4.1 Neighbourhood planning is intended to give communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of the local area. National Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) says that, in accordance with the Localism Act 2011, the Town Council, as a qualifying body can “choose where it wants new homes, shops and offices to be built, have our say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided, and grant planning permission for the new buildings it wants to see go ahead”16.
It should be noted that Weymouth Town Council are consulted on planning matters and offer formal advice to Dorset Council who have the final decision as the Local Planning Authority.
4.2 Whilst Weymouth Town Council is the Qualifying Body17, it was agreed by the Town Council that the neighbourhood planning process would be managed by a Steering Group comprising a majority of members of the public, up to eight, and four councillors.
4.3 The Steering Group approached the task with an open mind as to what the Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan would cover and what its themes and purposes would be. The Steering Group adopted a ‘bottom-up’ approach starting with broad based open questions and then becoming more focused and specific as the process progressed.
4.4 It was understood from the outset that the Plan would have to meet the basic conditions i.e.:
4.5 With these conditions in mind, and with the help of consultants, the Steering Group undertook research, consulted widely, and engaged with local communities to understand what is needed and what it is possible to influence and effect via a set of neighbourhood planning policies. It considered the policies of the Local Plan and assessed, based on an agreed set of aims and objectives, whether a more localised or detailed or up-to-date neighbourhood plan policy is required. In several instances, it was concluded that the policies of the Local Plan are sufficient. A neighbourhood plan policy has been only introduced where it will help ensure the area develops in the way we wish it to.
4.6 The Plan period is for the period 2021 to 2038. This aligned with the then proposed period for the new Dorset Local Plan. The resultant Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan sets out how we would like to see the area developed over the time span of the Plan and, through its policies, shapes and directs sustainable development that will benefit those that live, work, or visit in our area.
4.7 It was understood from the outset that for the Plan to be truly representative of the planning issues of relevance in the area and to be the community’s plan, it was necessary to carry out a thorough and on-going consultation process with those who live and work in the area and those that visited on a regular basis. It was also recognised that the Plan could not be properly developed without the input of organisations and agencies with a county, sub-regional or national remit and an interest in the area.
4.8 The process and the types of consultation exercise and discussion that was gone through, often with the expert help of Dorset Coastal Forum18 and ECA19 is documented in detail in a Consultation Statement20 which will accompany the Submission Version of the Neighbourhood Plan and can be followed on the Neighbourhood plan website21.
4.9 It is inevitable when carrying out community consultation exercises that asking people their views on the living environment that a broad range of matters, good and not so good are raised. This certainly was the case in Weymouth. Quite a few of these matters are not land-use-related and therefore largely beyond the scope of the Neighbourhood Plan to address. Chapter 13 of this document provides a summary of the various matters raised during consultation and how they might be addressed. A number of these are referenced in the Weymouth Town Council CEE Working Group Action Plan.
4.10 Throughout the development of the Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan the intent has been to encourage and foster discussion and debate within the community about the issues and opportunities that face us and strive to achieve a community consensus. As we have developed the Plan, we have had to resolve competing demands for land use and the protection of land for community, and environmental reasons. This Plan represents the product of this process, and we think provides a balanced Plan protecting what is important to the people of Weymouth, enabling the necessary development for better jobs, and affordable homes, whilst also seeking to reduce our impact on the climate and ecological emergency and increase our resilience.
4.11 This Neighbourhood Plan, once made, will form part of the statutory development plan and support the strategic policies within the emerging Dorset Council Local Plan. That means that its policies will have significant influence when the local planning authority determines proposals for development submitted through planning applications. It will form the local tier of planning policy in the Weymouth area. It sits with the wider Local Plan, and other development plan documents, underneath the umbrella of national planning policy in the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), as the main planning policy documents relevant to the Weymouth neighbourhood area. Other important planning documents which govern specific issues are the Minerals and Waste Plans produced at the county-wide level.
4.12 The Neighbourhood Plan’s policies cannot guarantee that a development proposal will be refused nor be granted permission, but the policies will carry significant weight, alongside policies of the NPPF and the West Dorset and Weymouth & Portland Local Plan, or whatever supersedes it, when weighing up the appropriateness of the development proposal in question.
16 What is Neighbourhood Planning
17 Localism Act 2011 - Schedule 9 (61E (6))
18 Dorset Coastal Forum - Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan
19 ECA Architecture and Planning
20 WNP-Draft-Consultation-Statement November-2024
21 Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan Web Page
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