RESIDENTS have the chance to grill developers about the £60million Charles Street project in Dorchester.

Members of the Simons Development team will be manning a kiosk in the Tudor Arcade this week and answering questions about the plans.

They will be in the former JAG unit of the arcade from today until Saturday displaying the planning application for the shops, office and hotel development, which would also house West Dorset District Council’s new £10million offices.

The Simons ‘information event’ comes after residents set up a stall in South Street telling people how they can object to the development.

Mark Newton, development director at Simons, said: “This exhibition is to enable people to view the planning application for the Charles Street Project and ask questions of the development team.

“We have consulted widely on the proposals before we submitted a planning application, so this event is for people to find out more information.

“This is a really exciting project for Simons and we have been encouraged by the level of interest which it has created.

“It’s an opportunity to create a real step change for the town.”

The sessions were welcomed by Derek Beauchamp, the chairman of Dorchester Civic Society.

“The more they consult people, the better. This is a good move,” he said.

Mr Beauchamp, who is still reviewing the application to give an official civic society response, said he expects the kiosk will prove popular.

“They will get a hard time from some people.

“It’s such a big subject and it concerns me when people rush to make short-term judgements.”

The kiosk will be open from 10am to 5pm today, tomorrow and Wednesday, from 1pm to 8pm on Thursday, from 10am to 5pm on Friday and from 10am to noon on Saturday.

Comments can be made on the application until Friday by visiting www.dorsetforyou.com Members of the public are invited to a meeting of Dorchester Town Council to be held in the council chamber in the Corn Exchange building tomorrow at 7pm to discuss the application.