North Dorset local planning policy

The Planning Policy Team is responsible for preparing documents that set out the council's approach to the management of development in the district.

The planning system in England and Wales follows a plan-led system. This involves preparing plans containing policies that explain what can be built and where. The system was updated by an Act of Parliament (the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act) in December 2004 which required local authorities to replace their Local Plans with a process known as the 'Local Development Framework'.

In 2010 the newly elected Coalition Government also announced that there would be changes to the planning system in line with its 'Big Society' agenda. In November 2011 the Localism Act (opens in a new window) was published, it includes reforms the Government believe will make the planning system clearer, more democratic and more effective. The National Planning Policy Framework (opens in a new window) (NPPF) was published in March 2012.

Latest news

Shaftesbury Town Council and Melbury Abbas and Cann Parish Council have applied to designate a neighbourhood plan area

Report on the Key Issues Consultation Results

The Local Plan
The current plan for North Dorset is the District Wide Local Plan which was adopted by the council in January 2003. It comprises a written statement and a set of proposals maps that cover the whole district.
Neighbourhood Planning North Dorset
The Coalition Government has reformed the planning system, introducing neighbourhood planning to give local people a greater ability to determine the shape of the places in which they live and work.
Local Development Framework
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 came into effect in September 2004 and it involved changes to the planning system, including the way development plans are prepared.
Evidence and other planning documents
The Local Development Documents (LDDs) that the council will produce as part of its Local Development Framework (LDF) must be soundly based in terms of their content being based upon a robust, credible evidence base.
North Dorset Community Infrastructure Levy
North Dorset District Council is in the process of preparing a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which will help to support the delivery of planning policies in the Core Strategy and ensure that the impact of new development on infrastructure is minimised.