RESIDENTS are being asked to help review the planning blueprint for Purbeck, that sets out preferred future development until 2027.

Purbeck District Council says it wants to know where residents think new homes, shops and businesses should be built in the district.

The consultation, running until mid-March, is part of a partial review of the Purbeck District Local Plan. This document, agreed by councillors three years ago and appraised by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate, already sets out preferred sites for future development.

District council partial review advisory group chairman Cllr Peter Wharf explained: “With continued pressure on the district to meet future growth, we need to ensure the Purbeck Local Plan remains up-to-date.

“When the planning inspector appraised the plan, he agreed it only on the understanding that the council would review it to see whether more development was possible in the future.”

Cllr Wharf says that without an approved plan developers would have few restraints or guidelines to adhere to, and the council could lose much of its ability to manage the district’s development Earlier this year a public consultation into preferred future development sites in Swanage revealed “no clear consensus” for where new homes should be built.

Civic leaders were primed to launch the latter stages of this Swanage Local Plan public consultation at the same time as the partial review. However, this will not happen now, after councillors decided to “further explore the issues highlighted by some members of the Swanage Local Plan Steering Group.”

Cllr Wharf said: “We have to strike a balance between protecting and enhancing the beautiful area of Purbeck and providing the housing that would meet demand.”

Dates for the consultation events

THE partial plan public consultation started on Thursday, January 29, and lasts until 5pm on Friday, March 13.

Households across Purbeck should receive publicity flyers detailing events around the district. The full consultation material, including the questionnaire, will be available online at dorsetforyou.com/purbeck-partial-review. Paper copies can be obtained by calling Purbeck District Council 01929 556 561.

A number of consultation events, where members of the public can talk to council officers, are taking place at the following venues:

  • Upton Community Centre, 2pm to 8pm, Wednesday, February 11.
  • D’Urberville Hall, Wool, 2pm to 8pm, Thursday, February 12.
  • Mowlem Theatre, Swanage, 2pm to 8pm, Monday, February 16.
  • Bere Regis scout hut, 2pm to 8pm, Wednesday, February 20.
  • Wareham Town Hall, 2pm to 8pm, Friday, February 20.
  • Lytchett Matravers Library, 2pm to 8pm, Thursday, February 26.