LABOUR Party members in Dorchester are calling for action to ensure the town’s former prison site is used for affordable housing.

Developers, City and Country, told town councillors last week that the scheme had stalled and they were looking for new partners, or to sell on the site to another company.

It has previously been involved in a dispute with the planning authority about affordable homes on the site. Local policy is for up to 35 per cent but the developers argued the majority of the homes would be small and at the lower end of the market – qualifying to be ‘affordable’.

The company is also to submit a planning application for three additional homes – two near the entrance to the car park just off North Square and another by converting a previous store building in Glyde Path Road, (pictured) putting an end to a possible pedestrian route into the development.

The company told Dorchester Town Council planning committee that the conversion of the building to a home would not leave enough room for a pedestrian path from the road through to the prison site.

It had said when the development was first suggested that there would another access, other than through North Square.

Barry Thompson, Vice Chairman of Dorchester Labour Party said: "The company let the town down by refusing to make any of the flats or houses affordable and they may now think they can bamboozle the District Council again. The council needs to stand up for residents of the town for once and either buy the land themselves or work with a responsible developer to build affordable homes. The council must make sure City and Country do not just sit on the land for years and then sell onto another developer at vast profit."

Mr Thompson said that the case illustrates how Conservative housing policies based on trusting developers do not work.

“We need a Labour government that will empower local authorities to build social housing to prevent Dorchester becoming a town dominated by rich retirees,” he said.