Community Planning
Shaping Our Future: The Sustainable Community Strategy for Dorset 2007 - 2016
North Dorset exercises its duty to produce a district-wide community strategy through the Dorset Community Strategy. This strategy is being revised by Dorset Strategic Partnership. Responses from a public consultation held between December 2006 and March 2007 are currently being analysed to finalise the revised Strategy by June 2007. Copies of the draft strategy can be found here.
Local Government White Paper
Ruth Kelly has now published Strong and prosperous communities - The Local Government White Paper. You can access a free copy of the paper from the hyperlink below.
Publication title: Strong and Prosperous Communities - The Local Government White Paper
Community Planning in North Dorset
Community planning enables local communities to become directly involved in planning for future changes in their area, to help improve the quality of life for residents support the local businesses and economy, and conserve the countryside and environment.
Community planning brings together the efforts of public and private sectors, voluntary and community organisations and residents to tackle local issues and problems.
In North Dorset this is being done through community partnerships and parish plan groups.
You can also find out about the Dorset Strategic Partnership, which looks at issues affecting the whole of Dorset, by using the link on the right.
How can I get involved?
If you are interested in getting involved and you live in a market town, or look to a market town for most of your shopping, work and leisure needs, please make contact with the community partnership closest to you, using the links below.
If you want to play a part in preparing a plan for your parish, please make contact with your local parish council, using the link on the right, or contact the Rural Economy team and they will be able to help.
Community Partnerships
In North Dorset this is being supported through community partnerships, based in four of the market towns, and, where they are established, parish plan groups.
Community partnerships are the grass roots of community planning and while they are non-statutory bodies they can bring together local town/parish councils, representatives from voluntary organisations, community groups, local businesses and residents in creative and innovative ways to solve local problems and concerns by develop projects to improve the economy, environment and local quality of life and services.
There are four active area-based partnerships in North Dorset:
If you want to know more about your local community partnership, the work they are doing, the projects they are supporting, or how you can get involved, please make contact with the community partnership closest to you, using the links above.
If your village does not yet have a parish plan and you are interested in helping to develop one, please consult your parish council and contact your local community partnership or the North Dorset Regeneration team for advice on what you need to do next.
Market and Coastal Towns Initiative
In North Dorset three of the four community partnerships were supported in their development by funding and advice from the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative (MCTI). The MCTI was established through central government who recognised that local market towns were essential to the long term economic, environmental and community sustainability of rural areas. The initiative was focused on towns in South West England, recognising the deeply rural nature of the region.
The MCTI supported towns in North Dorset were Shaftesbury, Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum. Although the MCTI is no longer operating, it has provided a strong foundation for the partnerships it has supported in North Dorset.
Through the MCTI all three towns have prepared Community Action Plans based on extensive local consultation and research and established a structure to oversee the implementation of the plans. Although not part of the MCTI Gillingham has also developed a community Action Plan. These community action plans form the core of the work of the partnerships.
Please call Regeneration at North Dorset District Council on (01258) 484005
or e-mail us for
more details. |
