1.1 In 2016, Chickerell Town Council decided our area would benefit from having a Neighbourhood Plan. West Dorset District Council, the then Local Planning Authority, publicised the application in July 2016, and confirmed the approval of the area’s designation in October 2016.
1.2 A public event was held at Willowbed Hall on 26th November 2016, and a Neighbourhood Plan Group was set up by the Town Council. The Group’s membership included Town Councillors and local residents.
1.3 A major consultation was undertaken in late 2017. Approximately 2,500 questionnaires were posted, one to each residential address in the parish. 569 responses were received giving a response rate of over 20%. A letter (enclosing the questionnaire) was also sent to local businesses in February 2018.
1.4 The final “pre-submission” consultation was undertaken over a two month period between 13 December 2019 to 15 February 2020. Over 100 people attended the consultation events, and written comments were received from about 15 organisations and individuals, some supporting the plan and others suggesting further changes. All comments were considered in finalising the plan.
1.5 A Neighbourhood Plan has to have regard to national planning policies (e.g. the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)) and be in general conformity with the Local Plan. It cannot reduce the amount of development that is already planned for the area, but can shape and influence where future development will be and what it should look like.
1.6 Currently this comprises the West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan which was adopted in October 2015. This included a number of strategic site allocations for Chickerell that were expected to satisfy the housing needs of the wider area to 2031. The new Unitary Authority, Dorset Council, are now preparing a Dorset-wide Local Plan that will replace the 2015 plan, which they hope to adopt in 2023. They will review the progress made on the strategic site allocations, and may need to allocate further sites as they will extend the plan period well beyond 2031. A Preferred Options Consultation in 2018 (under the former West Dorset District Council) had identified some possible sites for Chickerell, and the Neighbourhood Plan recognises this, and our plan does not look to prevent such decisions. The policies in this Chickerell Neighbourhood Plan have been aligned with the policies emerging from that review as far as possible.
1.7 Minerals and waste policies are covered in the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Minerals Strategy 2014 along with the recently adopted Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Dorset Mineral Sites Plan 2019 and Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Dorset Waste Plan 2019. Neighbourhood Plans are not allowed to cover minerals development, waste matters or large-scale infrastructure projects such as major highways.
1.8 When finalised, this Neighbourhood Plan will constitute part of the Development Plan for Chickerell, alongside the Local Plan and Minerals and Waste Plans. It will have given local residents and businesses a major opportunity to influence the development of our Town (Parish) - what is built and what areas are protected. The Town Council will also continue to represent the views of its residents in responding to the Local Plan consultations.
1.9 The Local Plan provides a very clear approach to the control of development through the use of site-specific allocations and Defined Development Boundaries (DDBs). Within these boundaries residential, employment and other development will normally be permitted. The Defined Development Boundaries identify the settlements within which there may be opportunities for redevelopment or infill development. Outside of these boundaries, especially on the Heritage Coast, opportunities for new homes, businesses or community buildings will be very limited.
1.10 Allocations are made where major development has been identified as needed, and set out the amount and type of development and site-specific requirements for that location. The 2006 and 2015 Local Plans allocated significant sites in Chickerell (in the 'Village') for over 1,100 new dwellings (300 at Putton Lane and Floods Yard and a further 800 in the urban extensions to the north and east of the village). Altogether, these are expected to expand Chickerell parish’s population to about 8,000 residents1 by 2031 – compared to 5,500 people in 2011. All of the major housing sites are required to deliver 35% of the homes as affordable homes (homes for rent and joint ownership etc). As such this strategic level of growth should more than meet any anticipated local need for housing development.
1.11 The only additional area of development proposed in this plan is in relation to land immediately to the rear of Montevideo House. To read more about this site allocation, please go to section 4 (Policy CNP 3).
1.12 Our Neighbourhood Plan details and seeks to afford greater protection to the wildlife and landscape sites and features that are locally valued and deserve protection. It also provides enhanced protection for the limited open spaces and leisure and similar facilities available to our residents, workers and visitors. To read more about proposed protections, please go to sections 4 (Policy CNP 2 and CNP 4), 6 (Policy CNP 7), 7 (Policy CNP 8), 9 (Policy CNP 9), 11 (Policy CNP 10) and 12 (Policy CNP 12).
1.13 When the Chickerell Neighbourhood Plan is made, planning applications approved after that date will contribute 25% of the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) money received to Chickerell Town Council (with the exception of self-build proposals). This money, together with any S106 contributions provided to the Town Council, can be spent on improving local infrastructure and facilities to benefit both existing and future residents.
1.14 In the past, it may have been argued that the Town should look to Weymouth for much of its infrastructure needs but in the light of the growth of our population and the need to reduce the reliance on the motor car etc that position is no longer entirely acceptable. Residents also deserve a choice.The Town Council will monitor the implementation of the policies in this Neighbourhood Plan and keep under review the need for the Plan to be amended and updated. Policies in this document may be superseded by other Development Plan policies, such as those arising from the current preparation of the Dorset Council Local Plan, or by the emergence of new evidence. Where policies in this Neighbourhood Plan become out-of-date, the Town Council, in consultation with Dorset Council, will decide how best to up-date the document.
Map 1: Chickerell Parish
1 Based on 3,500 homes with an average occupancy of 2.3 persons per dwelling (the 2011 average occupancy level in Chickerell)
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