The next stage of plans to develop a new community next to Dorchester has been given the green light by civic chiefs.

Plans by Liberty Retirement for a new continuing care retirement community called Crown Point on a 1.6-hectare site on the edge of Poundbury were approved by council planners at West Dorset District Council.

Under the proposals, the company are seeking to build around 76 apartments and bungalows together with a communal building.

Alongside this, the residential accommodation will be provided across nine blocks that are between one and four storeys.

Meanwhile, another communal block will be 1.5 stories and will include a cafe, bistro, multi-purpose reception, bar, therapy room, library, multi-purpose activity room and staff facilities.

A public consultation was held on the plans in May last year with a planning application late last year.

A Liberty Retirement spokesman said: “Liberty Crown Point will provide 77 individual homes and new community space specifically designed to accommodate the needs of older people.

“The development provides a carefully-arranged hierarchy of spaces from private to public, providing a high-quality environment.”

It comes after an outline application was granted in December 2011 for the erection of 1,200 dwellings, a new primary school, 2.5 hectares of non-residential development and associated roads, drainage and other infrastructure as part of phase three of the development with phase one and two being approved in 1994.

Poundbury resident and town councillor Tim Harries, who represents Dorchester East on the town council said he was aware of the development and added: “The town council raised no objections to the plan, if we had raised any objections then we would have mentioned them at the planning committee meeting last August.

Natural England also supported the application.

However, the Dorset Waste Partnership expressed concerns that the development would be inaccessible from the public highway and as a result, the developer would have to implement measures to rectify the issue.

Construction is expected to start later this spring.