(A Neighbourhood Plan for Portland, Dorset)

Evidence Report

April 2014 2

Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report

Contents:

Topic Sections: page: Introduction 3 Natural Environment & Built Environment 4 People & Housing 38 Business & Employment 60 Roads & Transport 90 Community & Social Facilities 102 Leisure & Recreation 118 Arts, Culture & Tourism 132 Appendix A 152

© Portland Town Council, 2014

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Introduction

Purpose Planning policy and proposals need to be based on a proper understanding of the place they relate to, if they are to be relevant, realistic and address local issues effectively. It is important that the Neighbourhood Plan is based on robust information and analysis of the local area; this is called the ‘evidence base’. Unless policy is based on firm evidence and proper community engagement, then it is more likely to reflect the assumptions and prejudices of those writing it than to reflect the needs of the wider area and community.

We are advised that “the evidence base needs to be proportionate to the size of the neighbourhood area and scope and detail of the Neighbourhood Plan. Other factors such as the status of the current and emerging Local Plan policies will influence the depth and breadth of evidence needed. It is important to remember that the evidence base needs to reflect the fact that the plan being produced here will have statutory status and be used to decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area. It is necessary to develop a clear understanding of the neighbourhood area and policy issues covered; but not to review every piece of research and data in existence – careful selection is needed.”1

The evidence base for the Portland Neighbourhood plan comprises the many reports, documents and papers we have gathered (these are all listed in Appendix A, and are made available for reference via the Neighbourhood Plan website. This Evidence Report extracts and presents from the evidence base those strategies and the facts and authoritative opinions that we believe may be most relevant to the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan for Portland.

A major aspect of the strategic context within which we must prepare the Portland Neighbourhood Plan is the West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland Local Plan. This currently remains a document in preparation and is likely to be revised following pre-examination concerns expressed by the Inspector. It does however reflect the likely strategic direction and provides our neighbourhood planning with context that cannot be ignored. However, at this stage, the draft policies and evidence base of Local Plan must be treated with some caution.

Method To produce a thorough and balanced report of the evidence we decided to apply a standard method of research and to present our findings in a similar format in a single report comprising a set of Topic papers. We have identified and extracted from a variety of published sources of information, data and analysis (printed and internet) and sought the opinions of those who we believe should be heard at the earliest opportunity in neighbourhood plan making.

Each section of this report is prefaced by the ‘questions’ we sought to answer for each Topic area; it sets out the strategic context (of current plans and policies) for that topic; and then presents a summary of the evidence we have uncovered. At the end of each section we present our summary conclusions in the form of a set of Key Questions and Messages for the Neighbourhood Plan (work in progress) going forward. We also identify the gaps in the evidence that we feel effort should be put into filling, if that is possible in the time and with the resources we have available.

Acknowledgments In preparing this report we have had the help and guidance of a number of people and organisations. We would like to place on record our thanks to everyone who has assisted and look forward to having a continuing dialogue with them as we prepare a Neighbourhood plan for Portland.

Portland NP Steering Group April 2014

1 Neighbourhood Planning Roadmap, Locality, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Natural & Built Environment

Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence – Lines of Enquiry What’s special? Ecology, habitats What needs protecting? and landscape What needs enhancing? Ground Where are their drainage issues and flood risks? conditions What other development constraints are there? What physical characteristics make the area special? Character What physical characteristics detract? What can be improved and how? Coastline What has the potential to be used better? Environmental Is their potential to produce and/or reduce energy? Potential Is there scope to reduce C02 emissions? Important Are there important historical features, archaeology or social elements? Features Are there opportunities for interpretation/education? Who are the main land-owners? Ownership Who owns the main tracts of land and what are their intentions, if any?

Introduction General Description The boundaries of Portland extend along the Chesil Bank to as far as opposite Littlesea Caravan Park. The perceived boundary however commences at Ferrybridge. The entrance to the Island is dominated by the Chesil Bank and Hamm Beach before entering the more urban setting of Underhill which has limited natural open space within it but which is flanked by the Verne Local Nature Reserve together with East and West Weares. East Weares, of which only the North East corner is visible, is predominantly within the ownership of Portland Port and for many represents a ‘hidden’ and relatively inaccessible side to the Island extending as far down as Church Ope Cove.

The entrance to the Island and Chiswell and Osprey Quay areas are subject to flooding controls which may impact upon the future of these areas. Osprey Quay is subject to a revised management plan recently submitted and part of this estate has been handed over to the Land Trust to improve the environment and to explore possibilities of green regeneration.

Ascending to Tophill it becomes evident that the island’s landscape is fractured as a result of extensive quarrying activity, but it has stunning views of the sea and the Jurassic coastline from its cliffs, and is well known for its exceptional flora and fauna. Much of the island is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Sites of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) and Local Nature Reserve (LNR). Restoring the quarries to a productive use can be a challenge; an option is the creation of a wildlife reserve which has been successful at Kingbarrow, for example. Alternatively, where restoration conditions are not in place, and subject to planning controls, it is felt that redundant quarries can provide opportunities for appropriate development.2

It is this balance of maintaining and improving the natural environment and at the same time providing opportunities for economic development which is at the core of the Island’s future. Recent changes to policies and ways in which we ‘value’ our natural environment which are included at the end of this paper are both underpinning these opportunities and at the same time if not used in a productive and balanced way could undermine them.

2 Paragraph paraphrased from Portland Vision –Terence O’Rourke 2008 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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This evidence paper together with a map summary of the Island (Fig. 1) presents information concerning the development limitations and controls around these aspects.

Figure 1:

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It should be noted that, a number of subjects within this paper are also covered in the Leisure and Tourism and Business and Employment papers and where possible duplication has been minimised.

Community Consultation 2013 Some of the areas we have been told about Natural Environment and Open Land:  Maintain rural and wild character of the Island, but some areas of the Island are untidy  Make use of redundant quarries for cultural activities, art installations, power generation ideas  A mixed response to the idea of a caravan park  Improve facilities for climbers  There is an under provision in Underhill

Strategic Context What the Local Plan says: “Development should protect and enhance the natural environment - its landscape, seascapes and geological conservation interests, its wildlife and habitats and important local green spaces - by directing development away from sensitive areas that cannot accommodate change. Where development is needed and harm cannot be avoided, appropriate adequate mitigation to off-set any adverse impact to the landscape, wildlife and green infrastructure network will be required.

High priority will be given to protecting and enhancing the area’s built heritage and archaeological heritage assets– including its Listed Building and Conservation Areas, and other features with local historic or cultural associations, particularly where it contributes to the area’s local distinctiveness.

Development will be directed away from areas where there is likely to be significant risk to human health or the wider environment, through flooding, coastal erosion and land instability, air and water pollution .

Development should be of high quality design to help achieve sustainable, safe and inclusive communities, enhancing quality of life for residents and visitors, and designed in keeping with or to positively contribute towards the local identity of the area.3

Vision for Portland (Local Plan)-extract In 2031 Portland: Has maintained and enhanced the unique character of the Island in terms of its built and natural assets, whist thriving economically and socially for the benefit of residents and visitors.”4

Ecology, Habitats and Landscape Natural England National Character Area Profile Natural England has produced a detail report which covers a large part of the information under this topic.5 The purpose of the report is to provide guidance document which can help communities to inform their decision making about the places they live and care for. The information contained within the report will support the planning of conservation initiatives at a landscape scale. The plans will also help to inform choices about how land is managed and can change.

3 Text shown in Italics are extracts from the Current Draft Local Plan –Chapter 2 Environment and Climate Change 4 Extract from Chapter 8 – Portland, West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan, WDDC & W&PBC, 2013 5 available at http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/3495352?category=587130 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Geology The geology of Portland is an important resource. It provides a source of valuable minerals; and the geological exposures are of educational benefit. To ensure these resources remain available they are safeguarded from sterilisation (such as being covered by buildings). The safeguarding policy is implemented through Dorset County Council’s minerals local plan.

The World Heritage site was designated by UNESCO in 2001 in recognition of its worldwide outstanding geological and scientific value. It is often referred to as the Jurassic Coast, but actually it represents a unique geological ‘walk through time’ spanning the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The changes in the cliffs and rocks, and the ongoing coastal processes, including erosion, that continue to reveal more insights into this era, are key to what is important about the coast. Its wider landscape setting is also important to its presentation and appreciation. Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphologic Sites (RIGS) are protected for the scientific and educational value of exposures. The whole of Portland is designated as RIGS as is shown by Fig. 2 below.

Figure 2:

Wildlife and Habitats Portland includes a diverse range of habitats and associated species, many of which are protected through law. Some areas are of international significance, including the Fleet (an important site for breeding and overwintering birds) and also rare Island fauna and flora a number of which are specific solely to the Island or represent adaptations to mainland species.

Coastal and marine areas are also proposed for protection at a European level. Many further areas are important at the national or local level. All of the sites designated and those currently subject to consultation are shown on the Portland Map. Further sites may be designated during the lifetime of this plan.

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Sites Designated for Nature Conservation The following sets out the various recognised designations not all these occur on the Island but are included for completeness.

Importance Site Designation Explanation International RAMSAR SITES Sites of international importance as wetlands, Convention on Wetlands of International particularly for their populations of migratory or Importance especially as Waterfowl wintering waterfowl. Habitat International SPECIAL PROTECTION AREAS (SPAS) Habitats of international importance for birds, designated to ensure the survival and reproduction of rare breeding and migratory species. Together with the SACS they form a network of internationally important sites known as ‘Natura 2000’ throughout the European Union. International SPECIAL AREAS OF CONSERVATION Site of international importance as natural habitats (SACs) and species which are rare of threatened within the European Union. Sites hosting habitats or species which are particularly threatened have ‘priority’ status. These sites also form part of the ‘Natura 2000’ network. National NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES (NNRs) Sites of key national or international, biological or 1949 National Parks and Access to geological importance which are managed Countryside Act of 1981 Wildlife and primarily for nature conservation. They are owned Countryside Act or leased by Natural England or approved bodies.

National SITES OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST SSIs collectively form a national important series of (SSIs) sites biological or geological value and are notified Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981(as by Natural England in accordance with published amended) guidelines. County SITES OF NATURE CONSERVATION Wildlife sites which are important in a county INTEREST (SNCIs) context. In Dorset they are selected in accordance Non statutory wildlife sites with guidelines published by Dorset Wildlife Trust. The guidelines are similar to those for SSSI selection although the thresholds are lower Local LOCAL NATURE RESERVES (LNRs) LNRS are the sites of at least local importance for s.21 of the 1949 National Parks & Access nature conservation which are declared and to the Country side Act usually managed by local authorities

The map that follows, Fig. 3, shows the extent of Nature Conservation sites on the Island and specifically where the European protected sites are.

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Figure 3:

In regard to designated sites the Local Plan says. “It is important we take account of the need to plan for this level of biodiversity to thrive at both a local and much larger, landscape-scale, through the appropriate protection of key sites, priority habitats and species, and the strengthening of local ecological network. The protection of internationally designated wildlife sites through policy ENV2 will be the over-riding policy consideration where development may cause a significant adverse impact to such a site.

In addition to these registered sites non designated areas can also be afforded a level of protection the Local Plan states: “Non Designated Sites Wildlife is not confined to designated sites. Development sites may contain or be adjacent to features which support wildlife or provide “stepping stones” for species. Such features should be retained or restored and appropriately managed. A number of rare or threatened species are also found in the plan area it is a criminal offence to kill, injure, sell or take protected species, or to intentionally damage, destroy or destruct their places of shelter. It is the developer’s responsibility to take reasonable measures to ascertain whether there are protected species on a site”6.

However the plan guidance also provides a level of flexibility which is in line with the National Planning Policy Framework this is addressed by recognising the opportunity of mitigation particularly where this could enhance the overall situation.

However mitigation has to be sensitively handled - for example, where the loss of an area which is locally enjoyed, is replaced by another area which may be an improvement environmentally but is not seen as an enhancement. It is increasingly important that agencies which are involved in these decisions have effective

6 Extract from Chapter 2 - West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended, WDDC & W&PBC, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

10 public consultative arrangements. Equally there are areas which are perceived of little or no value but which have a particular environmental sensitivity.7

“Where development would cause significant harm to local biodiversity, and this cannot adequately be mitigated, the application will be refused. Development proposals where the primary objective is to conserve or enhance biodiversity are encouraged where there are opportunities for enhancements which benefit nature

Where wildlife sites are relatively isolated from each other and from the wider countryside by urban development, it will be important to protect and enhance the remaining wildlife corridors. Work is needed to identify key wildlife corridors and local nature improvement areas through the green infrastructure strategy, giving appropriate consideration to the ecological network across the area and how it connects to adjoining areas.”8

Developing the Ecological Network On Portland a number of sites have been identified which would start to create this ecological network many of these areas co-exist with areas of significant archaeological including industrial archaeology and heritage buildings of significance. A map showing this network, including those currently of an aspirational nature, is shown here in Figure 4:

These networks are known nationally as ‘Green Infrastructure’ it can be seen that the previous quarrying areas provide a particular opportunity. The policies in regard to mineral extraction require reinstatement of the sites by the quarrying companies but equally these workings can provide habitat environments.

7 See also section on Biodiversity Offsetting 8 Extract from Chapter 2 - West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended, WDDC & W&PBC, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Reinstatement has to be financed and questions can arise around justifying this cost when the existing quarried landscape could be used to provide a potential income generating amenity.

Other similar considerations for these sites are based around enhancing tourism accommodation and also larger scale tourism projects. These areas are discussed under the Business and Employment and Leisure and Tourism themes.

“Green infrastructure refers to a network of spaces and linkages that are generally valued for their wildlife, geological, landscape or historic importance and may also have recreational value and help reduce flood risk. Although often important in their own right, when considered as a holistic network they provide much greater benefits.

