Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Portfolio Holder for Planning.

Decision

That the revised Local Development Scheme, as set out in the Appendix to the report, be agreed for publication.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning set out a report to ensure that the council had an up to date Local Development Scheme published online, so that the local community, developers and stakeholders were aware of the programme for local plan preparation.  The Local Development Scheme was the published programme for the preparation of local plans.  All local planning authorities needed to maintain an up to date local development scheme so that those who were interested in or affected by future local plans know when they would be due to be prepared and have opportunities for involvement.

Dorset Council adopted its first Local Development Scheme in June 2019 and a number of updates needed to be made.  The Waste Plan and Minerals Sites Plan had both been adopted.  The Dorset Council Local Plan programme remained on track for submission in March 2022 and adoption in April 2023, but the initial consultation had been delayed in order to allow for the completion of some of the necessary evidence based work following the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

It was hoped that some face to face consultation could take place in January 2021.  The Portfolio Holder also reported that the Government had recently published a consultation paper outlining radical changes to the national planning system. 

This was likely to affect the preparation of the Dorset Council Local Plan significantly.

Decision

That the revised Local Development Scheme, as set out in the Appendix to the report, be agreed for publication.