Dorset Council have today formally launched their Call for Sites Consultation seeking the submission of land that may be suitable for new homes and employment and for potential strategic allocation as part of the new Dorset Local Plan making process.
This will be running until Friday 20th December 2024.
This is the opportunity for landowners, developers and any other stakeholder parties with legal interests in land to submit their sites to the council for consideration as part of the next Local Plan making process; which the council will be commencing in earnest.
There will be significant pressure upon Dorset Council to release additional land from the Green Belt as part of this plan making process with the clear direction provided by the Government within the upcoming National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) being a requirement to meet local needs for housing in full.
The implications for Dorset as a whole are significant, not least because there may be a need to also plan proactively to assist the neighbouring local authorities, like BCP Council and New Forest District Council to meet their needs if they cannot meet them within their plan areas.
Dorset Council is prospectively to see an 81% increase in housing need to 3,230 homes a year through the new Standard Method for calculating housing need. This will mean the need to allocate significant additional sites, alongside addressing the non-delivery of sites previously allocated by the now aged local plans of the legacy district and borough councils, within the plan period of the new Dorset Local Plan.
There are therefore clear opportunities to promote land on the periphery of existing settlements. The council will be obligated to meet their housing need in full, and this includes releasing Green Belt land to do so. The new NPPF, as issued in draft is clear on this point.
We will be contacting our existing clients with land interests that we have previously promoted, or whom we have advised that the Local Plan making process was upcoming, to put together submissions to ensure that your land interests are appropriately promoted.
If you consider you have a site that you would like to see promoted, which you consider would be suitable for development or you otherwise would like our advice on whether it is worth promoting your land, please do reach out to us and we will be happy to assist you with this.