Developing a coherent green infrastructure network is a key step towards a more comprehensive and effective approach to managing these spaces, and working in partnerships with a range of organisations from landowners and local communities through to statutory consultees such as the Environment Agency and Natural England.

The councils will work together with local communities, developers and other relevant partners, such as town and parish councils, to develop a green infrastructure strategy for the plan area, details of when this work will commence will be given in the Local Development Scheme. This will identify those areas to be included in the green infrastructure network, which can include small open gaps which prevent neighbouring communities that have distinct and separate characters from merging into one another, areas of particular local landscape or townscape importance, historically important spaces such as those identified within Conservation Area Appraisals, and the more urban key wildlife corridors and local nature conservation sites referred to in the above policy. The reasons for their inclusion will be clearly recorded. Local communities may identify further areas of particular importance to them through neighbourhood development plans, making clear the reason/s for their designation. Such a network is intended to support, but not prevent, the long-term development of communities. The resulting green infrastructure network will be given significant protection from development”9.

As can be seen the Local Plan is particularly supportive of this idea. The current main focus is the ‘Quarry Nature Trail’. Aspects of the initial financing for the development of this network could be specifically addressed through the use of the Community Infrastructure Levy which now states: “In addition to specific large scale capital projects the Community Infrastructure Levy will also be used to provide necessary mitigation for development that would otherwise cause cumulative harm to the integrity of one or more European nature conservation sites.”10

It is also recognised that it may take some time to develop this network and in the interim the Local Plan states that policy ENV 3 will apply to:  “Areas / Land of Local Landscape Importance (as identified in the previously adopted local plans)  Portland Coastline (as identified in the previously adopted local plan for Weymouth and Portland)  Important Open Gaps (as identified in the previously adopted local plan for Weymouth and Portland)  Historically important spaces (as identified in adopted Conservation Area Appraisals) Sites of Nature Conservation Importance, Local Nature Reserves and Ancient Woodlands, Lorton Valley and Portland Quarries nature parks.

Policy ENV 3 GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK i) The councils will work together with local communities and other relevant partners to develop a green infrastructure strategy for the plan area.

9 Extract from Chapter 2 - West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended, WDDC & W&PBC, 2013 10 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan pre-submission draft, WDDC & W&PBC, Jul 2012 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

12 ii) Development that would cause harm to the green infrastructure network or undermine the reasons an area’s inclusion within the network will not be permitted unless clearly outweighed by other considerations. iii) Development proposals will seek to secure opportunities to that promote geo-diversity and bio-diversity and provide improved access and recreational use (where appropriate) should be supported.”11

Other material issues which impact upon the development of this strategy  A number of areas are currently subject to permissions to backfill from either open cast operations or stone mining elsewhere and provide a necessary resource to allow continued stone extraction.  A number of areas were previously used as waste landfill sites and consequently would have constraints due to polluted land.

Footpaths Designated footpaths on the Island are shown at Fig. 5 in red. In addition to these there are many undesignated footpaths which are used regularly. There is now one Bridleway on the Island. For more details see the section on Roads and Transport.

Figure 5:

11 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended, WDDC & W&PBC, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Other Areas on the Island Fig.3 outlines areas across the Island that are covered by various designations and/or that are considered locally of visual and amenity significance. The main issue which can impact upon all of these areas is the remaining mineral extraction rights which were given to the Stone Industry in 1951 and the considerations around current proposals within Dorset County Council’s Mineral Strategy to prefer mining as the future extraction option as against open cast, which although considered cheaper is perceived to have a more detrimental impact on landscape.

A particular area of sensitivity is the area to the east side of the Portland Bill road known as the Southern Coastal strip. Due to its shallowness it cannot be easily mined but equally it seen to have a high visual amenity value.

The current situation in regard to stone extraction is summarised at the section on Quarrying and Land Restoration.

Important Historical Features Archaeology The whole of the Island of Portland has been designated as an Area of Archaeological Significance.

Today's archaeological remains reflect human activity over thousands of years. A substantial amount of Portland’s ancient remains including burial grounds and fortifications have been lost either to the recent (last 200 years) stone extraction, remodelling of the landscape in the construction of the Verne Citadel and Portland Breakwater or house building. Where the original landscape remains there is more likely found Roman and prehistoric sites e.g. Roman Villa on the IPACA Royal Manor Campus School playing fields or the Mesolithic site at Culverwell.

“The Local Plan area is particularly rich in archaeological remains, which include burial grounds, farms and field systems, defence installations and industrial sites, lime-kilns, lighthouses and older quarry workings. Archaeological sites are an important educational, recreational and tourist resource and the councils will encourage steps to secure their appropriate management and interpretation. Many archaeological sites are legally protected in whole or part through designation as Scheduled Monuments, in which case the granting of planning permission will be contingent on approval by the Secretary of State. There are also sites of regional or county importance. The level of protection afforded to these sites will depend upon: - The intrinsic importance of the remains and their settings; - The need for development and availability of alternative sites; - The opportunities for mitigating measures and whether the remains are preserved in situ; - The potential benefits, particularly to education, recreation and tourism. The area covered by the plan has significant potential for undesignated archaeological remains and a great deal of archaeological material has yet to be discovered. Applications affecting sites of archaeological importance must be accompanied by the results of an archaeological assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation in order that an informed decision can be made on the application. This may also be required in areas of archaeological potential. Advice is available from the County Archaeologist”12

There remains concern however over a number of heritage sites and buildings. The effective management of tourism and visitors will be an important aspect in the long term. The landscape character assessment summarises other features and landscape aspects.

12 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan pre-submission draft, WDDC & W&PBC, Jul 2012 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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The Built Environment Portland is an historic and special environment in many ways. The built environment is arguably as significant and important as the natural environment. The nature of the historic build construction sourced mainly from local stone couple with its integration into the landscape means that the built environment has a significance resonance within the Open Space and Natural Environment Theme. An example is the landscape area of the Verne Nature Reserve which is largely man made as a result of remodelling at the time of construction of the Verne Citadel.

“Portland is a unique and beautiful island with a stunning natural environment and significant opportunities for regeneration and renewal.”13

Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 imposes a duty on local planning authorities to designate as conservation areas any ‘areas of special architectural or historic interest the character of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’, and Section 71 of the same Act states that the local planning authority has a duty to publish proposals for the protection and enhancement of conservation areas.

Weymouth and Portland BC is presently (at February 2014) in the process of preparing conservation areas appraisals for the Underhill, Easton, Weston and the Grove; “but since these are all in different stages of completion it is unlikely that we shall have the whole set ready in draft for circulation internally earlier than May. The latest plan is to go out to public consultation at the end of June for 8 weeks.”14

Portland has the following Conservation Areas: The Grove Conservation Area “is based on the Victorian prison complex which was used to house the convicts who helped to build the Portland Breakwaters. The existing cell blocks of fine, coursed Portland ashlar date from 1898 and not from the mid 19th century when the work on the breakwaters began. The Church of St Peter's and the Grove Primary School are both Grade 2* listed buildings and were completed in 1872. Although built in different architectural styles they, like the prison, are built with Portland stone. To the west of the church Ivybank and the vicarage are also built with Portland stone, but with different finishes; both are listed. The schoolhouse to the east of the church and Alma Terrace to the south of the school completes this important group of listed buildings. The common theme to this part of the Grove Conservation Area is the use of Portland stone, providing good examples of finishes and architectural styles. This theme is further emphasised by the stone walls that link the buildings and extend throughout the Conservation Area. The walls are of different size, style and period, but most are listed. Visually the most dominant are the walls around the old prison, but of equal importance in the townscape is the high, curved wall that defines the northern boundary of Grove Road. The loss of any of these walls would be detrimental to the character of the Conservation Area. To the south of the old prison are the formal gardens, which provide a clear contrast to the urban character of the remainder of the Conservation Area. It is essential that this contrast is retained as a visually complimentary element of the area. The buildings of Grove Road are divided into two long terraces of mainly two storey houses, which follow the curve of the road. The two terraces are divided by the Clifton PH and the Catholic Church15, which mark the western end of the Grove Conservation Area. Most of the houses where built with Portland stone and Welsh slate during the 19thcentury, in the simple local architectural style. However, many have now been rendered and colour washed and the predominance of Portland stone is not so apparent here as in the Grove part of the Conservation Area.”16

Easton Conservation Area “encompasses the older parts of the village of Easton which is located at the geographical centre of the Island. The settlement has a linear structure with ribbons of development spreading

13 Portland Vision, Terence O’Rourke for SW Regional Development Agency, 2008 14 Email from Senior Design & Conservation Officer, West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland BC, Feb 2014 15 Now privately-owned 16 Conservation Area Appraisal, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan, Weymouth & Portland BC, Dec 2008 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

15 outwards from Easton Square northwards along Easton Street, eastwards and then southwards along Straits and Wakeham Street (the width of which is an important characteristic of this area), and westwards along Reforne. The character of the area is defined by the grouping of the buildings facades, their simple domestic scale and design, spatial relationships, and the use of local materials. Together these features combine to create an intriguing unity.”

Underhill Conservation Area “encompasses the settlements of Chiswell and Fortuneswell. Chiswell was largely developed through fishing and other activities connected with the sea. This is reflected in the openings or "opes" running at right angles to the general development which give direct access to the beach and facilitate the passage of floodwater. The character of the area is very much derived from this close relationship between the buildings, Chesil Beach and the sea. This is reflected both in the general layout of the buildings (built in close groups to give greater stability and to provide protection against wind and sea) and in the method of construction. This reveals the builders' thorough understanding of the conditions peculiar to the area (thick walls with few openings of small size to give the maximum protection. Fortuneswell is located on the rising ground to the east of Chiswell. The older core of the settlement is concentrated around High Street and the right-angled linking streets. Many of the streets are steeply inclined with houses stepped to the slope. Important features in this part of the Conservation Area include stone gates and rail posts, boundary walls, steps and paving. Victoria Square provides a contrast and its buildings typify a more formal Victorian layout which arrived with the railway. Victoria Gardens stand on an elevated position overlooking Chesil Beach with spectacular views out to sea. They were created to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, but were not opened until 1904. The gardens provide one of the few public open spaces within the Conservation Area. The principal building material is of course Portland Stone, often with blocks of quite monumental proportions in small cottages, and Welsh slate roofs. The majority of the buildings date from 19th century, but elements of

17th and 18th century buildings can often be seen incorporated into later buildings.”

The Castletown Extension Conservation Area “The oldest building still visible in Castletown is of course the Castle itself. This is a Grade 1 Listed Building, Scheduled Ancient Monument with the Grade II* Captain's House attached to it. In the surrounding grounds and on the harbour edge, parts of the external ramparts that protected the castle are still visible. Portland Castle is an exceptional, if not unique, example of a Tudor fort designed to accommodate cannons, and with its 'twin' at Sandsfoot, was built to protect ships at anchor in Portland Roads. The development of Castletown followed the creation of the Portland breakwaters during the mid 19thcentury and the development of Portland as a naval harbour. The majority of the terrace of buildings in Castletown facing northwest, towards the harbour, is Victorian buildings. These three to four storey brick and render buildings in a mix of commercial and residential uses have suffered from some alterations, but architecturally remain significantly intact. They were clearly all built in a short period of time, indicating the economic benefits that the arrival of the Royal Navy on a permanent basis brought at that time. Before the construction of the Boscawen Centre and the accommodation blocks, these buildings were visually as well as physically, isolated from the rest of Underhill, underlining the historic dependence and close association that the community and the use of the buildings had with the Naval Base. The stone pier and slipways in Castletown emphasise that the character of the area is defined by its relationship with the sea and Portland Harbour as a naval base and port. The view northwards to the listed Mulberry Harbour provides a strong historic reminder of these associations. It is a commercial area that is now developing as a diving centre and it is this maritime character that should be retained and developed, and the repair of historic buildings and any associated environmental improvements should be considered in the context of this character. Conversely, development proposals should take into consideration the appearance of the area and its historic buildings. This close relationship between the harbour and the original Victorian buildings has been constrained by the construction of several buildings on the north side of Castletown, to the east of the castle. These buildings are in a variety of architectural styles, materials and age, designed for a variety of uses. These range from the well proportioned brick built Custom House, now converted to a dwelling to the Copine Fish buildings and sheds. The Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Boscawen sports centre is the most recent of these buildings and its position adjoining Portland Castle, the design of the building and 'battlement' walls to the harbour's edge do reduce the visual impact of the centre on the castle. In this context it is architecturally a 'well mannered' modern building in a historic setting. Most of this group of buildings makes a positive contribution to the appearance or character of Castletown in terms of design and/or use. For example the Copine Fish buildings are functional buildings of indeterminate architectural merit, but their commercial use is clearly related to the harbour and the sea beyond and as such they make a significant contribution to the maritime character of the area. A building that is an exception to this is the RN Bakery, which also obstructs views and restricts pedestrian flows through the area, particularly along the harbour edge. The Merchants Incline also terminates in Castletown and reinforces links with the harbour, as the location for the export of much of Tophill's Portland stone through the Stone Pier to literally the world. The incline is of national archaeological importance. Portland Hospital is a prominent group of Edwardian naval buildings with Portland stone Victorian buildings in the grounds. These buildings retain an important visual and historic link between Portland and the Royal Navy's presence on the Island during that era. The Edwardian office building adjoining which was part of the HMS Osprey is also part of the history of the Royal Navy's presence on the Island and is architecturally a well designed building, despite the conning tower modifications. The building forms part of an architectural group of buildings in Castle Road from this era including the houses Hardy, Boscawen & Rodney and Portland Hospital. The former Royal Navy cricket pitch/sports ground is an open area adjacent to Victoria Gardens. It does not include any significant buildings of historic interest and it is bounded by some of the oil tanks and is not included in the Conservation Area but does contribute to its setting. The 1970s Royal Navy accommodation blocks visually dominate Castletown, not only from a distance, but also when viewed from Castletown, where they loom over and dwarf the large three and four storey Victorian buildings. The blocks are outside the Conservation Area, but improvements to their appearance would enhance the area.”

