The details of a plan for almost 300 homes at a Chickerell housing site come before West Dorset planners this week.

The 30-acre site at Bank and Ridge Farms to the west of School Hill already has outline permission for 292 homes, granted to C G Fry and Sons Ltd earlier in the year.

Committee members are being asked at a meeting on Thursday, December 6 to agree what is known as “reserved matters” which includes some of the details of landscaping, appearance and scale.

The majority of the homes on the site will be three-bed with 51 private four-bed homes and four private five-bed properties.

Just over 100 of the homes will be for social housing, with 30 one-bed, 46 two-bed, 24 three-bed and two four-bed.

Planning officers say the scale of the scheme and materials proposed reflects those on the adjoining Chesil Bank development and are generally two stories high which they say is acceptable.

Chickerell town council has raised no objection, although it says it wants to see all ponds having protective fencing.

Three letters raised concerns about potential flooding which they feared could be caused in the event of an overspill from the drainage pond being built to the rear of 19 North Square; about the effects of extra cars on North Square and West and East Streets; lack of pavements in West Street and fears that the main route through the site could become a ‘rat run’ from School Hill and Coldharbour Lane through to the B3157 coast road via Courage Way.