Frequently Asked Questions
Following our public event and online engagement in July 2022, Dudsbury Homes wishes to provide responses to some of the key comments raised on the proposals by the local community and groups.
Dudsbury Homes
Who are Dudsbury Homes?
Dudsbury Homes is based in Dorset. Its management team has significant experience of delivering developments that have contributed to the creation of great places across the South of England. This experience includes:
- Dorset Green H2 project providing the South West’s first hydrogen production facility, using solar power to generate green hydrogen fuel alongside other Renewable energy production at Canford Resource Park in Poole
- Planning Consent for 695 new homes at Canford Park in Poole and for 324 new homes at Canford Paddock in Poole, alongside 16,000m2 of low carbon employment space.
- Planning and delivery of a comprehensive expansion of a Doctor’s Surgery and pharmacy in Wimborne.
- Planning consent and management of key infrastructure for over 300 new homes and 2.5Ha of employment land in Hampshire.
- Planning and delivery of key infrastructure for over 2,500 new homes together with a 3 form entry primary school and associated commercial/retail uses at Millbrook Park in Mill Hill, London.
- The construction, operation and ongoing expansion of the popular Canford Park SANG
- The ongoing operation of waste management for Dorset at the Canford Resource Park, Poole.
- The delivery of premier leisure and sporting venues in Dorset and Hampshire, including Remedy Oak Golf Club, Tower Park in Poole and The Ageas Bowl
- Significant and critical infrastructure works delivered through partnerships with Electricity, Water and Gas companies, including the delivery of 250km of drinking water mains with Wessex Water.
- Local Developments in Ferndown, Wimborne, Verwood as well as award winning development in Sturminster Newton and Gillingham.
- Development projects in Tisbury, Christchurch, and Throop.
- Planning Consent for the largest new town in Hampshire.
Not only does Dudsbury Homes’ management have the experience of delivering significant developments it is partnering with a wide range of renowned businesses who would, subject to planning permission, deliver elements of the vision for Alderholt Meadows.
Our delivery partners include some of the most trusted names in the development industry, including:
- CG Fry & Son – Traditional house builder and placemaker
- Crest Nicholson – Leading property developer
- Magna Homes – local Housing Association
- McCarthy & Stone – Developer of Retirement Homes
- AHH – Affordable Housing and Healthcare Group
- Kubo Homes – Sustainable design
Dudsbury Homes is also in detailed discussions with Homes England, the Government’s housing accelerator, who are keen to assist in delivering our vision for Alderholt Meadows, including with infrastructure funding, to enable the delivery of better homes and communities across Dorset.
How will Dudsbury Homes manage the site beyond the planning process?
Dudsbury Homes is committed to the long-term stewardship and management Alderholt Meadows to ensure the high-quality design and management of common areas.
The SANG and public open space will be retained by Dudsbury Homes or an appointed estate management company who will be responsible for their operation and maintenance in perpetuity. The management may also extend to some of the roads, drainage, parks, parking strategy and public realm as part of a wider estate management provision.
An estate office will be located in the community hub to manage the common infrastructure and act as a hub for community liaison, event management and to coordinate the phased build out of the infrastructure and new homes across the estate.
Environment
Current planning policy requirements identify a need for Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) to be provided for every new residential dwelling in south east Dorset. The purpose of a SANG is to provide an area of open natural greenspace to help reduce and divert recreational pressures that may otherwise arise on protected landscapes.
In the case of Alderholt, Dudsbury Homes is proposing to deliver multiple large areas of SANG to provide an alternative recreational destination to the nearby Dorset Heathlands, and these areas will incorporate diverse wildlife habitats including wildflower grassland, wetland and woodland.
As well as protecting important landscapes, SANGs also provide a fantastic resource for people to spend time with friends and family and connecting with the natural environment, this type of recreation is shown to promote wellbeing and will encourage social exercise.
