1.9.1. Dorset Council want to engage with a range of ‘stakeholders’, including residents, bodies with roles such as environmental, housing and transport, parish councils, community organisations, landowners and developers, infrastructure and service providers, businesses, voluntary groups and residents. The Town and Country Planning Regulations 2026 set out certain organisations we are required to consult, referred to as specific consultation bodies, relevant consultation bodies and general consultation bodies. The regulations also place a requirement for different stakeholders to be consulted at different parts of the process.
Specific Consultation Bodies
1.9.2. Specific consultation bodies include statutory organisations, neighbouring local authorities, other public organisations and certain infrastructure providers such as those responsible for utilities.
1.9.3. Consulting with the Local Education Authority, Lead Local Flood Authority and considering the Local Nature Recovery Strategy are required where they sit within a different organisation. However, in Dorset Council’s case they are within the same authority.
Relevant Consultation Bodies
1.9.4. These include neighbouring local planning authorities, minerals and waste planning authorities, parish councils and police.
General Consultation Bodies
1.9.5. General consultation bodies are organisations whose activities benefit the plan area, organisations which represent those who share a protected characteristic (See para.1.9.18) in the area, or those who represent those who carry on business in the area.
1.9.6. The council does not have to consult every organisation in these groups. It will focus on those that are likely to be interested in, or affected by, the local plan. Engagement will be focused on key issues where coordination is needed to help ensure the local plan is effective.
1.9.7. The council commissions Volunteer Centre Dorset to support Dorset’s voluntary and community sector. The Centre facilitates a number of community networks, including Dorset Connect and Jurassic Coast Community Links. The council also works the Community Action Network, an organisation championing Dorset’s voluntary and community sector, and with Help and Kindness, a Community Interest Company supporting grass-roots projects and organisations across all age ranges and sectors of society. We will seek to coordinate engagement activities with the Volunteer Centre, Community Action Network and Help and Kindness to share information, including to particular audiences.
Strategic co-operation and cross boundary working
1.9.8. Planning in a coordinated way across local authority boundaries is an important part of delivering sustainable growth. In preparing the local plan, Dorset Council will work collaboratively with neighbouring authorities, infrastructure providers and other relevant bodies to address matters that operate across boundaries. Key cross-boundary matters include meeting housing needs across the housing market area, strategic transport connectivity and the provision of strategic infrastructure. Many of these strategic matters will be addressed through the Spatial Development Strategy but during its formation, there will be a need for conversations about these issues relative to Dorset.
1.9.9. Previously there was a statutory Duty to Cooperate requiring this cross-boundary cooperation. This has now been removed as a legislative requirement and is now embedded in the tests that the local plan will undergo during examination at the end of the process. Strategic cooperation will therefore form an integral part of demonstrating a sound local plan and will be demonstrated through the production of statements of common ground where necessary.
1.9.10. Dorset Council will work collaboratively with neighbouring local planning authorities and strategic bodies to identify and address cross-boundary matters. This will be achieved through:
- engagement with infrastructure providers, regional authorities, neighbouring local authorities and other relevant organisations to inform the spatial strategy
- identification and delivery of strategic infrastructure requirements to support sustainable growth through engagement with infrastructure
providers
- developing policy approaches through engagement with key stakeholders to ensure consistency and coordination across boundaries
Engaging with site promoters
1.9.11. Meeting the growth needs of Dorset is a fundamental requirement of the local plan. Site promoters and developers are key in delivering growth through the development sites and therefore it is important that the council engage proactively to achieve the desired outcomes.
1.9.12. The council will undertake a call for sites as part of the plan making process to ensure a good understanding of the available development options. The council will publish guidance on submission requirements and assessment criteria to support this process. All submissions will be recorded, and an objective assessment of suitability will be published.
1.9.13. Whilst the council cannot prevent promoters from submitting sites at any point within the plan making process, the emphasis will be on the submission as part of the call for sites process as this enables timely opportunities for site assessment. Sites submitted outside of this process may not be considered and assessed, instead being treated as ‘omission sites’ for consideration through the examination of the local plan.
1.9.14. Site promoters will be encouraged to engage with the various consultations that form part of the local plan process. Detailed evidence studies and assessments to support site promotion should be submitted as part of the ongoing negotiations with site developers and not as part of the formal consultation stages.
Residents and engaging under -represented groups
Local communities profile
1.9.15. Residents are important in providing knowledge of local issues and lived experiences. The council has prepared a Local Communities Profile using available demographic data (unless otherwise stated, this data has been sourced from the 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.) to help us understand our target audiences and how we can best meet their engagement needs. At each stage, we will use this information to monitor our approach to consultation and the consultation response, to identify opportunities to improve our engagement. The profile will be reviewed, and if necessary updated, before each stage of consultation.
1.9.16. The council holds a database of organisations and residents who wish to be notified of consultations on the local plan. Anyone can sign up to be notified of the progression of the local plan – see section 1.12.7.
