Securing Dorchester’s future as a thriving regional shopping centre and boosting our economy remains the vision of West Dorset District Council.
A report ‘Dorchester Town Centre Development Potential’ has been produced by retail experts GL Hearn. It outlines possible ways that the centre of Dorchester could be developed. After carefully considering it, the district council has commissioned soft market testing and will open fresh discussions with Historic England.
The market testing will assess demand and help determine how the centre of Dorchester could be made more attractive to shoppers. Historic England have been asked to advise about the archaeology.
Councillor Anthony Alford, Leader of West Dorset District Council, said: “Our aim must be to keep major retailers in Dorchester to secure its economic future as a quality shopping destination.
“We realise any scheme has to be market-led, viable and deliverable whatever economic challenges lie ahead. Nothing is decided, we will first need to carefully consider the results of the market testing and representations from Historic England.
“However, it does seem increasingly likely that any future scheme will need to be simpler and more deliverable. Car parking and preserving our archaeology will be considered as part of any future plan.”
The GL Hearn report, describes Dorchester as “an attractive market town”. It also says development could ‘address the market gaps identified including the ability of existing retailers to upsize’.
The report is available in full at dorsetforyou.gov.uk/dorchester-centre-news
Anyone who would like to keep up-to-date with the project can also sign-up for a free enewsletter at dorsetforyou.gov.uk/e-news.
