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March 2022 March 2022
POETRY CORNER

A Local Plan that is right for Dorset – Statement from Cllr
Spencer Flower, Leader of Dorset Council We British Love to Queue We stand in line for wages,
Local Plans are a key component of the planning system. They shape how land And likewise for the train.
use and places will change and develop in the future. This is why I have been, and It is all to do with protocol. Mad dogs and Englishmen,
continue to be, in a dialogue with the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State
for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and his officials, offering a constructive, It is an etiquette gauge, Will stand out in the rain.
bold and ambitious alternative for the way we develop our new Local Plan – one As I stood behind my brother, To maintain a sense of order,
that is right for Dorset. From a very early age. There is nothing we won’t do.
In my dialogue with Michael Gove, I have been arguing that the current national That’s how we were raised, “After you”, “no, after you”,
planning framework is not providing councils with the means to promote “No, after you”, “no, after you”.
sustainable development through their Local Plans but is instead about chasing And that’s what got us through,
housing targets. I am seeking reform of this framework and proposing that Dorset “After you”, “no, after you”, “After you”, “no, after you”,
could be a pilot for a new way of creating Local Plans, based on sustainability “No, after you”, “no, after you”. “No, after you”, “no, after you”.
and local needs over the next 30 years, that also recognises the ambitions of our I don’t know why we do it, but,
Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy. We must have a Local Plan in place: Whatever else may happen,
without one we face the risk of unmanaged development in Dorset, but it has to We British love to queue. We British love to queue.
be the right plan. Our hard-working and innovative planning officers have ensured
the draft Local Plan is the best it can be, but it is constrained by current planning
legislation.
As a result, of the unprecedented 9,000 responses our public consultation
received, many residents share my view that the draft Local Plan chases housing
numbers rather than prioritises local needs. I also believe it is better to have fewer
bigger-scale new developments in Dorset which bring in the necessary funding
and infrastructure, rather than lots of small developments which put further
pressure on already-stretched community resources. I have asked Mr. Gove to
consider several radical alternatives: Paul J Openshaw (January 2022)
When I went for education,
 allow Dorset to pilot a radically different approach to Local Plan making
From about the age of four,
 break the link between the housing land supply numbers and the Duty to I waited for the school bell,
Cooperate – i.e., the requirement for Dorset Council to accept unmet
housing need from neighbouring councils As I stood outside the door.
The girls made up line one. Dog
 allow Dorset an extension of two years until April 2026 to give more time for
the new Dorset Local Plan to be developed and approved. During this The boys made up line two.
extended period of plan preparation, Dorset should be protected against “After you”, “no, after you”, I simply bide my time,
speculative housing development by suspending the five-year land supply “No, after you”, “no, after you”.
requirement or by other means necessary And that, I do by choice,
It’s very little wonder why, Whilst I lay down at his feet,
 fully recognise the climate and ecological emergency in the planning
system, including new building regulations. We British love to queue. To await my master’s voice.

We recognise that this is national policy and may require changes to primary Paul J Openshaw (January 2022)
legislation, which is not in our gift locally. Representing you is a privilege that I take

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