A CAMPAIGN group is encouraging residents to respond to the consultation on Dorset Council's Local Plan - after raising issues with the document's housing targets.

Advearse, formed to oppose the Vearse Farm development on the edge of Bridport, has raised some issues which it believes residents may wish to comment on.

The most contentious issue for the group is the total amount of new homes - more than 39,000 - contained in the Plan. However the housing requirement from the government is 30,481.

Advearse stated the the group strongly objects to this figure 'on many grounds'.

A spokesman for the group said: "Firstly, as CPRE has conclusively demonstrated the national figures are in excess of what is actually needed nationally. The housing target is in effect a developer’s charter. Many councils have been robust in challenging the national target. Dorset has not only failed to do this, but it is also proposing to build 39,285 houses which is 8,804 (29%) more houses than the government target.

"Bizarrely, the local plan also suggests the target may have to be even higher to meet ’unmet need in neighbouring authorities‘. Why should a county facing pressures to find suitable sites because it has so much AONB (Areas of Natural Beauty) land have to increase its number because other authorities fail to find sites themselves?

"We strongly believe that the Covid pandemic will have a dramatic long term difference to the number of houses we need and the type of accommodation which is required. It is certainly not large estates of detached houses."

The Plan invites those who respond to suggest policies regarding ‘second homes' - Advearse is urging that measures should be set in place to positively discourage second home ownership.

The group also takes issue with the fact that the Plan still indicates builders can pull out of the building work by declaring the scheme would be ‘unviable‘ if they had to build affordable houses. Advearse believe the plan must be stronger on this point in order to to offer local people on low incomes a decent home.

The spokesman added: "The real disappointment is the fact the Local Plan sets out at the start so many fine sounding phrases which we would all support about preserving the unique character of Dorset, responding to climate change and caring for the environment.

"These fine aims are simply incompatible with a decision to invite large scale and unjustified building schemes. We strongly urge the Council to take on board the views of residents and reduce the target housing figure to reflect the requirement for just affordable houses needed for local people in housing need."