WEST Parley Parish Council has said it “hopes developers will take on board” feedback from residents and the authority with their new proposals. 

McCarthy Stone recently unveiled plans for a new ‘retirement community’ comprising 75 flats, three or four shops and a drive-through coffee shop at Parley Cross. 

The latest proposals, which haven’t been formally submitted as a planning application yet, are on top of the existing Kingsmere Park built on the former green space. 

Work is well underway for the delivery of 236 homes in the first phase of Kingsmere Park, including one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom houses.   

And the development is planned to form part of a wider neighbourhood of 386 homes, alongside 14 acres of green open space and half an acre of allotments. 

But West Parley Parish Council has said it will “continue to represent the views of residents”. 

The previous greenbelt site, which could have been used for up to 50 per cent affordable housing, was scaled down to 19 per cent by the developer, the council said. 

And due to the lack of take-up by housing associations, it is being considered by Dorset Council to change the tenure. 

West Parley Parish Council chairman Mark Barber said: “It is hoped that Dorset Council’s planning department take note of residents' views and that any future development is in line with requirements for the parish.” 

Cllr Andrew Parry added: "McCarthy Stone's recent presentation of their pre-application plans for land at Parley Cross to a parish planning committee, with members of the public in attendance, was an important opportunity for the developer to start the process of engaging with the community. 

“We hope the considerable feedback they were given from councillors and the public will be taken on board, before they submit their planning application." 

Simon Broomfield, divisional development director for McCarthy Stone Southern, said: “This investment would not only help to boost the local commercial offering, but it will also help address a demand for retirement accommodation in the area and deliver much-needed affordable housing for local people.”