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Attempt To Reduce Dorset Council’s Housebuilding Quota Fails To Gain Support

An attempt to get Dorset Council to ask the government to recalculate Dorset’s new housing quota using up-to-date data has failed.

Liberal Democrat, Cllr Maria Roe, claimed that the use of 2014 statistics means the requirement to build 30,000 homes over the next 17 years is an overestimate of need. Green councillor, Brian Heatley, calculated the demand as 10,000 new homes during the period.

But Conservative David Walsh, who oversees planning, says that using Office for National Statistics data from 2018 would increase the housebuilding quota by 19 homes each year. Councillors voted against lobbying government. That motion was defeated by 44 votes to 32.

Dorset Council’s leader has spoken with the housing minister about controversial proposed planning reforms. Changes to the rules could reduce an additional threat to Dorset’s open spaces. BCP Council can’t find the space for the 9,000 homes they need to build, and Cllr Walsh hopes the current requirement for Dorset Council to shoulder BCP’s housing allocation will be abolished in forthcoming planning changes.

(13:33)