Weston Conservation Area - “the most prominent feature of Weston is the large 'village green' at its heart and it also contains a core of Tudor and Jacobean buildings, but many other buildings have been subjected to 20th century alterations. Originally the buildings were mainly sited on the edge of Weston Road and along Gypsy Lane, immediately to the north of the 'village green' and the former pond near Weston Corner. The buildings of Weston, like the majority of the structures on the Island, are made of the Portland Stone, but as with many areas of the Island some of the buildings have been covered with render from the middle of the 19th century onwards. The oldest remaining buildings include Nos 7072 and 8082 Weston Road and 1 Weston Street, all 16th and 17th century with No 72 being the best example of Tudor vernacular architecture on the

Island. Another survivor from the 17th century is the thatched cottage No 51 Gypsy Lane. No. 83 on the East side of Weston was the village farmhouse and may predate 1750. During the 19th century Weston extended northwards and eastwards along Weston Road and Street. In recent years extensive 20th century development has taken place, which in part has subsumed the original settlement. In addition several buildings have suffered from unsympathetic modern alterations, most noticeably the installation of modern replacement windows. The area only includes the very oldest parts of Weston where the buildings have more historic or architectural merit, centred on the village green, but also includes some of the old field systems with which the settlement is historically associated. These fields also provide a clearly defined green edge to the area and make a positive contribution to its character and appearance. The character of the settlement is defined by the very large central open space, which, despite being split by highways, provides a visually coherent ‘green’ core to Weston and the buildings bordering it, rather than dominates it. However, the varying heights of the rows of stone and slate dwellings make an interesting skyline, with low two storey houses contrasting with tall and narrow three storey buildings. Many of the buildings have been altered, yet they retain the simplicity of the local vernacular architecture. Gypsy Lane, in contrast, is a short, narrow winding lane providing contrast to the width of Weston Street and the expanse of the green. The large areas of green open space at the heart of Weston also provide strong visual links from the centre of the settlement to the open fields to the south and west. An important feature of these old field systems is the Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

17 traditional stone (dry stone) walls, which can also be found to the rear of properties in Weston Road. The existing boundary walls facing the highways also contribute to the character of the area. The unmade footpaths in the area, like Barleycrates Lane, also help to define the semirural character of Weston.”

Listed Buildings Grade I Portland Castle Rufus Castle with Bridge Church Of St George, Reforne Grade II* Queen Anne House with Boundary Wall and Gate Piers The Citadel, South Entrance The Citadel, South West and South East Casemates Gateway and Curtain Wall to South East Of Captain's House Ruins of Church of St Andrew Church of St Peter Grove County Primary School with Rear Boundary Wall The Citadel, North Entrance Easton Methodist Church with Former Manse and Boundary Walls Captain's House, Castle Road

Fig. 6 below shows the extent of buildings and features which have been listed on the Local Authority Records. There are then 178 Grade 2 buildings and structures on Portland.

Figure 6:

What does the Listing Mean? Listing helps us acknowledge and understand our shared history. It marks and celebrates a building's special architectural and historic interest, and also brings it under the consideration of the planning system so that some thought will be taken about its future. The older a building is, the more likely it is to be listed. All buildings built before 1700 which survive in anything like their original condition are listed, as are most of those built between 1700 and 1840. Particularly careful selection is required for buildings from the period after 1945. A building has normally to be over 30 years old to be eligible for listing. Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Categories of Listed Buildings Grade I buildings are of exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important; only 2.5% of listed buildings are Grade I. Grade II* buildings are particularly important buildings of more than special interest; 5.5% of listed buildings are Grade II* Grade II buildings are nationally important and of special interest; 92% of all listed buildings are in this class and it is the most likely grade of listing for a home owner.

There are also:  scheduled ancient monuments  registered historic parks and gardens  conservation areas  registered historic battlefields  designated wrecks  World Heritage Sites

On Portland the Verne Citadel area and East Weare Battery are recognised as an ancient monument as well as Portland and Rufus Castles. There are conservation areas at Easton, Chiswell. None of our parks are registered although Easton Gardens holds a Green Flag status and the Governors Garden at the Grove has received support via the National Lottery and as such has been recognised as a Green Space.

Other Natural and Man Made Features Distributed throughout the Island are features of interest and man made installations many highlighting the use of stone. Examples are  The Spirit of Portland Sculpture and Boat Crane at New Road.  Sculpture Park in Tout Quarry  Legacy Trail Cairns  Pulpit Rock  Memo sculptures

The large scale Harmonic Fields Installation during the Paralympics, which attracted over 10,000 visitors, illustrated clearly the way that the quarries and other areas of the Island presented a unique backdrop. Similarly, but on a smaller scale, so did the Blue Butterfly event at High Angle Battery. The ‘B–Side’ group are to feature areas across the Island again in September 2014.

Initiatives to Protect and Conserve Heritage Assets in a Sustainable Way Individual Buildings English Heritage has commenced an annual review of all listed buildings under the National Heritage Protection Plan. The intention is to involve groups and individuals in a pooled effort to meet the issues of maintaining and improving these buildings.

Historic Area Assessments “A Historic Area Assessment is a useful method of understanding, within a short space of time, the heritage interest of a fairly small area.”17 In order to provide an update of information the Borough Council has commissioned a review of conservation area appraisals and statements.

“Heritage assets cannot be replaced. They provide wide social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits. Every year English Heritage publishes a list of those heritage assets most at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development. Each council has a commitment to the management of heritage

17 Extract from Understanding Place Historic Area Assessments: Principles and Practice- English Heritage, Jun 2010 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

19 assets through the ongoing production of conservation area appraisals and the removal of assets from the ‘at risk’ register.

Wherever possible, the councils’ strategy is to ensure that historic buildings and other heritage assets that make a positive contribution to local character are put to an appropriate and viable use that is consistent with their conservation. These assets can be harmed through development, either directly or by an indirect impact to the setting. Such harm should be exceptional and will require clear and convincing justification.”18

There is a clear policy thrust to recognise that the long term viability of preserving a heritage asset often will need a more relaxed view on how it is used. This may have a significant impact on areas of the Island where a more productive view of the use of assets may support business development.

Opportunities for Interpretation and Education Use of Buildings and Environments There are a number of listed and heritage buildings across the Island which would lend themselves to being developed for interpretation and education purposes. A potential development strategy for the Island is increased higher value tourism and having thematic information centres is a way of distributing this interest and improving the overall ‘offer’. Currently the main focus for visitors is the Bill Lighthouse and surrounding area which receives approximately 300,000 visitors a year.

Possible themes are:- Maritime Heritage, Chiswell Flooding History, Flora and Fauna, Built Heritage, Stone Industry, Archaeology and Industrial Archaeology, Prison history etc.

The purpose would be to compliment the existing Museum and any intentions towards the Lighthouse visitor centre but to encourage income streams which would in the longer term help sustain each location as well as develop further the Island’s offer.

The Chesil Beach Centre which is run by Dorset Wildlife Trust and provides information about Chesil Beach and the Fleet is an example of this idea.

A further example project was the proposals concerning the Engine Shed at the Grove the funding for which was linked to a Gas Storage project. Currently the main project is on hold but the Engine Shed visitor centre concept remains part of the information centre network.

Ground Conditions Drainage Issues and Flood Risks The main issue which confronts the area (as well as the country) are the consequences of climate change, including extreme weather events. Although reducing greenhouse gas emissions is expected to help prevent the worst scenarios, we will still need to adapt to some degree of change, including: heavy rainfall and more frequent and severe storms; increased average sea levels; warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers; greater flooding (inland and coastal); coastal erosion; crop failures / agricultural decline; species and habitats decline; human health risks from extreme temperatures; and more limited drinking water resources.

18 Pre-submission Draft Minerals Core Strategy, Dorset CC, 2012 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Flood Risks Figure 7 shows the details of areas which are subject to flooding or surface water accumulation.

As can be seen the areas of Chiswell and Osprey Quay together with the Portland Beach Rd area are most at risk. The recent series of storms and gales have highlighted the impact upon sea defences which have largely worked over the last 30 years and coped well. Over that period of time the Osprey Quay area has developed integrating its own sea defences upon an area land which was historically a tidal lagoon and subsequently an area of a mainly open construction for the use of the Royal Navy as one of the largest helicopter bases in Europe.

The Portland Beach Road has also increased the incidence of flooding. How much this is attributable to developments such as the positioning of the New Ferrybridge may need to be considered.

The Portland Breakwaters also form an important flood defence element their historic construction and requirement to be maintained will not doubt also could form part of any strategy review.

The councils wish to avoid danger to life and damage to property wherever flood risk may exist. Dorset County Council is the lead Local Flood Authority in managing local flood risk and surface water flooding and the take up of sustainable drainage systems. Flood risk has been mapped in the Strategic Flood Risk Assessments for the area, and updated flood risk maps are also shown on the Environment Agency website. The defined flood zones are: Zone 1: a low probability of flooding – this zone comprises land as having a less than 1 in 1,000 annual probability of river and sea flooding (<0.1%). Zone 2: a medium probability of flooding - this zone comprises land assessed as having between a 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000 annual probability of river flooding (0.1%- 1%), or between a 1 in 200 and 1 in 1,000 annual probability of sea flooding (0.1% - 0.5%) in any year. Zone 3a: a high probability of flooding – this zone comprises land assessed as having a 1 in 100 or greater annual probability of river flooding (>1%), or a 1 in 200 or greater annual probability of flooding from the sea (>0.5%) in any year. Zone 3b: the functional flood plain – this zone comprises land where the water has to flow or be stored in times of flood.

Surface water mapping can be found in the Dorset Strategic Surface Water Management Plan.

Drainage and Related Issues The following areas of the Island currently suffer with water related issues. Fortuneswell – Repeated highway work due to various streams forcing there way through to the surface Wakeham – Surface water particular in times of heavy rainfall

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“Local Plan Policy ENV 6. LOCAL FLOOD ALLEVIATION SCHEMES ii) Where schemes are drawn up in consultation with the local community and agreed by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and Dorset County Council, development that would significantly undermine their delivery will be resisted”19

Coastal Erosion and Land Instability The background to this area is set out in the Local Plan. “Managing coastal erosion is about finding the right balance between the needs of local communities, the economy and the environment, to secure a sustainable and affordable approach to the threat while protecting natural interests.

Although there are uncertainties regarding the extent and pace of sea level rise and coastal change, the Shoreline Management Plan has defined the over-arching strategy for managing the coast, identifying which sections of the coast are to be protected in the short (0 to 20 years), medium (20 to 50 years) and long term (50 to 100 years). However its delivery will be dependent on the funding available at the time. In addition to this, Coastal Risk Planning Guidance for West Dorset and Weymouth & Portland has been prepared which sets out the nature of risks posed to coastal areas from future coastal change and a detailed exploration of planning for, and managing, adaptation has been undertaken through the Dorset Coastal Change Pathfinder project on the 'Jurassic Coast'. Marine Plans are also to be written, covering defined inshore and off-shore areas, and will help establish where planning conditions or restrictions may be placed on what developers do.

The councils will undertake more detailed studies to inform policy development in these areas using the Coastal Risk Planning Guidance and the Dorset Coastal Change Pathfinder Project. In some locations, the relocation and rollback inland of existing coastal development and infrastructure will also need to be considered carefully alongside landscape, wildlife and visual impacts.

Areas identified will be identified as Coastal Change Management Areas (CCMAs)”20.

For Portland the various scenarios tested over the period of 100 years propose the following  Small Mouth to Osprey Quay – Hold the line  Osprey Quay to Grove Point – Hold the line  Grove Point to Portland Bill – No active intervention  Portland Bill to West Weares – No active intervention  West Weares to Checkpoint Roundabout – Hold the Line  Hamm Roundabout to Fleet – No active intervention

Defences at Chiswell could be outflanked as the beach to the north rolls back naturally over time. The amount of roll back and outflanking risk is dependent upon the size of wave events, though a large event in the long term is likely to occur. Due to the assets in this area, it is unlikely that defence would cease to be provided, so continued defence in some form, all be it to a greater level, is likely to be required.

The technical assessment recognises the possibility of the failure of the Portland Breakwaters.21

Coastal Change Pathfinder Project DEFRA launched the £11 million Coastal Change Pathfinder fund in June 2009, inviting local authorities to bid for a portion of the money to improve community engagement in the process of planning to adapt to coastal change. There were 15 successful bids, of which Dorset County Council, on behalf of partners in Dorset and East Devon, received £376,500 from DEFRA on 1st December 2009.

19 Extract from Chapter 2 - West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended, WDDC & W&PBC, 2013 20 Extract from Chapter 2 - West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended, WDDC & W&PBC, 2013 21 Shoreline Management Plan – Technically Feasible Assessment, Halcrow, Sep 2010 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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The overall purpose of this project is to engage with coastal communities about planning to adapt to coastal change, and ensure these communities are well-equipped to understand, debate and take part in the decision making processes involved in managing coastal change.

