Welcome

Wyatt Homes and landowner Charborough Estate are working together to deliver the objectives of the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan for land at Back Lane and North Street. This website provides information on the emerging proposals for both sites. 

Wyatt Homes have been selected by the Charborough Estate as their preferred developer to work with the local community in delivering the Neighbourhood Plan objectives for the two sites.

Wyatt Homes is a long-established traditional house builder, with a passion for designing and building properties of superior quality. They have a strong presence in Dorset, where the business was established, delivering successful schemes across county, including the collection of cottages at Griffins Gardens in Bere Regis village.

Elsewhere in Dorset they have collaborated with local communities and landowners to deliver essential new facilities and homes, including a community hall at Charminster, allotments and a football ground in Wimborne, and a primary school in Milborne St. Andrew.

Further afield, the award-winning development at Brimsmore in Yeovil, Somerset has created a distinct, new character area for the town, and their partnership with the Ashfield Estate in Romsey, Hampshire is establishing new communities with place making at its heart.

The sites are two of five identified by the community through the Neighbourhood Plan for housing in Policy BR7:

• Land at Back Lane for approximately 55 homes
• Land at North Street for approximately 12 homes

The Neighbourhood Plan policy objectives for the sites include:

• Affordable housing for local needs
• Drainage strategy to mitigate potential flood risk
• Landscaping to support biodiversity and integrate development with the countryside
• Noise attenuation to address the adjacent A35 corridor
• Sympathetic designs to reflect local character

The Back Lane site is of sufficient size to require a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) as set out in Policy BR2 of the Neighbourhood Plan. The SANG will provide an alternative area of open space for new and existing residents to enjoy. The intention of the SANG is to avoid damage to local heathland areas that might be caused by increased visitor numbers.

Land at Back Lane compromises approximately 1.8 hectares. A summary of the key site opportunities and constraints identified is set out below. Site survey and assessment work is still ongoing, and will continue to inform the proposals as they evolve.

Topography & Views:

The higher ground presents attractive outward views to the surrounding landscape, with distinctive views to the village church and chapel. The topography also requires a sensitive design response in terms of development positioning and water management, as well as building scale and materials to limit the visual impact.

Connections & SANG:

The proposed SANG will provide a significant community and ecological resource with opportunities for the development to provide inviting connections directly to the village. New and existing trees and hedgerows can provide a natural, green character to these connections, which should be overlooked by new homes to feel safe.

Heritage & Ecology:

The setting of the Conservation Area is a key consideration, with the need to preserve the rural character qualities of Back Lane, and the opportunity to reinforce the linear and terraced built form character of West Street. Ecology corridors, within retained landscape features and where lighting can be controlled, will need to be incorporated to ensure protected species still utilise the site.

Boundaries & A35:

Established tree and hedgerow boundaries can preserve the rural character. New planting and potential for a raised landscaped bund can help to strengthen the landscape edge and provide noise / visual screening to the A35. Secure boundaries can adjoin existing dwellings and respect privacy.

Back Lane: Design principles

Our initial design concept for land at Back Lane is for the creation of a new village neighbourhood connected to the heart of Bere Regis and shaped by the site and surrounding area. The following design principles have informed our approach:

A connected network of lanes and green corridors, containing retained and new tree and hedgerow planting provide attractive routes encouraging access to the adjoining SANG, amenity spaces and wider countryside. They will provide protective areas for ecology and heritage settings. Bands of new planting along the contours will break up the development mass from inward views and sensitively assimilate proposals with the landscape. New planting and potential for a raised landscape bund feature along the edge to the A35 will protect dwellings from traffic noise.

Designed surface water drainage features will prioritise water infiltration into the ground close to source. Initial testing results support the use of soakaways located within the proposed gardens, courtyards, and open spaces. Open swales, cut off channels and ponds can also be used to slow and direct water flow while providing biodiversity benefits. The drainage strategy will provide for large storm events (1 in 100 year return period) with an increased rainfall intensity to allow for climate change (45%). Access and street alignments are designed in response to the site topography to ensure acceptable gradients and minimised ground excavations.

A central green spine defines a welcoming arrival. Streets and spaces fronted by new homes with key corners marked by focal buildings. Courtyard spaces conceal car parking from the public realm and the sensitive site edges. Streets reinforce a sense of place with views out to distinctive village buildings and the countryside. A low scale ‘barn courtyard’ will reflect the established rural edge character. Vehicular access will be from West Street, preferably from the western edge of the village to help preserve the character of Back Lane. Pedestrian and cycle connections will be made to West Street, Back Lane and the proposed SANG. Every home will have dedicated parking. There will be provision for electric vehicle charging and cycle parking.

