Dorchester Prison: Plans to turn ex-jail into shooting game venue

Dorchester Prison was sold by the Ministry of Justice in 2013

Planning permission is being sought to turn Dorchester Prison into an airsoft venue.

The owners of the former jail have applied to Dorset Council to the bring the war games, similar to paintball, to the prison on a regular basis.

The game has been played at the site occasionally, but City and Country wants to use it more regularly until new houses can be built.

The prison was bought by the developers from the government in 2013.

Airsoft is similar to paintball

City and Country has applied for a change to community and leisure use, although it said this would not involve any alterations to the existing buildings.

The site already has planning permission for 185 homes through converting the cell blocks and other buildings, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

But developers have struggled to bring the housing scheme to fruition and are waiting for the right time to start the residential development.

Earlier this year, the developer was accused of trying to make a "vast profit" by attempting to sell the former prison for £7m more than it paid the government.

Ucap Airsoft would use the site for the game involving firing non-marking pellets at other competitors while capturing various objectives and is often used for team-building exercises. Ghost hunts and prison tours are also planned

The City and Country application concluded: "These proposals present an opportunity to maintain a beneficial 'meanwhile' leisure use of the historic buildings at the former HMP Dorchester site until the residential-led redevelopment of the site commences."

The former prison site consists of buildings from the 1880s