AN ACRE of land at New Zealand in Bridport town centre is up for sale for nearly £1 million.

West Dorset District Council wants 15 homes built there and is insisting that five must be affordable homes.

However, residents are already concerned about access to the site, particularly for emergency vehicles. They say Folly Mill Lane, which leads to it, is narrow with only a tiny pavement on one side.

Sarah Wilkins, of New Zealand Terrace, said work was carried out recently including the placing of huge white boulders, wire fencing and ditches effectively removing emergency service access to South Mill Lane.

She said: "The land has become rather a 'thorn in the side' of West Dorset District Council, due to vehicular access difficulties. It is time-consuming, and rather tricky, to leave Church Street around 9am on a weekday morning due to the amount of traffic entering Folly Mill Lane. We would like the residents of South Mill Lane, Church Street, New Zealand Terrace, South Island Mews and Folly Mill Lane to be allowed a say in what will happen to this plot."

She said an option may be to set up something like a charitable trust to turn the land into a park or nature reserve.

Joan Riley who has lived facing the site for nine years, has petitioned to stop it becoming an extension to the South Street car park. She said that years ago she was told the land had been promised to a developer.

West Dorset District Council technical services manager Steve Woollard said: "The new West Dorset District Local Plan allocates this land for housing development."

Around 50 affordable homes will be provided on the Flaxhayes site according to the Local Plan.

West Dorset District Council Director of corporate resources Adrian Stuart said: "If the New Zealand site were developed that would secure at least five affordable homes.

"The rest of the site was, until recently, allocated as car parking in the local plan. However, the independent inspector appointed by the Government to conduct the public inquiry into the local plan recommended that this use be removed, so the land has no designation at the moment."