Options for Future Development in Purbeck
To Be Revised
At last night’s Council meeting (Tuesday 21 August 2007) Members
agreed to prepare a second Core Strategy Preferred Options document
for public consultation next April. The document will set out the
spatial vision for future development in Purbeck over the next 20
years (2006–2026), and will take on board the comments made by
local residents, organisations and businesses on the options
included in the first Preferred Options document.
181 letters of representation and over 3,000
comments were received by the Council during the public
consultation on the Core Strategy Preferred Options document at the
end of last year. The document sets out options for the location of
future development in Purbeck and other spatial policies such as
the provision of areas for development, affordable housing,
community facilities and renewable energy.
Many of the responses came from Bere Regis and
Wool, where local residents were concerned about potential large
scale housing development. Some of the general comments made by
residents, organisations and businesses included:
·clarifying how the individual Options were
originally identified;
·ensuring the Options are detailed, reflecting
the District’s
distinctiveness, and allowing
specific choices; and
·making the document more concise and user
friendly.
The Council will be gathering further evidence
to inform the second document over the coming months through a
Townscape Character Appraisal, a Retail Study, a Strategic Housing
Land Availability Assessment and viability testing of housing
proposals. Training events and meetings will also be held with
parish councils and parish plan groups in the Autumn to discuss and
address some of the concerns raised through the consultation.
Landowners will be invited to submit sites for consideration
through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment,
particularly sites located within the district’s existing
settlement boundaries.
Councillor John Hyde, Environment spokesperson
said: “Public consultations are designed to gather feedback from
the local community on issues that will directly affect them and to
which the Council listens and responds. The public consultation on
the Preferred Options document at the end of last year generated a
terrific response and raised a number of questions that we need to
address before setting anything in stone. Over the next few months
we will be working hard to ensure all of the comments are examined
in detail with the aim of presenting a second document for public
consultation in April which will also take account of the enquiries
into the new Regional Spatial Strategy.”
Links:
For a copy of the original Preferred Options
visit the Environment
section of the website.
Contact:
Further information on the Core Strategy is
available from the Planning Policy Team on 01929 557264.