The letter below was prompted by an article in the Dorchester Echo. The letter received coverage in the Swanage and Wareham Advertiser.
Dear Editor,
Our county needs more genuinely affordable homes and the proposed Dorset National Park can help to secure them. National Parks have a duty to foster the economic and social wellbeing of their communities, and, as planning authorities for their area, to respond proactively to local housing needs and with a particular focus on the provision of affordable homes.
There’s lots of helpful information on the Dorset National Park website, www.dorsetnationalpark.com including a new introductory leaflet, frequently asked questions, and information about how the South Downs (England’s newest National Park) promotes affordable housing, with its policy of 40%, genuinely affordable homes.
A National Park can help Dorset to achieve a thriving, resilient, healthy and successful future, boosting county-wide tourism, bringing genuinely additional funding, attracting investment and jobs, and helping our communities and economy, including farmers, to thrive. Let’s ask Natural England to evaluate this opportunity for Dorset as soon as possible.
