WORK has started to revitalise Dorchester's former Eldridge Pope Brewery site, creating a new urban quarter in the heart of Dorchester to be known as "Brewery Square".

The reason for mentioning this is that Charles Style described the project to us as follows "Piers (Gough) most recently worked on a very similar project in Dorchester where he did the masterplanning for the Eldridge Pope Brewery site. The site is, at 12 acres a very similar size to the Phoenix Quarter. The population of Dorchester at 17,000 is almost identical to that of Lewes. The density of residential uses is very similar to what we are proposing. The quantity and mix of other commercial uses is very similar and the planners and the people of Dorchester welcomed the scheme as a chance to regenerate a run down part of their town. Any Lewes residents interested to see this scheme should contact me and we will arrange to show them all the details."

Specialists are already on site to remove asbestos found in some of the former Eldridge Pope brewery buildings and heavy machinery is due to arrive after Easter when the work on the redevelopment will begin in earnest. Andrew Wadsworth, director of developer Brewery Square Ltd, said: "We are hoping to start properly next week when the large machinery arrives on site. It will take a couple of weeks to set everything up but then the demolition will start and people will notice significant progress." He said a specialist team was working behind the scenes to remove the small amounts of asbestos found on the site.

West Dorset District Council granted permission for the redevelopment of the brewery in December 2004. The plans include an 85-bedroom hotel in the Brewhouse, shops, and a civic square with fountains in the summer and ice rink in the winter. Up to 613 homes, of which 192 are expected to be affordable housing, are planned on the 11.5 acre site. And it is anticipated that hundreds of jobs will be created once the development is completed. A new arts centre is also planned in the old maltings as part of the development and the nearby Dorchester West railway station will be rebuilt complete with solar panels, which will produce enough electricity to run it.

An application to knock down a villa on Weymouth Avenue that had formed part of the original redevelopment scheme and replace it with a modern doctors' surgery is currently being considered by the district council. GPs at the Trinity Street Surgery are planning to relocate to the site if planning permission for the development is granted. The application is due to be considered on May 11. West Dorset District Council is still consulting on whether or not the development should go ahead before making a decision on the proposal.

Eperts from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) have backed the design of the building, which is designed to meet the needs of a 21st century medical centre.

In a letter to the district council, Deborah Denner, design review advisor for CABE, which advises the Government on architecture, urban design and public space, said: We think that this is a well-considered design, one which responds successfully to the two different scales although of similar heights to the existing buildings either side of the site.

But Dorchester Civic Society, although it has raised no objections to removing an existing villa to make way for the centre, has raised some concerns about the proposed design.

Derek Beauchamp, chairman of the society, said in a letter to the district council: The access, pavement widening, resited ATM, proposed pharmacy and opticians in the same building as the excellent medical centre accommodation are all approved, except for the frontage and access to the medical centre; it is too narrow and the single door impractical. It is the rendered and curved recess treatment of the upper floors of the medical centre that causes greatest distress. It would be good to see sophisticated modern architecture in the town but not strident so at odds with the adjoining buildings. The tone is set by the listed brewery offices and the Victorian/Edwardian villas.' He said opportunities for modern buildings had been lost in the past but this goes too far.

Developer Brewery Square Ltd commissioned architect Piers Gough of CZWG to design the building. The Eldridge Pope brewery was established on the Weymouth Avenue site in 1879 and stopped brewing beer in 2003.

The following is from West Dorset District Council's Spring 2006 Community Link newsletter...

Plans for an innovative redevelopment of the historic former Eldridge Pope brewery site in Dorchester are still on track. Final legal agreements are being tied up between the district council and developer Brewery Square Ltd before work starts.

District council Leader Robert Gould said: "Discussions for schemes of this size and complexity always take some time but it's important that they are considered carefully so that the right decisions are made for the future."

Councillors have already voted to approve a series of planning applications and listed building consents for the site.

Proposals include around 600 homes, with an agreed 30 per cent of this being affordable - a mix of low cost, rented and sharedownership.

Also approved are plans for shops and restaurants, a new railway station and travel interchange, 85-bed hotel with health and fitness centre, civic square and an arts centre.

The plans also make positive use of important listed buildings on the site, such as the Brew House and Maltings.

The council has long recognised the importance of the site, off Weymouth Avenue, which is a landmark on one of the main roads into the centre of historic Dorchester.

When the district council learned that the former brewery was up for sale, it produced a development brief to help guide future proposalsfor the site.

Local people were consulted about the development brief to ensure that any ideas for the area met local needs and would make a positive and sustainable contribution to the community.

Editor's note: This consultation took place months before plans were submitted. If Dorchester's councils can inform and consult residents, why can't ours?