Business leaders in Dorchester have welcomed the planning application for Dorchester’s £60m Charles Street town centre scheme.

The delivery of the planning application to West Dorset District Council coincided with the announcement that Waitrose has signed up as one of the scheme’s two anchor stores.

Phil Gordon, Project Director of the Dorchester Business Improvement District, said he was pleased to see the scheme moving forward: “There are mixed views on the development but I think it’s better we get Charles Street moving than leave it as a dusty car park for the next 20 years. It makes a lot of sense for Waitrose. They have been looking to expand for a long time and now they can.” (As featured in the Dorset Echo).