2. WHAT A NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN DOES AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR CHARMOUTH

Its Purpose…

2.1 The main purpose of Charmouth’s Neighbourhood Plan is to help decide planning applications for Charmouth parish. Apart from some smaller developments which have permitted development rights, other developments require planning approval by Dorset Council. ‘Development’ can include building something new, a major change to a building (e.g. an extension), a change of use of a building/plot of land or some engineering operations. Any development that results in material change of use of land and buildings requires the developer to submit a planning application to Dorset Council which local people and the Parish Council can then comment on.

Decisions on planning applications are based on whether the proposed development meets the requirements of planning policies and there exists a hierarchy:

national: National Planning Policy Framework (2019)
district: West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan (2015)
neighbourhood: Charmouth Neighbourhood Plan (once approved)

Policies in these plans are aligned and each level adds extra detail to reflect local characteristics, needs, opportunities and constraints so our neighbourhood plan gives the community the opportunity to agree how it wishes to see the future of Charmouth develop.

2.2 The Neighbourhood Plan is written by the local community, the people who know and love the area, it is a powerful tool to ensure the community gets the right types of development, in the right place but protects the natural environment.

The Plan also says what community facilities, buildings, places, etc. should be protected and why.

2.3 When deciding planning applications, all relevant policies including those in the Neighbourhood Plan will be considered by Dorset Council and the pros and cons of the development weighed up in reaching a decision. Therefore, it is important not to read a single neighbourhood plan policy in isolation and conclude that an application should get approved or rejected; it will be considered in the round with other pertinent policies. Therefore the Plan should be considered as a whole; that is all policies in the Plan should be read in conjunction with each other along with the Local Plan policies.

2.4 Although the law requires that the Neighbourhood Plan and Local Plan must be in general conformity they can say slightly different things. Neighbourhood Plan policies gives the opportunity to agree local priorities that are more detailed and this then carries weight in making planning decisions. Once a Neighbourhood Plan has been brought into force, the policies it contains take precedence over existing non-strategic policies in a Local Plan covering the neighbourhood area, where they are in conflict; unless they are superseded by strategic or non-strategic policies that are adopted subsequently.

2.5 Neighbourhood planning is supported by central government through the ‘Localism Act 2011’ and is governed by its own statutory regulations.

The Plan covers the period 2021 to 2035 (15 year period). The Plan and its policies reflect our area’s own characteristics while recognising that it has a lot in common with other parts of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

2.6 This Plan has been drafted in the knowledge that there are many types of different planning proposals will be considered against the policies it contains. This Plan becomes approved by Dorset Council as part of the statutory Development Plan, so planning decisions should be made in accordance with the policies in this Plan and the adopted Local Plan, unless material considerations are so significant as to justify a departure.

Reading the Plan

2.7 The Plan contains the overall vision and objectives for Charmouth, developed following feedback from residents and businesses. See 2.11. The objectives cover each of the following themes: Heritage and History, Assets and Amenities, Natural Environment, Local Economy, Housing, Getting Around and Energy Efficiency and Coastal Change. The detailed policies that follow in the Plan, for each of these themes, underpin these objectives and are supported by relevant context and justification, taking account of consultation feedback and drawing on other research and evidence.

‘Should’ and ‘Will’

2.8 The words ‘should’ and ‘will’ throughout the Plan have specific meanings and are defined as follows:-

- The word “should” does not imply that the policy is optional or simply something the Parish Council desires if offered.

- Where the word “should” is used, this is because it was thought conceivable that a proposal may not be able to fully comply with that policy’s requirements, but that if it aligned with the policy intention as far as possible, it may still on balance be found to be acceptable (depending on the reasons why complying wholly was not possible, and the extent to which the proposal aligned with that policy and the development plan as a whole). Therefore, where the word “should” is used, and an applicant considers that there are good reasons why their proposal cannot meet the policy requirements, they should explain this as part of their application, and show how they have aligned with that policy’s intention as far as possible.

