Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan 2021 to 2038

Overview

Weymouth Town Council has prepared a neighbourhood plan. It has sent the draft plan to Dorset Council to arrange for its examination. 

Dorset Council must now consult on the submitted neighbourhood plan for a minimum period of 6 weeks. This is a Regulation 16 consultation and will take place between 24 January 2025 and 7 March 2025 (inclusive). To respond to the consultation, see below. 

The Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan is available to read together with the supporting documents which are as follows:

• Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan 2021-2038 (draft December 2024)
• Consultation Statement - December 2024
• Basic Conditions Statement - December 2024
• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Report v3.0 - November 2024, AECOM
• Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) Report, Rev 2 - November 2024, AECOM

Representations made at this stage can include a request to be notified of Dorset Council's decision under regulation 19 in relation to the neighbourhood plan. 

All comments received during the consultation period will be made available to the independent examiner. The examiner will consider whether the plan meets certain basic conditions and satisfies other legal requirements. The basic conditions are:

• is it appropriate to make the plan, having regard to national planning policies and advice contained in guidance issued by the Secretary of State;
• does the plan contribute to achieving sustainable development;
• is the plan in general conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan for the area (in this case, the West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan 2015);
• the plan does not breach the requirements of Chapter 8 of Part 6 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017; and
• the plan does not breach and is otherwise compatible with EU obligations and human rights requirements.

If the examiner finds that the neighbourhood plan meets all these requirements, or can be modified in order to meet them, then a public referendum will be held. This is normally limited to residents on the electoral roll within the neighbourhood plan area. 

If the plan receives a positive referendum result, it will become part of the development plan. Its policies will be used to make decisions on relevant planning applications in Weymouth alongside other appropriate development plan policies.

Why your views matter

This consultation is an opportunity for individuals, organisations and businesses to comment on the plan. To be effective, comments should focus on whether the updated plan meets the basic conditions, as outlined above. All comments made during the consultation period will be made available to the examiner. The deadline for comments is 7 March 2025 (midnight).