Residents in Purbeck and Crossways are being urged to complete their New Homes for Purbeck questionnaire.

Almost 2,000 responses have been received so far and well-attended drop-in events are taking place around the district.

Through the consultation, Purbeck District Council is looking at how it can best meet the housing needs of current and future generations in Purbeck. As well as questions about sites for new homes, there are questions about second homes and affordable homes.

There are currently 403 households on Purbeck’s housing register requiring affordable rented housing and an additional 231 seeking low cost home ownership such as shared ownership.

With only 135 housing association homes built in Purbeck since 2012, the district desperately needs more suitable homes for local people.

The consultation is taking place as part of the council’s review of the Purbeck Local Plan.

The plan was approved by an independent planning inspector in 2012 on condition that the council reviewed the number of new homes it was planning for the district.

Consultations were held in 2015 and 2016 on the review and Central Government released new draft guidance in 2017. This estimates fewer homes are required to be built compared with the numbers suggested in the 2015 and 2016 consultations.

Cllr Gary Suttle, leader of Purbeck District Council, said: “We listened to what people told us in those earlier consultations and have been able to review the number of new homes and where these could go.

“However, we cannot escape the fact we need more homes for local people in the district. Whether it’s young people who want to stay in Purbeck, homes for people who will look after us as we get older, or homes for those facing homelessness, we need more homes for local people”.

Cllr Suttle added: “We are also looking at how we can restrict the number of second homes and enable more affordable homes.

“By involving people in the local plan, we can make the most of the limited options available to us and meet the housing needs of local residents.

“We need a local plan which will stand up against speculative developers. Without a valid plan in place we will have less say on where new houses are built.”

A random telephone survey of 1,000 households in Purbeck is also underway.

If you would like further information or help to complete the questionnaire, contact Public Perspectives on freephone 0800 533 5386 or email purbeck@publicperspectives.co.uk

The deadline for the questionnaire is March 12.