A CHRISTMAS market is being planned for Dorchester's Brewery Square this year.

The month-long market hopes to offer thirty wooden chalets – including a Santa's Grotto, wood and alcohol sellers and a range of goods from local producers.

The event will be held alongside the annual skating rink, open at the same times as the Christmas Market.

Dorset Artisan Markets Ltd is planning to open the event from November 23rd until December 22nd, open daily from 10am until 7pm.

An application to sell drinks is currently open for public consultation until September 15th with the organisers saying they hope some of the chalets will feature drinks from local producers for off sales with one hut providing mulled wine and mulled cider, with non-alcoholic options.

In the application for the licence to sell alcoholic drinks at the event the organisers say: "The market is staffed at all times by employees of Dorset Artisan market and one hut has been designated as an information point and will be manned during opening hours. We will also provide a security guard to work alongside the Brewery Square Security, our SIA security guard will be on site from 9am until 8pm.

"The chalets are all lockable, some are on daily hire, some weekly and some for the entire duration of the market.

"The hut selling mulled wine and cider and non alcoholic juice is designed for sales to the market customers, all traders with alcohol products will have a refusals register…

The entirety of the Christmas market is covered by the Brewery Square CCTV system… there will only be one chalet selling alcohol for consumption on the premises the others with alcohol sales are off sales only and designed as Christmas gifts rather than immediate consumption."