A petition to stop the development of around 4,000 homes north of Dorchester has received more than 5,000.

Members of Save the Area North of Dorchester (STAND) started the petition in September 2018 as part of their campaign to stop the development.

The petition has now closed and members were due to present the petition to Dorset Council at its full council meeting yesterday (Thursday).

A member explains that according to the Dorset Council constitution, petitions with more than 5,000 signatures should lead to a council debate on the issue.

However, the group believe that the petition will be taken as part of the comments submitted for the draft local plan consultation and may not be discussed until April 2022.

Alistair Chisholm of STAND said: "This will be a great disappointment for all those who signed the petition believing it would lead to a transparent, open debate on this particular site."

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