NEIGHBOURS battling a mini-estate on green belt land have just three weeks to object to government planning heavyweights.

District planners, who turned the scheme down following a public outcry this year, could be overruled by the planning inspectorate.

Residents - who flooded East Dorset District Council with hundreds of complaints when the idea for 61 homes was mooted - are primed to take up the fight once more.

East Dorset District Council rejected the plan, for land behind Heath Close, Colehill, Wimborne, on 10 grounds. These included the site lying within the green belt and being less than 5km from a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest of international importance.

But agents acting for developers Messers Dent, Loader and Huggins lodged an appeal with the planning inspectorate.

Neighbour Diane Milstead said: "We need to make people aware that this has not gone away. People may think everything is over, but the developers have made this appeal.

"We now have a situation where an inspector more than 100 miles away will be making the decision.

"I hope this inspector will visit the site. But we need to let them know the strength of local feeling.

"The whole thing is totally ill-conceived and has already been turned down locally.

"The developers have just tailored this proposal to what the government of the day says is acceptable, but I think it is about greed."

Diane added: "This land is the thin end of the green belt wedge. We just don't have the facilities locally to deal with this many new homes."

For information on how to contact the planning inspectorate, before the September 3 deadline, visit the dorsetforyou.com website.