The local planning authority has recently updated its planning policy considerations in these areas. The document22 follows the broad management decisions per coastline section as above but set out the following:

Area Policy Considerations Policy Recommendations Small Mouth to Eastward movement of Chesil Beach est Secondary defence lines Osprey Quay 50-120m in 100 years Maintenance of Portland Breakwaters. Coastal Flooding to Small Mouth and No development along the undefended Ham Portland Beach Rd. Beach. Erosion of Small Mouth Area New developments in line with Local Plan Policy Env 5 Flood Risk Osprey Quay Reliance on Portland and Marina Promotion of area for mixed use could come Breakwaters and Flood Embankments under increased risk unless defences are Managed retreat of Chesil Beach improved. encroachment Consideration of alternative transport links New developments in line with Local Plan Env 5 Flood Risk Portland Port Reliance on Portland Breakwaters New developments in line with Local Plan Env 5 A potential for localised cliff top erosion Flood Risk due to groundwater effects of up to 30 metres over the next 100 years. Grove Point to A potential for localised cliff top erosion No permanent development should occur in the Portland Bill due to groundwater effects with a general area of risk. risk line of 6 metres over 100 years but Time limited planning consent and with a higher risk line of 30 metres development appropriate for nature of risk built between East Weares and Church Ope in re-appraisal Likely development short term holiday lets, camping/caravan sites/ leisure and tourism – e.g. café. However if applicant can robustly show that data for an area is inaccurate then approval may be granted Portland Bill to A potential for localised cliff top erosion Specific issues in relation to Quarry Nature Park West Weares due to groundwater effects with a general and Southwell Business Park risk line of 6 metres over 100 years West Weares to Hold the line where sea defences exist Maintenance of sea defences and flood Hamm Roundabout Managed realignment of Northern section embankments A potential for larger and longer gales No development to occur in area of Chesil Beach roll back Any development should be appropriate for the area given the timing of future risks, limited in its size and extent and can adapt to future changes in line with Env 5 Flood Risk. The type of development is likely to be appropriate are those that require coastal location and or/ or provide substantial social and economic benefit e.g. hotels, shops, offices, leisure activities

22 Managing Coastal Change: Coastal Risk Planning Guidance for West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Portland Breakwaters The reliance of substantive land area on the Breakwaters (this includes areas of Weymouth) makes it important that their significance is appreciated and the need for their maintenance. In a report to the Portland Harbour Consortium in January 1994 as part of the consideration of the future ownership of the Port the consultancy firm Drivers Jonas set out the following: “Whilst Portland Harbour is naturally well protected from winds from the south west, west to the north, it relies on its man made breakwaters for protection from the south east through to north east. The breakwater faces a maximum fetch (i.e. the distance of unimpeded wave and wind activity) of around 150 nautical miles to winds from the east and south east. The resistance of a breakwater to wave attack is principally dependant upon two factors-its forward slope angle and the weight of the individual armouring blocks. Portland’s breakwater has a seaward slope of about 1:1.5 and armour stones 3-8 tonnes weight. This combination has adequate stability for resisting waves of up to 3 metres in height, without significant displacement of the stones. Whilst storms from the south east are infrequent compared with those from the west and south west they do occur on an annual basis. For example Met Office data for the period Jan 1949 to Sep 1991 shows that for winds east to south east that wave heights exceeded 3 m for 23 days and for winds from south east to south 33 days with waves being over 5m on six days. When storms from the SE quadrant occur there can be displacement of stones which move down the slope. In moving the probability is the stones will break and start to expose smaller stones which will then start to run and increase the probability of breach. The breakwaters need to be maintained. The inner and outer breakwaters face the longest fetch and therefore the greater expenditure. If the Breakwaters were not maintained then with some luck a breach may not occur for 5 to 10 years however the report indicated that it would be likely within 15 to 20 years. It was estimated that an annual cost of £250-300,000 annually [1994 values] would be required.”23 It is uncertain as to the extent of revised predictions around climate change would impact upon this position.

Climate Change Risks The South West is getting warmer. The key risks we are likely to face from climate change in the South West of the UK were set out in a recent leaflet:  “Overall the region is becoming warmer and by the 2050saverage temperatures may be as much as 3.50C warmer in summer  High summer temperatures are becoming more frequent, and very cold winters are becoming increasingly rare  Winters are becoming wetter (a 5 - 20% increase is expected by the 2050s), whilst summers are becoming drier (10 - 40% decrease by the 2050s)  Heavy winter precipitation and winter storms are expected to become more frequent  The temperature of our coastal waters is increasing, whilst relative sea levels continue to rise and could be as much as 80cm higher by the 2080s  We are experiencing extreme sea levels more frequently; by the 2080s these could occur up to 20 times more frequently than they do now

● The physical infrastructure of buildings, bridges, power transmission lines, transport infrastructure (roads, rail, air) and heritage (both natural and built) is vulnerable to most aspects of climate change ● Climate change impacts will result in increased flood risk (coastal and river) and planning decisions will need to prevent unsustainable types of development on floodplains and, in some cases, the need to retreat from flood-prone areas ● Climate change will affect energy demand in the South West, with reduced heating requirements in the winter probably offset by increased demand for cooling in the summer

23 Report to the Portland Harbour Consortium Drivers Jonas, Jan 1994 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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● Lifestyle will influence climate change and be influenced by it. As the climate warms, we can expect increased walking and use of bicycles; increased use of external spaces in urban areas and a greater demand for access to rivers and the coast ● Higher temperatures could affect our health with increased incidence of some diseases (e.g. food poisoning and malaria) but less cold-related illness and injury (e.g. hypothermia) ● Increased outdoor physical recreation could lead to potential improvements in general health, but greater exposure to solar radiation and associated cancer risks ● Changes to insurance costs and coverage are expected, in particular in vulnerable geographic areas or economic sectors ● Loss of habitats and indigenous species could occur as well as longer growing seasons and increased potential for novel agricultural crops, such as biofuels; however, it will be essential to ensure that the growing, processing and marketing of such crops does not harm biodiversity’”24

Character In order to inform the production of the Local Plan the planning authority commissioned a study to draw out landscape features. The summary details for Portland are set out below.

Extracts from Landscape Characteristics Report25 “Chesil Beach and Fleet Lagoon Landscape characteristics  A wild and windswept character with extensive skylines, heavily influenced by the exposed coastal location  A low lying landscape, overlooked by the rising land of Portland and Wyke Regis  A distinctive mix of tidal mudflats, open water and shingle bank  The shingle bank is un-vegetated and subject to wave action. Some scrub and salt marsh vegetation is present where the bank is stabilised by silt from the lagoon, and on the causeway along the path of the disused railway  Open and extensive views are available towards the Osmington Coast and Portland, however views out to sea are restricted by the linear ridge of Chesil bank  Masts in Portland harbour provide a strong visual link to the working harbour Detrimental features  Large scale development at Osprey Quay has had an urbanising influence over much of the area. Visual impact of coastal car parks and other visitor based development  Intrusive presence of heavy traffic on the A354, and the visual impact of street lights, road signage and other visual clutter  Small boat yards and slipways towards the northern end of the area have an industrial and degraded character.  Visually prominent development at Wyke Regis does not have a strong character or sense of place Portland Peninsula Landscape characteristics  A dramatic and distinctive wedge shaped limestone peninsula with prominent cliffs  An open skyline with sweeping views along the coast  The pale grey Portland limestone rock dominates the natural and built landscape, and results in areas of calcareous grassland  An exposed, windswept, rocky and raw landscape  Quarrying and military activity has, and continues to significantly impact upon the island’s character

24 Changing Impacts for the South West, SW Changing Climate Impacts Partnership, 2012 25 Landscape Character Assessment, WPBC, Feb 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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 Little tree cover on the plateau and an historic strip field pattern, traditionally separated by dry stone walls  Areas of the more sheltered north eastern coast are dominated by scrub, trees and woodland  Networks of open spaces separate the settlements and provide an important buffer to urban and industrial development  Restored quarried landscapes of high amenity, biodiversity and recreational value  A number of distinctive landmark features such as Portland Bill and the lighthouse, and The Verne Detrimental features  The open skylines are dominated by manmade structures and features  Impacts of active quarrying works through visual intrusion, noise and movement of large scale plant. Often a neglected and disjointed feel, resulting from a complex and diverse range of land uses both historic and current  Urban fringe land uses, including equine development have resulted in the erosion of the historic field pattern.  Traditional stone wall field boundaries are often in poor condition or have been removed and replaced with wire or temporary plastic fencing”

The Natural England National Character Area Profile for Portland also sets out to explain the character of the landscape the main contributors to this being seen as an asset are: rugged cliffs, coastal and maritime wildlife, the tidal race, active and disused quarries , vernacular building stone; heritage assets which contribute to a sense of place.

Coastline Jurassic Coast The Coastline of Portland, except for areas within the Port land ownership, forms part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site This designation states: “What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage Sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. As such, the permanent protection of this heritage is of the highest importance to the international community as a whole.

The main management issues with respect to the Coast include: coastal protection schemes and inappropriate management of visitors to an area that has a long history of tourism; and the management of ongoing fossil collection research, acquisition and conservation. The key requirement for the management of this property lies in continued strong and adequately resourced coordination and partnership arrangements focused on the World Heritage property.

Although the WH Convention has been ratified by the UK Government, the designation is not recognised in statute. The Site, as with all others in the UK, is protected by existing UK planning and conservation laws and by specific planning guidance on World Heritage Sites.”26

In order to provide the highest level of protection towards the Coast areas and within the Verne Nature Reserve these were submitted to be considered as Special Areas of Conservation in conjunction with the Local Plan development and changes the text of a number of policies were recommended. The submission

26 Jurassic Coast Management Plan 2009-14, world Heritage Site Steering Group, Dec 2009 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

26 recognised that the habitats could be subject to coastal erosion and in certain areas existing permissions for blockstone extraction.27

South West Coast Path Portland is now included within the South West Coast Path which is the longest Nature Trail in England. The Coast Path Association is active in promoting the economic value of the trail. Portland has recently been a development focus.

Coastal Activities Range28 In regard to Portland immediate Coast and Cliffs Climbing - Portland is recognised as one of the best places for climbing and there is an active community which supports the sport29 Bouldering - This is a form of climbing which takes place at low level height. Areas of Portland are well suited to this but there are concerns about soil erosion etc. The BMC30 are actively working to develop a boulder-field where climbers will be helping with practical management and with the BMC funding surveys. Coastering - is an outdoor adventure activity which combines rock climbing, swimming, jumping and scrambling. Although the Bill area is highlighted there are a number of suitable areas on the Island.

Sea Bed Natural England have proposed the offshore area between Studland to Portland as a marine pSAC, in accordance with the Habitats Directive, with the interest feature being the Reef structures identified within this area.

Energy Potential The current options to progress energy from renewable sources include:  Onshore and offshore wind  Solar  Renewable heat – biomass  Micro generation  Wave  Tidal Onshore wind turbines are currently limited to a small number predominantly at Osprey Quay as part of the design. Also there are no proposals for solar panel farms, again installations are based on individual properties and businesses.

There have been proposals in the past to base offshore wind turbines on the Harbour Breakwater but the nearest current large proposal is based off Swanage.

Proposals have been made for an energy plant within the Harbour and recently an amendment to the planning conditions has allowed the plant to also process rubber crumb when developed.

There are no current plans for a biomass boiler although suggestions were made at the consultation in January 2013.

27 Habitats Regulation Assessment for the Local Plan, WDDC & W&PBC, Jun 2012 28 For a comprehensive list of activities view http://www.icoast.co.uk/ 29 example http://www.portland-climbing.co.uk/ and http://www.climbdorset.co.uk/climbs/portland-climbs/ and http://www.rockfax.com/databases/results_area.html?id=5 30 BMC = British Mountaineering Council Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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“Tidal Resource The area around the Bill has been identified as having sufficient wave power to be considered as a potential site but there are no current plans to progress this although it has been calculated that it could provide sufficient capacity to meet the Island’s needs.

30 MW of tidal stream generation capacity was identified off the coast of Portland in a study commissioned by SWRDA (Offshore Renewable Resource Assessment and Development (ORRAD) Report 2010). Research by Southampton University also confirms the resource opportunity (Blunden, 2009). In addition the Crown Estate published a tidal stream resource map (Oct 2012) indicating a 2 GW resource within 50km of the Dorset Coast.

In 2013 the Crown Estate identified an area off Portland Bill as a potential tidal current demonstration zone to use for testing tidal components, concepts or full scale devices (up to 30MW) in order to help the tidal industry to accelerate these activities. The Crown Estate is currently seeking a leaseholder for the site. Wave resource There are no suitable areas for commercial scale wave deployment in the waters off Portland”31

‘Searaiser’ (as detailed in the Business theme paper) this system could use a redundant quarry as a reservoir to even out electricity production.

The Mineral Strategy indicates that the use of mining for stone extraction can reduce a 50% reduction in carbon emissions.

Gas Storage (Portland Gas) The project involves drilling chambers into Triassic salt deposits beneath the former naval base that can be used to store up to 35 billion cubic feet of gas. The project is aimed at improving the overall resilience of the UK gas needs. The company plans to use the 220-million-year-old salt layers nearly 8,000ft under Portland which can be dissolved to create 14 impermeable caverns to store natural gas equivalent to one per cent of our total annual demand. Once the gas is needed it will enter a pipeline which goes across Weymouth Bay and under Redcliff Point near Osmington, White Horse Hill, the Frome water meadows, the A35, the West Stafford bypass and the railway before reaching a central gas control point at Mappowder where it will be linked to the national gas transmission system to provide gas to homes in the South West.

The £450 million project was approved by Dorset County Council in 2009, however due to market constraints the project has not gone ahead and land has been returned to the Port; however the potential for this type of development remains.

Osprey Quay & Perryfields both have wood pellet district schemes. “We understand that Perryfields is the largest passive house development in the UK”.

