A COUNCILLOR has sounded out West Dorset District Council about the apparent lack of progress on Dorchester’s Charles Street development.

District councillor Alistair Chisholm raised a question at the latest full meeting of the authority, claiming ‘we have not heard anything’.

Simons held a series of public consultation events last summer ahead of submitting a planning application for the second phase of the town centre scheme, which will include 27 retail units, 67 apartments and parking spaces for 464 cars.

However, Cllr Chisholm said that since the public events there had been very little forthcoming on the scheme from either the council or Simons and asked for some reassurances on its progress.

Speaking at the full council meeting at South Walks House overlooking the development site, Cllr Chisholm said: “A lot of people are asking me ‘what is the current situation with what is behind me’, ‘where are we?’ “We have not heard anything for a very long time and yet we are being asked questions about it.

“Since this is a district council backed development, could we please have an update on where we are with Charles Street?”

Council leader Anthony Alford responded that there had been no indication from Simons that the development was not on track.

He said: “We are expecting it to be delivered successfully.

“I have been advised that Simons have been engaging with the financiers for the project, who are on board and things look generally positive.”

The latest plans put forward by the developers for Charles Street at the public events included replacing a hotel that had been proposed with apartments and, at the insistence of the district council, assurances that the 464 parking spaces would be provided on site across two underground levels.

Simons had been planning to begin work in the autumn, subject to obtaining the relevant planning permission, and with a two-and-a-half year build period and archaeological dig to be carried out beforehand, anticipated opening the scheme in the spring of 2018.

Concerns have recently been raised at suggestions that the archaeological works might be constrained by commercial considerations and a campaign has been set up that has attracted nearly 4,000 signatures.

Plans to develop the Charles Street site date back around 40 years.

Simons was selected as the developer for the site in 2006 and the first phase of works saw West Dorset District Council's new offices delivered in December 2012.

The second phase includes the retail element of the development and Waitrose and Marks and Spencer have signed up for the two anchor stores in the scheme.