Local Communities Profile
Dorset is a large and varied area, featuring many different communities. Known for its rurality, which brings its own strengths and challenges, Dorset also includes larger towns (such as Weymouth and Dorchester), smaller towns (such as Lyme Regis, Sturminster Newton Wimborne Minster and Shaftesbury) and several towns and villages that have a strong relationship with the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation (such as Upton, Ferndown, Wimborne Minster and Verwood).
Population densities vary significantly, resulting in highly varied daily lives across the authority area. For example, Dorchester has population density of just over 3,000 people per square kilometre, while rural parishes, which cover much of Dorset, can have fewer than 20 per square kilometre.
Mobile internet connectivity is also highly variable across Dorset. While Ofcom identifies that 96% of Dorset is likely to benefit from 4G connectivity from at least one provider indoors, only 57% is identified to have coverage from all four of the main providers indoors (Connected Nations: Interactive report 2025, Ofcom). Dorset Council is working with Streetwave to better understand coverage, street-by-street.
Population
In 2021, Dorset had a total population of 389,947 people. The population is broadly balanced by sex, with 51.5% female and 48.5% male.
With just over 30% of Dorset’s population being aged 65 and over, we have a larger proportion of people in this age group than any other unitary authority in England (the average being just under 20%) (Dorset Council Plan 2024 to 2029). As a result of this, Dorset also has a greater proportion of one and two person households than average, and a decreasing population of people of working age, particularly residents aged between 18 and 39 (Dorset Council Plan 2024 to 2029).
Dorset’s overall population is also less ethnically diverse than England as a whole, with only 6.1% classifying themselves as non -white British, and a greater proportion have English as one of their main languages (98.2%) than the country average. However, there are some locations that have notably higher levels of diversity than the rest of Dorset, including Dorchester, Sturminster Newton and Melcombe Regis which have 9.8%, 12.3% and 15.4% identifying as non-white British respectively.
In terms of religions and beliefs, the majority of Dorset residents either define themselves as Christian (59%) or as having no religion (40.1%). 1.8% recognised themselves as belonging to another religion or faith group, while 6.5% preferred not to state their religion.
Deprivation
In terms of overall deprivation, Dorset is less deprived than most English authority areas, being ranked 180th out of 296 (English indices of deprivation 2025). However, deprivation levels are not evenly spread, with several neighbourhoods being in the top 10% or 20% most deprived nationally. Many of these pockets are within Weymouth and Portland, although there are also areas in Ferndown and Bridport.
Self-reported health also varies depending on location. The 80.7% share of Dorset residents who report themselves to be very well or well broadly aligns with the England average, but there are locations where this proportion drops notably. This figure drop s to 72.4% in Melcombe Regis ward in Weymouth for example. 9.7% of residents aged 5 and over provide unpaid care.
In terms of earnings, Dorset’s residents earn around 10% less than the national average, and the amount of money generated for the economy per hour worked is about 15% less. 43% of Dorset’s residents are in employment. Dorset and BCP have over 6,000 serving personnel in the UK armed forces across 4 bases, equating to around 0.8% of the population of both authority areas (Dorset Council Armed Forces Covenant factsheet), while 22,884 residents in the Dorset Council area have previously served, equivalent to around 7.1% of Dorset residents aged 16 and over.
Access to transport is also relevant. 13.7% of Dorset’s residents do not own a car, and while some locations benefit from good public transport options, many areas within Dorset have limited provision.
1.9.17. The profile suggests that a hybrid approach is necessary in Dorset to enable both online and traditional engagement and response methods. Use of local libraries and in person events are likely to be helpful to ensure older people are reached. Any events would be focussed on settlements with proposed growth with information available via local libraries and we will ask for the assistance of parish councils to help reach those in rural areas. Section 1.12: ‘How we will engage’ summarises methods of engagement that may be used.
Protected characteristics
1.9.18. The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination based on nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
1.9.19. When carrying out its functions, Dorset Council must have regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). This requires the council to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
- foster good relations between different groups of people
1.9.20. These duties will be an important consideration throughout local plan consultation and engagement activities.
1.9.21. In addition, Dorset Council's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2027 identifies other factors that may affect people's ability to access services or participate in public life. These include people who are care experienced, carers, those affected by rural isolation, people facing socio-economic disadvantage, lone parents, members of the armed forces community, and people with diverse gender identities. These factors will also
be considered when developing the local plan engagement approach.
Dorset Council Priorities
1.9.22. The local plan engagement approach will also have regard to relevant Dorset Council Plan priorities. The priorities are summarised in section 3 of the scoping consultation document (spatial vision and objectives) and they can help identify communities, places and stakeholders who may be particularly affected by local plan issues. The priorities highlight the importance of aiming to engage with working age residents, those with disabilities, organisations representing businesses, young people, rural communities, low-income households and ethnic minorities. These groups are reflected in table 1.
