Land at Dudsbury Golf Course could be turned over to housing and a first school and a new neighbourhood comprising 600 homes might be on the cards for Cranborne Road.

These and many other proposals are containing in the Dorset Council Local Plan which is up for consultation from 18 January until 15 March.

Once adopted, the Local Plan will guide decisions on planning applications in Dorset until 2038.

Cllr David Walsh, Dorset Council portfolio holder for planning, said, “This is the time for local residents to have their say on the future of Dorset. We want to get everyone’s views on the draft plan.

“We are working closely with all our stakeholders, our own councillors and town and parish councils to make sure we reach all parts of Dorset.”

The consultation is available online at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/dorset-council-local-plan

For people who don’t have access to the plan online there are paper copies available for loan at libraries through their click and collect service.

There are displays in windows of empty shops, libraries and Tourist Information Centres in some town centres.

There will also be a phone line that people can call to ask questions. This number will be available Monday – Friday 10am – 2pm. The dedicated phone line is 01305 252500

A series of webinars will allow people to phone in and listen to, or view presentations about various sections of the plan. Once published, the webinars will be available to view at any time on our YouTube channel. Questions can be submitted in advance for the team to answer either as part of the webinar or afterwards. The aim is to have a respose to all questions asked to each webinar on the council’s webpage no later than two weeks afterwards.

There are also bespoke surgeries for particular groups and town and parish councils available upon request

A series of animations and podcasts have been developed to help explain The Dorset Council Local Plan. These can be found through Dorset Council’s social media channels or on the podcast platform Anchor.

The plan will go through several phases and will include a further chance for feedback on its ‘soundness’. It will also be scrutinised by the planning inspectorate before its adoption.