The site frontage presents an opportunity for a centrally positioned street connection to West Street. Significant ground level excavations however are likely to be needed to achieve an adoptable street gradient in this location. This approach would also require more trees to be removed and would break through the historic Back Lane corridor. The preferred approach is therefore to provide a street connection (as shown above), still from West Street but positioned to the western end of village. This proposal is supported by Dorset Council highways, and can also help manage site strategies for construction traffic and drainage.

Back Lane: Illustrative masterplan

An illustrative layout has been prepared to demonstrate how the Back Lane site could be developed in response to the initial analysis and design principles to meet the objectives of the Neighbourhood Plan. Further technical testing and your feedback will help us to finalise the site proposals.

Land at North Street compromises approximately 0.6 hectares. A summary of the key site opportunities and constraints identified is set out below. Site survey and assessment work is still ongoing, and will continue to inform the proposals as they evolve.

Heritage & Ecology:

The bank and hedgerows fronting North Street are recognised as important features in the setting to the Conservation Area and the character of this historic village approach route. Retaining these features would aid the integration of development, support ecology, and help reinforce a rural appearance at the site frontage. Retained boundary trees and other hedgerows with offsets to protected ecological corridors will also need to be preserved.

Topography & Views:

The slightly elevated site position above North Street, creates the opportunity for distinctive views out over the retained frontage hedgerow and across the opposite sports ground. The gentle slope up the site also affords attractive views westwards towards Snow Hill, creating the potential for
positive frontages on both sides. As with the Back Lane site, the topography also demands a design response sensitive to the setting of the Conservation Area and views in from the countryside.

Access & Utilities:

An access connection can be made through a remade junction of Snow Hill Lane with North Street, with an opportunity to retain the established green and rural edge character (subject to detailed designs). The existing pedestrian route and connection direct from North Street will be retained. Overhead power lines crossing the site would need to be diverted underground, and an easement offset to the water main crossing the site frontage respected or for it to be diverted.

North Street: Design principles

Our initial design concept for land at North Street is for a natural extension of the village along North Street, protecting the bank and hedgerow and reflecting the adjacent Conservation Area and village edge rural character. The following design principles have informed our approach:

Landscape corridors retained along the frontage with setbacks to preserve the existing bank, trees and hedgerow to North Street. Existing hedgerow and tree belt along the southern boundary is also preserved alongside the public right of way (PROW) to form a green corridor connection to the SANG. Opportunities for ecology and pedestrian connections created and new planting belts to soften the visual impact of development.

As with the Back Lane site, surface water drainage will be managed by designed features that prioritise water infiltration into the ground close to source. Initial testing results support the use of soakaways located within the proposed gardens, courtyards, and open spaces. Open swales, cut off channels and ponds can also be used to slow and direct water flow while providing biodiversity benefits. The drainage strategy will provide for large storm events (1 in 100 year return period) with an increased rainfall intensity to allow for climate change (45%). Access and street alignments are designed in response to the site topography to ensure acceptable gradients and minimised ground excavations

Low scale group of cottages address the North Street frontage with an opportunity for a feature thatch cottage to define the site corner and public right of way entrance. Dwellings set back behind the hedgerow and footpath route. Perimeter block arrangement enabling positive frontages and outward views on each side. Vehicular access from North Street via Snow Hill and pedestrian connections to the south. Every home will have dedicated parking, either on plot or within rear parking courts. There will be provision for electric vehicle charging. Each home will also have cycle parking.

The Neighbourhood Plan guidance is to position dwellings at same level of North Street. Initial testing highlights how this would require the removal of the existing green bank and hedgerow, and for split level houses to then step into the slope (as shown opposite). This approach may not be feasible for the on plot soakaway drainage strategy and would require the existing water main to be diverted. We are continuing to explore all options, but our preference is to position dwellings to front the hedge at the existing site ground level, and retain the bank and green village edge character setting to the Conservation Area.

North Street: Illustrative masterplan

An illustrative layout has been prepared to demonstrate how the North Street site could be developed in response to the analysis and design principles to meet the objectives of the Neighbourhood Plan. Further technical testing and your feedback will help us to finalise the site proposals.

Green infrastructure & sustainability

Green spaces will support informal recreation, play and biodiversity. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) will manage water and reduce flood risk. Energy efficiency construction will help climate change mitigation.

Connected & distinctive

The two sites and proposed SANG will help strengthen the physical connections for the community, and continue a network of attractive green routes and focal spaces that feel safe, and prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. The form and character of the development will respond to the local area, its history, built form, people, and landscape.

Planning preparation stages

Below is a summary of the key stages in the planning process in preparing applications for the two sites at Bere Regis for submission in Autumn 2023. You may already be aware of some of the works being carried out on site, with a number of technical studies being undertaken.