The following evidence supports the BCP Local Plan. This is not a comprehensive list – assessments and reports will be published on this page once they are completed.

Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) Stage 1 (Screening) for BCP Local Plan Issues and Options stage

We have published the BCP Local Plan Issues and Options HRA Stage 1 (Screening) (January 2022) report.

This report explains: 

• the HRA process and methodology for assessment, including legislative background to HRA.
• the relevant Habitats sites within the Zone of Influences (ZOIs) for the BCP Local Plan Issues and Options
• the challenges of the identified BCP Local Plan Issues and Options and how these may impact upon relevant Habitats sites
• the screening of likely significant effects (Stage 1) of the BCP Local Plan Issues and Options.

Urban development and the Dorset Heaths: Long term analysis and evidence base review (2022)

The study reviews the mitigation delivery and effectiveness of the Dorset Heathlands Strategy from its introduction in 2007 to 2020. The analysis also considers the implications for future mitigation delivery for the emerging BCP Local Plan. 

Landscape Sensitivity to Wind and Solar Energy Development

The Landscape Sensitivity to Wind and Solar Energy Development for the Christchurch area (2014) part 1 and part 2  provides guidance to assess the potential effect of onshore wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) energy developments on the sensitivity of landscape character.