A building consortium is one step closer to finalising its blueprint for the massive North Dorchester development.
Grainger Plc and Wyatt Homes want to build up to 3,750 homes on 897 acres of fields at Cokers Frome and the surrounding area, between Stinsford and Charminster.
They have submitted a preliminary report to seek the opinion of Dorset Council, before they go further with the planning application.
This is likely to include schools, shops and a cemetery, as well as community, health and leisure centres.
A new road is expected to relieve town centre congestion by linking the A35 and A37.
Angry locals have nicknamed the scheme ‘Norchester’ and held protests, describing it as an “act of cultural vandalism on the Hardy landscape”.
The consortium’s report acknowledges there could be “potential impacts on the literary landscape associated with Thomas Hardy’s life and works”.
However, developers hope to deliver benefits with a new Hardy Trail through the proposed Frome Valley country park, connecting to the Hardy Way.
The report goes on to say other potential risks include losing rural views and the night skies being obscured by more street lighting.
Protected wildlife such as bats, dormice, water vole, breeding birds, reptiles and birds will need to be considered.
There could be additional pollution and noise, as well as increased traffic.
Developers also note the need to be mindful of archaeological features on the site including a barrow cemetery, a possible Roman road, three deserted medieval villages and historic water meadows.
Dorset Council’s response to this report will help shape the next milestone in the planning process, as Grainger Plc and Wyatt Homes move onto their environmental impact assessment. The developers say comments from the public will be considered where appropriate.
If the project gets the green light, building could start in 2028, with the project taking up to 20 years to be completed.
n The scoping report can be seen on the Dorset Council website using the reference numbers P/ESP/2025/ 07593 and P/ESP/2025/ 07599.
n A series of public consultation events and a webinar was due to be hosted by the developers this month, but were postponed at the last minute. It is not known whether recent flooding contributed to that decision.