for the 12-month period, not a single affordable house has been built in north Dorset so far this financial year.

At the beginning of the year a target to have between 50 and 68 affordable homes built was set but it has since been lowered to 32.

North Dorset District Council leader, and cabinet member for housing, Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, said: “It’s so disappointing to see that there were zero affordable housing completions for north Dorset and that’s something we [the cabinet] all share.

“It breaks my heart to see that because north Dorset has had such an exemplary record at least since I’ve been on this council.

“All we can say is that we are giving out [planning] consents.

“It gives me slight comfort to know that we have got the application for the Nordon site for 40 affordable homes but that figure is quite heart-breaking.”

Last month, Aster Group submitted plans to demolish the district council’s former offices off Salisbury Road in Blandford Forum and to build 40 affordable houses (36 homes and four flats) on the site.

The council also launched its Opening Doors campaign with West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland councils last year aimed at having more homes of all types built.

Sarah Lee, head of policy at the Countryside Alliance, said that the government needed to do more to encourage landowners to put forward land for affordable housing.

“The shortage of affordable housing is one of the greatest challenges for communities across the country, including in rural areas,” she said.

“It is vital that the planning system is efficient and planning policies achieve a balance between delivering sustainable housing development, supporting local businesses, and protecting the amenity of the countryside.

“Development needs to be responsive to local need and sensitive to the local environment.

“We welcome the recent changes to the National Planning Policy Framework which should encourage the delivery of new homes in rural areas where the financial viability of development can be marginal. More work needs to be done and we continue to press the government to implement a number of proposals, consulted on by the last Labour government, to incentivise landowners to bring forward land for affordable housing.”