New village homes get go-ahead from inspector

A plan for 67 new homes in a Dorset village has got the green light.

They will be built in Marnhull after a planning inspector said the benefits of them outweighed the disadvantages.

They will be situated on land between Salisbury Street, Tanzey Lane and Sodom Lane.

Developer Paul Crocker took the case to the Planning Inspectorate after Dorset Council did not make a decision on the application.

Planning inspector Matthew Bale said the homes would result in a “suburban-style expansion” into “a landscape recognised for its attractiveness and cultural associations with Thomas Hardy”.

But despite the “significant incursion into the countryside”, other negatives did not "significantly and demonstrably outweigh" positive aspects, he said.

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