Dorset CPRE’s Rupert Hardy reports on a conference that brought planners, conservationists and council leaders together to ask whether Dorset can meet its housing needs without sacrificing the landscapes and natural systems on which the county depends.
How can Dorset provide the homes it needs while protecting one of England’s most environmentally important counties? That was the central question at Dorset CPRE’s Planning Conference in June, which brought together leading voices from conservation, water management, landscape planning and local government. Despite their different perspectives, a striking degree of consensus emerged: good planning must integrate housing, nature, infrastructure and community wellbeing rather than treating them as competing priorities.
The conference was opened by Dorset CPRE President and former BBC Chief News Correspondent Kate Adie. Roger Mortlock, Chief Executive of CPRE, then set the tone by arguing that planning should be judged not simply by the number of houses built, but by the quality of the places created.
‘Planning is not just about building homes,’ he said. ‘It’s about building places and communities where people can thrive.’
He questioned whether centrally-imposed housing targets accurately reflect local need, and reminded delegates that the purpose of planning is to create successful communities while safeguarding the countryside for future generations.
Imogen Davenport, Conservation Director for Nature-based Solutions at Dorset Wildlife Trust, highlighted the continuing decline of wildlife, both nationally and within Dorset. Nature, she argued, should not be viewed as an obstacle to development, but as essential infrastructure. Healthy natural systems provide flood protection, cleaner water, climate resilience and healthier communities.
Her presentation reinforced the need for nature recovery to be planned across whole landscapes, creating strong ecological networks rather than isolated pockets of habitat within individual developments.
Matt Wheeldon, Infrastructure Development Director at Wessex Water, challenged conventional approaches to water infrastructure. New developments should ‘manage rain where it falls’, he said, working with natural water systems rather than relying solely on increasingly expensive centralised engineering.
The presentation prepared by the late Professor Malcolm Tait and Dr Kiera Chapman examined Biodiversity Net Gain, under which developments are expected to leave habitats in a measurably better condition than before.
Their research found that, while the policy has considerable potential, ecological measures approved through the planning system are too often not fully delivered. Stronger monitoring and enforcement will be essential if promised gains are to materialise on the ground.
Maria Grant, Associate Landscape Planner at Land Use Consultants, explained how landscape-led planning can provide the framework within which housing, biodiversity, infrastructure and heritage are successfully integrated.
Instead of being treated as a constraint after development sites have been selected, landscape should help determine where building takes place and how it is designed.
The conference concluded with a joint presentation and panel discussion involving Nick Ireland, leader of Dorset Council, and Millie Earl, leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. Both acknowledged the considerable challenge created by mandatory national housing targets, while reaffirming their commitment to protecting Dorset’s natural environment.
They also recognised the tension between government housing policy and environmental protection, emphasising the importance of strategic planning, evidence-led decisions and collaboration.
Three essential tasks
Three clear themes emerged.
Firstly, that nature must be recognised as essential infrastructure. Healthy ecosystems provide flood mitigation, clean water, pollination, carbon storage, recreation and benefits to physical and mental health. Environmental recovery contributes directly to economic and community resilience.
Secondly, planning must pay greater attention to the quality, type and location of development, rather than housing numbers alone. Dorset needs more homes – but genuine affordability will not be achieved merely by meeting numerical targets. It requires the right homes, in appropriate places, supported by transport, utilities and community facilities.
Thirdly, housing, water, biodiversity, landscape, transport and climate resilience cannot be planned independently. Each affects the others and all must be considered from the outset.
This is particularly important in Dorset. More than half the county lies within designated National Landscapes, while internationally important heathlands, chalk streams, coastal habitats and ancient woodlands make its environmental constraints exceptional by national standards.
Yet these natural assets also underpin Dorset’s economy, identity and quality of life.
The question is not whether development should take place, but how necessary development can be accommodated without destroying the environmental capital on which the county depends.
Landscape is not an afterthought
Several practical conclusions emerged:
Suitable brownfield sites should be prioritised;
Water management must become central to planning decisions, with developments designed to retain and manage rainfall locally;
Biodiversity Net Gain requires effective long-term monitoring and enforcement;
Above all, landscape should help determine the location and form of development, rather than being considered after sites have been chosen.
These findings have direct relevance to the emerging Dorset and BCP Local Plans. Both authorities must accommodate substantial government-imposed housing targets while pursuing nature recovery, climate resilience and landscape protection.
Dorset CPRE believes planning should begin with sound evidence of local housing need and environmental capacity – not with nationally-generated numbers treated in isolation.
Good planning is not measured solely by how many homes are constructed. It is measured by the quality of the places created, the resilience of the communities they support and the condition in which we leave the natural environment for future generations.
