Wyatt Homes is working in conjunction with the land owner to bring forwards a joint planning application for the residential development and associated infrastructure at land at Athelhampton Road, Puddletown, an allocation in the Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan.

This website provides information about the emerging proposal.

Questions and feedback are encouraged.

A public exhibition will be held 3pm-7pm on Wednesday 22nd March 2023 at the Puddletown Village Hall. We would be delighted to see you there, where members of the project team will be on hand to answer your questions. However, we appreciate that your time is precious, so you can also ask questions and provide feedback via the comments section of this website.

Background

The site is allocated for development in the current Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan which establishes the principle of a residential development including affordable housing, and a community use.

Wyatt Homes, in conjunction with the land owner are looking to bring forwards the entire site via a detailed planning application. A preapplication submission has been submitted to Dorset Council to ascertain a view on the Council’s thoughts. Wyatt Homes alongside the landowner aim to submit a planning application in spring 2023.

Wyatt Homes is an experienced, award winning Dorset based property developer, committed to delivering homes that provide the very best in architecture, use sustainable, local and natural materials that reflect and enrich the local vernacular wherever possible and give careful attention to planting schemes, green spaces and sustainable drainage systems. You may have seen other homes built by Wyatt Homes in Puddletown already.

Evolution

It is important to stress that our proposals are still evolving and your feedback will influence the form and content of any planning application.

However, in formulating the concept design we have been mindful of:

• the planning history
• site opportunities and constraints (including drainage and heritage)
• the character of the surrounding area
• national and local and neighbourhood planning policies
• viability considerations

Relevant Development Plan documents and supplementary guidance all of which has been subject to extensive public consultation

Key Opportunities;

• Puddletown has a thriving community and has allocated this site for residential development.
• Little Knoll Copse: An ancient woodland copse on the high ground will be a feature to look up to.
• Church view: As the site extends up the slope, the opportunity exists to align views back towards the village and St. Mary’s church tower to help reinforce a sense of place.
• Athelhampton Road approach: The site frontage to Athelhampton Road with the corner of Milom Lane creates an opportunity for a new frontage to positively address the street and tie the proposals together with the village.
• Enhance visual integration and the rural context through strengthened boundary planting and tree planting while having an uplift in biodiversity.
• Village green space and tree lined corridors and courtyards will reinforce a village character.
• Potential to enhance pedestrian and cycle connection back to the village
• Potential to reposition the bus stop to promote public transport and sustainable travel

Key Constraints;

• Locally important buildings (Old Chapel 1-3), cemetery space, and dwellings adjoining the northern boundary will require a sensitive design response.
• Drainage and location of attenuation pond.
• Key views in and out of the site must be respected.
• Heritage, in the form of listed buildings, locally listed building and the Puddletown Conservations Area must be respected.

The project team has put together a sketchbook which provides useful commentary on how the proposal responds to the site’s opportunities and constraints, arriving at the final (indicative) concept plan. Extracts of this sketchbook can be seen below’.

Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan

The Concept Plan

The Concept Plan draws everything together to arrive at a potential layout, as shown below.

The proposed development would comprise 29 homes, a large area of green space and landscaping.  The concept plan shows how the 29 homes, together with associated infrastructure, green space and landscaping could be accommodated while being sensitive to the historic context of the Conservation Area, the locally important Old Chapel, 1-3 Athelhampton Road and the Grade II* Islington Manor.

The proposed development will include a range of homes, including detached, semidetached and terraced homes, across market and affordable tenures.

The proposal seeks to comply with Policy 12 of the Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan providing 35% of the homes as genuinely affordable with a mix of tenure.

The proposal provides a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes, focusing on providing a range of smaller dwellings. 

The proposed concept plan shows the area of green space planned at the heart of the development.

This area of green space far exceeds the 0.2ha allocated for community use in the Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan and is located next to the existing cemetery. This departs from the Neighbourhood Plan but aligns with technical works (in particular the drainage strategy), supports key views between Puddletown and Little Knoll Copse and creates a more tranquil buffer to the locally important Old Chapel, 1-3 Athelhampton Road and cemetery. 

A range of homes are proposed including bespoke house types. The pictures below provide a flavour of the high-quality homes that Wyatt Homes have provided in and around Dorset, Somerset and Hampshire. Each dwelling will have it’s own private garden, parking space, cycle parking space, bin store and electric car charging point.

The concept plan shows vehicular access from Athelhampton Road, centrally located on the site’s northern boundary. This ensures that acceptable visibility is afforded with appropriate sight lines. The main access road has also been carefully aligned to offer views to the St Mary’s Church from higher ground over the existing gap in trees.

Every home will have dedicated parking, primarily within rear parking courts to avoid the proposal appearing car dominated, plus there will be provision for electric vehicle charging.

Each home will also have cycle parking.

To encourage connectivity within the site and with Puddletown, a pedestrian and cycle route runs along the northern boundary of the site, to the south of the proposed hedge. This ensures that there is separation between the road and pedestrians and cyclists. This route will be a continuation of the footpath adjacent to the Old Chapel and will provide connectivity to the public green space.  

There is also the potential for a repositioned bus stop to promote the use of public transport. 

In order to help with drainage, land will be set aside to provide a large attenuation pond. This will create a wildlife network at the heart of the site, which will also provide village green space with clear social and community benefits.  

Meanwhile, a tree and landscaped belt will stretch along the southern boundary and extend along the eastern boundary, creating a soft view of the site when approaching Puddletown from the east. Tree lined streets will help to create a wildlife network and planting will be of native species. Bat and bird boxes will be situated in key locations.

Puddletown has a long history and is fortunate to host a number of listed and locally listed buildings. It also has a designated Conservation Area. As such, heritage assets and their significance have helped to shape and inform the design of the concept plan. The proposal has had particular regard to the Puddletown Conservation Area, the Grade II* listed Ilsington House and locally important Old Chapel, 1-3 Athelhampton Road. This includes providing the green space as a buffer to the locally listed dwellings at 1-3 Athelhampton Road. 

Sustainability

Wyatt Homes seek to encourage walking and cycling, ensure that homes are energy and water efficient and wherever possible use sustainable local, natural materials that reflect and enrich the local vernacular. 

Next steps

We will consider all of the feedback received to see if our proposals can be improved or otherwise address issues through the form and content of the planning application.

Final technical studies will also be completed to inform the final scheme.

It is envisaged that a full planning application will be submitted to Dorset Council in April 2023.