The Chesil Bank Parish Council has agreed to create a Neighbourhood Plan, which is a new way of helping local communities to influence housing development in the area in which they live and work. It can be used to:

• Develop a shared vision for the four villages in the Chesil Bank Parish (Abbotsbury, Portesham, Langton Herring and Fleet).
• Identify and prioritise where any new homes, shops, offices and other development should be built.
• Identify and protect important local green spaces or other valued assets.
• Influence what new buildings should look like.
• Influence what type of housing should be built.

Our plan will be developed in consultation with the people who live and work in the parish and it must eventually be approved through a local referendum before it takes effect. It’s important to understand that it is about influencing development and not opposing it altogether, as any Neighbourhood Plan needs to be aligned with the wider housing and development strategy of Dorset Council, which itself has to take account of national housing development strategies.

To find out more, please visit www.Vision4Chesil.org website and look out for regular newsletters.