How to meet the future needs of our population, specifically where we will live, work, learn, relax and be cared-for, is currently being considered by Dorset Council as part of their Local Plan Consultation.
Land owned by Sherborne Castle Estates (the Estate) to the north-west and western edges of Sherborne has been identified in the Local Plan Consultation for future development and the Estate is putting forward a vision for exemplar, organic growth over the next 20 years.
This is an innovative approach that would create a single masterplan for a collection of new neighbourhoods, connected to the to the town centre and inspired by the historic and cultural heritage of the community.
Our Vision
Our vision is the creation of a masterplanned new neighbourhood in the west of Sherborne; new homes, workspaces and facilities which would support the vitality of Sherborne town centre and enhance the sustainability of the existing community.
This masterplanning approach will allow us to retain a high degree of control over the planning and development process, from design to delivery.
We want to provide a mix of housing, green open spaces and workplaces, together with the necessary infrastructure, in a beautifully designed evolution of Sherborne to meet the needs of local people.
We will work with Dorset Council to establish the best mix of suitable house types and tenures for both open market and affordable housing. We also understand that new homes create the need for new facilities and infrastructure which will be considered in the development of a masterplan.
Access to the area would be off the A30. To improve this gateway to Sherborne, we are proposing that the road, at this point, be reduced to single carriageway in each direction. This would enable the creation of a new pedestrian-friendly square combined with a roundabout – a “squareabout” – which would also serve to link the elements of the new neighbourhood on either side of the road.
Our ideas are at a very early stage. We are committed to working with the community should the proposals progress, and we would like to hear about what local people think.
The Context
Councils such as Dorset are required to have up-to-date Local Plans in place to help to ensure growth in new homes and workplaces is sustainable, regulated and appropriate to the needs of the community. Local Plans also aim to make sure the infrastructure, such as roads and schools, needed to support such growth is delivered as and when it is required. They also help councils and local communities resist less sustainable and more unwelcome speculative proposals.
Dorset-wide, the Council needs to see around 1,800 new homes built every year over the next 17 years, with around 140 hectares of employment space over the same timescale. It is currently reviewing feedback from its “Issues and Options” proposals before moving on to the next stages, which could result in the Local Plan being adopted by the end of 2023.
On the list of potential sites included in the Issues and Options proposals are a number of neighbouring areas in the north west and western edges of Sherborne which are in the ownership of Sherborne Castle Estates.
