A campaigner claims a controversial planning application has already been decided after Dorset County Show announced it is moving sites.
Organisers say they are moving because the show’s current site at Cokers Frome in Dorchester, its home for the past 26 years, is “earmarked for development”.
The Thomas Hardy Society opposes plans for up to 3,750 homes to create the North Dorchester Garden Community (NDGC), nicknamed ‘Norchester’ by locals.
The group fears the development will result in ‘cultural vandalism’ for the literary and archaeological heritage of the county town.
The North Dorchester Consortium, a partnership between Grainger Plc and Wyatt Homes, has submitted a planning application for the first part of the NDGC scheme. Named Stinsford Hill Neighbourhood, it proposes up to 500 homes on land west of the A35 and east of Slyer’s Lane.
They have also sought Dorset Council’s scoping opinion on an environmental assessment for up to 3,600 homes at Cokers Frome and surrounding area.
Thomas Hardy Society questions timing of Dorset County Show move
Thomas Hardy Society chairman Mark Chutter, pictured, says he is sceptical about the timing of the Dorset County Show’s announcement that it is moving to Pigeon House Farm, a few fields away on Slyer’s Lane.
Mark, who is also a member of the campaign group Save The Area north of Dorchester (STAND), added: “This is an example of predetermination of the highest order of Norchester (a housing application to the north of the town which is planned to be larger than Poundbury).
“The plans for development have not been approved so why would the Dorset County Show be moving at such an early stage.
“I remain extremely sceptical regarding this announcement.
“Furthermore, I am appalled at such a statement of predetermination. Believe it or not, we live in a democracy where there should be clear and consistent consultation and due process with the public and with the citizens of Dorchester.
“What, one might ask, is the real motivation behind this move of the Dorchester Show which has been in its current location for 26 years?”
Dorset County Show secretary James Cox rejects suggestions the timing is anything more than coincidence.
He pointed out that the show has been searching for a new home for years, because the future of the land at Cokers Frome has been uncertain for a decade.
Land north of Dorchester was first put forward for development in a 2018 local plan consultation and was included as a proposed allocation in Dorset Council’s draft Local Plan in 2021.
James added: “The long and short of the matter is, Dorset County Show needs long-term security. We have now got its future secured at a new location, on a bigger site, so we can look at building bigger infrastructure.”
A spokesperson for the North Dorchester Consortium said: “The decision to move the Dorset County Show is one for its organisers. The current showground is within the wider North Dorchester masterplan area, but outside the boundary of the Stinsford Hill application.
“Neither Grainger nor Wyatt Homes, as members of the consortium, has held discussions with the organisers about the move, and there is no agreement between them. The wider masterplan has not yet been submitted as a planning application. Any future application will be subject to consultation and due process.
“The current Stinsford Hill application is for Dorset Council to determine.”
A Dorset Council spokesperson said: “The current Dorset County Show site at Cokers Frome is not within the application boundary of planning application P/OUT/2026/03215 (Stinsford Hill Neighbourhood), which is the application currently under consideration by the council.
“However, the showground site does fall within the area identified as part of the wider proposed North of Dorchester Garden Community (NDGC), a much larger potential development area.
“No planning application for the wider NDGC has been submitted to the council at this stage.
“The council can confirm that no decision has been made on application P/OUT/2026/03215.
“The council understands that the Dorset County Show has reached an agreement with private landowners regarding a potential relocation.
“This is a private arrangement between those parties and is entirely separate from the planning process.
“All planning applications are determined through the council’s established planning procedures and are assessed on their individual planning merits, taking account of relevant planning policies, consultation responses and all other material considerations.
“The existence of a private agreement between third parties does not predetermine the outcome of any planning application currently under consideration or any future application that may be submitted.”