Chapman Lily Planning has just received confirmation from a Dorset Council planning officer that the Purbeck Local Plan area cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. Speaking on the announcement, Steve Tapscott, Associate Director at Chapman Lily, commented that ‘I had suspected that this would be the case for some time, as the Council’s position has been reliant on emerging allocations in the new local plan and outline permissions, both of which are discouraged under national policy. The Purbeck area was the only part of Dorset Council that purported to be able to demonstrate a five-year supply, but now the whole of Dorset Council cannot and this amplifies the need for the Council to progress with its local plan as soon as possible. The implication of the lack of a five-year supply is that the presumption in favour of sustainable development enshrined in national policy is now engaged, albeit it became engaged last month anyway by virtue of the Council failing the Housing Delivery Test. Nevertheless, this shows that the Council is failing to both ensure a sufficient number of homes in the pipeline and ensure their delivery on the ground’.
If you would like to know more, please contact Chapman Lily Planning.