Seven local communities are just one step away from having adopted neighbourhood plans for their area.
Final versions of the Arne, Blandford +, Chickerell, Milton Abbas, Portland, Puddletown and Shaftesbury were submitted to Dorset Council for examination and referendums were held. Residents voted on whether to accept or reject the plans on 6 May 2021.
In all areas, residents voted to accept the plans.
Arne Neighbourhood Plan – 93.0 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the plan
Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan – 83.3 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the plan
Chickerell Neighbourhood Plan – 84.5 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the plan
Milton Abbas Neighbourhood Plan -83.5 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the plan
Portland Neighbourhood Plan -82.7 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the plan
Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan- 88.3 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the Plan
Shaftesbury Neighbourhood Plan -87.8 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the plan
All the plans were drawn up by local people with support from Dorset Council’s Planning Policy Team.
Cllr David Walsh, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:
“I am very pleased all seven neighbourhood plans were successful at the elections held last week. Successful neighbourhood plans are a result of a lot of hard work by community volunteers. This brings the total number of neighbourhood plans in Dorset that have been endorsed by referendum to 28. It is real proof of community spirit and how much people care about their local area.”
What is a neighbourhood plan?
Neighbourhood plans were introduced in the Localism Act 2011 and aim to give residents more say in the future use of land and buildings in their area. For example, a neighbourhood plan can say where new homes, shops or offices might be built or where important green spaces might be protected.
What happens next?
These neighbourhood plans will now be taken to Dorset Council’s Cabinet, where councillors will decide whether to formally adopt them.
If formally adopted, the neighbourhood plans will be used to inform decisions on planning applications in the area.
Details of the plans and the referendum results
View the full result of the Arne referendum.
View the Arne Neighbourhood Plan online.
View the full result of the Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan referendum.
View the Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan online.
View the full result of the Chickerell referendum.
View the Chickerell Neighbourhood Plan online.
View the full result of the Milton Abbas referendum.
View the Milton Abbas Neighbourhood Plan online.
View the full result of the Portland referendum.
View the Portland Neighbourhood Plan online.
View the full result of the Puddletown referendum.
View the Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan online.
View the full result of the Shaftesbury referendum.
View the Shaftesbury Neighbourhood Plan online.