The current county strategy that covers Portland states that: “Our vision - For the community of Dorset to play our part in mitigating climate change by using energy more efficiently and harnessing our viable renewable energy resources. We wish to maximise the local economic, environmental and community benefits that doing this can bring.” 32 The aims of the Strategy33 are: “Aims 1. To maximise the potential for local economic benefit and diversification. 2. To facilitate renewable energy development that is appropriate to Dorset’s environment and communities

31 Email from Sustainable Development Manager, Dorset County Council, May 2014 32 Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Renewable Energy Strategy to 2020, Dorset Energy Group, Jan 2013 33 Portland Port was an endorser of this strategy Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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3. To encourage a high degree of community involvement, understanding and benefit from using energy more efficiently and developing Dorset’s renewable energy resources 4. To enable Dorset to play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with local, regional, national and international targets 5. To provide local, affordable and secure renewable energy supplies”34

The Strategy proposes a target of at least 15% of Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole’s energy needs to be met from renewable sources by 2020. However, to reflect the expectation that approximately 7.5% of this will be delivered via renewable energy resources regardless of local action, the Strategy focuses on delivering a secondary target of a minimum of 7.5% of Dorset’s energy needs to be met from local renewable energy resources over which we have more influence and control. The priorities are:  Supporting the development of community renewable energy  Maximising the local economic benefits of renewable energy generation  Creating a more supportive planning system for renewable energy  Developing locally appropriate technologies  Delivering leadership and partnerships that support renewable energy  Improving renewable energy communications and learning

Land Ownership & Extraction Main Landowners  The Crown – Long term plans not declared, a number of quarry sites, Chesil Beach, Verne and Grove area including Prisons and Immigration Centre – under estate modernisation. Victoria Gardens and Easton Gardens.  Through Court Leet – Commons including Portland Bill and Hamm Beach  Bowers Quarry area assigned to the Memo project under a 125 year lease.  Stone Firms – A number of proposals and failed planning applications. Also potential use of land by other projects. Butterfly Conservation Area, Tout Quarry and Kingbarrow already.  Ministry of Justice and Home Office – Uncertain position in regard to the Crown  HCA/Land Trust – Osprey Quay Area subject to a recent management plan submission  Dorset Wildlife Trust – Development of Quarry Nature Trail. Now Leaseholders at Tout and King Barrow  Portland Port – Development land and areas of environmental protection.  Dorset County Council/ IPACA – Public Land Holding Review and redundant school sites  Weymouth and Portland Borough Council – Portland Beach Wall, Verne Nature Reserve, Service Reviews and Public Land Holding reviews

34 Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Renewable Energy Strategy to 2020, Dorset Energy Group, Jan 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Quarrying and Land Restoration35 Much of the current extraction of Portland Stone takes place under a large planning permission granted in 1951. A further permission for 9ha was granted in the 1950s resulted in the total area with permission for quarrying representing around two thirds of Tophill.

The 1951 planning permission was granted to encourage stone extraction for house building after the war. Two conditions were placed upon the permission:  All overburden removed must be put back into the finished quarry  No quarrying closer than 25ft to the public highway The 1951 permission expires in 2042.

Dorset County Council as the relevant authority has now prepared a Mineral Core Strategy this was adopted on 6 May 2014. The Minerals Strategy provides the strategic framework for minerals development on the island and as such any minerals planning applications will be determined against the relevant policies set out within the plan. The plan is set to last until 2028.

Figure 8: Portland - Areas of Opportunity for Mining36

35 Extracts from Adopted Minerals Strategy Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, 2014 36 Identified in the Adopted Minerals Strategy Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Use of Extracted Stone  Dimension (Building Use)  Crushed rock for aggregate which is split between primary aggregate from stone underlying the dimension stone beds and secondary aggregate derived from the overburden and waste stone “Total current permitted reserves of Portland dimension stone are estimated to stand at over 450,000 cubic metres. Based on current output levels this would mean that existing permitted reserves are adequate for around 50 years. Although this is a substantial reserve, the Mineral Planning Authority considers that quarrying some areas of permitted reserve would result in a significant impact for environmental or amenity reasons. These areas are identified later in this chapter. Even if these areas were not to be worked as a result of any negotiations, there would still be sufficient reserves of dimension stone for over 35 years37.”

Predisposition to Mining and against Surface Quarrying The strategy establishes a presumption in favour of underground mining. Mining will be granted where significant environmental gains will be provided, such as in exchange for the relinquishment of areas considered unsuitable for surface quarrying. Dorset CC as The Mineral Planning Authority has identified a number of opportunity sites.

Mining has also been identified as achieving a 50% reduction in carbon emissions as overburden is not needed to be removed.

The Mineral Strategy provides for arrangements to minimise environmental impacts which will be used when agreeing these statements these are set out in Policy PD4 see below.

The strategy includes a policy which sets out a presumption against permission for surface quarrying. It states: “Policy PD2 – The Mineral Planning Authority will only grant permission for surface quarrying of Portland Stone on the Isle of Portland if: a. significant environmental gains which deliver a net environmental benefit will be provided, which will generally be achieved through the agreement to relinquish permission for surface quarrying for at least an equivalent amount of stone in Areas Sensitive to Surface Quarrying, as identified on the Policies Map, and; b. environmentally acceptable surface quarrying techniques will be employed.”38

Preferred areas for the relinquishment of permission for surface extraction: “1. Tout Quarry – an abandoned quarry notable for its industrial archaeology, recreational and ecological value. 2. Northern part of Inmosthay Quarry – comprising a disused quarry, notable for ecological value and industrial archaeology. 3. Waycroft and Withies Croft – disused and partly restored quarry areas, notable for international and national ecological value. 4. Bowers Quarry - cliffside and historically worked area notable for its national ecological value, its archaeological and recreational value, and the significant visual and landscape impact surface working would result in. 5. North-west area of Perryfields – border area of the active quarry where a buffer to protect residential amenity and listed windmill is considered necessary. 6. Southwell – unworked area of greenspace where visual and landscape impact of surface working would be significant. 7. Coastal Strip – largely unworked area of greenspace and coastal undercliffs. The area is sensitive to surface quarrying for a number of reasons: it partly falls within the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and is notable for international and national ecological and geological value; it has an important recreational value, forming part

37 Adopted Minerals Strategy Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, 2014 38 Adopted Minerals Strategy Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

31 of the South West Coast Path; it includes an area designated as a Scheduled Monument; visual and landscape impact of surface working would be significant; and the impact on residential amenity would be significant in the vicinity of Southwell. Within the SAC, there is the need to protect the entirety of the raised beach (both SSSI and non SSSI) which forms a key feature of the World Heritage Site. NB: Numbers are for reference purposes only and do not indicate any order of priority. Preferred area for the relinquishment of permission to extract the cherty series:  Inmosthay Quarry – designated SSSI with a plan to restore limestone grassland agreed. Areas where an appropriate stand-off should be established:  North and north-east boundary of Broadcroft Quarry  South-west border of Perryfields Quarry  The northern and southern boundaries of Coombefield Quarry”39

Review of Old Mineral Permissions PD4 The Mineral Planning Authority will through the Review of Old Mineral Planning Permissions process seek: a. to secure more environmentally acceptable ways of working b. the establishment of appropriate stand-offs between quarry operations and adjacent residential dwellings (and other sensitive locations and developments) c. to ensure that quarries are operated in a way in which dust, noise and blasting vibration do not significantly adversely affect the amenity of dwellings and other sensitive land uses d. to secure the protection of the Island of Portland Site of Special Scientific Interest, the Island of Portland Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphologic Site, Sites of Nature Conservation Interest and the habitats of protected species e. to ensure that the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and its setting are safeguarded f. to secure the protection of scheduled monuments and their settings, and other important undesignated archaeological remains including evidence of former quarrying g. to secure the protection of Easton, Weston and the Grove Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings and historic landscapes (heritage assets) h. to protect and/or enhance the landscape and minimise the visual impact of quarrying on Portland

“The ROMP is a requirement of the Environment Act 1995 and is intended to bring old minerals permissions up to modern environmental standards by attaching new planning conditions. The review of the 1951 composite planning permission has a significant role to play in improving the management of quarrying on Portland and is one of the principal means of securing improvements to the existing permission. Policy PD4 provides a strategic basis on which negotiations relating to the ROMP on Portland can be based. The ROMP will in particular seek to achieve the conservation and enhancement of designated environmental and historic features on the island and to reduce impacts on amenity. This may include securing agreement not to quarry in particular sensitive areas such as the Areas Sensitive to Surface Quarrying.”40 See fig. 9 below:

39 Adopted Minerals Strategy Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, 2014 40 Adopted Minerals Strategy Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Figure 9: Portland Areas Sensitive to Surface Quarrying41

41 Source: Adopted Minerals Strategy Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Level of Restoration Proposed Policy PD5–Restoration of Sites on Portland Schemes for the restoration of existing sites on Portland should achieve the following: a. Reinstatement of areas of the Island of Portland SSSI, where applicable, to a favourable condition b. Safeguarding and enhancement of significant ecological and geological interests where they exist within permission boundaries c. Preservation of any industrial archaeological features or landscapes that show evidence of traditional methods of quarrying d. Reinstatement of typical Portland landscape features, such as stone walls, where appropriate e. Reinstatement and where appropriate enhancement of public rights of way

Mineral Liaison Meetings In line and to support implementing the Strategy Mineral Liaison Meetings were recently organised by Dorset County Council involving LA officers and members from WPBC and Portland Town Council in discussion with the current and future plans of the companies and organisations involved. The following is an edited summary of those meetings.

Stonefirms Present Quarrying Broadcroft Quarry: 20 years reserves remain along northern edge of the quarry. Less overburden exists at this quarry than at other quarries. Aggregate: 30,000 tonnes per annum is produced for crushing, from waste dimension stone and capstone. Stone from Broadmead Quarry is not favoured by architects and the quarry was last worked 3 years ago. However, there is existing stock of stone on the ground which is sold upon request. Perryfield Quarry: -this is currently Stonefirms’ main operational quarry. - blasting is one of the main working practices to extract the stone. - it has been worked for 20 years, and Stonefirms have orders for the next 12 months’ supply, with 90% of the market being London. - new equipment (Fantani Saw) recently purchased to cut the stone into blocks for sale. Coombefield Quarry -this quarry is nearly exhausted of stone – only a couple of weeks’ work remaining in the southern corner. -the northern area of this quarry has been abandoned due to the poor quality of the stone. Coastal Strip: -this area represents 50% of Stonefirms’ future reserve of stone. -Future working would be in small phases, restoring behind thus leaving little impact, which is considered would be in the public interest. Grangecroft Quarry: Virgin stone is available at this quarry for extraction. Need to make agreement with Albion to work this area in conjunction with the mine. Current Stonefirms’ Projects Broadcroft: Quarry is being infilled with local inert waste. 5 years remaining. Extension soon to be applied for. No complaints received about this site. Access is via Bumpers Lane/West Grove Terrace. ‘Searaiser’ (Alvin the Inventor) This is a project designed to produce hydro-electricity. Ecotricity are interested in the project which involves a 12m wide cylindrical electrical generator. Stonefirms would create a reservoir into Broadcroft to accommodate this project. Housing at Bumpers Lane: Planning Application refused. Currently discussing buffer zones around the site with DCC. A revised planning application will be submitted within the next couple of months and/or an appeal. Bottom Coombe: (Old factory site – 1886). Factory was moved to Easton Street. New Tesco store has been built on the former quarry site. Appeal decisions have been received re. Bumpers Lane and Curtis Field; and Windmill South/Bottom Coombe Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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South. Revised application to be submitted in due course. Perryfield: Extant planning permission expires in 2042. A small area with no planning permission exists which is currently used by Stonefirms to dispose of inert waste. Ongoing issue with a Footpath which is looking to be resolved with DCC. Coombefield: -Proposed to locate a field for camping with a central facility and 3 football pitches. Aim would be to complement Tout and Kingsbarrow quarries and would connect directly with the butterfly reserves surrounding the site. -Southern windmill restoration project: £10,000 to be spent ensuring the structure is sound and safe for visitors. Weymouth College will be assisting with the rest i) Albion Stone Present Quarrying Albion Stone’s present quarrying activities were outlined by Mark Godden (MG). -Fancy Beach Quarry: less than 2 years reserve remaining. -Jordan’s Mine: the past year saw good stone being extracted. All potential products from Jordan’s are now sourced underground. -Playing Fields: work at this site to be considered in the forthcoming year. -Stonehills: access into this site to be considered in the forthcoming year. New Planning Permissions: MP informed the meeting that two new planning permissions had been granted: -Bowers extension (into the playing field) -Jordan’s Mine extension (under the tennis courts) These consented areas will provide stone for approximately 30 years. Recent changes in technology provide a better return on stone yields. Other quarries: -Admiralty – stone now used for crushing -Independent – no current activity at this site – waiting for decision on proposed school before commencing restoration. Crown Estate looking at options, and Albion are awaiting guidance from them. -Stonefields site: clay beds to be removed and site to be reprofiled in Summer 2014 (on the advice of Tony Harris – DCC Landscape Officer.) Stoneface will be opened up and saw installed to commence operations in the mine for a short while. This operation will not be visible from the road due to reprofiled site.

