Residents are rejoicing after an appeal to build 1700 homes in the village has been rejected by the Planning Inspectorate.

After a two-year-long battle against developers Dudsbury Homes, Alderholt residents have celebrated the final dismissal of plans to build the homes on land south of Ringwood Road.

A spokesperson for campaign group Action4Alderholt said: "The Inspector agreed with our arguments that the local roads are not suitable for the volume of traffic that would be generated.

"Action4Alderholt really did make a difference. Our four weeks of intensive work in Wareham paid off.

"Even better news is that the reasons for refusal could not easily be overcome by any future application."

Dorset Council had rejected Dudsbury Homes' plans in March 2023 which included 10,000 square metres for a business park, a village centre with shops and a primary school.

The inquiry began on June 25 and ended on September 5 with the appeal dismissed by inspector Jonathon Bore who had been appointed by the Secretary of State to the appeal.

In his findings, inspector Mr Bore said: "The additional movements generated by the development would be loaded on to a poor rural road network with seriously negative consequences for highway safety, congestion and inconvenience.

"Alderholt is also a long way from higher order retail, social and community facilities, and from a railway station. The bus service, useful though it would be, would not be able to cater for most of these journeys.

"Whilst the provision of 1,700 homes represents a benefit of great importance, it does not override the fundamental failings of the scheme.”

MP for North Dorset, Simon Hoare, said on social media platform X that it was a 'huge relief' to hear the plans were rejected and called the proposal "grossly out of scale".

A Dorset Council spokesperson said: "Dorset Council is pleased that the Planning Inspectorate has chosen to dismiss this appeal, and that our decision last year to reject the application will stand.

“We recognise the importance of planning for new homes, and remain committed to preparing the new Dorset Council Local Plan, which will seek to identify the most appropriate sites for housing development to meet the area’s needs.”