Affordable Housing Planning Policies

Each Dorset District Council has adopted Planning Policies associated with the delivery of affordable housing.

Planning policies are individually tailored to the needs of each Local Planning Authority, however, principles stem from overarching national Planning Guidance and therefore have a common basis and scope. Whilst some local variations exist, affordable housing policies can be viewed under two main themes: mandatory requirements to provide affordable housing as part of eligible private residential developments, and, permitting the development of affordable housing schemes in rural areas where private residential development would not be permitted.

Current Affordable Housing Planning Policies stem from adopted Local Plans and associated Supplementary Planning Guidance, however, the existing Local Plan system is gradually being replaced with a new . As part of this process, council's are reviewing existing policies and developing new ones. Some of this work is being informed through updated sources of housing evidence including Housing Need and Demand Surveys, Strategic Housing Market Assessments (opens in a new window) , Stategic Housing Land Availability Assessments (opens in a new window) and Economic Viability Assessments (pdf, 1Mb) (opens in a new window) . With shared needs and interests, a number of these key research documents and surveys are now being produced at a sub-regional level to serve the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole group of local authorities.