Residents have been warned time is running out for comments and objections to the controversial ‘Norchester’ development.

The North Dorchester Consortium, a partnership between Grainger Plc and Wyatt Homes, wants to build up to 3,750 homes to create the North Dorchester Garden Community (NDGC).

The planning application for the first phase – a scheme named Stinsford Hill Neighbourhood – shows 500 dwellings could spring up on land west of the A35 and east of Slyers Lane.

Mark Damon Chutter (pictured), chair and academic director of the Thomas Hardy Society, described the proposals as ‘absolutely hideous’.

Standing at Blue Bridge, which crosses the River Frome with views out towards Stinsford water meadow, beyond which the scheme is proposed to be built, he added:

“This place of outstanding beauty is immortalised in Hardy’s works, and these plans are a desecration and sacrilege of his literary heritage.

“We must object to the first 500 homes which are planned for this site, and the deadline for that is September 1, which is a Tuesday – immediately after the bank holiday.

“Hardy used to walk on these fields and use them as the setting for his Wessex in his novels and short stories, such as The Three Strangers.

Members of the Thomas Hardy Society, scholars both local and international, are appalled at the threat and loss of this site to Hardy studies.

“This is Hardy country. There’s nowhere else in this country that you can walk from the centre of a county town out to the countryside like this – past Hangman’s Cottage to Blue Bridge, the setting for The Withered Arm.

“We’ve got wildlife here, Roman and Neolithic archaeology ghat needs to be protected. Questions around flooding, the environment and infrastructure have not been adequately addressed in this plan.”

‘Consultation closing’, says North Dorchester Garden Community

A newsletter sent on behalf of the North Dorchester Garden Community also encourages people to register their response by submitting comments on the Stinsford Hill Neighbourhood application.

“Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared information about the proposals and answered many of the questions we’ve received.

CGI image of the proposed Norchester (North Dorchester Garden Community) village centre near Dorchester, Thomas Hardy's home county town, showing traditional-style housing and a high street — www.northdorchester.org.uk

“If you believe the Stinsford Hill Neighbourhood would make a positive contribution to Dorchester, we’d encourage you to take the final step by sharing your views with Dorset Council.

“Planning officers consider both the technical evidence and the comments they receive during the consultation, so positive comments are just as important as objections in helping them understand the full range of local opinion.

“The consultation closes on Tuesday, September 1. If you support the Stinsford Hill planning application, please don’t assume someone else will say so on your behalf.

“Click here to submit your comments now. Thank you for taking the time to stay informed and be part of the planning process.”