- Where the word “will” has been used to set out a requirement in a policy, failure to comply with the policy is not envisaged as acceptable under any circumstance, and this failure should be given significant weight in the decision.

Glossary and Abbreviations

2.9 Words or phrases that are shown in italics, when they first appear in the chapter or used in policies, are fully defined in the Glossary (Appendix A). Italics also denote a Latin name of species/genus.

2.10 Key abbreviations, when they first appear in text, will be given its full name in brackets but subsequently shown as an abbreviation. Abbreviations that are frequently mentioned are defined in an Abbreviation Table (Appendix B).

The Vision and Objectives for our Neighbourhood Plan

2.11 The vision and objectives, on which policies have been developed, are listed below in Table 2.1. These vision statements and objectives have been consulted with residents and are reflected in the policies.

TABLE 2.1 Vision and Objectives

Vision No.1:

To keep Charmouth’s village feel but encourage a small affordable housing development, particularly for families.

Objective:

Housing:

Support the development of small scale housing site(s) that provide high quality, affordable housing that meets local needs.
Support the building of, and limit future extensions of, new 1-3 bedroom homes to enable young people to stay, existing residents to downsize and to attract young families into the village.
Restrict the growth of second homes to maintain a balanced community.
Ensure new housing is designed to complement its surroundings

Vision No.2:

To protect its unique qualities, including its natural beauty, local history and Jurassic coastline

Objective:

Natural Environment:

Ensure that the unique beauty, views, local landscape character, and the community ‘feel’ for the parish, are safeguarded for the future.
Ensure that the value of all aspects of the natural environment are given due weight when development applications are considered, while minimising pollution and over-commercialisation in accordance with the strong views expressed in the Village Survey
Ensure the future of local biodiversity by protecting and providing habitats such as green corridors, local green spaces, ecological networks, and providing new homes for wildlife.

Heritage and History:

Protect the unique mixture of heritage and history of the village, ensuring recognition of its mediaeval origins.
Ensure that any proposed alterations to the existing built environment are done in a mannersympathetic to nearby buildings and structures, and will enhance the built environment.

Energy Efficiency and Coastal Change:

Support engineering developments to improve existing defences.
Support development which improves energy efficiency and delivers low carbon emissions to mitigate climate change.

Assets and Amenities:

To protect important community assets and amenities.

Vision No.3:

To maintain its ability to be self-sustaining by supporting retail units, local businesses and amenities in the village

Objective:

Economy:

Restrict housing development that causes the loss of an existing commercial property within Charmouth’s high street but give support to the change of use of upstairs rooms from business to residential use.
To support the creation and/or expansion of premises for small-scale Class E type business.
To support the reuse of farm and rural buildings outside the DDB, for small business purposes.

Vision No.4:

To continue to attract tourists and visitors and offer good facilities but avoid being over-commercial

Objective:

Economy:

As above objectives Vision No.3), bullet points 1 and 2

Getting Around:

To protect the existing car parks and large parking areas to avoid increase in traffic congestion in the village centre and enable the public to have good access to the beach and foreshore.

Vision No.5:

To further enhance Charmouth as a friendly, vibrant community and to meet the everyday needs of our residents.

Objective:

Heritage and History:

Support the quality of social life and community spirit by protecting community facilities such as the village halls, Heritage Coast Centre, church, library, school, pubs, village shops and green areas

Assets and Amenities:

To protect important community assets and amenities.

Getting Around:

To protect and enhance the network of existing pedestrian routes and support the building of new footpaths and cycle routes including routes from new housing development/s to encourage people to walk and use the local community facilities easily and safely.

Note: The heading(s) under each Objective (e.g. Natural Environment) denote the theme and chapter(s) in the Plan to which they relate and have associated policies.

SWOT Analysis

2.12 The future prospects of fully implementing the vision and objectives of this Plan were considered as part of a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis and are documented below. Where possible and practical, these issues have been addressed in the policies themselves and/or in VIP (Village Improvement Projects).