Members of Dudsbury Homes management team were behind the delivery of the extremely popular SANG at Canford Park in Poole. Canford Park SANG has proved to be a huge success with approximately 100,000 people visiting the SANG during 2022, who would otherwise be spending leisure time at protected environments and would inadvertently impact important habitats in these locations.
Significant new areas of SANG (Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace) will provide the residents of Alderholt with access to new informal recreation areas. Discussions with Natural England have led to the provision of SANG to the north, west and south of the village. It will intercept trips to Cranborne Common and provide connections from the development that will link back to the existing village. It will act as a buffer to important wildlife sites.
SANG also presents an opportunity to turn poor agricultural land into a significant wildlife opportunity. The SANG land will be made available for nature improvement projects to support increased biodiversity.
Overall the proposals will provide significantly more public open space than is required in planning policy, comprising an additional 3.8 hectares of public open space above the policy requirement.
Environmental Impact Statement
The future planning application will include an Environmental Impact Assessment, including a non-technical summary. The planning application will be part of the public record and available on the Dorset Council website.
Biodiversity
The Environment Act, when implemented, will set out a requirement for new development to provide in excess of 10% biodiversity net gain.
The Alderholt Meadows development will surpass the required level of biodiversity gain.
Biodiversity net gain is measured across habitats, hedgerows and ditches which all provide important biodiversity functions. The proposed Alderholt Meadows development will provide a biodiversity net gain of 13.16% in habitats; 10.74% in hedgerows and 69.80% in ditches.
Infrastructure delivery
To make Alderholt a sustainable settlement it is imperative that infrastructure to support the future population of Alderholt is provided. Dudsbury Homes is committed to a scale of development which will enable the development to fund the provision of meaningful infrastructure delivery alongside new housing, which will not only meet the needs of new residents, but also provides much needed services and facilities for existing Alderholt residents.
Dudsbury Homes is committed to delivering a £70 Million investment, providing:
- Up to 35% affordable housing across a range of tenures, including shared ownership, affordable rent and First Homes
- Age-appropriate housing, including a new care home adjacent to the new Village Centre
- Undertaking an Educational Review exploring either; significant expansion of the existing St. James First School; or, establishing a direct connection to The Burgate School, effectively eliminating the need for the current 1-hour bus rides.
- A new Medical Centre to be delivered in partnership with a local practitioner
- Over 53 hectares of Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace (SANG), equivalent in area to over 70 football pitches.
-
Over 11 hectares of further Parks and green corridors, including an additional 5 hectare (12 acre) extension to the recreation ground and 1.5 hectares of allotments.
- A new Monday-Saturday hourly bus service travelling from Cranborne-Alderholt-Fordingbridge-Ringwood, funded for the first 7 years
- Full fibre connection for the entire development
- Solar arrays providing locally sourced renewable energy
- A commitment to a low carbon energy strategy for the development
- A31 junction improvement
- Over 7 miles of new cycle routes and footpath connections
- Highway improvements beyond the development boundary (see Connectivity page)
- Proactive management of public spaces through on-site estate management creating an economic footprint for the development and the wider Alderholt Area
The final specification and timing of new infrastructure to be delivered as part of the Alderholt Meadows development will be agreed through the planning process with Dorset Council and secured through a legal agreement, called a Section 106 agreement, which will legally link the provision of new housing to the delivery of infrastructure at specific trigger points.
Education
We have held discussions with local education providers and listened to views from the community and we are committed to invest in the best possible education for children in Alderholt.
After exploring options for a new school as part of the development proposals, we understand that St James’ School wishes to instead invest in its current site. To do this in a meaningful way the school needs to ensure there is a viable future supply of pupils. The proposed Alderholt Meadows development will provide this security and Dudsbury Homes will be legally committed to facilitate and fully fund all expansion requirements.
Feedback from our community engagement highlighted challenges in the educational experience for children in Alderholt, particularly due to the daily commutes to Wimborne for secondary education. These commutes not only inconvenience but also socially isolate the children from Alderholt.
