A decision has still not been made on plans to redevelop part of a former builder's merchants in Dorchester – five months after the application was submitted.

A previous application for 16 flats on the site in Maumbury Road was rejected, but the latest proposal has received no objections.

The new plans for 4 Maumbury Road include an extension to create 10 managed workspaces on the ground floor of the former warehouse building, and four two-bed serviced flats on the first floor.

Comments on the latest application, submitted in July, include a 'no objection' stance from Dorchester Town Council and Dorset Council's conservation officer said that the changes would cause "less than substantial harm" to the town's conservation area.

There has been no objections to the application to make the changes to the site.

The in-principal application comes from the previous applicants, Limon Homes Ltd, based in Luton.

The site was once part of the Gibbs and Dandy company, which has been closed since September 2020.

The previous application for 16 flats won the support of Dorchester town councillors, which pointed out that there were other flats in the area and the changes might help mask the industrial-style Range unit behind the site. 

But Dorset Council rejected the scheme with the refusal going to appeal, where it was dismissed.

The latest application says that the six parking spaces on the site would be retained, with planning agents pointing out that there is a public car park directly opposite should more space be needed.

Access to the site would be from the existing gated entrance on Maumbury Road, with the buildings retained largely as they now appear.

Said the agent for Limon Homes: "The main revisions will be to the inside of the structures and to the rear of the building reconstructing the currently disused and derelict areas.

"Our proposals still include a partial demolition of the rear buildings in order to open up this section of the site into a communal amenity/ landscaped area directly behind the existing residential units 5-10 Maumbury Road."

The application says the 10 workspace units could be flexibly used, with some as offices, depending on demand at the time the site is ready for use.

The four flats are likely, if approved, to be offered for short-term letting.

Public comments on the application closed in early September but a decision on the application has still not been made.