Dorchester may be showing some signs of positive growth despite the Covid pandemic.

Town council clerk Adrian Stuart told a town planning and environment committee that even if not entirely positive there had been evidence of the county town not doing as badly as feared.

He said some were reporting evidence of more people shopping and working locally rather than travelling to larger towns, such as Bournemouth.

His comments came during a discussion on the need for a town centre masterplan for the county town which could be incorporated into the wider Dorset Local Plan.

Mr Stuart said the town council was looking at the feasibility for it to lead on an exercise that might inform a masterplan which might lead to a rethink of the long-term direction for the town.

He warned that the pandemic and what would happen in the future had thrown doubt on previous thinking about economic growth and issues such as housing: "There are many significant unknowns relating to the future of retail and office working and the impacts these will have on the town centre, in particular around travel patterns and parking," said the town clerk in a report.

The meeting gave its backing to the idea and will seek to involve others including the town's Civic Society.

Cllr Fiona Kent-Ledger said the pandemic had changed many things and a fresh look at the future needs of the town was required: "We need a head's up about what is reality, not a pipe dream," she said.