Vale of Allen residents have chance to shape their community

Residents of Vale of Allen have the opportunity to shape their community through the development of a Neighbourhood Plan.

Dorset Council has received a request from Vale of Allen Parish Council (Crichel, Gussage All Saints, Gussage St Michael, Hinton and Witchampton) for the approval of a Neighbourhood Area, which is the first formal stage of preparing a plan.

The application includes agreed consent from Knowlton Parish Council where the area application extends into these adjacent parish (Woodlands, Horton, Chalbury). The application and supporting information can be found on the Neighbourhood Area webpage.

A Neighbourhood Plan aims to give residents more control over their local area, when plans for new homes, shops and offices in their town or village are considered. It is used to inform decisions on planning applications in consultation with the National Planning Policy Framework and the adopted Local Plan. 

Residents who have any comments about whether this is the right area for the Neighbourhood Plan to cover can send them to the Spatial Planning Team at Dorset Council by Tuesday 17 June 2025.

Once the plan is written, it will be consulted on locally and submitted to Dorset Council for independent examination. It will also be subject to a local referendum to make sure it has the support of local people.

Cllr Shane Bartlett, Dorset Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning, said:

“Residents in Vale of Allen have a great chance to plan the future of their area, as Neighbourhood Plans give local communities a real say in how their area should change over time. Anyone who wishes to have their say on the neighbourhood plan area can do so by sending their comments to Dorset Council.”

Residents can comment by post at Spatial Planning, Dorset Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ or by emailing the team.

Those interested in helping with the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan can contact the Parish Clerk by email.

Any parish council or parish meeting that might be interested in forming a neighbourhood plan should contact our Planning team.