Green Bridport Town Councillor Kelvin Clayton told Bridport & Lyme Regis News he welcomed Dorset Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for 70 new retirement homes in Bridport with no affordable housing element – but that he “very much hopes” a new developer will take on the site to provide much needed affordable housing.
Councillor Clayton, who had previously spoken out in opposition to the retirement homes proposal, said: “I’m very pleased about the decision. The lack of affordable housing in Bridport has been a main concern behind this.
“The issue with housing for retired residents is that, I’m not disputing that it’s necessary, but it’s a catch-22.
“Building retirement homes in Bridport only encourages people to retire in Bridport, as well as the need for services to support them and people can’t afford to live anywhere as there’s no housing.
“A group of us at the town council have been concerned at the lack of affordable houses and at the moment, my personal concern is that plans are led by developers, where local authorities need to be more proactive with developers about what is needed in the town.”