Melbury Abbas and Cann Neighbourhood Plan was made (adopted) on 29 January 2026.
The neighbourhood plan was prepared by Melbury Abbas and Cann parish council. It has undergone examination by an independent examiner and has received a positive result at a local referendum.
Referendum
The referendum took place on Thursday 4 December 2025. The referendum asked: “Do you want Dorset Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Melbury Abbas and Cann to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?” The result was a majority in favour (128 ‘yes’ votes and 28 ‘no’ votes). See the full referendum results.
The documents published at the start of the referendum period were:
- Melbury Abbas and Cann Neighbourhood Plan 2022 to 2038 (referendum version)
- the Examiner's Report
- the Decision Statement which includes a statement by the local planning authority that the plan as proposed meets the basic conditions
- a summary of representations submitted to the examiner
- the Information Statement, which includes information regarding the referendum
Plan Examination
The independent examination was undertaken by Andrew Mead BSc (Hons) MRTPI MIQ. The examiner’s report was issued on 3 September 2025.
Examiner’s report on the Melbury Abbas and Cann Neighbourhood Development Plan 2022 to 2038.
At the start of the examination, the examiner wrote to Dorset Council and the parish council in order to clarify several initial procedural matters.
The letter also includes 13 questions in order to seek further clarification and information from both councils:
- letter from examiner (2 July 2025)
- response to examiner from Dorset Council (17 July 2025)
response to examiner from Melbury Abbas and Cann Dorset Council (17 July 2025)
The examiner has also agreed to accept a late representation regarding Southbank Farm:
Plan submission and Regulation 16 consultation
The submitted neighbourhood plan is:
It is supported by the following documents:
The plan is also accompanied by the following evidence base documents:
- Melbury Abbas & Cann - Design Guide
- Melbury Abbas and Cann - Housing Needs Assessment
- Melbury Abbas and Cann - Site Assessment Report
- Site Assessment Report - Appendix A - Site Appraisal Pro-forma
- Environment, Landscape Character and Vistas Topic Paper
- Heritage Topic Guide
- Transport Topic Paper
A regulation 16 consultation took place between 11 April and 30 May 2025. Representations received during the consultation period have been compiled into the following report: