AJC Group wins appeal for 78 homes at Okeford Fitzpaine after Dorset Council refusal

AJC Group has won planning permission on appeal for 78 homes at Okeford Fitzpaine in North Dorset, after Dorset Council's planning committee refused the scheme against the advice of its own officers.

The housebuilder said on 15 October 2026 that a Planning Inspector heard the appeal in August 2026. The scheme, which AJC describes as being on land north of Castle Lane, comprises 78 one- to four-bedroom houses and apartments, with at least 31 affordable homes for affordable rent and shared ownership.

The 3.4-hectare (8.4-acre) site sits immediately north of Comerwicke Fields, AJC's 27-home development completed in 2023, which the company said was delivered as 100% affordable housing.

Simon McFarlane, Planning Director at AJC Group, said: "This development should never have needed an appeal." He said the scheme had been recommended for approval by the council's own planning officers, and that the refusal had delayed 78 homes and added costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds for the regional SME housebuilder.

He added that "the planning system should be supporting responsible local developers to get on and build, not creating unnecessary and costly barriers."

The refusal

Dorset Council's Northern Area Planning Committee considered the application, reference P/FUL/2025/03574, on 17 March 2026. Council papers record the site as Land North of Castle Avenue, Okeford Fitzpaine.

Rachael Rowe spoke on behalf of Okeford Fitzpaine Parish Council at the meeting, according to the council's record of the item.

AJC said it submitted the detailed application to Dorset Council in 2025. At that stage the company said the scheme would deliver at least 40% affordable housing, totalling 31 dwellings, with nine distinct house types and a network of footpaths forming a walkable loop around the site.

The first phase

Comerwicke Fields, the neighbouring first phase, occupies a 2.84-acre (1.15 ha) greenfield site and provided 27 family homes: eight for social rent and 19 for shared ownership. AJC said it was the first completed development it had delivered with Aster Group, and that the homes have been fully occupied since handover.

According to AJC's project page, the section 106 agreement for that scheme required only 40% of the homes to be affordable, but the company delivered the whole site as affordable housing in partnership with Aster Communities.

The 500 in 5 pledge

AJC has a corporate strategy to build 500 affordable homes by 2028. In September 2025 the company reported that 181 homes had been completed and handed over across six developments, with 147 under construction across five sites and planned developments expected to provide a further 260 affordable homes.

Status (September 2025)	Homes
Completed and handed over	181
Under construction	147
Planned	260

What happens next

AJC said it will now progress plans for the Okeford Fitzpaine development, with details of the construction programme to be announced in due course.