RESIDENTS are being given the opportunity to have their say on future developments in Weymouth.

Weymouth Town Council has launched a survey as the first step in a series of public consultations to help form the direction of the Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan.

Neighbourhood plans were introduced in the Localism Act 2011 and aim to give residents more say in the future use of land and buildings in their area. For example, the plan can say where new homes, shops or offices might be built or where important green spaces might be protected.

The Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan, which will cover the whole Weymouth Town Council area, will run alongside the Dorset Local Plan which will set out planning policies and allocations for the Dorset Council area until at least 2038.

The Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan will develop over the next two years and there will be regular consultations with local people - the survey is the first one.

Councillor David Northam said: "The survey will help us derive the vision for Weymouth based on the feedback from the residents and businesses in the area."

Once the results of the survey have been examined, a steering group made up of residents and councillors will be created and given powers to make decisions on the shape of the plan.

Once the plan is written, it will be consulted on locally and submitted to Dorset Council for independent examination. It will also be subject to a local referendum to make sure it has the support of local people.

Cllr Northam said: "We hope to get a large response to the survey. There is a lot of pessimism and feeling of hopelessness at the moment but Weymouth has huge opportunity and this is a chance for people to set a direction for its future development.

"We want to identify housing developments areas to meet the government’s housing target, where employment developments should be, and what we value in our heritage and natural environment to ensure we have appropriate development for Weymouth."

The plan is expected to be approved and published in summer 2023.

The deadline for taking the survey is January 31. To participate, visit www.weymouthtowncouncil.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan/