North Dorset Local Plan

CURRENT LOCAL PLAN

EMERGING PLAN: INCREASED HOUSING NEED

SHAFTESBURY AND MELBURY ABBAS & CANN NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANS

North Dorset has an adopted local plan which sets out the housing and employment land required to meet the needs for the district. The North Dorset Local Plan Part 1 (LPP1) (2016) identifies Shaftesbury as one of the four main towns within the district that will be a focus for growth for the vast majority of housing and other development. At least 1,140 homes are to be provided in Shaftesbury during the period 2011–2031, with about 380 of these classed as affordable homes. The figure above illustrates the allocations in Shaftesbury as set out in LPP1.

The current development plan identifies 49.6 hectares (ha) of employment land which is 19.1 hectares more than is required.

The current plan also identified the need for a new 2 form entry primary school in Shaftesbury by 2016.

The council has begun the process of reviewing its local plan beginning with the Issues and Options consultation running until the 22 January 2018. The Issues and Options document sets out the issues facing North Dorset and the options the council is considering in order to provide the employment and housing land required to meet the development needs of the district.

At present, the council needs to find an additional 3,000 dwellings.

THE EMERGING LOCAL PLAN AND SHAFTESBURY

The local plan review seeks to retain the employment allocation for the Land south of the A30 Shaftesbury.

The land immediately south, east and west of our site has been identified as an area of search (Area B) and is viewed favourably by the council favourably as an area where development could come forward as part of the new local plan. The council does however note that the development of the land to the south of the A30 for employment uses could have a detrimental impact on the living condition of any future occupiers of housing development in the Area B.

Shaftesbury and Melbury Abbas & Cann had their neighbourhood plan areas approved by the council on the 29th of November 2017. This milestone is one of the first steps to producing each area’s own Neighbourhood Plan. Once the neighbourhood plans have been “made” (adopted) they will form a part of the development plan for North Dorset and be used in the determination of planning applications.

The neighbourhood plan designation boundaries for both areas cut across the land to the south of the A30. Persimmon Homes will therefore work with both Neighbourhood Plan groups as we progress our proposals. This follows discussions with the previous joint Neighbourhood Plan Group.