Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan

Neighbourhood Plan Review 2025

The Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan 2020-2036 (BANP) has been a valuable resource for the local community and has been drawn on extensively in planning related matters – see Annual Monitoring Reviews.

It is good practice to review neighbourhood plans every five years. Plans older than five years risk carrying less weight in the development process.  The Joints Councils Committee (JCC), responsible for the BANP, agreed to undertake a ‘light’ review in 2025. Work on the review was undertaken by members of the Community Steering Group and sought to identify:

  • Updates resulting from changes to local/ national policies, in particular the Dorset Local Government Review (2023);
  • Updates resulting from new evidence generated by commissioned reviews;
  • Amendments that reflect improvements to the clarity of phrasing.

The review was supported with a grant from Locality. Three studies were commissioned for the review with Locality support:

In addition the Joint Councils Committee approved a Housing Needs Assessment Supplement Document in August.

Aerial photo of Bridport looking across Asker Meadows, South Street and towards Colmers Hill

Regulation 14 Consultation

A revised BANP has been approved by both Bridport Town and Symondsbury Parish Councils. A Regulation 14 consultation draft of the revised Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan is available for public comment from 18th October – 30th December.

Consultation Documents:

Link to the online response form (available 18th October). Open until 30th December 2025 or email comments to: [email protected]

The BANP evidence base has been updated to include all new documents considered as part of the BANP review process – see: Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan Evidence – Bridport Town Council

Bridport Town Council  and Symondsbury Parish Council wish to thank the members of the Community Steering Group for all their work on the review during 2025.

The Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan referendum was held on Thursday 27 February 2020.  The outcome of the referendum was positive with 87% voting in favour of the Plan from a turnout of 17.5%.

The Plan was officially ‘made’ by Dorset Council at their Cabinet meeting on May 5th 2020 and is used in full, as part of the Development Framework, to determine planning applications in the Bridport Area.

Examiner’s Report

Independent Examiner’s Report of the Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan

Submission Documents

The Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan has been approved by all participating councils: Bridport Town Council, Allington, Bradpole, Bothenhampton & Walditch, and Symondsbury Parish Councils, on behalf of those who live and work within the designated area.  A Joint Councils Committee has overseen the research and development of the neighbourhood plan.

Community Steering Group — Many community volunteers have given their time, energy and knowledge to the development of this plan, especially those involved in the Community Steering Group and the theme Working Groups set up to help research and develop policies contained in this Referendum version of the neighbourhood plan.

Bridport Town Council and all the parishes wish to extend grateful thanks to all the volunteers and employees for the time and commitment given to complete this neighbourhood plan.

The qualifying body has received technical support during the preparation of the plan from Feria Urbanism and Locality’s appointed consultants AECOM and Intelligent Plans.

Monitoring and Review Process

The delivery, monitoring and review of the neighbourhood plan will be overseen by a Joint Councils Committee (JCC), supported by a Steering Group reporting to the JCC. The JCC will, as at present, be the formal decision-making body with a particular role in securing funding for and supporting projects that deliver the objectives and policies set out in the neighbourhood plan.

Support for the JCC and other meetings will be provided by the Bridport Town Clerk (as clerk to the JCC) and the Bridport Town Council Project Manager (providing project support).

Terms of reference for the JCC and the Steering Group have been produced, reflecting these arrangements in more detail.

Monitoring Reports by Year

Further information

Contact for further information:

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