AJC Group partners with Aster and Dorchester Area Community Land Trust to deliver new affordable homes in Dorchester
We are pleased to announce we’ve been appointed by Aster Group and the Dorchester Area Community Land Trust (DACLT) to deliver a new 100% affordable housing scheme off West Walks in central Dorchester.
Groundbreaking event marks start of affordable homes in central Dorchester
A groundbreaking event has marked the start of construction at Roman Corner off West Walks in central Dorchester.
AJC Group partners with Aster and Dorchester Area Community Land Trust to deliver new affordable homes in Dorchester
We are pleased to announce we’ve been appointed by Aster Group and the Dorchester Area Community Land Trust (DACLT) to deliver a new 100% affordable housing scheme off West Walks in central Dorchester. The scheme will bring forward genuinely affordable homes, specifically for young local people in the town centre.
We have been appointed as principal contractor for the scheme, with groundworks expected to commence in February, and the homes scheduled for handover to Aster in early summer 2027.
The development will provide 15 energy-efficient one-bedroom apartments, allocated parking spaces, a dedicated cycle store to support sustainable travel and a separate bin store.
All homes will be delivered for social rent by Aster Group on behalf of DACLT, supporting young residents and workers up to the age of 35 who are increasingly priced out of the private rental market.
Ben Peddie, Operations Director, said: “This scheme highlights the importance of strong working partnerships in delivering genuinely affordable homes. We’re delighted to have been appointed by Aster to build these social rented homes on behalf of Dorchester Area Community Land Trust, in a highly sustainable and central location for young people who want to live and work in Dorchester. It’s a project that carefully balances local housing needs with heritage sensitivity, and we’re proud to be playing our part in its delivery.”
The three-storey building will be constructed on the site of two former disused tennis courts off West Walks. The apartments are centrally located, a few minutes’ walk from the town centre’s high street shops and museums to the north, Brewery Square’s shops, restaurants, breweries, cinema, gym, and events to the south, and Dorchester West train station opposite. Borough Gardens, with its outdoor gym equipment, children’s play area, refreshments kiosk and Victorian band stand, is also directly opposite.
The site sits within a conservation area, requiring a sensitive approach to design and delivery. We undertook extensive archaeological works ahead of construction due to the presence of a buried Roman wall in the vicinity.
The apartments will be built to AJC’s exemplary environmental standards, with all hot water provided by air source heat cylinders and electric space heating supplemented by solar PV panels, helping to reduce energy use and running costs for residents.
The West Walks scheme is one of several projects we have in partnership with Aster Group, which includes the delivery of affordable homes in the long-running regeneration of the former Dorchester Brewery site, less than a mile away.
Groundbreaking event marks start of affordable homes in central Dorchester
A groundbreaking event has marked the start of construction at Roman Corner off West Walks in central Dorchester. Here, we are delivering 15 new affordable apartments in partnership with local housing association Aster Group and Dorchester Area Community Land Trust (DACLT).
The development has been shaped and led by the local community through the DACLT, ensuring the homes reflect local priorities and meet the needs of young people who live and work in Dorchester. We have been appointed as the principal contractor for the scheme, helping bring the community’s vision to life.
Representatives from AJC Group, Aster Group, DACLT, Dorchester Town Council and Dorset Council gathered on site to celebrate the milestone. The multi-million-pound development will provide 15 one-bedroom apartments, including one accessible apartment, all for social rent, for young local people and workers aged 35 and under, who are increasingly priced out of the private rental market.
Myles Emmanuel, AJC Group Technical Coordinator, said: “Starting on site at West Walks is an important step in delivering much-needed genuinely affordable homes in the heart of Dorchester. We’re pleased to be working with Aster and DACLT on a scheme that carefully balances local housing need with the sensitivity of its historic setting, and we look forward to progressing the build over the coming months.”
Amanda Williams, Aster Group Chief Investment Officer, said: “This project is a powerful example of how community‑led housing can deliver meaningful, lasting impact. By working with DACLT, we’re helping create homes that reflect local priorities and support people who may be struggling to find affordable accommodation.
