DORSET is likely to continue using green belt land for housing - if it is to meet Government target figures.

Planning portfolio holder Cllr David Walsh says in Dorset Council’s case that will mean also setting land aside for the housing needs of neighbouring Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

“It is not possible to meet the area’s housing needs without development on greenfield land, and we also need to consider whether some release of green belt would provide the most sustainable development option,” he told a Dorset Council meeting in response to a question from Dorset Climate Action.

“Meeting housing needs is a key part of national planning policy, alongside addressing climate change, and the location and design of new homes can play a major role in reducing emissions and providing more sustainable patterns of development in future,” said Cllr Walsh.

Dorset Climate Action claims that the council’s Local Plan policies stand to be in breach of its own climate aims and national guidelines by encroaching on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and breaching the Green Belt.

Said the Climate Action question: “Should the Council now draw back from a scale of development which, in the light of these strong adverse impacts, may well be rejected by the Inspector, which would delay the Local Plan implementation and cause reputational risk to Dorset Council? “

But Cllr Walsh said that unless the council provided for housing need in its area, and adjoining areas where they could not cope with demand, the Local Plan was likely not to be approved by an Inspector.

"Our consultation responses have confirmed that the adjoining Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area is likely to have significant unmet need and the plan will need to take this into account. We will be assessing all the consultation responses and considering the changes that need to be made to the proposals in the light of the comments made.”

The meeting heard that around 30,000 responses to the revised plan had been made by around 7,000 people.

A revised set of proposals for the Local Plan is expected to be published in the autumn with another round of public consultation to follow before the final proposal are considered by a Government inspector.