Proposals for 16 flats on the prominent site of a former Dorchester builder's merchant have won favour with town councillors.

Members of Dorchester Town Council said that application, for part of the former Gibbs & Dandy depot, will fit in with surrounding buildings and provides a good use for the Great Western Cross site.

However, they were less sure about the proposal for six small shops as part of the development, saying they would prefer workspace units which were part of a previous application.

Plans for the former Builder Centre site on Great Western Road have been re-worked after being previously rejected by Dorset Council for being out of character and over-bearing.

The new drawings show a re-worked frontage to the site, which is on the approach road to the Dorchester West railway station and The Range, and will involve the demolition of the existing graffiti-clad building.

The site is considered one of the 'gateway' locations of the county town, sitting at the junction of Maumbury Road and Damers Road.

The planning application at this stage is only for demolition – but details with the paperwork show drawings for 16 flats, all two-bed, and none classified as affordable.

It also shows plans for a 450 square metres for ground floor shop space, divided into six small units, each only about 70 square metres.

Cllr Susie Hosford told the town council's planning committee that the proposed ground floor commercial units were less welcome than the previous workshop units, commenting: "We've got plenty of empty shops already in the town."

It had been envisaged that the previously proposed workshop spaces might have been used by jewellery makers, potters, a hair salon, or similar uses.

The latest application comes from a new developer, Sherrif Construction, which like the previous applicants, Limon Homes Ltd, is based in Luton.

The site was once part of the Gibbs and Dandy company, which has been closed since September 2020, with the planning application noting that the entire site, including an adjoining area in Maumbury Road where more flats are planned, is falling into disrepair and is not presenting a positive image for Dorchester.

The previous application for 16 flats won the support of Dorchester town councillors, who said at the time that the changes might help mask the industrial-style Range unit behind the site, but Dorset Council rejected the scheme with the refusal later going to appeal, where it was dismissed.

The latest application is open for public comment until June 17 and can be found on the Dorset Council planning website by searching reference number 2023/00339.