Albion currently employs 62-70 people, including 2 apprentices: one in workshop, one in mine) ML queried whether Fancy’s Mine has now been infilled? MG confirmed it had not. Public Interaction: ML noted that the public appreciate Albion’s continued support and assistance with queries. Additionally, the annual open day at Jordan’s Mine was noted to be hugely popular with visitors often planning their holidays around the date! 4: DCC Monitoring Mel Jefferson (MJ) noted the two new planning permissions. -Jordan’s mine extension – granted 13 Feb 2014, end date 30 Sept 2021. Condition 20 in relation to Habitat Management was highlighted. MP confirmed that a donation of £18,000 had been made to Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) in order that they would deal with the condition which related to the work at Withy’s Croft. Action: Update from DWT re. progress needed for next meeting - MP It was noted that Viridor and Crook & Sons had also donated monies to this project. Les Ames (LA) expressed concern about the untidy nature of the land behind the YMCA. MG agreed to investigate the issues with land ownership in relation to Footpath 20. Action: Update on PROW situation to be provided at next meeting – MG - Bowers Mine extension – granted 21 Nov 2013, end date to be fully restored: 30 Sept 2040. Condition 04 in relation to phasing and backfilling of the mine workings was highlighted. MP confirmed this has been forwarded to Andy Helmore (Planning Officer at DCC), together with a draft management plan. Outstanding work on Existing quarries: -It was noted that the trial mine needed to be backfilled by 30 Sept 2014. MG confirmed this has been completed. -Stonehills – only two years’ extraction remaining – ideas for restoration to be submitted asap.

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-Aggregate provision is currently provided by Admiralty Quarry via Crook & Sons. -MP noted that only Inmosthay Quarry could provide aggregate due to surrender of planning permission at Bowers. Further discussion is needed regarding aggregate provision. -Planning permission for aggregate extraction at Admiralty quarried granted 17 April 2013; end date 20 Nov 2014. Condition 1 – contribution for grassland – needs to be addressed. Complaints: No complaints received regarding Albion Stone. No complaints received regarding Admiralty Quarry. ML thanked Crook & Sons for good maintenance on Easton Lane. 5: Masonry Works Operations MP explained that the on-site factory is used for working stone. 6: Future Working Areas MP confirmed there was nothing further to add, but noted the following: Currently, 50% extraction is from mining; 50% extraction from quarrying. 0% blasting Machinery used now is dry cutting machines which eliminates all water usage in all cutting operations. Lorry movements are now reduced due to the saw itself being transported to the stone, rather than the stone moved to the cutting shed. Progress on restoration -MP confirmed that restoration proposals for Bowers submitted with the ROMP application. However, Natural England were seeking alternative suggestions given the site is SSSI. The restoration comprises a 7-8 phase, rolling programme, with a theme of nature conservation. The extant permission has one year remaining. -Withy’s Croft area: restoration completed, however, English Nature and DWT are now requesting that the existing shrub is cleared away and quarry waste lain down to restart the whole process to return different ecological habitats. 9: Any Other Business MB informed that the Minerals Core Strategy will be formally adopted on 18 March 2014 once the Bournemouth and Poole Councils have considered it at their committee meetings. UPDATE: Adoption will now be at the end of April 2014 due to a delay from Poole Borough Council. When adopted, the document can be found via the following web link: https://www.dorsetforyou.com/mcs The consultation on the Mineral Sites Plan ended on 13 February 2014 and representations made are now being analysed. A summary of key issues identified will be published in the M&W newsletter. Three new sites (sand and gravel) have been nominated for consideration and may now necessitate a further consultation. ML requested the following:  Update on mineral planning permissions Action: MB to provide update - The likely use of the land now freed-up following relinquishment of quarrying rights. Action: DR (Weymouth & Portland Borough Council) to provide this information

Policy and Planning Flexibilities and Relaxations to Encourage Business Growth The National Planning Framework sets out a predisposition to sustainable development. Whilst encouraging plan led approaches the Framework indicates that where a plan is silent then sustainable development should proceed.

The following recent additions and changes to the policy framework as well as the approaches to measure biodiversity issues to facilitate mitigation are example. How far these policies will be utilised on the Island is as yet unclear.

Recent Policy Changes SUS 3 Adaptation and Re use of buildings outside the defined development boundary Now allows - open market housing or built tourist accommodation in or adjoining an established settlement of more than 200 population and where the building was in existence in 2011.

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-Open market housing or built tourist accommodation where the building adjoins an existing serviced residential building, and will be tied to the wider holding /main property and where the property was in existence in 2011. ii) ECON 6 Built Tourist Accommodation New built tourist accommodation will be supported - Within established settlements of more than 200 population - Through the re-use of an existing building - Through replacement, intensification or extension of original premises where the expansion would improve the quality and appearance of the accommodation and site. iii) Permitted Development (encouragement of Brown Field development) Class M Change of use of a building and any land within its curtilage from agriculture to: • Shops • Financial & professional services • Restaurant & cafes • Business • Storage & distribution • Hotels • Assembly & Leisure Provided the building is less than 500 square metres, has been in agricultural use since 3rd July 2012, or the building is not listed or scheduled monument. If larger than 150sqm have to apply to LPA to ask if prior approval is required in relation to: • Transport and highway impacts • Noise • Flood risk Class K Change of use of building & land within curtilage from business, hotel, residential institution, secure residential institution and assembly and leisure to state funded school. Class J Change of use of office building and land within curtilage to residential provided in was in office use before 30th May 2013, and is begun before 30th May 2016.

The Government is also consulting on possibility of allowing change of use to residential.

Biodiversity Off-Setting Biodiversity offsetting is a measurable way to ensure we make good the residual damage to nature caused by development which cannot be avoided or mitigated. This guarantees that there is no net loss to biodiversity from development and can often lead to net gain for nature. It will not change existing safeguards in the planning system, but makes it quicker and simpler to agree a development’s impacts to ensure losses are properly compensated for. Offsetting can also help create a ready market to supply compensation for residual damage to nature.

In practical terms habitat land is valued on its importance and area producing a tariff value. Land which is available for offsetting is similarly valued. Depending on the scheme adopted it may be in the interest of the Local Authority to build up a land bank to be available to developers in negotiations.

The Government is currently consulting on this idea. It has stated that it would not exclude protected species or areas from this idea.

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Current Development Submissions The Local Plan only recognises two strategic sites on Portland for housing development these are the former Hardy Block at Castletown and Osprey Quay as part of a mixed use development on that site. There are in addition a number of sites which hold permission but which have yet to be developed.

As part of the Local plan consultation a number of alternative sites were put forward these were: Bottomcombe, Avalanche Road, Bumpers Lane, Coombefield and Suckthumb Quarries and Independent Quarry

Subsequently a planning application for Bumpers Lane was approved but another application for a higher number of units was refused and is now the subject of a planning appeal. Details of these sites and there current status can be found via district council’s planning application website.42

Following concerns from the Local Plan inspector that the land holding levels for housing needs within the Plan were insufficient there is to be a review of this aspect. It is likely that the above submissions plus others will be reconsidered. A secondary consequence of the delay in the Local Plan submission is that the development boundaries set out within it may come under pressure. In addition the appeal decision for Bumpers Lane meant that the Inspector did not consider the housing design did not have to follow that of the adjacent Conservation Area as it was out of view of this area.

Key Questions and Messages for the Neighbourhood Plan  To what extent must any new development proposal be constrained by the special character of the local landscape and ecology?  Can we balance protecting the natural environment with providing opportunities for the enhancement and access to world and national class active leisure and economic development  We must consider the relative benefits and dis-benefits of mining against open cast extraction  Is there a narrow window of opportunity in which worked out quarries can be considered for development?  Can MEMO, JURASSICCA, MINACK all develop, survive, prosper and bring net benefits to Portland?  The historic environment should be protected, enhanced and marketed as an asset for residents and tourism  The expansion of Portland Quarry Park into the already restricted economic centre of the Isle should be carefully considered  We need an illuminated spinal and spurred cycleway through the Isle to facilitate children cycling to school as well as for tourism and leisure.  Portland lacks bridleways, are they needed?  There is an increasing risk of flood and storms causing cliff/coastal path erosion  We need to learn and apply lessons from the 2013/14 winter floods  How can the neighbourhood plan contribute to the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change and the transition to a low carbon economy

Gaps in our Knowledge  General reactions to the proposals to expand a Quarry Nature Park  Portland Port intentions towards environmental areas and heritage assets within their land area  The longer term intentions of a number of landowners  The Local Nature Partnership’s reaction to the Local Enterprise Partnership’s strategies and policies, as they relate to Portland  The true position on negotiations linked to agreeing a new Mineral Core Strategy

42 https://www.dorsetforyou.com/planning/applications/search Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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People, Housing & the Built Environment

Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence – Lines of Enquiry Demographic and What is the present demographic profile and how will it change? Socio-Economic How mixed and balanced is the community? Mix Is the population increasing or decreasing? What is the current tenure mix? Incomes What are the local housing needs? and Housing How affordable is the housing? What are the demands? What are the distinctive features of the local housing market? What is special about the place we live? Townscape What needs protecting and conserving? What is wrong with our townscape? What land is already earmarked for development? Development What other land could be available for development? Potential What are the current planning and development issues? What are developers interested in doing?

People & Households The 2011 Census provides us with a relatively up-to-date and detailed breakdown of the neighbourhood area’s population. The age profile of the population is not too dissimilar from either the whole borough of Weymouth and Portland or the rest of the South West. Compare to the South West, Portland has fewer persons aged 65 and over; although the proportion of elderly persons living on Portland is similar to the proportion in the population of England.

Portland Age Structure 2011 Portland W&P SW Eng No. % % % % Age 0 to 4 708 5.5 5.1 5.6 6.3 Age 5 to 7 438 3.4 3.0 3.1 3.4 Age 8 to 9 275 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.2 Age 10 to 14 691 5.4 5.4 5.6 5.8 Age 15 142 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 Age 16 to 17 284 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.5 Age 18 to 19 451 3.5 2.5 2.6 2.6 Age 20 to 24 952 7.4 6.0 6.3 6.8 Age 25 to 29 711 5.5 5.2 5.8 6.9 Age 30 to 44 2,371 18.5 17.8 18.8 20.6 Age 45 to 59 2,813 21.9 21.1 20.1 19.4 Age 60 to 64 903 7.0 7.5 6.8 6.0 Age 65 to 74 1,175 9.1 11.0 10.1 8.6 Age 75 to 84 679 5.3 7.0 6.6 5.5 Age 85 to 89 171 1.3 1.9 1.9 1.5 Age 90 & over 80 0.6 1.0 1.0 0.8 total population 12,844 100

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In 2011 there were 12,844 people living on the Island in an area of 1,150 hectares giving an approximate population density of 11.1 people per hectare.43 This makes the Island densely populated in both national and regional terms.

The population residing on Portland has hardly grown over the 10 year period from 2001. The ‘profile’ has not changed greatly either; although it has aged and there are more persons aged over 60. This trend according to the County Council is likely to continue.

Portland Population Change 2001-2011 2001 2011 No. % No. % Age 0 to 4 703 5.5 708 5.5 Age 5 to 7 426 3.3 438 3.4 Age 8 to 9 320 2.5 275 2.1 Age 10 to 14 851 6.7 691 5.4 Age 15 183 1.4 142 1.1 Age 16 to 17 391 3.1 284 2.2 Age 18 to 19 454 3.6 451 3.5 Age 20 to 24 753 5.9 952 7.4 Age 25 to 29 776 6.1 711 5.5 Age 30 to 44 2,906 22.7 2,371 18.5 Age 45 to 59 2,629 20.6 2,813 21.9 Age 60 to 64 582 4.6 903 7.0 Age 65 to 74 980 7.7 1,175 9.1 Age 75 to 84 635 5.0 679 5.3 Age 85 to 89 139 1.1 171 1.3 Age 90 & over 52 0.4 80 0.6 12,780 12,844

There were 5,175 households living on Portland in 2011. The average household size was 2.48 persons.

Portland Household Composition - 2011 No. % One Person Household 1,538 29.8 Couples with dependent children 975 18.4 Couples with no dependent children 1,934 37.5 Lone Parent Household; With Dependent Children 448 8.7 Lone Parent Household; No Dependent Children 181 3.5 Multi-Person Household; All Full-Time Students 0 0 Multi-Person Household; Other 99 1.9 5,175

Two thirds of household on Portland own their own home, either outright or with a mortgage or loan. Just fewer than 14% of households rent from any form of ‘social landlord’. 237 households in 2011 (4.6%) remained tenants of the Borough Council. Almost 900 households on Portland (16.9%) rent their home from a private landlord.

43 https://www.dorsetforyou.com/343603 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Portland has a lower proportion of owner-occupied homes and a higher proportion of homes that are privately rented than across the Borough.

Portland Housing Tenure 2011 No. % Owned; Owned Outright 1,800 34.8 Owned; Owned with a Mortgage or Loan 1,724 33.3 Shared Ownership (Part Owned and Part Rented) 32 0.6 Social Rented; Rented from Council (Local Authority) 237 4.6 Social Rented; Other 466 9.0 Private Rented; Private Landlord or Letting Agency 802 15.5 Private Rented; Other 74 1.4 Living Rent Free 40 0.8 total households 5,175 100

The 2011-trend based population projections for Portland have been recently produced by Dorset County Council. Assumptions for future births, deaths and migration are based on previous trends between 2007 and 2011. This approach assumes that levels of births, deaths and migration, along with levels of population growth will continue at the same rate as the previous years. On the basis of recent trends, the population of Portland is not expected to change greatly in size; although it is expected to have an increasingly ageing profile. We are advised that “the 2011 based population projections should be treated with caution as they were experimental and have been considered to be on the low side in many areas. The Office of National Statistics is due to be providing new projections later this month and DCC will be doing more work on these”.44

Portland Population Projections 2011-2031 2011 2021 2031 2011 2021 2031 0-15 2,240 2,190 1,930 17.6% 16.7% 14.7% 16-64 8,390 7,930 7,340 65.8% 60.6% 56.0% 65-84 1,880 2,570 3,140 14.7% 19.6% 24.0% 85+ 250 410 700 2.0% 3.1% 5.3% Total 12,760 13,090 13,110

The implications of these forecasts on housing need and demand suggest that unless average household size was to reduce significantly, the additional housing demand, from a population that is not going to increase greatly, would be very limited. It is widely believed that the formation of households has slowed down in the past few years as a result of the economic situation and the lack of availability of affordable housing.

