PLANS to convert part of a former builder’s merchant site in Dorchester into serviced apartments has been refused, despite no objections to the proposals, as planning bosses said it should be retained for employment.

The homes, on the former Gibbs & Dandy site in Maumbury Road, were designed for short-term lets, including Air B&B use, together with a ground floor office.

The ‘in principal’ proposals planned to convert the two former agricultural warehouses and add an extension to create nine apartments on the site.

The developers claim it could create seven part-time jobs.

Dorchester town council raised no objection to the changes and one neighbour wrote to support the application although it would result in her property being overlooked.

Dorset Council planning officers have now rejected the application arguing that the site should be retained for employment use as part of the larger industrial estate which lies behind it.

A report says that there was insufficient evidence to support the claim that there was no demand for using the site for employment use and the council’s economic development team say there has been 189 enquiries in Dorchester over the past five years requiring the type of industrial buildings which exist on the site.

Dorset Echo: How the site looks today Picture: Trevor BevinsHow the site looks today Picture: Trevor Bevins

Said a planning officer report: “In the absence of any detailed marketing evidence, the proposal would result in the loss of allocated employment premises for which there is no overriding justification. The design of the building would result in significant harm to the character and appearance of the existing building and the surrounding area. The proposal would also result in less than substantial harm to the conservation area and the non-designated warehouse, this harm is not outweighed by any public benefits arising from the development.”

Developers Limon Homes Ltd, from Luton, had proposed six car spaces, accessed from the existing gated entrances off Maumbury Road.

The proposals included adding a second floor structure between the existing dual roof slopes of the main building.

The application claimed the change to services apartments for short to intermediate lets would support the local tourist industry and also provide short-term accommodation for visiting professionals working in the area.

It has been previously reported that it would have cost more than £1million to bring the Gibbs & Dandy site up to date – at a time when the business was described as a “serial loss maker.