Swanage residents are being urged to speak up after Dorset Council unveiled a major consultation that could shape development across Dorset, including in Purbeck, for the next two decades.
The draft Dorset Local Plan, open for public consultation until Monday 13th October 2025, proposes options to meet dramatically increased government housing targets, with more than 50,000 new homes planned across the Dorset Council area by 2043.
House building on the old St Mary’s site next door to the Purbeck House Hotel in the High Street is progressing
Drop in event in Swanage
While Swanage is not earmarked for large-scale expansion like some other areas like Crossways, even small-scale growth is likely to have an impact on the town’s environment, roads, and services.
A drop in event organised by Dorset Council is to take place at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Victoria Avenue, Swanage from 2 pm to 6 pm on Tuesday 30th September 2025, where residents can speak to planners and councillors.
There’s also a Dorset Council pop up event at Wareham’s market at the quay from 8 am to midday on Saturday 27th September 2025.
Residents are being asked for their views on the plan and to complete a questionnaire.
Swanage housing options are in red, the purple areas are existing employment areas, and the brown area is land which has recently got planning permission. The Local Plan does include new areas elsewhere for employment and new gypsy and traveller sites, but not in Swanage
Options for new housing in Swanage
In Swanage, the latest version of the draft Local Plan lists options for building around 417 new homes, although it’s unlikely that number could be easily achieved in Swanage.
- Land north and west of Prospect Allotments (not the Prospect Allotments themselves) – Around 168 homes
- Land north of High Street at end of Ancaster Road – Around 42 homes
- Land to the west of Cauldron Barn Park – Around 38 homes
- Purbeck View School – Around 50 homes
- Harrow House – Around 45 homes
- Swanage Farm land, north of Washpond Lane – Around 74 homes
The land north and west of Prospect Allotments is most likely to be developed over the next 20 years
The Dorset Local Plan shows an opportunity to build 168 homes on the land next door to the Prospect Allotments
Planning permission still required
However these are only options identified by Dorset Council planners from a map, and the private landowners of the plots have not been consulted.
This means that no building will take place unless the owners agree to sell or develop the land, and even then, the sites will have to get planning permission.
Since the publication of the draft Local Plan, the owners of Swanage Farm have said that the inclusion of their land was done without asking them and that the land will not be available for any development proposals as long as they remain in tenure.
The owners of the Harrow House site is currently pursuing planning permission to build around 90 homes, so more than the 45 homes suggested by the plan.
Could Ancaster Road be an entrance for a new housing development? Dorset Council thinks so but it is very unlikely to happen as the land is part of a designated village green
The view over the Herston Fields village green is bound by law to stay green and pleasant
Herston Fields village green
In addition, the site identified as north of High Street at the end of Ancaster Road, has been designated as part of a village green since 2017 and is legally protected from housing development by the Inclosure Act 1857 and the Commons Act 1876.
The only development permitted is for the better enjoyment of the green for sports and pastimes. It’s unclear why Dorset Council planners don’t know this.
Herston Fields owned by the Scott Estate was designated as a village green in 2017 and development is only permitted for the better enjoyment of the green for sports and pastimes, although this area has been fenced off and ploughed
Housing options proposed elsewhere
- Crossways – Around 4,697 homes
- Wool – Around 855 homes
- Wareham – Around 619 homes
New housing along Northbrook Road in Swanage has recently created 180 new homes, of which 60 are designated as affordable
“I’d urge everyone to take part”
Councillor Shane Bartlett, cabinet member for planning and emergency planning, said:
“This is a big moment for Dorset. We have tough housing targets to meet that the government has set, but I’m also mindful that we’re planning for real lives, not just numbers on a page.
“The Local Plan is how we decide where homes go, what kind of communities we’re building and how we make sure future generations have what they need.
“At the same time, we need to protect Dorset’s unique environment and character and make sure that the county grows in a way that’s fair, sustainable and based on what our communities actually need.”
“So, these are not just technical exercises. With growing pressure on local infrastructure, the decisions made now will shape Dorset for decades to come.
“We are determined to get it right and that means listening to the people who live and work here so I’d urge everyone to take part.”
The future outlook for Swanage needs to balance the delivery of affordable homes with the protection of the natural environment and the National Landscape
Target date for adoption – late 2027
Alongside the Local Plan, there’s also a Local Transport Plan, developed with Bournemouth Christchurch Poole Council, which will look at how to make travel across the county safer, cleaner and more reliable.
Work is also beginning on a new Design Code for Dorset, which is aimed at ensuring future developments are well-designed, reflect the county’s character and create places people feel proud to live in.
Dorset Council says it will use the feedback to prepare a formal draft Local Plan in 2026, with adoption expected by late 2027.
The Swanage Neighbourhood Plan, which is a separate planning document, will feed into the Dorset Local Plan, if it is adopted before the Local Plan.
Due to the complexity of trying to produce a Local Plan which everyone agrees on, target dates are not guaranteed to be met.
This is the second new Dorset Local Plan – the first was in 2021 and sparked widespread protest. This plan has increased the number of homes over an even wider range of communities to meet revised governmnet targets.
The Purbeck Local Plan took nine years from its initial draft to being adopted in 2024.
Further information
- View the Local Plan documents online, at Swanage Library, or at a drop in event
- Read the Swanage housing options from page 405 in this document
- Complete the Local Plan consultation questionnaire by Monday 13th October 2025
- Local Transport Plan and consultation
