Consultation for retirement development at Ringwood Raceway

The major development would see hundreds of apartments and cottages for older people built on the site of the established car racing track off Matchams Lane.

Developer Inspired Villages welcomed residents to St Leonards and St Ives Village Hall on Friday, October 29, to gauge views ahead of planning submission to Dorset County Council.

The plans drew a polarising response, with some calling the proposals a “tremendous idea” and others a “glorified retirement home”.

Matchams resident Brian Frecknall, who lives near the Raceway, said: “I think it’s great because it will get rid of the noise which really is horrendous and it would tidy the place up because it's a mess. When the racing is going on the traffic is terrible, there’s little consideration for local people and I hope the whole thing goes.

“I’d absolutely like to see this happen, perhaps we’ll go and live there.”

Public consultation for Ringwood Raceway redevelopment plans at St Leonards and St Ives Village Hall

Mrs Frecknall said: “We are seriously interested because Brian is over 70 and I’m coming up to 70 and so it would be an ideal option for us.”

Martin Stevens, who works at Ringwood Raceway, said: “I hope they don’t get permission to do this. We don’t see why the Raceway should close, at the end of the day it’s just stupid.

“I’ve spoken to some local police and they said to me that they would strongly recommend not closing the Raceway because otherwise the racers will have nowhere to go and some may end up racing on the public roads.”

Raceway spectator Jay said: “A lot of our riders have mental health struggles and driving is their escape route, it's their release and their way of socialising with like minded people. Why build everything just for the elderly and take this space away from the younger generation?

“On a good day you can see a few thousand people turn up and watch so again different people are going to be missing out on the sport. A lot of people are going to lose out.

“My husband has a yard down there where he builds his vehicles and I think if he lost the facility I don’t know what he would do as it’s his only real hobby.”

Public consultation for Ringwood Raceway redevelopment plans at St Leonards and St Ives Village Hall

Ashley Heath resident Mrs Johnson said: “I’m very excited at the idea of this because I lost my husband two years ago. Without him I rarely venture out but looking at these designs, you’ve got a cinema and restaurant, cafés, it makes me feel like I would have people do to that with.

“I may be older but I’m not dead, this sort of thing would give me a new lease of life I reckon.”

Inspired Villages development manager Dean Bower said: “The application is due to be submitted at the end of the year. We’re here to get public feedback and comments on our proposals to help shape the design.

“We’ve had a good turn out and some very useful comments have been received. The feedback has been honest and there are of course contrasting views.

• Read more: 'Retirement community' plan for Ringwood Raceway site

“We want to understand what might be missing from the area and we had some really useful feedback from a local who said they had to go on a seven-mile round trip just to pick up a newspaper for example.”

If progressed, and subject to a planning approval from Dorset Council, the proposal would see up to 330 age-restricted apartments and cottages, plus communal and care facilities, which would include a café, restaurant, cinema, shop, meeting space, hair salon, wellbeing centre, treatment rooms and village transport service.

The developer is also proposing the creation of a new 33-hectare nature conservation area and has held discussions with Natural England.

Once complete, the development would create 40 to 50 new jobs in the area, Inspired Villages said.