A HOMES scheme for the former North Dorset district council site at Norden, Blandford will be built – but without a guarantee all 40 will be ‘affordable.’

Dorset councillors were told that, legally, the council is unable to enforce the 100per cent affordable home pledge made by developer, Aster.

Senior planning officer Robert Lennis said that the best the council can achieve is a legal agreement for around a third of the homes. He said that anything more would cause problems for Aster in gaining funding from Homes England for the development.

Planning officers say they are confident that the housing group will keep to its promise despite the concerns of several councillors at its Northern Area planning committee on Tuesday.

Resident, John Turnbull, told the meeting that without a legal tie for 100 per cent of the homes the developers could come back in the future and ask to reduced the number of affordable properties. He said that similar changes to levels of affordable homes had recently happened in Shaftesbury and Weymouth.

Other objectors, including Blandford Town Council, said they were unhappy about the demolition of the former district council offices and the loss of some trees – but were told both issues had already been agreed at the outline planning stage in July 2018 and could not be changed.

A petition, with more than 2,000 signatures, collected by the Blandford and District Civic Society, raised similar issues, along with the lack of a formal play area.

Aster is proposing four one-bed flats, 15 two-bed houses, 20 three-bed and one four bed.

The site will be developed by demolishing the converted main Edwardian building, a lodge building and former stables, along with several temporary buildings which have been added to the site over the past 30 years.

Blandford Cllr Byron Quayle warned that the scheme would affect the townscape forever and said he would prefer to have seen the council building converted to one-bed flat which he said the area needs.

“This is the wrong development and I urge councillors to vote against it,” he said, winning some support from Dorchester councillor David Taylor who claimed the proposal was an overdevelopment of the site and there was no need to demolish what he described as a ‘fine historic building.’

Council planning officers say using the site for housing is a good use of the land as it lies within the town conservation area and is within walking distance of the town centre, making it sustainable.

It has been described as a legacy to the town from the former district council.

The application for matters of scale, appearance and landscape was approved by a 5-3 vote with one abstention.