Following an unprecedented 9,000 responses to the public consultation, Cllr Spencer Flower, leader of Dorset Council has been in contact with Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the hope of redressing what the council sees as anomalies in producing local plans.

Cllr Spencer Flower said: “In my dialogue with Michael Gove, I have been arguing that the current national planning framework is not providing councils with the means to promote sustainable development through their Local Plans but is instead about chasing housing targets.

“I am seeking reform of this framework and proposing that Dorset could be a pilot for a new way of creating Local Plans, based on sustainability and local needs over the next 30 years, that also recognises the ambitions of our Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy.

“We must have a Local Plan in place: without one we face the risk of unmanaged development in Dorset, but it has to be the right plan. Our hard-working and innovative planning officers have ensured the draft Local Plan is the best it can be, but it is constrained by current planning legislation.”

He said that many residents share his view that the draft Local Plan chases housing numbers rather than prioritises local needs.

Cllr Flower added: “I also believe it is better to have fewer bigger-scale new developments in Dorset which bring in the necessary funding and infrastructure, rather than lots of small developments which put further pressure on already-stretched community resources.

He has asked Mr Gove to consider several radical alternatives:

• allow Dorset to pilot a radically different approach to Local Plan making
• break the link between the housing land supply numbers and the Duty to Cooperate – ie the requirement for Dorset Council to accept unmet housing need from neighbouring councils
• allow Dorset an extension of two years until April 2026 to give more time for the new Dorset Local Plan to be developed and approved. During this extended period of plan preparation, Dorset should be protected against speculative housing development by suspending the five-year land supply requirement or by other means necessary
• fully recognise the climate and ecological emergency in the planning system, including new building regulations.

Cllr Flower concluded: “We recognise that this is national policy and may require changes to primary legislation, which is not in our gift locally.”