PLANS have been submitted for nine new homes on green belt land at Verwood.

The scheme, for detached bungalows at Edmondsham Road, has been submitted to Dorset Council by Land Promotion Group Ltd.

It says the land was formally the rear gardens of properties on the road, one of which is a barn that is set to be converted to two homes.

“Vehicular and pedestrian access will be directly off Edmondsham Road,” the application said. “Suitable visibility splays will be achieved utilising the existing vehicular access point from the adopted highway that is Edmondsham Road.

“The development will have direct pedestrian connectivity to the public footpath that runs along the eastern boundary of the application site, giving good pedestrian links to the existing footpath network.”

How the nine bungalows could be laid out on the site. Picture: Land Promotion Group/Dorset Council

Each of the bungalows would have a minimum of two parking spaces, the plan says, but will not feature any affordable housing, as it falls below the 10-property requirement.

The application says although the site is designated as green belt, it has ‘little benefit’ as such.

“The fundamental aim of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open, serving the purposes of checking unrestricted urban sprawl, prevent towns merging, protect the open countryside from encroachment and assist urban regeneration,” it said.

“It can be seen … that the application site … carries little benefit as green belt.”

The land, in Verwood, is designated ‘green belt’. Picture: Google

For more details on the application, and to comment, log on to www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk and search for application reference P/OUT/2023/01988.