COUNCILS have secured more than £8 million in government funding to support housing projects in western Dorset – enabling the development of 2,700 homes.

West Dorset District Council, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and North Dorset District Council have been successful in attracting £8.4m worth of funding for housing infrastructure projects in Chickerell, on Portland and in Gillingham.

Specifically this includes £1.5m to fund a road network in the Chickerell 'urban extension' (750 homes) including a link to a new primary school, £2.8m for land stabilisation works around the Ocean Views development which will help pave the way for a 191-homes scheme at the southern end of the site, and £4m for the Gillingham Southern Area Extension (1,800 homes).

The money is from the government's Housing Infrastructure Fund, a capital grant programme which aims to help the delivery of more than 200,000 homes in England.

Housing Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that 27 council-led projects across the south west will receive funding to support local work that will make housing developments viable and get much-needed homes built quicker.

In total, £16.6 million is coming to to local authorities in Dorset, with around half coming to the western half of the county.

At the end of last year, councils launched Opening Doors, an ambitious programme to tackle the housing crisis in the area with a target of 20,000 new homes by 2033.

Cllr Tim Yarker, West Dorset District Council’s housing spokesman said: “Our Opening Doors programme was set up in order to bring forward stalled sites as well as encourage new development. It’s great that we’re already seeing an impact from this initiative.”

Cllr Gill Taylor, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council’s housing spokesman said: “Housing is much needed across the borough. As part of our recently launched Opening Doors campaign, I am keen to see development begin on sites where planning permissions are already in place.”

The Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership welcomed the funding for Dorset.

Director Lorna Carver said: “Dorset LEP is delighted at the outcome of these bids and that government is investing £16.6 million for key infrastructure development in Dorset.

"This is a significant investment by the government and highlights the good work that is going on across the county to achieve our economic aspirations.

"Good infrastructure is vital for enterprise and this funding will help to facilitate local economic growth by creating the right conditions for more highly skilled jobs and housing in Dorset.”

More information on Opening Doors can be found at openingdoorsdorset.co.uk