CONSTRUCTION work has started for a new development on the site of the former Wimborne Market.

Developer and manager of retirement communities, McCarthy & Stone, has announced planning has been approved for its retirement village at the former Wimborne Market site in Station Road.

The historic Wimborne market left the site in December 2021 after 165 years of trading.

Bosses blamed "excessively high business rates" and "changing shopping habits" for the closure.

But they have promised to move to a different site, offering instead a new country market and Roman camp heritage centre at Lake Gates.

The new retirement village at the former market site will consist of a block of retirement living apartments, as well as a range of bungalows.

Future homeowners at the development will have access to a village green, which the block of apartments and bungalows will be centred around.

They will also be walking distance from a wellness zone offering health and fitness studios, as well as hair and beauty salons, a social communal lounge and an on-site bistro for morning coffees, dinners, and drinks.

An on-site estate manager and team will be on hand day and night to oversee the running of the development.

The Wimborne retirement village will also consist of a collection of retirement bungalows for those who want to live in a low maintenance property.

Designed for the over 60s, all of the bungalows will offer two double bedrooms, with an additional eight chalet-style bungalows available on the complex too. Homeowners of the bungalows will also have access to the same facilities within the block.

McCarthy & Stone is appealing to the residents of Wimborne to enter its ‘What’s in a Name’ competition and locals have been tasked with suggesting a suitable name for the block of apartments and bungalows. The winning entrant will receive £200.