Table 2.2 SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
Support by Parish Council for affordable homes Attractive built and natural environment Highly designated with protections from AONB, WHS, SSSI, SAC, National Trust Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre – world renowned, brings in huge numbers of visitors World renowned fossil beach Historical connections – important historical persons connected to Charmouth Welcoming and friendly community Strong village community – proud of specific identity Thriving community facilities for this size of population: doctor, shops, library, post-office facility, pubs etc. Active community groups for all ages Strong volunteer ethos Active events committee - events throughout the year Shoreline magazine outstanding + award-winning Geographical location – far enough away from urban areas but not too far Closeness of the A35; with advantage of village bypass Strong regional and national identity – fossils and clean, safe, beautiful beach Good beach for families Bus service and bus link to rail station Four holiday parks (3 in parish, one on parish boundary) and other accommodation for visitors Low crime rate	Limited land on which to build Lack of affordable housing High number of second/vacant homes/holiday-lets Lack of business/workshop space Geographical location – far away from wider employment possibilities and other facilities (e.g. major hospitals) Few employment possibilities locally Being at edge of county can mean parish falls between cracks e.g. with County Council; distance to hospitals etc. Limited facilities for disabled people Unbalanced demographic – more older than younger people Certain types of social facilities scarce in local area, especially for young people e.g. cinema Tourism partly/largely responsible for village shops’ survival Land instability South West Coast Path is diverted to roads Footbridge only access point to East Beach Beach changes on an almost daily basis from sand to stones, levels at access points can fall and rise considerably. Access to beach difficult for disabled / buggies Beach facilities/toilets not up to the standard needed for a place of international renown No pier/landing stage/jetty/ramp for boat launching Traffic congestion esp. summer Insufficient parking on-street and in carparks esp. summer
OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
Having more affordable homes will help retain and attract younger families Limiting second homes (ditto) As/when we do get development, can make it complementary to village Encouraging the right sort of development will create opportunities Can promote an environmentally-friendly village by protecting green areas and requiring environmentally sympathetic development Reinstatement of South West Coast Path/England Coast Path off-road in 2020 Possible National Park Improve pedestrian routes Encouraging use of local shops and businesses by visitors will improve business viability Community Infrastructure Levy on new development will bring in extra money for Village Improvement Projects when this Plan is approved CNP will become part of the statutory Development Plan which enables the Parish Council to make specific, local policy-based observations on planning applications	Climate change - rising sea levels and possibly more erratic weather leading to storm surges. Some flooding up-river likely. (National) Shoreline Management Plan will provide no maintenance, repair, or improvements to coastal defences after 2025. Possible destruction of foreshore buildings and parking areas, resulting in major loss to tourism/village economy. Damage to or destruction of footbridge would remove all legal access to east beach / make east beach inaccessible CNP could be outweighed by other national/district policy considerations Lack of 5 year housing supply means national planning policy takes precedence which could lead to inappropriate development e.g. on the edge of village Parish possibly has insufficient councillors which might reduce breadth of experience to support Neighbourhood Plan. Landowners/developers may not be willing to take on affordable housing Affordable housing not necessarily affordable Recent large extensions could set precedent Increase in second homes and holiday lets Over-commercialisation could affect village character Too much ‘improvement’ would spoil natural environment and character of Charmouth village and shore If part of National Park would have new planning authority Loss of some businesses – e.g. butcher, full-time Post Office Seasonal fluctuations for businesses Too many tourists at certain times puts strain e.g. on traffic and parking Increasingly unbalanced demographics Lack of resources (funding and people) to take forward Village Projects

Village Improvement Projects

2.13 This Plan refers to a number of possible VIPs. Whilst these projects are not technically part of the Plan, the ideas that have arisen from the issues and comments put forward by local people could, if taken forward, make a real difference. See Appendix G. Some, such as forming a Community Land Trust, could help bring forward the proposals in this Plan. It is up to the community to take these projects forward, as the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group will no longer function once this Plan is adopted by Dorset Council.

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