A CONTROVERSIAL plan to create a 'refugee village' up to 40 caravans for Ukrainian refugees in has been refused planning permission.

The proposal, from the Bryanston Estate and the Rothermere Foundation, split opinion in Blandford – with claims that the Deer Park site is unsuitable for any housing, even temporary, while others argued that everything possible should be done to support the refugees.

After Dorset Council failed to decide the 2022 planning application within eight weeks the decision went to a Planning Inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State.

His ruling was to refuse planning consent on the grounds that residential caravans are not a suitable use for the area, close to the town centre, the leisure centre and within the conservation area. The site is pasture land on the western edge of Blandford Forum close to the River Stour.

Said the Inspector Mr Neil Pope: “It has not been demonstrated that there is an overriding need for these to be located beyond the defined settlement boundary for Blandford and within the countryside. Whilst it is a laudable aim to try and provide accommodation for refugees, it is very far from certain that the proposal is the only way of achieving this. Furthermore, although some Ukrainian refugees may already be living within the local area and/or others hoping to reside here, there is no cogent evidence before me to demonstrate that the proposal is reflective of any local need.”

Dorset Council planning officers said had they made a decision on the application it would have been to refuse, on similar grounds as the Inspector,  in addition to the flood risk to the site and the effects on a nearby colony of Greater Horseshoe bats.

Included in the proposals were plans to convert redundant farm buildings for use by the refugees, including one to be adapted as a community centre.

The Inspector said that, to some extent, he shared local concerns about the number of refugees likely to be housed in the area over a five-year period: “Forty caravans is not an insubstantial number of residential units to provide on one site. Unlike the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme where refugees live with a host, it is unclear to me what, if any, mechanism or support would be in place to help foster social interaction with the existing community. Whilst my decision does not turn on this particular matter, I share the concerns of some interested parties that such a large concentration of refugees on this site would be at odds with the Government’s objective of promoting social interaction.”

Said the Inspector after visiting the site: “this area is predominantly open land provides a very attractive parkland-like and picturesque setting to Blandford Forum. It also forms part of the charming valley pasture that provides a pleasing contrast to the wooded hillside of ‘The Cliff’. The appeal site makes a small, but positive, contribution to the setting of this part of the Dorset National Landscape… the proposed 40 caravans, associated hard standings, tracks, children’s play areas, external lighting, comings-and-goings of residents, as well as service/delivery traffic, would markedly change the character and appearance of the site and the contribution it makes to the settings of the town and the Dorset National Landscape area.”