33 NEW apartments are being built in Dorchester on the site of a former office block.
The site at Vespasian House will be converted into a contemporary complex at the top of the town, complete with a mix of one, two and three bed apartments.
These are Dorchester’s first build-to-rent apartments and the first phase is currently underway, with the entire development expected to be completed by the summer of 2026.
A shared recreational, communal and work facilities, a gym and communal courtyard garden are all also planned.
Under the ‘lifestyle’ concept for the £11m development, there will be greater security of tenure for tenants, from six months to five years with an option of deposit alternatives.
RTI Estates, part of the Dorchester-based company Redtale Group, started work in July.
Malcolm Curtis, chief executive of the Redtale Group, said the development will bring a “new, innovative style of modern living to the area.”
“We are delighted to reach this exciting milestone, in association with MSP Capital,” he said.
“We can’t wait to deliver what will be a well-designed and high-quality re-purposing of the prominent Vespasian House, in what is a highly sustainable location within close proximity to the town centre and Dorset County Hospital.
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“It fits perfectly with our ‘discover the difference’ ethos, which aims to deliver properties with better planning, better design, better build and better customer service.
“As the county town of Dorchester continues to grow as a vibrant and popular town, the scheme will enhance and diversify the local housing mix and provide new options for the rental market, whilst helping to combat the chronic under-supply of quality rental homes in the area.”
Work has also started on an extension to the front of Vespasian House for a mixed-used building with ground floor commercial space and apartments above.
Redtale Group is leading an urban regeneration of Dorchester’s historic Barrack Quarter, into a new neighbourhood.
Already completed is a £2.4m development of Barrack House in the northwest corner of the site, with nine key worker apartments let to NHS workers and their families.
Former Quartermaster’s stores have also been converted into five townhouses and two apartments, sold through the open market.
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