Planning at the Local Level - Local Plans to Local Development Frameworks
The Planning system at the local level is experiencing change following the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. The system of Local Plans which includes the Weymouth and Portland Local Plan 2005 is being gradually replaced by a Local Development Framework (LDF). Policies in the Local Plan will continue to be used until replacement LDF policies emerge. Since the adoption of the Local Plan in 2005, the Borough Council has been developing various documents under the new regime. The Local Development Scheme outlines the programme for undertaking the LDF. The Statement of Community Involvement informs how and when the community and other bodies will be consulted at different stages in the preparation of Local Development Plan Documents. Annual Monitoring Reports have also been produced which review progress on achieving milestones in the LDF as well as monitoring the performance of existing plans and policies. The Borough Council are currently working on two elements of the Local Development Framework, they are the Core Strategy and the Town Centre Area Action Plan. More information on the Local Development Framework can be found to the left together with links to all the current Development Plan Documents (DPDs)
Click to view the interactive Local Plan map
The Borough Council has launched another round of consultation to find new housing sites in Weymouth and Portland. This is an opportunity to help identify sites of any size that may make a contribution to the future supply of housing. If you wish to suggest a potential site, please visit our SHLAA webpage and complete a form. The closing date for submission of sites in the 22nd February 2010.
"Our Community, Your Future: Options" consultation – Eight weeks of public consultation for the “Our Community, Your Future: Options” were held during the summer of 2009. The Borough Council is currently taking into consideration the many comments received and examining the feedback from the consultation events. All the consultation information will remain available to download via this link.
Planning at the County Level - The Removal of Structure Plans
Prior to the commencement of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Structure Plan formed the strategic development plan for the entire County until 2011. The Borough of Poole, Dorset County Council and Bournemouth Borough Council are responsible for the Structure Plan. The Structure Plan sets out strategic policies such as the number of houses to be built in each district and the location of major shopping development. Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the system of Structure Plans will cease once the Regional Spatial Strategy is adopted.
Planning at the Regional Level - Regional Planning Guidance to Regional Spatial Strategies
Following the commencement of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, traditional Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) became the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) in each region outside of London and now forms part of the statutory Development Plan. The RSS, incorporating a Regional Transport Strategy (RTS), provides a broad development strategy for the South West region until 2026. The RSS also informs the preparation of Local Development Documents (LDDs), Local Transport Plans (LTPs) and regional and sub-regional strategies and programmes that have a bearing on land use activities.
The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West 2006-2026 was published in March 2006. The Draft RSS underwent an Examination in Public in Spring/Summer 2007 which resulted in a set of proposed changes being put forward by the Secretary of State in July 2008. An adopted version of the RSS was expected in 2009. However, additional work on a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) will be undertaken to identify and appraise reasonable alternatives to the Areas of Search in Housing Market Assessment policies which were added or amended in the Proposed Changes. This SA work is expected to be reported in March 2010.