The Borough Council commissioned a review of future housing requirements in 201345. This review considered the many factors that influenced household formation and size and looked at the influence of the supply side. Its headline requirement was that the housing requirement 2011-31, in line with the Local Plan proposals, should lie within the range: 3,200 to 3,300 dwellings for Weymouth and Portland (160 to 180pa). Using the review’s projection rates and applying them to the number of households on Portland in 2011. We can calculate that households may grow from 5,175 in 2011 to between 5,745 and 5,784 by 2031 (see table below); resulting in a requirement of around 6,100 dwellings on Portland by 2031.

Portland - Household Growth Projections 2011-2031 Method: 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031 increase Vac/2nd home rate Total dwellings required 2008 based DCLG 5,175 5,299 5,442 5,589 5,745 +570 5.7% 6,092 Extended 2011 based 5,175 5,314 5,425 5,617 5,784 +609 5.7% 6,133

44 Email correspondence with Senior Planner, Dorset CC, May 2014 45 A review of future housing requirements for West Dorset District and Weymouth & Portland Borough, K Woodhead, Jun 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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The Inspector undertaking the examination into the WDWP Local Plan has criticised the councils for not having up to date figures for their "objectively assessed housing needs". The 2013 review by Woodhead is likely to be superseded by new work that they have recently commissioned.

Housing Situation & Conditions

Community Consultation 2013 What we have been told about existing housing on Portland:  Too many empty and neglected houses  Do something with the Hardy building!  Not enough suitable homes for the elderly or those who wish to down-size  It would be good to have a better mix of houses

The last survey of households regarding housing was carried out for the SHMA46 in 2008. It summarised the situation at that date as: “The stock of housing in Weymouth & Portland is concentrated towards semi-detached and terraced houses and bungalows. An estimated 53.5% of households live in semi-detached or terraced. In addition, an estimated 20.8% of households live in flatted accommodation, a figure which is significantly higher than the regional average (12%) and also higher than the latest national estimate (of 17%) • Around 28% of households in Weymouth & Portland are pensioner only households (slightly higher than the most recent national estimate of around 24%), whilst just under a quarter of households contain children (around 5% of all households are lone parent households). Further analysis shows that over half of outright owners are pensioner-only households. Around 20% of households had lived in their current accommodation for less than two years. Although a large proportion of moves involved the private rented sector, a key finding was the significant number of in- migrating older person households – the vast majority of such households moved to owner-occupied dwellings and shows the desirability of the area for retirement • Overcrowding does not appear to be a significant issue in the Borough, with only 1.6% of households estimated to be overcrowded (using the bedroom standard). This figure is significantly below the latest national estimate of around 2.5%”47

The Community Plan for Weymouth and Portland summarised the current housing picture as follows: “House prices in Weymouth and Portland are, on average, 11 times higher than average wage levels and overall, the affordability of housing is a major issue for the local population. The average house price in Weymouth & Portland is £228,000. There has been a massive increase of 224% on house prices in the Borough over the last ten years while income levels have increased by only 11%. The average house price in the Borough is actually the lowest in Dorset as a whole, but with low wages, the affordability gap is significantly higher. Therefore there is a need to provide a range of housing to meet local people’s aspirations, to strengthen community cohesion, and to meet the requirements of a healthy local economy.”48

The Community Plan’s action points to provide access to good quality housing that is appropriate to the needs local people include: What Our Partners can do  Improve the supply and quality of affordable housing for all  Research new ways of tackling housing issues and prioritising for local people….

46 SHMA = Strategic Housing Market Assessment 47 Dorset Survey of Housing Need and Demand, Fordham Research, Jun 2008 48 Your Place, Our Future, Community Plan for Weymouth and Portland 2008-2016, Weymouth & Portland Partnership, 2008 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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 Work with landlords and land owners to increase the supply and quality of homes in the private sector  Work to ensure the maximum number of affordable and appropriate homes are provided as part of new developments and through the planning system  Supply and deliver housing across all tenures to meet the needs of local people and businesses  Work to ensure the housing needs of the ‘Weymouth and Dorchester Housing Market Area’ are met and ensure surveys are undertaken regularly to make sure that housing needs analysis is up to date  Work with local organisations supporting those at risk of homelessness to identify preventative actions and support mechanisms  Tackle the causes of homelessness and reduce households living in temporary accommodation  Provide suitable accommodation, including provision of ‘Lifetime Homes’ for the needs of disabled people and the ageing population  Address the accommodation needs of specific groups including travellers, the elderly and disabled  Address issues of rent deposits and access to housing  Develop the use of debt counselling services for households whose accommodation is put at risk  Improve awareness of sustainable construction techniques and alternative types of housing What we can all do together  Encourage planning applications which include provision of affordable homes  Consider making unused or vacant space/properties available for rent  Seek advice if you are struggling with debt or mortgage payments

Housing Condition and Comfort49 The Decent Homes Standard is a broad measure of housing condition which was introduced to ensure all public sector housing met a minimum standard by 2010 it has become the norm for measuring housing conditions. Whilst we do not have figures for Portland alone, Figure10: 7,160 dwellings in Weymouth and Portland were found to Fuel poverty rates have ‘thermal comfort failure’, equating to 24.3% of the by area (source DECC) dwelling stock. This is mainly due to a high proportion of cavity walls without insulation. Owner occupied dwellings have the highest failure rate (27.0%) compared to 20.5% for private rented and 14.6% for social housing.

The average SAP50 rating in Weymouth and Portland is 60, compared to a national SAP rating of 57 (EHS51 2012). Private rented dwellings in particular have the worst energy efficiency performance, with 13.9% in Bands F and G, compared with 9.3% owner occupied and 1.8% social rented dwellings.

More than half the stock (55%) has a loft with less than Figure 11: 250mm of insulation (compared to the recommended Dwellings with no 270mm) with 7.3% having less than 100mm and 2.4% of central heating by dwellings having a loft without any insulation. Approaching 1- area (2011 Census) in-4 dwellings (24%) failed the thermal comfort standard and around 1-in-12 dwellings (8%) had a Category 1 hazard due to excess cold.

There are an estimated 3,900 (13%) occupied dwellings where the household is in fuel poverty in Weymouth and Portland.

49 From unpublished paper from WDDC & W&PBC, 2013 50 SAP= Standard Assessment Procedure for the energy rating of dwellings 51 EHS= English Housing Survey Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Second Homes

Portland Second/Holiday and Vacant Homes, 201152 Category No % Total Dwellings on Council Tax Register 5,458 Total number of second homes 155 2.8 Total No of Long Term empty properties 160 2.9

The Borough Council’s website provides the percentage of second homes in the Borough in 2010.

Weymouth & Portland Second Homes 2010 Parish/Ward Dwellings Second Homes % Sec. Homes Weymouth East Ward 1,935 177 9.15 Melcombe Regis Ward 3,299 204 6.18 Underhill Ward 1,577 71 4.50 Preston Ward 2,434 79 3.25 Tophill East Ward 1,511 46 3.04 Radipole Ward 2,042 45 2.20 Littlemoor Ward 1,826 10 0.55 Westham North Ward 2,277 10 0.44 Tophill West Ward 2,569 48 1.87 Wyke Regis Ward 2,441 44 1.80 Weymouth West Ward 2,319 39 1.68 Wey Valley Ward 1,292 21 1.63 Westham East Ward 2,160 78 3.61 Westham West Ward 1,429 9 0.63 Upwey and Broadwey Ward 1,549 13 0.84

The Borough Council recognises the impact that second homes can have on a community or neighbourhood - “significant changes can take place within communities if local people on lower wages have to move away and large numbers of homes are bought as second homes”; but there are no specific policies in the Joint Housing Strategy.

Prices, Rents and Affordability A snap-shot of housing sales on Portland is shown in the table below:

Portland Dwelling Sales 2010 & 2012 Jul-Sep 2009 Jul-Sep 2010 Jul-Sep 2012 sales Dwelling Type Av. price sales Av. price sales Av. price Detached n/a 5 £194,200 £231,750 4 Semi-detached £158,800 0 n/a n/a 0 Terraced £155,813 33 £149,727 £139,817 22 Flat/maisonettes n/a 3 £110,500 n/a 0 Land Registry average prices (process may be affected by low numbers of sales). Data is based on postcode sectors DT5 1 and 2

From a 2013 survey of estate and lettings agents across the area, the entry level cost of purchase range from £85,000 for a 1-bed flat to £227,000 for a 4-bed house. Entry-level rents in the private sector vary significantly. One-bed flats range from £400 pm while three-bed properties range from £625 in Portland. Overall, both

52 Portland Key Statistics, ‘dorsetforyou’ website, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

44 house prices and rent levels have remained relatively static in recent years, with small increases being offset by corresponding reductions.

Weymouth and Portland is characterised by a lower-wage economy, with a larger rented sector. However, the estimate from the 2011 SHMA Update was that: “It is estimated that around 25% of households across the HMA cannot afford housing at current market prices/rents without the need for some form of subsidy (e.g. local housing allowance), households in Weymouth and Portland were least likely to be able to afford as were certain household groups such as lone parents and single non-pensioner households.”53

The following table demonstrates how house prices in the Borough have become less attainable by people on lower incomes over the past 16 years. In 2013 the ration was twice what it was in 1997.

Weymouth & Portland Ratio of lower Quartile House Prices to lower Quartile Earnings year: 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 ratio: 4.35 3.89 4.41 5.56 5.32 6.08 8.21 9.46 9.16 year: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

ratio: 9.74 10.41 10.80 7.89 8.72 8.17 7.74 8.74

Extra Care Sheltered Housing The County Council has recently reviewed its policy for providing sheltered and extra care homes for the elderly and more vulnerable in the community. It recognises that demand for some form of sheltered home is likely to increase especially with an ageing population.

The County Council’s strategy is in line with the national housing strategy54 to address the challenge of an ageing population in relation to housing policy. The strategy sets out “a new deal for older people’s housing, with a better offer to support older people to live independently for longer”.

Key messages from the strategy are that:  “Some 60% of projected growth in households to 2033 will be aged 65+  Good housing for older people can reduce caring pressures on working families  It can also prevent costs to the National Health Service and social care providers  Attractive choices to move to smaller, more suitable homes can free up much-needed local family housing  Elements of the ‘new deal’ include:  Enabling older people to make an informed choice about their housing and care in later life, through a £1.5m investment in the First Stop information and advice service  Stimulating the development of attractive equity release products  Encouraging local authorities to make provision for a wide range of housing types across all tenures, including accessible and adaptable general-needs retirement housing, and specialised housing options including sheltered and Extra Care housing for older people with support and care needs  Continued promotion of Lifetime Homes standards  Promoting Lifetime Neighbourhoods”55

There is currently one extra-care project operating in Portland at Foylebank, a modern scheme of 48 one and two bedroom flats and bungalows. Some of the properties are of mobility and wheelchair standard. It is run, on the Council’s behalf, by Aster Living. Provision includes a check on wellbeing and co-ordinated inclusive

53 Dorset Survey of Housing Need and Demand, Up-date, JG Consulting for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, 2011 54 Housing Strategy for England, DCLG, 2011 55 Maintaining Independence, Extra Care Housing Strategy 2014 – 2021, Dorset County Council, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

45 activities, as well as housing support, care and meals. Staffing comprises a part time Scheme Manager, a care and support worker on site at all times and a part time activity coordinator. The County Council predicts that Weymouth and Portland will require 86 extra-care units by 202156. (There are two schemes at present with 102 units - including 11 for shared ownership). This need is based on an estimated requirement of 22.5 units per 1000 population over the age of 75 at 2021. Using this algorithm it can be estimate that Portland will require an additional enhanced sheltered scheme or extra-care facility before 2031. The location policy of the County Council is currently:  “Schemes should be located in the areas with greatest need  They should be in settlements with adequate local facilities  The development of a new scheme is dependent on a suitable, affordable site  Advantage should be taken of available sites, for instance: Section 106 sites – generally part of larger developments available as a result of planning gain; County Council or other public sector sites available at below market value; Existing sheltered housing schemes, in areas of need It is generally considered that the minimum economic size of extra care developments is now around 50-60 dwellings. Smaller developments can have unaffordable service and care & support charges. However, town centre brown field sites are a good location for extra care and there may be a desire for smaller more “domestic” scale developments which are perceived as friendlier and less daunting particularly for those whose mobility is limited or who have some level of dementia.”57

General Housing Needs There are currently (at Nov. 2013) 377 households on the Borough Council’s Housing Register that live in Portland. For allocation purposes the applicants are split into priority bands. These are split as follows  Gold Band - 16  Sliver Band - 104  Bronze Band - 257

An analysis of housing register applicants in 2013 made for the Joint Housing Strategy illustrates the financial capacity of many of those residents seeking ‘sub-market housing’ and identifies the fact that they are likely to have fewer housing options. For instance only 35% of applicant households had at least one member of their household in employment. Applicants in Weymouth and Portland comprised with an average weekly income of £235.84. This would suggest that the annual income of the majority of Housing Register applicants across the area is likely to be less than £20,000. “At a marginally higher level, the average income of households purchasing through Shared Ownership in Weymouth & Portland is £16,417 and in West Dorset is £24,467.”58

The 2011 SHMA looked at the need for affordable housing across the Dorchester/Weymouth Housing Market Area. It applied the Housing Market Model, which is “an innovative method for estimating future housing requirements across all tenures based on combining household survey data and demographic projections. Outputs from the model include estimates of the size and tenure of additional housing which would best meet the needs of the local population.” look at the likely impact of demographic change on both market and affordable requirements over the next 20-years. It took account of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which says: “To deliver a wide choice of quality homes and widen opportunities for home ownership, local planning authorities should: • plan for a mix of housing based on current and future demographic trends, market trends and the needs of different groups in the community • identify the size, type, tenure and range of housing that is required in particular locations, reflecting local demand

56 Maintaining Independence, Extra Care Housing Strategy 2014 – 2021, Dorset County Council, 2014 57 Maintaining Independence, Extra Care Housing Strategy 2014 – 2021, Dorset County Council, 2014 58 Joint Housing Strategy 2014-19 West Dorset District Council & Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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For the purposes of modelling future housing requirements the SHMA considered two scenarios: 30% affordable housing delivery (2011-2031 40% affordable housing delivery (2011-2031) “The results of the analysis for Weymouth & Portland … suggest that in the market sector there will be a requirement for 96 additional homes per annum if household growth shown by the above projections were to be met. Within this it is estimated that around 74% should be family-sized housing (3 or more bedrooms) although this drops to 62% if we exclude the apparent surplus of one-bedroom homes. In the affordable sector the requirement is for around 64 additional homes per annum with around 25% of these being required to be larger (3 or more bedroom) accommodation. If the proportion of affordable housing delivered is decreased to 30% then the outputs of the modelling are very similar – at 30% the modelling suggests a slightly lower requirement for larger homes in the market sector with little difference seen for affordable housing. It is worth emphasizing that differences between the models are very slight.”59

Within the Borough the 2011 SHMA notes that there are some differences between areas with regard to the profile of households and housing. In particular Weymouth shows a high proportion of private tenants (around 18% of households) whilst Portland has a greater proportion of owner-occupiers. The housing stock is also quite different between locations with Portland being dominated by terraced houses (approaching half of the dwelling stock), Weymouth has a larger proportion of flatted stock (nearly a quarter of households live in flats). Differences in household profiles are less obvious although the data suggests that Portland has a greater proportion of households with children – around 28% of households in Portland contain children compared with 21% in Weymouth.

