Dorset Local Plan: Weymouth councillors criticise proposals

At 7pm there will be a virtual town council meeting to discuss the Local Plan proposals, and residents are encouraged to participate online via the council's Facebook page.

The Local Plan sets out a strategy for new developments until 2038 - including house building, employment land, roads, and other infrastructure.

It contains proposals for around 2,720 new homes to be built in the Weymouth Town Council area.

But the town council argues that too many new homes are planned for, and not enough focus is given to developments that would boost job prospects in the town.

At the meeting, councillors will say that the Dorset Local Plan is "a patchwork" of previous Local Plans from 2015, and that there is "no recognition of the new circumstances that are developing as a result of the impact of the pandemic."

READ MORE: Weymouth residents invited to take part in meeting to discuss Local Plan

Weymouth's Liberal Democrat group said that much of the plan "is merely cut and paste from the previous 2015 Local Plan," and that there is "little evidence of review, lessons learnt, consideration of local needs and changed circumstances."

Committee documents published ahead of the meeting state that the town needs affordable housing for social renters and first-time local buyers.

Concerns have been raised that the current proposals for new house building will increase the number of second homes and the number of people moving into the area, which would cause house prices to rise, disadvantaging local people.

READ MORE: Outcry over proposals to build houses on Weymouth car parks

Meanwhile the Lib Dem group has said that the 13 hectares of land allocated in Weymouth for employment growth is "inadequate" to address the number of jobs needed.

Lib Dem councillors also criticised the newly-approved out of town 'Weymouth Gateway' retail park at Mercery Road and said that new jobs should be near centres of population to reduce travel times and carbon emissions.

READ MORE: Major new Weymouth Gateway development approved

"We call on Dorset Council to bring forward brown field sites, in Weymouth, for local employment purposes," a spokesman for the Liberal Democrat group said.

"We need local homes for local people. We want to get people off the waiting lists. We need to do two things; increase wages through more and better paid employment, and to deliver subsidised homes for locals. These should be energy efficient to support the climate emergency.

"We call on Dorset Council to prioritise housing growth for Weymouth on affordable homes on brown field sites."

To take part in the meeting tonight visit www.facebook.com/WeymouthWTC

Some of Weymouth Town Council's suggestions and questions to Dorset Council are:

• Land identified for development should have a different balance between housing and business

• An enterprise zone should be established in the 'South Ridgeway Conurbation.'

• All new retail development, other than groceries, should be limited to Weymouth Town Centre

• Can exception sites be identified for Business development?

• A campaign should be established to bring higher paid jobs responding to the green environmental revolution, to Weymouth, which might be linked to affordable housing for young working families.

• Brownfield Sites such as Jubilee Sidings and the Park & Ride and the surrounding land should be added to the options for developments.

• Dorset Council needs to draw up a quick report on how employment practices will change as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Dorset Council should carry out its promise to base some of its services around the county and not to base them all in Dorchester.

• Weymouth needs to be a priority area for the development of the best possible IT connections and get this highly publicised in the employment market to encourage home working and new start-ups.

Comments can be made on the Dorset Council Local Plan at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/dorset-council-local-plan  

The consultation closes on March 15.