In response, Alderholt Meadows proposes an Educational Review exploring either significant expansion of the existing St. James First School or enhancement by establishing a direct and practical connection to The Burgate School, effectively eliminating the need for the current 1-hour bus rides.
The Education Review will assess the feasibility of either transitioning to a two-tier educational system (with connection to The Burgate) or significant investment into the existing First School. These plans will cater to the evolving needs of the community and are aligned with the Council’s updated educational policies.
Medical Services
Many people commented that a new Doctor’s surgery would require a population of circa 20,000 people. Having engaged with local practitioners this is not correct and from a development and funding perspective, there is no barrier to the provision of a centre that caters for GPs and other complementary services as part of Alderholt Meadows.
At the present time, most of Alderholt residents currently travel to The Fordingbridge GP practice for GP services. Discussions have therefore been on-going with The Fordingbridge GP practice who have confirmed that should the population of Alderholt grow significantly, they would be a willing partner to take up a dedicated health centre in Alderholt as an extension to their existing operations, providing a range of clinical and complementary services here in Alderholt.
A new Doctor’s Surgery in Alderholt would not only be a hub for GP services, but also provide space for other practitioners such as physiotherapists to deliver a health facility where residents need them. A dental practice and pharmacy have also committed to providing services in Alderholt
Transport
Dudsbury Homes undertook road capacity modelling in 2019 in liaison with Dorset Council. The Council has published a paper which includes our work and is available on the authority’s website. It concludes that the road network can accommodate up to 1700 new homes without any implications for the network in capacity terms.
Whilst the proposed development will obviously result in an increase in journeys, existing traffic levels are very low and consequently the highway network is underutilised. The current traffic generated from Alderholt does not head in or out in only one direction. Instead the traffic is spread across different routes to access other locations.
Analysis has been undertaken of trip generation and vehicle movements that the development will generate. The number of trips generated will be less than that generated by a purely residential scheme. This is because the provision of services and facilities will result in the need for fewer trips than would otherwise be made as people will be able to draw on the provision of new facilities and amenities within Alderholt.
Junction modelling has been undertaken that shows that the junctions in Alderholt, Fordingbridge and at the A31 would operate within capacity, once mitigation works to improve capacity are taken into account. Aside from the site access points, the highway works proposed are in central Fordingbridge and at the A31 junction.
Resolving pinch points
Analysis of the accident record shows that the majority are likely to be a result of driver error, rather than any identified deficiency in the road layout. However, during our public events it was clear that pinch points on roads to and from Alderholt were of concern. We have therefore reviewed the three key routes out of Alderholt (B3078 west to Cranborne, B3078 east to Fordingbridge and Harbridge Drove south towards A31) to determine whether widening is required for vehicles to pass, and if so the specific locations.
This work was originally based on Ordnance Survey mapping, but has since been updated based on a more accurate survey. Cross referencing this with mapping of the public highway boundary shows that widening of the carriageway is deliverable without the need for third party land, subject to review at detailed design stage.
The vehicle trips generated by the proposed development will predominantly generate cars. Some larger vehicles would be generated, for example as a result of the proposed bus route and employment space, however, the volume of these vehicles is not forecast to be high. The proposed widening would help vehicles to pass along the routes to and from Alderholt. As with any works on the public highway, the technical design would need to be approved at a later stage by the highway authority.
A31 improvements
Dudsbury Homes has undertaken detailed discussions with National Highways in relation to improvements to the junction of Verwood Road with the A31.
Even if the proposed development did not come forward, future queueing and delays at the junction would be substantial. The proposed development would increase this, and so a mitigation scheme has been designed, the principles of which have been agreed with National Highways and Dorset Council.
The scheme consists of the signalisation and widening of the eastbound off-slip, as well as signalisation of Verwood Road. This provides extra capacity for vehicles leaving the A31, and also affords the opportunity to provide improved pedestrian and cycle crossings to connect to the Castleman Trailway. Finally, the proposed design includes amendments to the entry to the A31 on slip, to address an existing safety issue.
