UNCERTAINTY continues over the future of Dorset's next Local Plan.

Much of the delay to the Plan, which will guide development into the future, is said to have been caused by the Government's uncertainty over what it wants to do over changes to the national planning laws.

Wimborne councillor Shane Bartlett, who heads the council's planning portfolio, says the next Plan has already been impacted by new nutrient neutrality rules and more work needed on Weymouth's flood risk, together with additional input on gypsy and traveller sites.

There is now also confusion over whether the Dorset Local Plan can continue in the old format, or will have to switch to a new model, and whether the plan can be combined with a mineral and waste plan, or kept separate. For the moment the council is keeping the two apart until it gets some guidance.

Cllr Bartlett says that, for now, officers are ploughing on with a December 2026 target for submission of the Plan, some of it based on guesswork about Government intentions.

"That December 2026 date is ambitious given the fact that there is so much uncertainty around the direction planning will take from Government as we still haven't got those details yet," he told a Cabinet meeting.

Cllr Bartlett says delays might yet also be caused by consultations over the Government's revised target figure for housing of 3,219 properties a year – which he says represents an 80per cent uplift on the previous target.

"Awaiting Government decisions has been most frustrating for the officers – and to add to that in October this year we lose our 5-year land supply and will be open to speculative development."

Council leader Nick Ireland told councillors that the Local Plan remained a key target, despite the difficulties, and the authority would do all that it could to meet the deadlines.

"Most of the plans we have, with the exception of Purbeck, are mostly ten years out of date," he said.

Work on the Dorset Local Plan started in June 2019 with an initial draft produced in January 2021.

Deputy council leader, Richard Biggs, who holds the portfolio for economic development said the Local Plan and future growth were tied together.

He said that, at the moment, it felt as if the council was following a sat' nav' knowing where the destination was but not knowing whether the Government would throw in a diversion on the way.

"We need to be agile and do this as quick as possible, but we will also need to adapt to whatever the Government throws at us," he said.