Dorset Council's Neighbourhood Planning

Neighbourhood Planning is about giving local people a say over the future growth of their area. They can say what new homes will look like and where they will be built, where employment should be located, what community facilities should be protected or what others are needed, as well as protecting green spaces and the environment.

• see neighbourhood planning news
• see made neighbourhood plans
• see neighbourhood plans in progress

How neighbourhood plans related to adopted local plans in Dorset Council

When adopted, neighbourhood plans become part of the development plan for the area. See the adopted local plans. This means they will sit alongside the Local Plan and be considered in deciding whether or not planning permission should be given. Plans that will be adopted after the adoption of the Dorset Council Local Plan will become part of this plan.

We have also mapped out all the neighbourhood plans across the Dorset Council area at various stages which includes:

• a map of neighbourhood plans with the area designated (the initial stage)
• a map of neighbourhood plans in production (secondary stage)
• a map of made neighbourhood plans (completed stage)

Neighbourhood planning news

Neighbourhood Planning process 

The neighbourhood planning process consists of the following stages:

1. Beginning your relationship with Dorset Council

There is support available to local communities preparing neighbourhood plans or development orders from Dorset Council. We will be there to provide technical support and will be the first point of contact for communities. More support can be found on the Locality website and Planning Aidwebsite.

2. Designating the area

When you contact Dorset Council policy team we will discuss designating an area for your neighbourhood plan.

3. Designating neighbourhood forums

Where there is no town or parish council the community needs to set up a neighbourhood forum to develop a neighbourhood plan. Once designated, the forum will remain designated for five years, unless withdrawn. For further information on setting up a neighbourhood forum please contact the Spatial Policy team.

4. Getting started and building a relationship with your community

This stage involves getting financial support. Central government has provided a support package for community groups undertaking neighbourhood planning, this includes a grant and optional technical support.

Further information on the current funding, advice and guidance is on the Locality website.

Following this, you'll gather evidence and consult with your community about the opportunities and issues in your area. This will help you decide what to focus your plan on. It is important you fully consult with your community as for the plan to be successful, you will need people to vote in favour of adopting your plan.

5. Preparing the draft Neighbourhood Plan

Following consultation, you'll know what improvements or protection your community would like and you can focus your attention on these areas. Gathering evidence on these issues will be important, you can generate your own and/or you can work with Dorset Council and use existing evidence to inform your plan.

Once you have this information, you can think about policies to help shape your area.

This is where you will draft your plan.

6. Formal consultation

Once you have a draft plan, you'll carry out a formal consultation, called 'regulation 14', with your community and statutory consultees.

Following this, and having considered the consultation responses received, you may want to make changes to your plan before finalising it for submission to Dorset Council.

7. Submit to Dorset Council

When you are happy with your plan and have taken into account comments received to your formal consultation, you will submit your plan and supporting evidence to Dorset Council. We will then carry out another consultation called 'regulation 16'.

8. Examination

After we have finished our consultation, we will submit the plan to an independent examiner. He /she will examine the plan and consider whether it meets the basic conditions relating to neighbourhood plans. The examiner will also recommend whether the plan should proceed to referendum.

9. Referendum

Upon finishing a successful examination, the Council will hold a referendum in your neighbourhood plan area. You will need to achieve 50% majority of support from your community for the plan to be formally made and used to determine planning applications.

10. The official making of the plan

The plan will then go before full council and be formally 'made', (adopted) by the
Council, meaning it will be used to determine planning applications in your area.

Mapping

Parish Councils who have not already done so can sign up to the Public Sector Mapping Agreementin order to use our Ordnance Survey data without getting into any copyright difficulties.

Dorset Council Made Neighbourhood Plans

Dorset Council Neighbourhood Plans in progress

• A to E
• F to J
• K to O
• P to T
• U to Z

Neighbourhood plans starting with A to E

Neighbourhood plans starting with F to J

Neighbourhood plans starting with K to O

Neighbourhood plans starting with P to T

Neighbourhood plans starting with U to Z

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