AN £87,000 boost looks set to help a community spirited village provide a new post office and affordable housing.

West Dorset District Council awarded the money to help a pioneering project provide a much-needed post office and six low-cost homes for local families.

Villagers pulled together and set up the Toller Porcorum Community Land Trust earlier this year.

A landowner has offered to give the trust a site for development free-of-charge and they are now working with housing association Synergy and the district council to get the plans off the ground.

Trust chairman Colin Baker said: "The Post Office is a very important part of the local community and we have been working hard to find a permanent site for it.

"This plan achieves that aim and will also make available a number of homes for people with a local connection.

"Our thanks go to West Dorset District Council and the Somerset, Devon and Dorset Community Land Trust Project for their support and encouragement and to the generous donation of some of the land for this project.

"We are planning to hold a public meeting in our Village Hall on 15 January to explain the plans to the Community."

Councillors at West Dorset District Council took the decision to support the scheme at their Executive Committee.

Robert Gould, Leader of West Dorset District Council, said: "Affordable housing is the district council's top priority and we are always looking for ways of providing low-cost homes for local families.

"There is a strong community spirit in Toller Porcorum. There are only around 160 households in the village, yet 43 people attended the public meeting to discuss affordable housing.

"A lot of people have given up their time to support this innovative scheme and I am very pleased that West Dorset District Council will be able to provide a grant to support it."

The funds were paid to the council by a developer under a Section 106 Agreement.

Under the scheme, the Community Land Trust will lease the land to Synergy Housing for 125 years.

Aster Homes, which will be responsible for development and Synergy Housing (part of the Aster Group) which will be responsible for management of the homes, have also secured a £297,000 grant from the Homes and Community Agency.

Ground rent will be paid to the land trust which will be used to help run the post office. Both Synergy Housing and Aster Homes are part of the Aster Group.

The new post office would replace the current one, which is in the annex of a local house. The plans also include five houses and one flat.