A community-led broadband project is set to roll out superfast connections to part of rural Dorset.

The main Superfast Dorset programme aims to meet the government target of delivering a superfast connection of at least 24 Mbps to 95% of premises in Dorset by the end of 2017.

But plans for rolling out this programme did not include Marshwood Vale – an area of small villages and scattered farms with no BT exchange.

For local residents, this was a significant constraint upon the area's economy and social wellbeing.

The Marshwood Vale Community Broadband Project gathered letters of support from 130 local businesses and residents to show the level of untapped demand for broadband.

An application was submitted using actual costs from BT – which exceeded some of Defra's funding criteria for its scheme.

But support for the project was so overwhelming that extra funding was instead found from within the main Superfast Broadband Programme and in 2014 the bid was agreed.

The contract for the project has recently been signed off. Survey work is expected to start in June 2015 and improvement works will commence later in the year.

A full case study about the project can be seen here.