SPECSAVERS in Dorchester is planning to move across the street to a new store.

The business is asking to make changes to a listed building diagonally opposite its existing shop which was closed for several weeks in recent months because of a fire which started in the nearby Gorge Cafe.

Specsavers say the move had been planned prior to the fire which disrupted the southern end of South Street and is not related to the decision.

The company is asking planning consent to fit a new shopfront with new advertising logos and to replace condenser units on the roof of the listed building at No 43 South Street, a vacant unit last used by M&Co.

The interior of the building will also be refurbished as part of the planned works, giving the company more test rooms and fitting areas than the existing shop.

The building forms part of the old post office which since closing has been modernised internally and separated into a number of retail units. Specsavers say they are not planning any structural changes to the exterior of the building.

Said Amie Ebsworth, retail director, Dorchester Specsavers: "Our move to a new location has been in the pipeline for sometime.

"The new store will allow us to increase the number of testing rooms, better accommodating our growing optical and hearing care provision and ultimately better supporting the eye and hearing health needs of the local community.

"We're aiming for a move sometime in Summer 2025, and we'll keep customers old and new in the loop with more specific details nearer the time."