More than £2.4 million will be invested into a community as a result of a new 350 home development.

The scheme at Blandford St Mary will see developers put money into public facilities and services.

Bellway is providing the funding as part of the planning agreement for the 350-home project off Bournemouth Road at the southern edge of the town.

The housebuilder secured planning permission for the scheme from North Dorset District Council in January 2020 with construction work getting underway that summer.

The development features homes built under the Bellway and Ashberry Homes brands, both of which are part of the Bellway group.

A total of 207 homes are being delivered at Bellway’s St Mary’s Hill site, with a further 143 properties being built at Ashberry Homes’ neighbouring St Mary’s View.

The largest contribution being made under the terms of the planning agreement is the £2,048,592 Bellway will be providing to fund the expansion and the maintenance of local schools and other educational institutions in the neighbouring town of Blandford Forum.

Other contributions include £250,000 to pay for public facilities at the community hall in the town and £90,000 for the enhancement of the existing North Dorset Trailway link to the north of the site.

A sum of £40,000 will go towards a zebra crossing at Bournemouth Road and £22,500 for a new pedestrian link in the Rosefields area.

Kim Caldwell, Sales Director at Bellway Wessex, said: “With an investment of more than £2.4 million in vital local facilities and services for Blandford St Mary and the surrounding area, our development is delivering far more than much-needed new homes in the town.

“The funding we are providing to North Dorset District Council will boost spending on the schools, transport networks, community facilities and public spaces that will be used by the new residents of our developments as well as their neighbours."

A total of 269 properties across the two sites are being built for sale on the open market, with the remaining 81 being provided as affordable housing for local people through shared ownership and low-cost renting.