Will The Government's Changes To The Planning System Mean The Loss Of Wimborne's Countryside?

Proposed changes to the planning system by the government could see new developments being built on greenbelt land, according to the Campaign for Rural England.

The proposed changes to planning system appear to suggest that economically sustainable developments should be approved automatically regardless of where they're being built. This will make it increasingly difficult in the future to refuse applications for developments on greenbelt land, despite the government insistence construction of new buildings on greenbelt land is inappropriate and local planning authorities should seek to protect and enhance environmental assets.

Indeed when the coalition government came into power they instantly scrapped Labour's plan to build 48,000 new home in Dorset by 2026, partially on Greenfield land in areas including Wimborne.

Local Government minister Bob Neill is concerned that special interest groups are running a smear campaign against the new planning system. But those groups, and especially the Campaign for Rural England, only seem to be highlighting the ambiguity of the planning framework. After reviewing the framework last month Bournemouth councillor Stephen Chappell hit back describing the system as 'retrograde and wholly unacceptable.'

So if the new planning system is put into place will that mean the plan to build affordable housing on Greenland just outside Wimborne will still go ahead?