Poole-based developer AJC Group has been appointed by Aster Group and the Dorchester Area Community Land Trust (DACLT) to deliver a new 100% affordable housing scheme off West Walks in central Dorchester. The scheme will bring forward genuinely affordable homes, specifically for young local people in the town centre.
AJC Group has been appointed as principal contractor for the scheme, with groundworks expected to commence in February, and the homes scheduled for handover to Aster in early summer 2027.
The development will provide 15 energy-efficient one-bedroom apartments, allocated parking spaces, a dedicated cycle store to support sustainable travel and a separate bin store.
All homes will be delivered for social rent by Aster Group on behalf of DACLT, supporting young residents and workers up to the age of 35 who are increasingly priced out of the private rental market.
Ben Peddie, Operations Director of AJC Group, said:
“This scheme highlights the importance of strong working partnerships in delivering genuinely affordable homes. We’re delighted to have been appointed by Aster to build these social rented homes on behalf of Dorchester Area Community Land Trust, in a highly sustainable and central location for young people who want to live and work in Dorchester. It’s a project that carefully balances local housing needs with heritage sensitivity, and we’re proud to be playing our part in its delivery.”
The three-storey building will be constructed on the site of two former disused tennis courts off West Walks. The apartments are centrally located, a few minutes’ walk from the town centre’s high street shops and museums to the north, Brewery Square’s shops, restaurants, breweries, cinema, gym, and events to the south, and Dorchester West train station opposite. Borough Gardens, with its outdoor gym equipment, children’s play area, refreshments kiosk and Victorian band stand, is also directly opposite.
The site sits within a conservation area, requiring a sensitive approach to design and delivery. Extensive archaeological works were undertaken by AJC Group ahead of construction due to the presence of a buried Roman wall in the vicinity.
The apartments will be built to exemplary environmental standards, with all hot water provided by air source heat cylinders and electric space heating supplemented by solar PV panels, helping to reduce energy use and running costs for residents.
The West Walks scheme is one of several AJC projects in partnership with Aster, which includes the delivery of affordable homes in the long-running regeneration of the former Dorchester Brewery site, less than a mile away. This project also contributes to AJC Group’s ‘500 in 5’ pledge – a broader commitment to delivering 500 affordable homes in five years across the Wessex region.