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Dorset Heathland Joint Development Plan Document

Local Planning Authorities in South East Dorset are working towards a long term strategy to protect designated heathlands by managing the pressures of development through the production of a Joint Development Plan Document (DPD).

A joint consultation was undertaken on the Dorset Heathland Joint DPD (opens in a new window) by the Borough of Poole on behalf of Bournemouth, Christchurch, East Dorset, Purbeck and Poole Councils which closed on the 29 October 2007.  The representations received (opens in a new window) have also been collated by the Borough of Poole.  We are now jointly considering these representations which will inform the next stages (opens in a new window) of the document's production.  Once adopted, this document will supersede the Interim Planning Framework that is in place from 2009 to 2011.  A detailed timetable for the document is currently being agreed among the partner authorities.

Evidence to support the Dorset Heathland Joint DPD

Evidence is being gathered to support the new, long term proposals which the Dorset Heathland Joint DPD will contain.  While studies have been done on the use of heathlands, less was known about residents' use of other open spaces.  To address this, a study was carried out by Footprint Ecology, which took the form of a household survey that looked to:

  • Provide a strategic overview of current levels of access to different sites
  • Determine which factors influence the choice of site which people visit
  • Identify which households visit the designated heathland sites
  • Identify how many visits are made to heathland and other types of site
  • Explore how people travel to different sites and types of sites
  • Explore why people visit heaths and other types of sites
  • Determine the importance of geographical location and the distances people travel to different types of sites
  • Assess the extent to which people who visit heaths also visit other sites

The results of the study provide us with evidence that can be used to make predictions about the effects of any proposals that may be made in the Dorset Heathland Joint DPD.  The study is available to download in two parts:

Background to the Dorset Heathland Joint DPD

The Dorset Heaths are a vital part of the natural environment of south east Dorset contributing to the area's special qualities. Over time the expansion of the towns and villages in south east Dorset, afforestation and agricultural practices have resulted in the loss of substantial areas of heathland. Today, those areas that remain are afforded the highest level of protection as European wildlife sites whilst also providing access to countryside for the urban population. The protected sites cover an extensive and fragmented complex of sites from Warmwell near Dorchester in the west, to Verwood and Alderholt in the north, through Poole and Bournemouth to Christchurch in the east and across the northern half of Purbeck in the south.

In Summer 2006, the local authorities whose areas include designated heathland were warned by English Nature (now Natural England, the Government's advisor on nature conservation), that scientific evidence was showing that housing development within a wide area around heathland was likely to have a significant cumulative effect on them.

We have put in place an Interim Planning Framework which seeks developer contributions towards a package of mitigation measures to offset the adverse effects of additional residential development. Further details on this document are available:

We have agreed to develop a long term strategy for the protection of designated heathlands through the production of the Dorset Heathland Joint DPD (opens in a new window) . This allows for more detailed consideration of mechanisms and measures that may contribute to the appropriate and necessary mitigation of residential development proposed to 2026.

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