West Dorset District Council Planning Policy

The district council is responsible for preparing the Local Plan and related planning documents. An up-to-date Local Plan is the main basis for making decisions on planning applications. 

Under the Localism Act (opens in a new window) , town and parish councils can now also prepare neighbourhood plans, which when approved, will form part of the Local Plan for that area. 

Local Plans should help make sure development is sustainable. And they should plan positively for the needs of their area. To this end, they should be consistent with the principles and policies set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (opens in a new window) , including the presumption in favour of sustainable development.  They should be aspirational but also realistic, and justified by local evidence.

Making sure the necessary infrastructure (such as schools, transport facilities, play spaces and allotments) is put in place alongside new development is part of good planning. Key infrastructure requirements for the area are identified in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan, and funding from development is currently secured through planning obligations, but in the future this will be done through the Community Infrastructure Levy.

The council has produced a programme setting out the key stages and timescales for preparing the local plan and related policy documents (known as the  local development scheme (pdf, 372kb) (opens in a new window) for West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland).

The components of current and emerging planning policy are set out below:

• A New Draft Local Plan for West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland

  West Dorset District Council and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council are working together to prepare a joint Local Plan. When adopted the Local Plan will form the main basis for making decisions on planning applications.

• Adopted - West Dorset District Council Local Plan

  The current West Dorset District Local Plan, which contains policies and proposals for development and use of land in West Dorset, was adopted by the council on 14 July 2006.

• Neighbourhood Planning

  Neighbourhood planning is about giving local people a proper say over what new buildings will look like, where they will be built, and the confidence that they will have the proper support to cope with the demands of new development.

• West Dorset Local Development Framework

  In light of the decision to prepare a replacement joint Local Plan; work has now ceased on preparing a Local Development Framework for West Dorset.

• Other relevant plans and strategies

  In addition to the West Dorset District Local Plan the development plan for the area is made up of the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Structure Plan, the Waste Local Plan, and the Dorset Minerals (and Waste) Local Plan.

• West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

  The Community Infrastructure Levy is a new mechanism for collecting financial contributions from developers towards the provision of infrastructure needed as a result of development.