Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning.

(a)    Cabinet agreed that the current plan-making system continued, and this was to be reviewed at the point the new plan-making system was in place.

(b)    That the revised Local Development Scheme and key programme milestones for development plan preparation contained within it be agreed, and to bring this into effect on 5 March 2025.

(c)    That the Local Development Scheme be published on the Dorset Council website.

(d)    That a copy of the Local Development Scheme be submitted to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 6 March 2025, to comply with the request from the Deputy Prime Minister.

(e)    Cabinet agree to continue to produce a Local Plan separate from the Minerals plan and Waste plan but to undertake a review of this approach once the new plan-making system was introduced.

Reason for the decision

To respond to the request from the Deputy Prime Minister for all Local Planning Authorities to update their Local Development Scheme within 12 weeks of the publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework. The revised Local Development Scheme needed to be agreed with a copy being sent to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 6 March 2025.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning presented an update on the Local Development Scheme to establish a timetable to produce the Dorset Council Local Plan, the Dorset Council Minerals Plan, the Dorset Council Waste Plan, various neighbourhood plans and other planning policy documents, as required by central government by 6 March 2025.

Transitional arrangements had been put in place for the local plans being produced under the current plan-making system and these arrangements had set a target for Dorset of submitting the local plan for examination by December 2026. Even though the deadline of December 2026 was ambitious, members supported the need to have the Dorset Council Local Plan in place as soon as was possible.

In response to a question around design code and village design statements, the Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning confirmed that a cross-party meeting would shortly to be arranged to discuss design codes.

It was proposed by Cllr S Bartlett seconded by Cllr R Biggs

Decision

(a)    Cabinet agreed that the current plan-making system continued, and this was to be reviewed at the point the new plan-making system was in place.

(b)    That the revised Local Development Scheme and key programme milestones for development plan preparation contained within it be agreed, and to bring this into effect on 5 March 2025.

(c)    That the Local Development Scheme be published on the Dorset Council website.

(d)    That a copy of the Local Development Scheme be submitted to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 6 March 2025, to comply with the request from the Deputy Prime Minister.

(e)    Cabinet agree to continue to produce a Local Plan separate from the Minerals plan and Waste plan but to undertake a review of this approach once the new plan-making system was introduced.

Reason for the decision

To respond to the request from the Deputy Prime Minister for all Local Planning Authorities to update their Local Development Scheme within 12 weeks of the publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework. The revised Local Development Scheme needed to be agreed with a copy being sent to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 6 March 2025.