Description

The Charlton Down scheme is located three miles north of Dorchester and is in a rural location with commanding views over the surrounding countryside. The site was originally the Herrison Hospital, a Victorian mental hospital with extensive grounds built on a hill above the main A352 road. The residential scheme retained the main Victorian hospital buildings and developed on the grounds to the rear of the main building. In total there are approximately 550 dwellings, a community hall (in the old ballroom of the hospital) and a convenience store.

The scheme follows the design principles evident in surrounding Dorset villages with houses built along a continuous building line close to the pavement, a network of connected winding streets of changing width and a variation in building height and detail to add texture to streetscape views. Longer streets are punctuated with small squares, green spaces and tight junctions. There are focal points around the shop and existing features such as stands of mature trees retained from the original grounds. The layout is highly permeable particularly for pedestrians with short connecting pedestrian routes between some of the streets, pedestrian access through rear and side parking courts and also connections to footpaths out into the nearby countryside.