The following evidence supports the BCP Local Plan.

This is not a comprehensive list, assessments and reports once completed will be published on this page.

Housing needs assessment

We have published the following documents in relation to the housing need across the BCP area:

• BCP and Dorset Local Housing Needs Assessment (November 2021)
• Review of Housing Need - Examining demographics and testing the Standard Method in BCP and Dorset (December 2021)
• Impact of Housing Need Sensitivity Report (November 2021).

Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment

We have prepared an assessment of the housing land we have available across the BCP area, to support the Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation:

• Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (Part 1) Jan 2022
• An interactive map of the sites that form part of the assessment
• A spreadsheet listing the sites that form part of the assessment.

Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessment

Dorset Council and BCP Council have jointly commissioned an updated assessment of need for Gypsy, Traveller, and Travelling Showpeople pitches and plots within each area. This assessment updates the findings within the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment of 2017, and the updated report is available below:

• Dorset Council and BCP Council Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (August 2022)

The assessment relates to the need for pitches and plots between 2022 to 2038 for those people who meet the planning definition for Travellers as set out in the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (2015). The report also provides an assessment of need for those people who do not meet the planning definition for Travellers but associate themselves as Travellers, and who actively choose to live in a caravan rather than a house. The need for pitches and plots is broken down into five year periods: 0 to 5 years, 6 to 10 years, and 11 to 15 years from the 2022 start date of the assessment.

We will refer to the assessment when preparing the new BCP Local Plan and when taking decisions on planning applications for Travellers in the BCP Council area.