Distributing new housing around Swanage, Upton, Wareham
and larger villages was the preference of respondents to Purbeck
District Council’s recent consultation on
Planning Purbeck’s Future. However, the response to
the proposal for a large supermarket on the edge of Wareham was
less clear-cut
8% of Purbeck households responded to the Core
Strategy Consultation, which is a good response rate for a
consultation of this size. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of
respondents expressed a preference for a distribution of new
housing around Swanage, Upton and Wareham and the villages of Bere
Regis, Lytchett Matravers and Wool.
20% favoured growth on the edge of Wareham and
9% favoured growth at Swanage.
Leader of the Council, Councillor David Budd,
said: ”We would like to thank everyone who took part in this
consultation. The careful management of future development in
the district is crucial and the responses provide the Council with
a clear steer on how to proceed”.
Residents and businesses were also asked for
their views on the location of new supermarkets in the district,
with half of respondents favouring a large supermarket in
Wareham. 21% favoured two smaller supermarkets in Swanage and
Wareham, of a similar size to existing stores, but a new large
supermarket in Swanage was favoured by only 10%.
Before the Council proceeds any further with
plans for a new supermarket at Wareham, it will commission a study
on its likely impacts on Swanage and Wareham town centres (a Retail
Impact Assessment). Councillor Budd said: “The Council
shares the concerns of many residents and businesses and the
assessment will help us to understand the potential impact of such
a move.”
There has also been some positive news about
government’s proposal for 2,750 dwellings at Lytchett Minster (the
Western Sector), as part of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the
South West* (RSS).
The Council took the bold step of not
including the Western Sector in the Core Strategy Plans and the
Government Office for the South West chose not to object to this
omission. This clears the way for the Council to
proceed with the Core Strategy process and not have to await the
outcome of the RSS.
However, additional work is required to ensure
that the council is correct in its view that environmental
constraints will prevent the delivery of housing in excess of 2,400
dwellings. To do this, the Council will commission testing of
housing levels against nature conservation concerns in Purbeck.
Gathering this evidence will put the Council
in a good position to get the Core Strategy adopted at the first
attempt when it is presented to the Secretary of State in
2011.
Full details of the consultation and responses can be
found on our Planning pages
Contact: Steve Dring,
Planning Policy Manager, Purbeck District Council.
Telephone: 01929 557339
* The Regional Spatial Strategy is a document,
produced by the South West
Regional Assembly, outlining how a region should look in 15 to
20 years time and possibly longer. It identifies the scale and
distribution of new housing in the region, indicates areas for
regeneration, expansion or sub-regional planning and specifies
priorities for the environment, transport, infrastructure, economic
development, agriculture, minerals and waste treatment and
disposal.