Queenie Comfort, from the Barrington Centre in Ferndown, said: “We need more housing but the council has got to be sensitive to the areas they use.

“I think it’s good they’re not just going to pick places willy nilly, that will not work.”

&bull: Ross Parkhurst, 25, who lives in Christchurch said: “More young people should be encouraged to live in Christchurch so I am in favour of the house building.

“That’s the main issue in this area- the price of housing for families.”

• Fellow Christchurch resident Lisa McCarthy, 37, said: “The schools are so good in Christchurch that we need more houses appropriate for young families.

“It’s important for the future to ensure there are places for younger families.”

Mudeford resident John Canning, 63, said: “I don’t know whether the roads will cope with any more people living here.

“The traffic would be a huge problem and the roads definitely need to be sorted out. “It needs to be thought out.”

• Angela O’Connor from Christchurch said: “More housing is a brilliant idea. We know we need more houses but things need to be in place to ensure it all works properly.

“Small houses are what we need and also enough parking space.”

• Lucas Radford, 21 said: “Housing is obviously very important, especially in the economic situation.

“If you have a very old population you need to ensure there is more people able to live and work in the area to keep things running.”

Crucial meetings – your chance to have a say on big community issues

Both councils will be holding special committee meetings that will allow members of the public to address councillors on issues in the document.

They will take place at Christchurch council on Wednesday at 6pm and Wednesday February 1 at 6pm at East Dorset District Council.

Councillors will not be making decisions at these meetings but listening to the views of the community before the document is finally approved for public consultation on March 5.

Each speaker will be allowed a three-minute slot with 20 three-minute slots available.

To speak at the East Dorset meeting contact Sarah Culwick on sculwick@christchurchandeastdorset.gov.uk or 01202 639174.

The deadline for a slot at the East Dorset event is Friday at noon.