East Dorset District Council Local Development Framework
The Government has introduced major changes to the planning system with the introduction of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Greater community involvement in the preparation of planning policy and the consideration of major planning applications is a central aspect of the new system.
Local plans and parts of the county structure plan have been replaced by a system of local development frameworks (LDFs). This new system comprises a number of related planning documents (local development documents) focusing on a wide range of issues and geographical areas.
The documents prepared to date as part of the LDF are listed at the bottom of this page, and the timetable for their production along with future documents are set out in our local development scheme (LDS). The statement of community involvement should be read in conjunction with the LDS.
The LDF consists of the following set of documents:
- Development Plan Documents (DPD)
- Area Action Plans (AAP)
- Local Development Scheme (LDS)
- Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD)
- Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)
- Annual Monitoring Report (AMR)
These documents and the policies which they will contain are informed by detailed studies that provide a credible and robust evidence base. These studies are also listed below.
Joint Working Arrangements
East Dorset District Council has begun to work jointly with Christchurch Borough Council on some of the LDF documents. The statement of community involvement submission document was the first of these produced. In this case, the format was essentially the same as the previous document, but some details had been altered to reflect the joint working arrangements and the result was a single document produced by both authorities. Other LDF documents are being prepared with additional Dorset authorities, include the Joint Heathlands Planning Framework with four other councils and the Gypsy and Traveller Sites DPD with all other Dorset councils.
The Core Strategy
The Core Strategy is a document that will set targets for the provision of new housing and employment for a period up to 2028, as well as setting out general policies in relation to provision of facilities, transport, and protection of natural and historic features. All of the other Local Development Documents we produce will have to conform to it.
Dorset-wide Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Show people Site Allocations Joint Development Plan Document
All Dorset council's, including Bournemouth Borough Council and the Borough of Poole, are working together to plan for the site needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Show people across Dorset. These sites will be identified in a joint Development Plan Document which will eventually be adopted by each of the individual councils across the county.
Staying in touch
It is easy to keep up to date with what is going on with Christchurch and East Dorset's planning policy. Both Council's maintain a contacts database which allows us to inform residents and stakeholders of consultations on any document which might interest them. To ensure we have your details, and that you don't miss out on events and consultation, simply contact us: