PLANS for a giant new village next to a UK holiday hotspot with 1200 homes have now been unveiled.
The proposals to launch Canford Garden Village in Dorset will be essential in tackling the ever-pressing housing crisis in the UK.
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The Canford scheme aims to create a new community focusing on family housing and social infrastructure.
The site will be located near Wimborne in Dorset, and it is thought to be prime real estate, according to W.H. White.
W.H White are behind the plans which were submitted to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP).
The plans are to build 1200 new homes across the 230 hectares site, creating a characterful village which is architecturally striking which fits within the landscape.
In order to help ease the housing crisis currently taking hold of the UK, it has been reported that 40 per cent of the new buildings will be affordable homes.
What’s more, it will not be just a housing development, as the plans recognise the need for supporting infrastructure.
For example, there will be a community hub, flexible workspaces, community facilities, and a care home.
There will also be education and healthcare provision, as well as local infrastructure improvements to ease the pressure that would be placed on surrounding areas.
A total of 600 of the homes would be dedicated to first-time buyers, social rent and shared ownership schemes.
Scott Worsfold Associates were selected to create a complete design vision.
The plans for the site were was unanimously approved for a new sustainable community in March 2021 by the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.
The land used to be a former quarry and golf course, and will now be made into a biodiverse community.
Current farmland is also earmarked to be turned into 90 hectares of publicly available green space with new habitats and allotments.
The proposal has garnered support from various stakeholders, including Dorset Chamber and Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership, who emphasise the economic benefits and job creation potential of the development.
However there has been some backlash to the proposals.
It was reported that there were critics to the plan due to concerns regarding the potential impact on existing infrastructure, traffic congestion, and highway safety, particularly concerning access to the site from Blandford Road.
Some were also concerned about the proximity to existing facilities like Lockyer’s Middle School, which could cause longterm disruption.
Ward councillor for Bearwood and Merley, Richard Burton, said: “We’ve had a lot of development in Bearwood and therefore I know my residents will be very worried about this because of the impact it could have.”
However, he said the scheme is in the very early stages and this scoping application does not mean the local authority is supporting it.
“From a political point of view, I do totally understand that we need more affordable housing in BCP, but just choosing the easiest places to build, which is currently Green Belt, isn’t the way forward and it’s not sustainable,” said Cllr Burton.
W.H. White said there would be a commitment to low carbon construction with solar energy, ground source heating and opportunities for localised renewable energy.
A spokesperson for W.H. White said: “The current shortfall in housing supply, combined with well-documented viability challenges of delivering homes on urban land, has prompted renewed interest in strategic and deliverable opportunities such as at Canford Village.”
BCP Council previously said it would soon initiate a new call for potential development sites in the conurbation as part of ongoing efforts to deliver new homes.
Cllr Millie Earl, leader of BCP Council, previously said: “It is important that we balance our future development priorities whilst protecting the beautiful area that we live in and the precious natural environment we are so lucky to have.”