The proposed highway scheme would operate within capacity, taking into account existing, future, and development traffic flows.
Bus provision
Our discussions with local people have highlighted the lack of sustainable transport options for people currently living in Alderholt.
We will therefore invest in a return bus service running to Fordingbridge and Ringwood, six days a week. The bus service is proposed as half hourly in peak periods and hourly otherwise.
This service has been agreed with a local provider and would be funded by Dudsbury Homes for the first seven years after which time it will be a viable service in its own right. The convenience of an hourly bus service to surrounding settlements will be hugely beneficial to every resident and child of Alderholt.
Utilities, Water and Drainage
Utility services
Dudsbury Homes have approached the local District Network Operators (DNO’s) for electricity and drinking water. Due to changes in building regulations houses will no longer be heated by gas from 2025 and therefore gas services will be limited to non-residential uses on the development.
As well as discussions with network operators, the scale of the development provides the opportunity to bring forward a sustainable energy strategy, including providing on-site renewables that will help reduce the demand on the local utility services and provide attractive commercial energy solutions for future residents.
This has involved detailed and ongoing discussions with Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) for the electricity demand for the development.
Discussions have also been undertaken with Bournemouth Water for the drinking water supply for the development and to understand the proposed point of connection onto the existing water network to serve the development.
Recent changes to legislation mean that Dudsbury Homes will provide a fee for each dwelling to be connected to the water network, the proceeds of which Bournemouth Water are obligated to use to upgrade their network to serve the development. Therefore, any pre-existing or future issues with water pressure in the existing network, will need to be addressed by Bournemouth Water as part of their network.
Sewerage/drainage
Alderholt sits within the River Avon catchment and therefore is subject to the constraints placed on development by the current approach to phosphates. Several options have been considered to address this requirement.
The preferred option is improvements to the local pumping station that would reduce the amount of phosphate discharge and may negate any need for further mitigation.
The Government has recently announced that it is to place a statutory responsibility on sewerage companies to upgrade facilities by 2030. At the same time, it was announced that Natural England would set up a national mitigation scheme from autumn 2022 that would allow development to offset mitigation by the purchase of credits from mitigation schemes. The measures being considered for the Alderholt Meadows development will benefit from the government’s announcement and contribute to the improvement of water quality within the Avon catchment.
The development will include swales and rain gardens to reduce run-off and enhance biodiversity.
Energy Strategy
Alderholt has adopted a holistic approach to sustainable design from the outset, this has incorporated architectural, environmental and energy strategies embedded with sustainable principles to create a unique proposal.
SmartGrids embody a paradigm shift in energy management, operating as self-contained power ecosystems at a smaller scale. They can integrate distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries to balance local energy production and consumption. They offer a cleaner, more sustainable net zero energy alternative by generating power close to where it is used.
A SmartGrid can be incorporated across all uses and its purpose is to benefit the entire community. The SmartGrid will also ensure that as Alderholt Meadows is delivered over the coming years and as technology improves, the system can adapt and embrace new technology developments. For residents and businesses within Alderholt Meadows, the Smartgrid is not just about reliability; it is about actively participating in a greener, more resilient future.
The SmartGrid will provide a lifetime reduction to energy bills for the community, compared to utilising power from the main grid. This is through the creation of on site solar generation of electricity. This will ensure that Alderholt Meadows will ensure that all benefit from “affordable living”.
55% of all electricity used in Alderholt Meadows will be derived from true net zero on site solar generation and battery storage. The remaining 45% can be imported from the main grid and comprise of REGO certified net-zero grid electricity. This will ensure Alderholt Meadows is at the forefront of becoming a sustainable, low carbon, energy efficient and smart community.
Compared to a traditional dual fuel residential unit and all electric home supplied by a SmartGrid will reduce CO2 emissions by 95%.
Electric Vehicle (EV) charging will be provided across the site to meet the growing demand for EV users.