A DORSET MP is hopping mad over the short time given to residents to comment on proposals that could see a "sizeable town" built in her constituency.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole is "absolutely outraged" over consultation on the South West Regional Assembly's strategic plans, looking towards 2026.

"This is huge," she said. "One of the strategies more or less shows a new town in my constituency, in the green belt. It's absolutely outrageous because so few people know about it."

She said she was not aware of the consultation document until January 11 - and residents have only got until today to make their views known.

"People in Lytchett Matravers and Lychett Minster are hopping up and down," she said.

She has faxed urgent letters to the chief executives of Dorset, Poole and Bournemouth councils calling for an extension of the consultation period.

Up to 42,000 homes have to be built in the next 20 years and the "vision" for South East Dorset includes three strategies - involving either limiting development to urban areas; small extensions into the countryside; or a large new development in the Lytchett area.

Mike Garrity, of Poole's strategic planning unit, said there was a month for people to make their views known, but many agencies had been consulted and there would be formal consultation when the regional spatial strategy was published.

"I understand the concern about the shortage of time," he said. "There is no time to extend the consultation period if we are to get our representations in at the end of March."

Cllr Ron Parker, Poole representative on the assembly, said the time pressure was coming from the Government Office of the South West and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

"If the MPs want to put pressure on those two government bodies, I would be delighted," he said.

First published: January 31