A site visit to look at a plot for five homes off East Street, Beaminster has not been held because of Covid restrictions.

The visit would have been the first for six months after councillors asked for it at their area planning committee in early July.

Instead councillors will now base their decision on the next best option – a video of the site shot by a planning officer.

Councillors asked to see the site for themselves after being unable to come to a conclusion after looking at photographs and plans for the site at 82 East Street, which involves the demolition of an existing bungalow.

A planning committee meeting this week is being recommended to approve the application subject to the payment of more than £4,200 for off-site ecological mitigation and to agreeing a range of details between the developer and the chief planning officer.

At the last meeting there were two hours of discussion mainly around highway safety, but also fears of overlooking and drainage.

The homes, in two terraces, are proposed using an existing access, with the plot running to the rear between 60 and 90 East Street.

A petition and more than forty comments had been lodged opposing the plans together with several individual letters and a formal objection from the town council.

Plans for the three 3-bed and two 4-beds homes have been changed since first lodged with the council with the two blocks moved further away from neighbouring homes and some house end walls designed with no windows, or small windows, to avoid overlooking.

A petition signed by residents in East Street, Woodswater and Hollymoor Lane said they oppose the scheme because of the ‘obvious and apparent danger’ of the narrow road and restricted entrance to the site and the extra burden on what the petition describes as a ‘dated’ sewage system.

Letters also said that the site was higher than some homes in East Street which would result in overlooking and that the 14 car parking spaces, including two garages, would lead to unacceptable levels of additional traffic.

Illustration - East Street site plan