A summary of comments from the consultation of the draft Dorset Council Local Plan is now published.
All of the comments received from the 6,000 respondents have already been searchable on the council’s website, but they have now been categorised against the draft policies and relevant areas of Dorset.
The consultation, which took place in early 2021, resulted in over 50,000 comments on the separate policies, more than all of the most recent former district and borough local plan consultations combined.
Cllr David Walsh, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:
“Officers have given time to every comment that was received during the consultation. We have been given specific details that will help us formulate the plan.
“We are grateful for everyone who has commented, there are many genuine issues which will be considered going forward.”
The summary can be viewed on the Dorset Council website.
Although the timescale for the development of the Dorset Council Local Plan has been extended, evidence gathering has continued. This supporting evidence is also published on the council website.
The Dorset Council Local Plan will outline the strategy for
- Providing the growth Dorset needs
- Locating development in suitable places
- Providing community services including schools, retail, leisure, and community facilities
- Ensuring the appropriate character and quality of development
- Protecting the environment, and
- Acting on and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Once adopted, the plan will guide decisions on planning applications in Dorset for the next sixteen years.
Will the public have sight of the revised plan before the council elections in May 2024? It’s clear from the summary that the original plan raised significant concerns. Given that the local plan will provide the blueprint for planning in Dorset for the next 16 years, it seems only right that it should be debated and discussed during next year’s election campaign.
Hi Nigel – the timescales for the Dorset Council Local Plan can be found at https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/planning-buildings-land/planning-policy/dorset-council-local-plan/key-stages-of-the-plan We are waiting, alongside other things, for the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to pass through Government so that we know how this will change the National Planning Policy Framework and how the local plan will be shaped. Fiona
Hi Fiona
I understand that you can’t get involved in party politics, but unless the council starts to share more information about the revised plan, next year’s elections will be fought on a document that is three years out of date and attracted more than 50,000 comments – hardly a sensible basis on which the electorate can make an informed decision.