The first phase of a major housing project near a Dorset town could start in 2028 and be finished five years later, developers said.
Plans for the first 500 of 3,500 homes proposed for the North Dorchester Garden Development were outlined in a report sent to Dorset Council.
Grainger plc and Wyatt Homes want to build the development’s first stage and have asked the council to outline what an environment impact assessment will need to cover before a full planning application is submitted.
They say the site will be “designed as a sustainable new community” but hundreds of people protested against building it in October because of the area’s natural beauty.
The first part of the development, north-east of Dorchester and north-west of Stinsford, would cover 27 hectares (67 acres) of the large masterplan site, which measures about 385 hectares (950 acres).
Campaigners previously said there was “no need for the homes and to develop 950 acres of land” that would “ruin the open countryside around the county town”.
They said the countryside had “heritage and cultural significance and important links to Thomas Hardy”.
Dorset Council has proposed using the site for development since 2018 and the project has been part of the government’s Garden Communities Programme since 2019.
The developers said the new community would create a new northern link road for the town, “relieving pressure on the High Street and southern bypass”.
They also said a new public country park would form part of the wider development.
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