CIVIC chiefs have agreed to pause the current partial review process of the Purbeck Local Plan, the document that will eventually identify preferred sites for more than 5,000 new homes within the district.

Around 350 people packed out a meeting at The Purbeck School, earlier this week, which followed a summer of consultation on the document. Once finalised, the local plan will shape future development in Purbeck up until 2033.

Many residents are angry that Purbeck has been directed to provide an additional 3,080 homes to address the current national housing shortage.

Some of the possible development sites included in the consultation proved controversial, leading to opposition groups being formed by residents at Wool, Wareham, Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers.

Cllr Peter Wharf, chairman of the Purbeck Local Plan Partial Review advisory group, said: "People made their views very clear during the consultation and they reiterated their concerns at this evening's meeting.

"We are grateful so many people have taken the time to have their say."

Some 22 residents and representatives from local groups spoke at the start of the meeting at The Purbeck School.

Purbeck District Council (PDC) will now pause the process, before "thoroughly reviewing" the concerns raised. There will then be an additional public consultation later in 2017 before anything is officially submitted to an independent planning inspector.

The Purbeck Local Plan, which was adopted by PDC in 2012, included the legal requirement for a partial review, should increased development become possible in the future.

While not an official planning application in its own right, the plan is essentially a blueprint which PDC's planning board could use to help determine future planning applications.

The main issue facing councillors and residents over the past few months has been the potential for additional housing, over and above the 2,520 homes identified in the original plan when it was adopted four years ago.

Since then the Eastern Dorset Strategic Market Assessment (SHMA), which analyses housing markets by particular area, concluded PDC would have to provide an extra 3,080 homes by 2033 to address the current housing shortage.

Cllr Wharf said: "Pausing the process does not come without risk. By doing this additional work, we could be left without an approved up-to-date local plan.

"The district would be more vulnerable to development 'by appeal' as the council would have less ground to object to development."

"However, in light of the huge number of responses this is a risk we must take, and it is important we do it right."