The SHMA provides estimates of average income levels in Portland and Weymouth (both mean and median). Income levels do not vary markedly between the two areas – mean income in Weymouth are higher than Portland with the opposite being found when looking at median figures. 7.2 In Area Mean60 income Median61 income Weymouth £25,769 £20,092 Portland £23,804 £20,300 Borough £25,423 £20,130

The table below shows the estimated level of housing need by location. The table shows that there is estimated to be an unmet need in both Weymouth and Portland.

Portland Estimate of Annual Housing Need Element Weymouth Portland Borough 1 Backlog need (annual) 234 40 273 2 Backlog supply (annual) 88 24 112 3 Net backlog need (annual) (1-2) 146 16 161 4 Future need (annual) 782 174 956 5 Future supply (annual) 144 68 212 6 Net future need (annual) (4-5) 638 106 744 Total net annual need (3+6) 784 121 904

Housing Strategy Weymouth and Portland BC has recently adopted a joint Housing Strategy with West Dorset. Its “key overarching priorities are: • Provide the maximum opportunity to access and support the provision of new affordable homes

59 Dorset Survey of Housing Need and Demand, Up-date, JG Consulting for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, 2011 60 Mean = average income 61 Median = mid point of the income spread Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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• Prevent and resolve homelessness • Work closer with the private rented sector in maintaining standards and extending housing opportunities • Improve energy efficiency and address fuel poverty • Provide housing and support for younger and older people and other vulnerable groups • Provide effective and efficient housing services appropriate to users’ needs.”62

The Joint Housing Strategy sets out its ‘key actions’ as follows:  “Aim to deliver between 70 and 100 affordable homes per annum in West Dorset and between 50 and 65 per annum in Weymouth & Portland during the next five years, depending on external grant availability  Adopt new Local Plan with new housing development land allocations for the next twenty years, and revised affordable housing policies aimed at maximising supply in the current financial climate  Aim to maximise affordable housing provision through negotiations with developers on Section 106 agreements  Work with the Homes & Communities Agency and local registered providers in order to lobby for the maximum potential grant for future schemes in West  Dorset and Weymouth & Portland  Support communities preparing their own Neighbourhood Plans and Community Right-to-Build schemes that will deliver more affordable housing  Encourage the development of more Community Land Trusts  Prepare a Rural Exceptions Site toolkit to provide guidance to communities, clarify the process of developing these sites, and spread best practice  Make advice and assistance for owners of empty properties widely available by the adoption of an effective Communications Plan  Promote loans to owners of empty property unable to access commercial loan  Develop effective liaison with landlord groups, letting agents, councillors and community workers to address empty properties in every community.  Review long term empty properties on Council Tax records to develop a reliable database for the Councils’ empty homes officer”63

Local Plan The new Local Plan for Weymouth and Portland sets out the Borough Council’s strategic approach to Housing: “A continuing supply of housing land is needed to help meet the changing demographic and social needs of the area, and to help reduce the need to travel and promote economic growth and social inclusion. The type, size and mix of housing will be expected to reflect local needs as far as possible and result in balanced communities. Although the total projected need for affordable housing is not expected to be met in the plan period, opportunities will be taken to secure affordable homes to meet local needs. This will include ensuring all new open market housing sites make a contribution (through providing new affordable homes or, where this is not possible, making a financial contribution), and through a range of flexible policies that encourage affordable housing to come forward where there are suitable opportunities.”64

The Local Plan recognises the significance of affordable housing in the local context. It makes the following significant point: “Affordable housing must be provided at a cost low enough for local people to afford whose needs are not met by the open market. It should remain at an affordable price (if it is practicable to apply suitable restrictions). There are three main types of affordable housing; social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing. Housing available for social or affordable rent is rented housing normally provided by registered providers and

62 Joint Housing Strategy 2014-19 West Dorset District Council & Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, 2014 63 Joint Housing Strategy 2014-19 West Dorset District Council & Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, 2014 64 Chapter 5 – Housing, Submitted Local Plan, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

48 regulated by the Homes and Communities Agency. Intermediate housing can include shared equity products and leasehold shared-ownership schemes, discounted sale (with future sales restricted to the same discount). Low cost market housing, aimed at first time buyers, is not considered to be affordable housing as it does not remain affordable in the longer term.” Its policy on affordable housing delivery is influenced by the Strategic Housing Market Assessment but tempered by recognition that the site’s development viability will be affected by an affordable housing requirement. The housing policies in the new Local plan are as follows: Local Plan Policy: Hous1. Affordable Housing i) Where open market housing is proposed affordable housing will be sought, unless the proposal is for the replacement or subdivision of an existing home. The level reflects the viability of development land in the local area, and will be: - a minimum of 25% in Portland - a minimum of 35% in Weymouth and West Dorset ii) In most cases, where one or more affordable homes are being provided, these should be provided on the open market site. Financial contributions towards the provision of affordable housing will be required for any shortfall that cannot be delivered on the site. iii) Applicants seeking to justify a lower level of affordable housing provision will be expected to provide an assessment of viability. A lower level of provision will only be permitted if there are good reasons to bring the development forward and the assessment shows that it is not economically viable to make the minimum level of provision being sought. iv) Affordable housing provision tenure should meet identified local needs and on strategic allocations should be split to provide a minimum of 70% for social and/or affordable rent and a maximum of 30% for intermediate affordable housing. v) The type, size and mix of affordable housing will be expected to address the identified and prioritised housing needs of the area and should be proportionate to the scale and mix of market housing, resulting in a balanced community of housing and/or flats that are ‘tenure blind’. vi) Where there is an identified local need for specially designed affordable housing to cater for disabled people with particular needs, or affordable housing that can be easily adapted to meet a variety of such needs, developments should prioritise provision of this accommodation. Local Plan Policy: Hous 2. Affordable Housing Exception Sites i) Small scale sites for affordable housing adjoining settlements may be permitted provided that: - the council is satisfied that the proposal is capable of meeting an identified, current, local need within the town, local parish or group of parishes, which cannot otherwise be met; - the scheme is of a character scale and design appropriate to the location; - there are secure arrangements to ensure that the benefits of affordable housing will be enjoyed by subsequent as well as initial occupiers. Local Plan Policy: Hous 3. Open Market Housing Mix i) Wherever possible, residential developments should include a mix in the size, type and affordability of dwellings proposed, taking into account the current range of house types and sizes and likely demand in view of the changing demographics in that locality. Local Plan Policy: Hous 4. Development of Flats, Hostels and Houses in Multiple Occupation i) Proposals for flats, hostels and houses in multiple occupation should: - be compatible with the character of the area - not result in a cramped form of development; - provide sufficient private amenity space within the site for the likely future occupants, normally comprising at least 10% of the site area for conversions providing 4 or more flats, and 20% of the site area for all new build schemes, unless such provision is undesirable in design terms. Local Plan Policy: Hous 5. Residential Care Accommodation i) Applications for new care accommodation and major extensions to existing care homes should: - Be located within a defined development boundary and at an appropriate scale in relation to the settlement; and

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- Meet with the strategic aims and objectives of Dorset County Council and NHS Dorset including demonstration of need for the service in the locality. - Provide sufficient private amenity space within the site for the likely future occupants, normally comprising at least 20% of the site area unless such provision is undesirable in design terms. Local Plan Policy: Hous 6. Other Residential Development Outside Defined Development Boundaries i) The extension of an existing lawful dwelling-house located outside the defined development boundaries will be permitted provided that the extension is subordinate in scale and proportions to the original dwelling, and does not harm the character of the locality or its landscape setting. ii) The replacement of an existing lawful dwelling-house located outside the defined development boundaries will be permitted on a one-for-one basis, provided that - the new building can be accommodated within the existing curtilage, - the new building is not significantly larger than the original and does not detract from the character and appearance of the locality or its landscape setting. iii) The subdivision of an existing home, located outside the defined development boundaries, will be permitted provided that: - the development can be accommodated within the existing building, - the resulting changes are compatible with the character of the area. iv) New housing for rural workers (full time workers in agriculture, horticulture, and other rural businesses which require essential 24 hour supervision), located outside the defined development boundaries, will be permitted provided that it can be demonstrated that: - the dwelling is essential to the requirements of the business - the business is financially sound - there is no alternative accommodation on the holding or nearby that exists or could be made available - a dwelling on the holding has not recently been sold on the open market without an agricultural or other occupancy condition - the scale of the proposed dwelling is modest, and appropriate to the established need of the business, and is, wherever possible, close to the existing buildings to meet the functional needs of the business - the dwelling is of an appearance that is in keeping with its rural surroundings and is, where necessary, supported by an appropriate landscaping scheme - In the case of new businesses that cannot yet show they are financially sound a temporary dwelling may be acceptable provided that the other criteria are met. v) The location of low impact dwellings or self build dwellings will be allowed in line with other residential policy in the Local Plan. vi) New residential curtilages and extensions to existing residential gardens will only be permitted where they: - reflect and/or reinforce existing plot and boundary patterns in the locality; - avoid an uncharacteristic urban extension into the open countryside; - will not harm visual amenities or the rural character of the area; and - include appropriate landscaping proposals.

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Housing Land Supply Housing development on Portland since 2001 is shown in the table below:

Portland Housing Completions 2001-2013 year completions 2001 24 2002 76 2003 41 2004 61 2005 40 2006 85 2007 15 2008 92 2009 203 2010 8 2011 0 2012 90 2013 9 Total 744

Planning Applications Set out below is a record of the planning applications for new dwellings on Portland received and decided upon by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council since the beginning of 200965. The majority of recent applications have been for small scale additions to the housing stock on sites within the existing built up areas.

09/00766/FUL Land on North Side between 12 and 14 Woolcombe Road, Portland Erect pair of semi detached houses (revised scheme) (Full) 16-Dec-2009 Approved 10-Feb-2010 09/00700/FUL 25 Easton Street, Portland, DT5 1BS Extension and alteration of existing dwelling to form 1 flat and 1 maisonette (Full) 11-Nov-2009 Approved 05-Jan-2010 09/00644/FUL 69 Reforne, Portland, DT5 2AW Extension and conversion of garage and workshop to form dwelling (resubmission) (Full) 03-Nov-2009 Approved 29-Dec- 2009 09/00598/FUL Clifton Hotel, Grove Road, Portland, DT5 1DP Conversion and alteration of barn to form 2 dwellings (Full) 22-Oct-2009 Refused 17-Dec-2009 09/00594/FUL Former Portland Magistrates Court, Castle Road, Portland, DT5 1AU Conversion to form dwelling (revised scheme) (Full) 07-Oct-2009 Approved 06-Jul-2010 09/00457/FUL Land Adj. to Westcliff and to r/o No.1 and Chelmsford, Weston Road, Portland Erect detached dwelling and garage (Full) 04-Aug-2009 Approved 23-Sep-2009 09/00392/FUL Clifton Hotel, 50 Grove Road, Portland, DT5 1DA Conversion and alteration of barn to form dwelling (Full) 20-Jul-2009 Approved 17-Sep-2009 09/00375/FUL 88 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LR Conversion of existing accommodation on upper floors to form 3 flats, including installation of roof lights and front and rear dormers (Full) 07-Jul-2009 Refused 24-Aug-2009 09/00393/FUL Land Adjacent to Coombe Ridge, Avalanche Road, Portland Erect dwelling (Full) 07-Jul-2009 Approved 24-Aug-2009 09/00360/FUL 9 - 11 Easton Street, Portland, DT5 1BS Erect 2 detached dwellings at rear (served by existing access from Reforne and the other from reinstated access off Easton Street) (resubmission) (Full) 17-Jun-2009 Approved 31-Jul-2009 09/00297/COU Portland Underhill Library, 28 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1NF Change of use from library to two units of accommodation (Change of Use) 01-Jun-2009 Refused 27-Jul-2009 09/00266/FULM Osprey Quay Site R (Former Officers' