Controversial Blandford housing scheme approved despite Pimperne objections
Row over parish boundaries breaks out as Dorset Council backs plans for 33 homes near Blandford
A plan for 33 new homes on land off Salisbury Road, Blandford Forum has been narrowly approved by Dorset Council despite fierce opposition.
The objectors were Pimperne Parish Council, which insists the site lies within its boundary and conflicts with its Neighbourhood Plan.
The proposal, by Wyatt Homes, was granted permission on a 4–3 vote after an hour-long debate at the council’s area planning committee.
Critics argued the site, south of a property known as Bolney, was not earmarked for development and should remain a buffer between Blandford and Pimperne.
Pimperne councillor Peter Slocombe told members the scheme undermined local planning policies and raised safety fears about a new roundabout near the existing bypass junction.
He says the new roundabout would be a “recipe for accidents” and that the development’s 30% affordable housing provision “fell short” of the 40% required by the parish plan.
Residents also criticised the design layout, saying the placement of all social housing flats at the site’s entrance reeked of “segregation, not integration.”
Wyatt Homes’ planning director Tim Hoskinson said the land had only recently come under the company’s control, separate from a neighbouring 490-home development due to be completed next year.
He told a council meeting the new homes would “improve accessibility” and feature triple glazing, heat pumps and EV charging points.
Planning officers confirmed reports that over 30 trees and hedgerows had been removed before preservation orders could be enforced but said replacements were required as part of the consent.
Despite deep unease among councillors about boundary issues and road safety, the plans were approved, a decision that Pimperne Parish Council described as a “betrayal of local democracy.”