Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, has slammed Sherborne’s Liberal Democrats for their unbridled support of the West Sherborne proposal, which would see the development of at least 1,500 homes to the west of Sherborne, despite previously opposing the plans.
In a leaflet distributed in 2017, Cllr Jon Andrews (Sherborne East) said ‘I will be opposing huge development all around Sherborne’. Cllr Robin Legg (Sherborne Rural) also previously opposed large-scale development, saying it will ‘blight the countryside’.
But, in a screeching U-turn, Sherborne’s Liberal Democrats have unanimously supported the proposal to build at least 1,500 homes on acres of greenfield land to the west of Sherborne.
Chris Loder MP said: “It’s very poor, that after a commitment to ‘save our countryside’, the Liberal Democrats support this enormous housing proposal, in the same way they supported the building of the enormous 180-acre Stockbridge solar farm’.
He added: “As part of the West Sherborne proposal, the singling of the A30 dual-carriageway was supported, as well as construction of properties near Lenthay Common – a known floodplain.”
Mr Loder concluded by stating: “I agree that Sherborne needs more housing, but it does not need housing on this scale, with its associated destruction of the countryside. Modest development, providing homes for local people is what is needed, with a focus on preserving the character of the town.”
