Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan

The Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan was made (adopted) by Dorset Council on 22 June 2021. 

Following a majority 'yes' vote in the referendum, the decision was taken to make the Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan part of the development plan for the Puddletown neighbourhood area.

The decision statement and the 'made' Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan are available online and will be available to view at the council's offices (address below) during normal opening hours when the offices reopen to the public.

Dorset Council
County Hall
Dorchester
Dorset
DT1 1XJ

Referendum Result

The Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan referendum was held on Thursday 6 May 2021and asked residents: "Do you want Dorset Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Puddletown to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?" From an electorate of 1163 there was a turnout of 388 (33.5%). The result; In Favour. YES votes 341 (87.8%%) and NO votes 45 (11.8%). The full referendum results are also now available.

The plan will now proceed to Full Council on 22 June 2021 where a decision will be made on making the Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan part of the development plan for the Puddletown parish area.

Decision to proceed to referendum

Following the successful examination of the Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan, Dorset Council agreed to enable the plan, as amended to proceed to referendum. The council released a Decision Statement to this effect.

The Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan was submitted to Dorset Council for examination in Nov 2019.  At the examination, an independent examiner reviewed the plan and made recommendations in accordance with the 2011 Localism Act and related regulations.  In particular, the examiner considered whether the plan meets certain basic conditions, satisfies legal requirements, and identifies an appropriate area for a referendum.

The basic conditions, which are set out in the legislation, are intended to ensure that neighbourhood plans are compatible with their wider context.  The plan must:

• have regard to national planning policies and advice contained in guidance issued by the Secretary of      State;
• contribute to achieving sustainable development;
• be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan for the area (West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan); and,

• be compatible with EU obligations and human rights requirements

Dorset Council has agreed with the findings of the Examiner’s Report and has agreed that a referendum should take place. The Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan 2019-2031 can now be given significant weight in decision-making. 

The information being made available is:

• A Summary of Representations submitted to the examiner
• The Examiner's Report
• The Puddletown Referendum Draft Plan (as proposed and amended as a result of the examination)
• The Decision Statement which includes a statement by the local planning authority that the plan as proposed meets the basic conditions
• The Information Statement which includes general information as to town and country planning including neighbourhood planning and the referendum

Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan Examination

On 3 December 2020 the examiner wrote to Dorset Council and Puddletown Parish Council to issue his examination report.  As part of his examination of the plan, the examiner had to consider whether the plan meets certain basic conditions and satisfies legal requirements.

The basic conditions are set out in the legislation, and are intended to ensure that neighbourhood plans fit within their wider context. The plan must:-

• have regard to national planning policies and guidance
• contribute to achieving sustainable development
• be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan ie the West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Adopted Local Plan
• be compatible with European Union law and human rights obligations
• not breach the requirements of Chapter 8 of Part 6 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017

The examiner provided a review of the plan and made recommendations in accordance with the 2011 Localism Act and related regulations.

An updated version of the neighbourhood plan which incorporates the policy modifications identified in the examiner's final report will be submitted to the council.  After considering the updated neighbourhood plan the council will then take a decision on whether to refer the plan to referendum.  It will publish its decision on this page of its website. 

If the neighbourhood plan is supported by a local referendum, it will be used to make decisions on planning applications.

Plan examination

A Statement of Common Ground has been agreed between the Parish Council, Dorset Council and Natural England regarding the matter of internationally important wildlife sites in proximity of the plan area.

Statement of Common Ground

In accordance with Regulation 17 of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, the submitted plan, supporting documents, and all representations received during the 6-week consultation period were sent to an Independent Examiner (Mr Andrew Mead BSc (Hons) MRTPI MIQ).  The Examiner considers whether the plan meets certain basic conditions, satisfies legal requirements, and will identify an appropriate area for a referendum.

The examiner wrote to us and the Puddletown Parish Council on the 14 September 2020 to clarify several initial procedural matters. On 23 September 2020 Dorset Council and Puddletown Parish Council received a letter from the examiner to ask a number of questions.

We wrote back to the examiner on 6 October 2020 in response to those questions.

The Puddletown Parish Council wrote back to the examiner on 6 October 2020 with their response.

Consultation on the Submitted Plan

As the local planning authority, the council is required to consult on the plan proposals before the examination takes place. The consultation process will run from Friday 26 June until Friday 7 August 2020. This is an opportunity for individuals and organisations to raise concerns they have about the plan with regard to the content and how it has been prepared. An independent examiner will be appointed and any concerns will be passed on to them for consideration as part of the examination process.

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

• Puddletown Area Neighbourhood Plan (Draft)
• Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan Area
• Consultation Statement
• Basic Conditions Report
• SEA Screening Report
• SEA Final Report
• SEA Determination Statement
• Puddletown HRA Screening 
• Puddletown HRA Appropriate Assessment

Supporting evidence

• Site Assessment Report
• Local Green Space Assessment
• Housing Needs Assessment Report
• Indicative Housing Figures
• Report from 2016 Survey
• Results from Community Design Event
• Settlements and Character Analysis
• Village Character Analysis
• Three day design forum final presentation
• Appendix A - Site Assessment Report

Other supporting evidence can be viewed on the neighbourhood plan website.

In the time of COVID-19 hard copies of the Neighbourhood Plan will not be available to view at the Community library or the Dorset Council Office. The plan and the supporting documents can be viewed on the Puddletown Area Parish Website.

Representations received to the submitted Puddletown Neighbourhood Plan

As the local planning authority, Dorset Council was required to consult on the plan before the examination took place. This consultation took place for six weeks from Friday 26 June to Friday 7 August 2020. The responses received during this period are below.