Car park plan for £1m Dorchester church approved

Dorchester Community Church building occupies the corner of the public car park in Acland Road and Charles Street

A council which bought a church for nearly £1m to make way for a retail development has approved plans to turn it into 23 parking spaces.

Dorchester Community Church and an adjacent public car park had been earmarked for shops, flats and parking.

But since its purchase in 2016, the development has been thrown into doubt.

West Dorset District Council planning committee has approved demolition of the church and its change of use, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The authority bought the 0.05-hectare (0.12-acre) church site in the corner of a car park in 2015.

The church, along with an adjacent public car park in Acland Road and Charles Street, had previously been earmarked for a shopping development, including a Marks and Spencer store, 67 apartments and 470 underground parking spaces.

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However, a council report revealed the economic climate meant attracting a new "destination retailer" to Dorchester was now "highly unlikely".

Council documents valued the church at £350,000 but, at the time of purchase, the site's redevelopment potential pushed the value up to £700,000.

The Conservative-led authority also agreed to pay the church £205,000 for its new building next to Damers School in Poundbury and £25,000 in professional fees.

The council said it had budgeted an additional £250,000 for the demolition and the re-grading of the land.

Liberal Democrat councillor Susie Hosford previously criticised the move, saying income from the spaces could not justify the "huge amount" used to create them.

Environment cabinet member John Russell said the council could not change the decision to buy the site but it would use the land to service the community.