Letter to Parliamentary Candidates

Dorset CPRE wrote to all Dorset Parliamentary Candidates ahead of the 4th July general election

The general election has been called for 4th July. The next government will be faced with era-defining decisions on housing, environmental protections and energy supply. These will have big impacts on rural communities and our finite supply of land. We urge all political parties to think about the future while tackling the priorities of today.

Dorset CPRE wrote to all 57 Candidates, in the 8 parliamentary constituencies covering the county of Dorset, to introduce our charity.

The letter focused on the following key actions that will positively contribute towards providing new and improved homes, key infrastructure, protection of the natural environment and wildlife, and help address the crises of climate and nature:

Dorset Council’s Local Plan   

Perhaps the biggest single area of concern across the Dorset Council area is the issue of the much-delayed Local Plan. Frustration at the continuing delays in the production of the next iteration of the Plan has provided common ground for a number of organisations who care about the balance between providing the right homes in the right places and protecting the countryside: not least Dorset CPRE.

BCP Council’s Local Plan

Last month we responded to BCP Council’s Regulation 19 Consultation on the draft Local Plan. We support a good deal of this Local Plan which is potentially sound but believe that there are some important areas which need to be addressed by the Inspector to make it a document of sound and sustainable planning policy. The need for homes for social rent is clearly evidenced by the Housing Need Assessment but this has not been effectively targeted in the plan and we believe this policy omission is not sound.

We fully endorse the policy of protecting the remaining Green Belt around the conurbation which is backed by the local communities of BCP and of using brownfield sites wherever possible, for example Poole Power Station which has been undeveloped for 30 years. We believe that in practical terms the adoption of “densification” of the existing urban areas, rather than further greenfield development, is a sound policy.

Protect the Green Belt and Natural Environment

Dorset CPRE maintains that excessive local housing targets are wrong, since they lead to planners being compelled to allocate sites for market housing on precious Green Belt and other greenfield land. Green Belt policy is a valid long-term constraint on housing sprawl, whilst providing open countryside with its resultant health benefits for present and future generations to enjoy.

Brownfield first

Ensuring that local housing need is met firstly through the re-development of previously developed sites before considering the development of greenfields is a subject close to our heart. CPRE’s 2022 ‘State of Brownfield’ report shows that the amount of previously developed land continues to grow across England. By utilising these sites effectively, it would allow greenfield developments only as a last resort (with necessary exceptions for affordable and social homes to address local need).

Rooftop solar and insulation

In December 2023, the government launched a new consultation on building standards and is considering making rooftop solar panels a basic expectation for most new buildings including all new houses. We have been actively promoting rooftop solar for some years to fight climate change and using this rooftop space would dramatically reduce the pressure for controversial ‘greenfield’ solar farms. All new buildings should be as sustainable as possible, relying on the best techniques available to ensure energy efficiency. Improved home insulation standards would help people reduce their energy bills as well as cutting carbon emissions. It would also be sensible to support the installation of suitable (e.g. English Heritage approved) double and triple glazing for Listed and conservation area dwellings to improve insulation and reduce running costs.

Supporting Dorset’s Farming and Agriculture

Farmers need support to help them provide good local foods as well as the countryside we treasure. We believe that farmers are entitled to long-term public subsidy to deliver, look after, conserve and manage the things that people want from the countryside – valued open landscapes and valued features such as hedgerows, habitat for wildlife, access to the countryside through a network of usable public footpaths and so on. We provided funding to the Great Big Dorset Hedge Project, set up by Dorset Climate Action Network (DCAN), which is surveying and accessing the condition of hedgerows the length and breadth of Dorset. We strongly support local food production which is good for farmers, consumers and the countryside.

Thriving Dorset communities

Our area has a distinctive rural character that we need to nurture for future generations. This suggests the need to:

• Protect the Natural Environment and green spaces from development to retain the special character of our area.
• Encourage the development of genuinely affordable homes for social rent.
• Maintain access to public transport for all communities, reversing the declining provision of bus services particularly in rural areas. This is one of five key areas we suggested for prioritisation in our March 2024 response to the new joint Local Transport Plan (LTP4).
• Support local economies, infrastructure services and supply chains, including farmers and Dorset food and drink producers.
• Deter and proactively reduce littering, river, harbour and sea pollution.

We enclosed a copy of our bi-annual magazine, The Dorset Review, and a copy/summary of CPRE’s general election Manifesto 2024. We call on all political parties to recognise the value of the countryside and its essential role in answering our nation’s challenges.