PUBLIC objections have been made to an outline plan for 36 homes off Mandeville Road, Weymouth.

An outline planning consent for the site, east of the road, has been submitted to Dorset Council with public comments on the proposal open until December 10t.

A previous, larger, application for the site was refused in 2019.

To date almost 20 comments have been lodged with Dorset Council about the application – most objecting.

Several have argued that it would be detrimental to the Heritage Coast and nearby sites of Special Scientific Interest and to local wildlife including sparrow hawks, kestrels and barn owls which are said to often hunt in the field with badgers and deer also seen.

Added pressure on local services and additional traffic on the roads was raised by another objector: “A lot more infrastructure needs to be put in place for the amount of residents to live in Weymouth. We already have 600 houses being built by Betterment Homes on Curtis Fields. In Chickerell we have in excess of 1,000 houses and 37 homes on Value House.”

Wessex Water has lodged a holding objection to the proposals telling Dorset Council that one of the drawings “clearly shows a clash between the 4 bungalows on the boundary with Mandeville Road and the required easements for the existing pumping station, the foul sewer and rising main.”

The new application shows two designs for three-bed terraced homes and  three-bed bungalows.

One illustration shows four bungalows and a new road access off Mandeville Road and two lines of houses running parallel to Mandeville Close, in blocks of two, with a road between them.

The site is currently an open field on the approach to the former Value House store site, which is currently being developed for housing.

Agents, Planning Base Ltd, say the proposal would not be an isolated or sporadic development but would in-fill the section between an existing bungalow to the north-west and the Mandeville Close.

They say the proposal will not affect the wildlife in the area and ensure that dog walkers can continue to use the majority of the field.

A previous application in the area for 91 homes was refused in March 2019 for a number of reasons, including the fear that the development would effectively merge Wyke Regis and Lanehouse, the impact on the Heritage Coast, drainage fears and the effect the number of homes would have on the ecology of the area.

Agents Planning Base say the reduced number of homes would maintain a ‘green buffer’ between the two settlements and respect the sensitive character of the landscape.

The full details of the proposal, which is at this stage only an ‘in principle’ application can be viewed on the Dorset Council website, reference 20/003238, where comments can also be made on the proposals.