B+ Neighbourhood Plan 2011 – 2033 (Version 2)

The Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 2011 – 2033 was made (adopted) by Dorset Council on 22nd June 2021.

Following a majority ‘yes’ vote in the referendum, the decision was taken to make the Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 2011 – 2033 part of the development plan for the Blandford + neighbourhood area.

The decision statement and the ‘made’ Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 2011-2033 are available online and at the Town Council office as well as the Dorset Council office (address below, during normal opening hours).

Blandford Forum Town Council
Town Clerk’s Office
Church Lane
Blandford Forum
DT11 7AD

Dorset Council
County Hall
Dorchester
Dorset
DT1 1XJ

Referendum Result

The Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan referendum was held on Thursday 6 May 2021 and asked residents: “Do you want Dorset Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Blandford + to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

A majority voted in favour of the neighbourhood plan (YES votes: 2054; NO votes: 394). The turnout was 25.9%. More details regarding the result, plus details of other elections and referendums that took place that day, can be found here.

Referendum

Dorset Council has agreed with the findings of the Examiner’s Report and has agreed that a referendum should take place on Thursday 6th May 2021. Documents relating to the referendum are listed below.

The information being made available is:

*An errata note has been published regarding the referendum version of the plan.
Subject to a favourable outcome in the referendum and the plan then being formally made (adopted) by the Dorset Council, the final version of the plan will be uploaded, without the track changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Decision to proceed to referendum

Following the successful examination of the Blandford+ Neighbourhood Plan and the consultation on a draft Decision Statement, Dorset Council has agreed that the plan, as amended, can proceed to referendum. Dorset Council released a Decision Statement on 22nd March 2021 to this effect.

Consultation on Draft Decision Statement

The council is consulting on a draft Decision Statement relating to whether the plan should proceed to referendum. The draft statement sets out the council’s view that the plan should proceed to referendum subject to the recommended modification outlined in the examiner’s report. The statement also details a modification that is required to the plan to correct an error. Furthermore, it provides further reasoning, in addition to that set out in the examiner’s report, to explain why the council considers that the plan meets the basic conditions.

Making representations

Interested parties have 7 weeks from Friday 8 May 2020 to Friday 26 June 2020 to make representations on the draft Decision Statement. The deadline for responding to the consultation is 5pm on Friday 26 June 2020. Representations should be made using the response form available via the links below.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan Response Form (word)

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan Response Form (pdf)

Representations should be sent to the following email address:

planningpolicy@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Given the majority of Dorset Council’s Planning staff are currently working remotely, in response to Government restrictions relating to coronavirus, the council would ask that interested parties refrain from sending any response forms by post if at all possible. If you have no alternative then response forms should be sent to:

Planning Policy Team, South Walks House, South Walks Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1UZ.

Please note that all comments will be made publicly available to read following the end of the consultation period.

For information regarding the council’s data processing practices please see its Privacy Policy Statement.

Habitats Regulation Assessment

Dorset Council, the competent authority responsible for undertaking a Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) of the neighbourhood plan, has produced a Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA). This is largely based on the information provided in the HRA Report, produced by AECOM, which was submitted with the plan. The HRA concludes that the neighbourhood plan will not adversely affect the integrity of a European site.

Consultation on the Submitted Plan

As the local planning authority, the District Council was required to consult on the plan proposals before the examination takes place. People were given from Friday 15 February to Friday 29 March 2019 to make comments on the plan and its associated documents. An independent examiner (Mr Terry Kemmann-Lane JP DipTP FRTPI) has been appointed and the representations received will be passed on to him for consideration as part of the examination process.

Use the drop-down menu on the home page or click below to access the:

B+NP Informal Consultations (13th – 27th July 2018)

B+NP Pre-Submission Plan (Version 2) and supporting documents

B+NP Regulation 14 Statutory Consultation (7th Nov – 19th Dec 2018)

B+NP Submission Plan (Version 2, Jan 2019)