The Site

 

The site comprises 37.5 hecatres of land located to the north east of Blandford Forum, adjoining the A354 and A350.

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The site forms two parcels of land either side of the Salisbury Road, within the redline boundary on the plan (right). The majority of the site lies within the area covered by Blandford Forum Town Council, the remainder to the north lies within the parish of Pimperne.

 

Blandford Forum Town Council and Pimperne Parish Council have both prepared Neighbourhood plans, covered below. 

 

Blandford Forum

 

The development will support the aims of the Blandford Neighbourhood Plan, including the provision for a much-needed new primary school for north Blandford. 

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The Blandford Neighbourhood Plan takes an infrastructure approach to meeting the needs of the town. Policy B2 allocated land to the north east of Blandford Forum for a mix of residential, education and community uses. 

 

Pimperne 

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The application site extends beyond the boundary of the Blandford 

Neighbourhood Plan allocation area.  

 

This additional land lies within the parish of Pimperne and is identified by Dorset Council as a proposed allocation in the Dorset Council Local Plan Consultation January 2021.  

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The proposals have included this area in order to provide a comprehensive masterplanning approach for the overall site.  

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The Pimperne plan was made part of the official development plan for the area in January 2019, it was then reviewed and updated in late 2022.

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Policy LC of Pimperne Neighbourhood Plan seeks to protect the open gap between the village of Pimperne and Blandford Forum, and respect the treed character of Letton Park.  

 

The proposals have been designed to ensure the setting of Pimperne would be unaffected by the proposed development. The site is within a well-contained visual envelope and is not visible from Pimperne due to the local landform and existing vegetation. New tree planting, open space and parkland will provide a transition between the development and the wider landscape.

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