Issue - items at meetings - Local Plan Review

To consider a report by the Cabinet Member for Planning.

Decisions

1. That Dorset Council progress with a Dorset Council Local Plan in line with the high-level project plan set out in the draft Local Development Scheme (Appendix 1 of the report) with the aim of adopting the plan by April 2023.

2. That the separate local plan reviews currently under way in the Dorset Council area, with the exception of the Purbeck plan which has reached examination, do not continue, but that all existing work carried out on these reviews be used where possible to shape the new Dorset Council Local Plan.

3. That the draft Local Development Scheme (Appendix 1 to the report) be approved as Dorset Council’s current programme for plan preparation.

4. That the Council retains its commitment to cooperation with neighbouring councils on strategic planning matters, as expressed in the Statement of Common Ground approved by the predecessor councils.

Reason for Decisions

To ensure that work on the preparation of a new Dorset Council Local Plan could be progressed to enable adoption by April 2023.

The Cabinet considered a report by the Cabinet Member for Planning on the arrangements for the production of the new Dorset Council Local Plan and the Local Development Scheme. He reminded Members the Consequential Order for Dorset Council required the Council to produce and adopt a new local plan, reflecting the changed council geography, by April 2024. However, the Shadow Executive Committee had previously expressed a preference to adopt the plan by April 2023. Whilst this was a challenging timescale, it was considered to be achievable but would require a significant amount of officer capacity to achieve this. It was therefore proposed that, with the exception of the Purbeck plan which had reached examination, the reviews currently underway of the separate local plans be ceased. However, the work already done on these reviews be used where possible to shape the new Dorset Council Local Plan.

Particular attention was drawn to the need to continue the commitment to co-operation with neighbouring councils, as stated in the Statement of Common Ground that was jointly agreed by the predecessor councils and the value of the Dorset Strategic Planning Forum in enabling this.

The Cabinet Member also reported that he had established a cross-party executive advisory panel to provide strategic direction on the development of the new local Plan.

Members agreed that there was a need for climate change to be a consideration in the development of the new plan. Whilst acknowledging that there was no mention of this in the local plans adopted by the predecessor councils, it was reiterated that these remained extant and formed the statutory development plan for Dorset Council and would remain so until replaced by the new plan.

In response to a question, the Cabinet Member confirmed that adopted neighbourhood plans would continue to form part of the development plan documentation.