A MUSEUM extension and a major development on the site of a former creamery have been given the thumbs-up by district planners in North Dorset.

Plans to extend the Gold Hill Museum in Shaftesbury, and to redevelop Sturminster Newton’s former creamery with homes, shops, and offices, were both approved at a meeting of North Dorset District Council’s planning committee.

The site of Sturminster Newton’s former creamery will be redeveloped as 41 dwellings, a nursing home, offices, and shops. Cllr Victor Fox, the chairman of Sturminster Newton Town Council, said the design had been the subject of long consultation with the town’s people.

“The town grew up around the railway, the market, and the creamery, and the creamery building has become iconic. The community has been involved in this design, and not just the planners,” he said.

“The overwhelming feeling was that the land should be used for employment and not just for houses, and the nursing home and the retail units should generate quite a few jobs.”

Volunteers at the Gold Hill Museum had submitted plans carrying the weight of support of Shaftesbury Town Council and the town’s heritage experts.

Rachel Caldwell, the chair of the Shaftesbury Civic Society, said changes made to the volunteers’ first application had won the society’s approval.

“The original plans said that the lecture theatre extension would be made from rendered concrete, which made us cringe,” she said.

“The building is in a conservation area and the extension would have been cheek by jowl with the existing structure.

“But they are now using green sandstone and glass, which we were happy to support.”