A 160-HOME scheme has been approved for the outskirts of Shaftesbury.

The site, off Wincombe Lane, is one of several schemes for the town which has been ear-marked for future housing growth in the local plan.

A planning officer told the area planning committee on Tuesday that the revised proposals will have a more informal layout than the previous scheme and should reduce the impact on to setting of the nearby Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The changes include moving 12 homes from their previous location and altering some of the designs and open space layouts.

Two equipped play areas are proposed on the site along with informal greenspaces with improvements planned for Wincombe Lane, including widening, to help traffic flows. A revised access was approved during the last year.

The amended plans were submitted in response to concerns raised by Shaftesbury town council and Dorset Council officers who believed the previous proposals could be improved.

The proposal, by David Wilson Homes, includes 30 per cent affordable homes – 24 for affordable rent, 17 for discount market sale and 7 for shared ownership to be managed by Sovereign Housing.

The development will provide a total of 6x 1-bed units (all affordable), 46x 2-beds (24 affordable), 80x 3-beds (16 affordable) and 30x 4-beds (2 affordable).

Shaftesbury town council claim that the proposals are contrary to the Neighbourhood Plan, that Wincombe Lane is inadequate as the only access and the development could interfere with the protection of the bypass corridor.

It is also concerned about the impact on the Cranborne Chase Dark Skies area and the lack of protection for bats and newts in the area and says it is disappointed that no one-bed flats are proposed, something which it says are needed in the area. It also describes the layout as ‘cramped’ and lacking in trees.

Ten neighbours had expressed similar concerns with the Dorset Campaign to Protect Rural England warning that the area cannot cope with another 162 homes and needs to grow slowly. It points out that another 170 homes are already being built at Littledown which, with other schemes, will see the town grow by more than 25 per cent.

The developers say they hope to start work in the spring with all the homes completed within five years.

Part of the site conditions include financial contributions to road safety in the wider area and support for local schools.