Many comments about the local plan review and particularly how it affects North Dorchester completely miss the point.

I have the first consultation document dated August 2018.

It is the consultation undertaken then that has brought forward the revised draft plan which is now open to fresh consultation.

It has not been rushed.

Local plans have to be produced and revised on a regular basis.

The last time one was approved it was after the government inspector sent it back several times because insufficient housing land had been identified and for the last decade those of us resisting unsuitable housing that was outside the local plan were told we could not refuse the application as we didn’t have a 5 year land bank.

While Dorchester has been successfully resisting house building the likes of Portland and Chickerell are now each larger than Dorchester!

MPs have already persuaded Government to reduced the number of houses to be built in Dorset from the old hated, “Predict and Provide” policy.

In Preston & Littlemoor local people and councillors worked with planners to delete one very contentious site from the 2018 draft plan while agreeing several others that are outside current development boundaries.

Those involved strategically identified that Dorset’s housing needs should go for two large sites North of Dorchester and at Crossways.

If campaigners are successful in removing the North Dorchester site as night follows day the North Dorchester houses will be built elsewhere in Dorset including Dorchester itself and as with small sites there will be none of the infrastructure that is promised for the large extension to Dorchester.

IAN BRUCE

Preston Road, Weymouth