It has long been an aspiration of the Town Council to find ways of responding to the local desire to revitalise the Market Place, by creating a vibrant atmosphere and attracting more footfall, of both residents and visitors.
The Town Council was involved in discussions with the former North Dorset District Council (NDDC), the Town Team, Town Museum, and other interested parties, over 10 years ago looking at potential improvements for the Market Place with a focus on a covered market area and possible pedestrianisation. In 2016, the Town Council took on responsibility from NDDC for the street market. Then, in 2019, a Market Area Enhancement Working Group was established with the aim of delivering a project to enhance the street market area using a £70,000 grant provided by NDDC.
The Town Council was keen to see some sort of pedestrianisation in the Dorset Council-owned area and initial consultations were carried out. Before these ideas could be further progressed, the pandemic intervened, followed by the replacement of the town centre paving slabs by the Dorset Council, which rendered any further large-scale changes in the town centre impractical for the time being.
In September 2023, the Dorset Council proposed pedestrianisation of the area to the left of the Town Hall / Corn Exchange, for a trial period, with some limited funding attached. The full proposal can be viewed at Appendix A. However, their intention was for the trial to take place in 2024, which would have coincided with the works taking place to the Corn Exchange and the anticipated requirement for plant to be located outside the building.
The Town Council therefore resolved that the part-pedestrianisation project would be linked to the completion of the regeneration of the Town Hall/Corn Exchange. The project is due to be completed in September/October 2025.
The Town Council’s Working Group wanted to know how residents would like to see the space being used. The Working Group includes external members as well as Town Council staff and Councillors, and it reports back to monthly full council meetings, which are held in the public session.
Agreed usage is for pop-up cafés, local groups and charitable organisations, theatrical and musical performances, but the Town Council is, of course, very much open to ideas from the public.
A public consultation was produced by the Town Council in June 2024 and the deadline to share views was 31st August 2024, giving people ample opportunity to respond. Hard copies were available from the council office, articles were published in the free Around Blandford magazine, and newsletters informing the public of the consultation were distributed to every Blandford Forum property via the Royal Mail.
You can view Consultation Responses – Highlights and the consultation can still be viewed by scanning the QR code (below), picking up a copy from the Town Council Office in Legion House, Church Lane or using the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/syDKRUhbMC
In addition, the Town Council’s Market Manager carried out face to face consultations with businesses in the direct area of the proposed pedestrian space.
The Town Council has this dedicated webpage to the project, to ensure the public has access to the Working Group meeting notes.
The 242 consultation responses have been collated and the Town Council was enthused by the number of responses and the content of the comments demonstrating support for the project.
Councillors acknowledge that any scheme that proposes a reduction in parking can be difficult to implement and takes time for people to adjust to new arrangements. Consultants experienced in town centre enhancement plans have been involved in the discussion and consultation phases of the project, and they have been able to share experiences of other towns with similar schemes.
All members of the Working Group and the Town Council received the consultation responses and met to discuss a way forward to progress the project. It was agreed that the public would have an additional opportunity to hear about the project proposals at the Town Assembly meeting scheduled for 6pm on Monday 14th April 2025 in Woodhouse Gardens so that any interested parties can come along to the public meeting to receive an update and ask any questions. It was also agreed that a further consultation would be carried out after the trial period and that the market stallholders should be included in that consultation to find out if footfall has increased for them.
To conclude, the Town Council thanks the Dorset Council for this opportunity and proposes the following:
- The bollard layout is the preferred option.
- An electronic notice board is purchased for the market area to promote events and public notices.
- The trial period is extended from six to 12 months to allow for all seasons to be experienced and monitored, starting in the Autumn of this year. If this is not acceptable to the Dorset Council, it is requested that the six month trial period commences in the Spring/Summer of 2026.
For many years, the Town Council has prioritised the delivery of the Corn Exchange project, which is a £3.5m scheme to refurbish and renovate the building by improving access, introducing new facilities and restoring heritage elements; resulting in a multi-purpose community venue for the next 100 years. It is exciting and timely to combine its new life with the use of external space to further enhance the centre of this unique Georgian market town.
This is a monthly agenda item on the Town Council meetings, so you are welcome to attend a meeting to hear discussions and express your opinions too.
Last modified: May 14, 2025
