Last chances to have a say on Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan
Only 7% of young people think they’ll own their own property in Weymouth
Last updated 11th Dec 2023
Time's running out for residents to have their say on a document that'll help shape Weymouth's future until 2038.
The public consultation ends on Friday (15th December).
This comes as almost 7 in 10 school children think they’ll still be living with their parents or in shared housing when they turn 25, according to the Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan.
In a public meeting, plans were announced to build 450 affordable homes on allocated land in the area so that people can “stay local”.
The Neighbourhood Plan has outlined 48 greenspaces that will remain untouched as they are ‘valued’ by the local community.
Many shared concerns about communities losing their unique identities as residential developments grow and areas merge together.
Research found that 93% of Weymouth residents selected ‘the beach and coast’ as the areas they would like to remain untouched with a further 64% choosing the ‘countryside and parks’.
Nearly 95% also considered access to parks and gardens very important to their well-being and quality of life.
Councillor David Northam told us: “We've looked across the whole of Weymouth but as it’s next to the sea, there's a real shortage of land.
“We've identified some green field sites which might directly affect some people but it's a plan for the whole of Weymouth and we really need these houses.
“The number of people going onto the housing register is increasing, the difficulty of finding homes is increasing, so what we need to do is increase the supply of affordable homes.”
The Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan will provide planning guidelines for development within the Weymouth area which will “reduce the risk of unwanted development”.
“It’s a plan for Weymouth’s future that extends to 2038,” Lara Woods said as she visited schools to hear what concern pupils shared.
She told us: “It made sense that we actually went and spoke to children to find out what their aspirations were for their hometown.
“Children recognise that a lot of the homes within Weymouth are not affordable to their parents and that providing homes for families who actually live in Weymouth is so important to keep our residents here.”
A further drop-in engagement session takes place on Wednesday this week (13th December), between 4.00pm and 6.00pm at The New Town Hall, on Commercial Road.
If you wanted to get involved in the Neighbourhood Plan, you can also take part in an online survey, organised by Weymouth Town Council.