Construction of a residential road in north Dorset is complete, paving the way for new homes in south Gillingham.
With the 1.3km road, currently known as Principal Street, in place, the surrounding land will be used for new homes, a primary school, health facilities, sports pitches, play areas, shops and open leisure spaces.
A successful bid by Dorset Council to the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) secured £6.31 million to fund the design of the road and planning approval, and for construction of the road. As part of the agreement, the council will now recover the money from the housing developers for reinvestment in other housing projects across Dorset.
Heidelberg Materials UK built the road for the council, connecting the B3092 New Road and B3081 Shaftesbury Road. Construction incorporated services for utilities, water, and drainage, so it is ready for the development of housing.
The road will be adopted by Dorset Council, with the council taking responsibility for its maintenance. There will be no through-access along the new road until Redrow Homes has completed its first phase of housing development. This includes building a junction at the eastern end of Principal Street onto Shaftesbury Road
Redrow Homes will construct 961 homes on the site initially, including 25% affordable housing.
The road will have a 30mph speed limit, and a shared-use off-road cycleway/footway will run along each side of the carriageway, offering a safe and sustainable alternative to the car.
By working closely with Heidelberg, Dorset Council was able to keep the carbon impact of the road’s construction to a minimum. This included stabilising existing soils for the foundations, and crushing Dorset Council construction waste materials. This formed a cement bound granular material for the base layer, saving over 6000 tonnes of old concrete kerbs and road materials from going to landfill.
Low-energy technology was used to form the binder and surface course enabling the asphalt (tarmac-like surface) to be produced at 40 degrees Celsius less than traditional methods.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:
“Construction of this important link road has been a success in partnership and innovation. Through securing government funding for its construction that we will re-use for other housing development projects, and harnessing Hanson’s latest construction methods to minimise the carbon impact, innovation has been at the forefront of this scheme.
“I am delighted to see the road’s completion, unlocking the vital infrastructure to support the development of homes.”
Cllr David Walsh, Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:
“This marks a significant milestone in enabling much needed homes and community facilities. We are committed to providing affordable housing and essential facilities, and this road will play a crucial role in achieving that vision.”
Steve Reece, Infrastructure Grants Manager at Homes England, said “We are committed to working with ambitious local authority partners, such as Dorset Council, to create new homes and regenerate places that meet local needs and aspirations.
This funding has enabled vital infrastructure to support a new thriving community and will help the council bring forward more affordable homes and community assets that enhance the local area.”
In the photograph (left to right): Emma Baker, Project Team Manager, Highways, Dorset Council; Cllr David Walsh, Portfolio Holder for Planning; Steve Reece, Manager – Infrastructure Grants Project Management, Homes England; Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways; and Vinny Veness, Major Projects, Hanson Contracting
961!!!!! Gillingham will be totally log jammed
Road infrastructure is one visible requirement but can you confirm that the electricity distribution infrastructure will be adequate to cope with all the houses in the new estate being equipped with heat pumps and roof top PV. Are there any plans to make the developer equip some or all of the new properties with low carbon features like these?
Dr Erik, currently there is very little we can insist on during the planning process for low carbon features etc This will come into effect when the leveliing up and regeneration Bill is made law. But we currently have a consultation on documents that will act as guidance for developers https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2023/05/09/have-your-say-on-planning-climate-change-documents/ Also building regulations come into play when the build is happening and there are some climate related regulations within this. Over arching Local Plans are there to ensure the right development happens in the right area with negotiation with those providing infrastructure and health service. https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/planning-buildings-land/planning-policy Fiona
Hi Fiona. Your reply about the limitations to what local authorities can do agrees with what I thought was the position until I read a piece from the Council’s Planning Department suggesting that this is a misconception borne of the legislation that accompanied the zero carbon homes law making c 2015 that was never put into place because the govt abandoned the zero carbon homes drive at that time. Whilst many lamented the failure to proceed with this at least there does seem to be scope for local authorities to do more than the minimum.
Hi Fiona. One other thing. You didn’t answer the question about electricity distribution infrastructure. As the council has been involved in the work on the road transport infrastructure, there is presumably no real reason why they should not be taking an equally significant interest in the electricity infrastructure. Please can you tell me what is being done about this as presumably 900+ houses cannot be built without some work on the substations etc. The question is whether the work being done is fit for purpose with more and more properties wanting heat pumps, PV and EV charging facilities. If the infrastructure is not fit for this purpose now it will need redoing in a few years time costing much more in total than doing it properly now.