Minor changes have been agreed to the former home of Dorset parson-poet William Barnes, famed for this dialect writing and as a friend of author Thomas Hardy.

Owners of the listed Old Came Rectory, on the outskirts of Dorchester, applied to make alterations to a west facing thatched veranda, repairs to a chimney, replacing rainwater pipes and adding an electric vehicle charging point.

The works will also include an 'acoustic fence' next to the A352 main road to the west of the property. The fence will vary between 2.6 and 3 metres with the existing laurel hedging on the main road frontage to be reinforced with extra planting. The road is the main route between Dorchester and Broadmayne.

The former rectory, dating to 1810, was built to serve the parishes of Winterborne Came and Whitcombe and was home to the Reverend William Barnes (1801-86).

It is said to have been built on the site of a building known as Withy Man Cottage and replaced an earlier rectory near the parish church.

Planning agents, acting for the new owners, say the changes "have been carefully designed to ensure there is no impact upon the setting of this heritage asset.

The minor proposed alterations are well considered and will not cause harm to the Listed Building. The proposals seek to protect the building and increase the longevity of the asset.

"The building's appearance will be subjected to very little change. The increase to the veranda thatch will be imperceivable, however the increase in pitch will allow storm water vent off the main roof west elevation, to be shed quickly instead of soaking the thatch as it currently does. This will improve the longevity of the veranda thatch and the general aesthetics."

Winterborne Farringdon Parish Council raised no objections to any of the changes and the Dorset Council conservation team also raised no objections.

The previous owners, who lived there since that late 1990s, spent much of their time there restoring the building and the extensive gardens, largely working from old photographs of Barnes taken outside the house.

Barnes moved into the rectory when he became vicar of Whitcombe in 1847. He later became rector of the parish of Winterborne Came.

The nearby church is redundant now, but until Covid had been opened each year for a public service of remembrance to Barnes. The rectory was sold off by the Church of England in the 1960s.

In 2001 Barnes biographer Dr Alan Chedzoy said: "I think it's excellent that the appearance of the house has been restored – it looks just as it did in a photo of Barnes outside the rectory with his family in 1882.

"The important thing is that the veranda is continuous now, and supported by trellis poles, just as it was in Barnes' day."