Dorset Council Local Plan - scoping consultation 2026

3.1.1.  The local plan must contain a vision for Dorset which sets out a clear, concise and positive ambition for the future of Dorset for the plan period. It may also reflect future ambitions beyond the plan period. It should reflect on the unique characteristics of Dorset and identify how these will bring benefits to the area. The vision should be ambitious but also reflect what the local plan can realistically achieve through its policies. The vision will guide the local plan throughout its development and help us monitor the plan's success following adoption.

3.2.1.  To identify the key priorities for the vision, we have considered:

• national planning policy
• things which are specific to Dorset
• issues identified through baseline information and SWOT analysis
• wider council priorities, values and objectives
• the vision set out in the last local plan consultation (in 2025)

3.2.2.  The local plan is being prepared in the context of the Dorset Council Plan 2024-2029 which sets out a clear vision: “Working together to create a fairer, more prosperous and more sustainable Dorset for current and future generations”. It focuses on four priorities:

1. Provide high quality and affordable housing – there are rising costs, a growing gap between average house price and average salary and a chronic lack of genuinely affordable housing. This particularly impacts both working age people (making it difficult for them to afford to live in Dorset) and vulnerable residents (who may struggle to find suitable homes).
2. Grow our economy – the economy is based on fairly traditional industries and productivity has stalled. Whilst there are strengths such as defence and emerging sectors, large numbers of young people leave the county. There is also poor transport connectivity.
3. Communities for all – identifies the large ageing population along with the reduced working age population due to young people moving away. There are also disparities across the area, low social mobility and health inequalities. Community cohesion is also an issue.
4. Respond to the climate and nature crisis - climate change and the nature crisis are urgent challenges.

3.2.3.  A spatial Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis has been prepared which considers Dorset’s unique character, complexities and localised issues and provides a framework for the vision to respond to. The full SWOT analysis is presented in Appendix 2.

3.2.4.  The following key priorities have been identified through consideration of the SWOT analysis, the 2025 vision, the Council Plan’s priorities and national policy and underpin the vision:

• Housing: Meeting housing need for all those who wish to live in Dorset, including affordable housing for younger people, an appropriate mix of homes to serve families, and appropriate housing for older people
• Economy: Improving economic prosperity, supporting a wider range of higher skilled and higher paid jobs, providing supporting infrastructure such as for digital connectivity, and regenerating town centres
• Environment: Protecting and enhancing the natural environment, landscapes, biodiversity, the coast and heritage assets, and mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects, including the transition to net zero
• Movement: Improving connectivity and accessibility for all and promoting sustainable and active travel options as a realistic alternative to private car use
• Health & Wellbeing: Supporting healthy, inclusive communities for all, including our ageing population, younger people, those with disabilities and those at risk of rural isolation, by providing access to high-quality services and opportunities
• Design & Character: Protecting and enhancing the unique and distinct character of towns, villages, coastal communities and the countryside and ensuring that development responds positively to its surrounding context
• Tourism: Boosting a year-round tourist economy, particularly in our coastal areas

3.3.1.  For this consultation, an initial draft vision has been prepared based on the identified key priorities.

3.3.2.  The vision reflects Dorset’s environmental assets and builds on the way that the pattern and hierarchy of settlements in Dorset currently function. It also highlights the challenges and opportunities for more sustainable patterns of development. The vision will be refined following the responses received during this scoping consultation.

Vision

By the end of the plan period, Dorset will be a fairer, more prosperous and more sustainable place for current and future generations, where people of all ages can live well, connect with one another, access suitable and affordable homes, and benefit from a diverse and productive economy.

The environmental quality of the area – its rural landscapes, biodiversity, rich heritage, beautiful coast and picturesque towns and villages – is what makes Dorset a special place to live, work and visit. Every settlement in Dorset has its own distinct character – from rural market towns to coastal towns; from small hamlets to the larger villages; and those settlements on the edge of Bournemouth and Poole. They each perform important functions that contribute to Dorset’s prosperity, health and wellbeing.

High quality, well-designed developments which respond well to the local context will bring the homes, jobs and supporting infrastructure that Dorset needs. 

Economic investment will provide increased opportunity for higher quality and highly paid jobs and increased productivity across the area. The main centres for economic activity of the Dorchester to Weymouth corridor and those in southeast Dorset will be enhanced with improved prosperity for residents.

Town centres will be renewed as adaptable, prosperous places for shopping, culture, leisure, and community services. The visitor economy will become more resilient, higher-value, lower-impact and less seasonal, contributing to thriving communities throughout the year.

Development will be encouraged in accessible and well-connected locations, where a range of transport options and essential amenities are available or can be provided. Sustainable and active travel options will improve connectivity for those who live and work in Dorset whilst reducing carbon emissions and reducing reliance on car travel. Growth in rural communities will be to address local need and where essential services are accessible. Digital connectivity will be enhanced and infrastructure designed to meet future demand and deliver climate-resilience, building on net-zero targets.

The character of our rural areas will be maintained and where opportunities arise, enhanced. Our rich heritage, historic environment, hedgerows, trees, biodiversity and landscape character will be respected where development takes place, with development steered away from the most sensitive locations. Enhancements to the natural environment will be realised, guided by the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

3.4.1.  In their local plans, councils must prepare up to ten measurable outcomes which flow from the objectives identified in the vision, and outline how the desired changes will be delivered and measured. Draft measurable outcomes will be defined following the Scoping Consultation, and will be part of future consultations. The measurable outcomes will be linked to the local plan priorities, and these priorities will be linked to the vision. Each measurable outcome should be:

• tangible
• locally specific
• easy to monitor the plan against

3.4.2.  There are some metrics which must be monitored throughout the plan period. These include:

• housing completions
• housing supply
• delivery of employment land

3.4.3.  The Council Plan can also help shape measurable outcomes for the local plan. Planning policies can support the council's priorities through measures such as affordable housing, jobs and economic growth, access to services, healthier communities, lower carbon emissions and nature recovery.