I am strongly opposed to WDDC’s plans to spend millions on a new office block on the Charles Street site in the heart of Dorchester.
As Town Crier I wrote the following to give voice to the many who share this view.

“OYEZ, OYEZ, OYEZ !

West Dorset has no mandate, ten million pounds to spend

For new offices in Charles Street. Heaven forfend !

The Town Poll clearly showed us, the District’s out of line,

New offices are NOT our wish – when offered we declined.

When the public purse is shrinking, we must ALL make do and mend,

To safeguard frontline services, the needy to defend.

The planning process has begun, now is the time to fight,

Air your views on the plans outlined – pick up thy pen and write !

This is the place – NOW is the time

To bring our Council into line.”

Alistair Chisholm
Town Crier of Dorchester June 2010

Has there been a response from Robert Gould (etc) in relation to the local objections?

Don’t forget that objections to the planning application have to be received by WDDC by 18th June – only one week away. See WDDC Local Plan 2006 to see how this application does not comply.

One week on, and the council’s response, sent by email, is this:

“In September 2006 the council approved Simons as the preferred developer of Charles Street and subsequently granted them the rights to develop the site in return for the construction of the new car park and the income being retained by the council. This was the council’s pre-condition of any prospective developer.

“In the revised agreement with Simons the council has transferred back the development rights originally granted to Simons in respect of the land required for the offices. The council will retain the freehold. However, the council’s original financial conditions for the Charles Street site remain significantly intact (i.e. transferring back, after construction, the new 484 car parking and income etc).”

It’s good to have a response, and I thank the council for it, but I’m not sure it answers my main original question: if the land required for the offices were to be used for some commercial and / or residential purpose, how much would it be worth? What is the sum the council is (arguably) missing out on by keeping the land for its own purposes?

It’s also worth noting that the council’s original financial conditions are said to remain “significantly intact”, ie not completely so. What did Simons get in return for the council retaining the freehold to the office land? They must have got or wanted something.

The details of the deal might be public knowledge, but I don’t know them.

If the council has not factored in the cost of the land in Charles Street, could that be because it owns the land already, so from an accounting point of view, it’s free?

Of course, there is another way of looking at this: what sum of money could the council get for selling the land that it’s planning to use for its new HQ to someone else? Say, for housing, or shops, or for someone else’s offices – assuming that such uses could get planning permission.

In other words, what sum of money is the council forgoing by using a slice prime town-centre land for its own purposes? What else could it do with that sum of money? Has that been worked out? I’d be surprised if it hadn’t.

I’ll ask and check when the currrent council offices open later this morning!

Save money and build new offices outside the town centre. Isn’t that an alternative that West Dorset District Council should be considering?

Council leader Robert Gould is set on new offices in Charles Street but surely a site on the edge of town would be a better bet – with cheaper land, less town centre traffic movements, reduced need to spend money on a staff park and ride scheme – and best of all no dead space in the town centre in the evenings and at weekends.

Of course, the council has not factored in the cost of the land in Charles Street or the cost of a park and ride scheme so the bill is already likely to be well in excess of the quoted £10.7 million figure. And that’s not allowing a conservative £1.5 million to put the old crown court into a state in which the National Trust might be persuaded to take it over. Then of course there’s the money the Council expects to get for Stratton House – £3.5 million. Seriously?

So how many million are we realistically up to Mr Gould? It sounds as though these new offices are going to be very expensive indeed – and bring a questionable benefit for the community. As a council taxpayer I’d like West Dorset to be looking at alternatives, but if not, can we please have a figure we can believe in – and can we also know how you are going to fund it?