“For young people in Dorchester in particular, this creates a rare opportunity: long-term, affordable, secure housing that allows them to live independently and sustainably within the community they know and value.”
The apartments at Roman Corner will be built to modern environmental standards, with all hot water supplied by air-source heat pumps to reduce energy use and running costs for residents.
Materials include varied buff bricks, slate roof tiles, aluminium rainwater goods and striking black flush casement windows with Juliet balconies. Bat, swift and bee bricks are also being incorporated within the design to support local biodiversity.
The three-storey building is being constructed on the site of two disused tennis courts off West Walks, opposite Borough Gardens. Located within walking distance of Dorchester town centre and Dorchester West railway station, the scheme offers future residents convenient access to employment, amenities and public transport.
Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2027, when the homes will be handed over to Aster for allocation to eligible local residents.
The project marks another collaboration between AJC Group and Aster Group, building on a growing partnership that includes a wholly affordable scheme at Glue Hill in the village of Sturminster Newton and a development in central Bournemouth.
The partnership forms part of our wider pledge to deliver 500 affordable homes by 2028, reinforcing our commitment to tackling the housing crisis in the Wessex region.
We are constantly striving to do more for the community, because we care
AJC will become principle contractor from Tuesday 5th May 2026.
This space will be used to provide progress updates on our construction site and make the community aware of significant milestones for the development.
Simon Hughes, Archaeology & Heritage
The archaeological works were located at the periphery of the Roman town and close to the southwest corner of the perimeter defences. Excavations exposed part of a wider area of quarrying into which extensive dumps of rubbish had been deposited over a period of time. These were visible as layers of mixed material that were revealed when the archaeologists excavated a slot across the site.
A large and interesting assemblage of finds were recovered from these dumps which reflected life within the Roman town. This included around 18kg of pottery sherds, 38kg of ceramic roof and hypocaust tile fragments, shards of bottle glass, animal bone and shell. Also recovered was a group of iron and copper alloy objects. These included coinage and personal items such as a buckle and fitting from a strap.
AJC Group is wholly committed to reducing our negative environmental impacts and preventing pollution through our operations as a business, and also as a developer. We recognise our
responsibility as a housebuilder, and how we can make a positive impact and difference to the housebuilding industry as a whole.
The company is committed to protecting the environment by complying with all relevant UK legislation, meeting national standards relating to the environment and in accordance with best working practices currently used in the industry. This is an ongoing commitment which requires working practices to be frequently reviewed and adapted to reflect the continual changes to ensure AJC Group is at the forefront of the change with regards to environmental protection.
AJC Group have reviewed activities across the whole business, including provision of housing, property and estates maintenance and management, development, independent living and administrative services, to ensure we meet and exceed targets. In order to make sure we meet our environmental commitments, we have introduced a certified environmental management system, which we will monitor and look to continually improve to enhance our environmental performance.
We want to empower employees and any external contractors, suppliers, and businesses, which work with us to maintain the standards we have set, and continue to set relevant environmental objectives. We do this by regularly communicating our policies and the standards we have set as a business and what we want to achieve and engage with our customers and regulators and other interested stakeholders to promote sustainability both internally and externally.
We have defined and outlined ways in which we will protect the environment and achieve our goals,
they are as follows –
– Using energy, fuel and water efficiently, and reducing consumption
– Wherever possible we will source materials, goods, and services that are sustainable and local
– Elimination, reducing, reusing, recovering or recycling waste and prevent pollution by revising our activities
– Limiting but also improving impacts to land and wildlife, and promoting biodiversity through our work on a corporate and social level
– Keeping our impact on the environment to a minimum and making decisions today that will benefit the future of our business and developments
– Controlling and measuring activities and nuisances to our neighbours including noise and dust
AJC Group has made a commitment to review our environmental policies and objectives every two years to ensure clear and ongoing organisational commitment.
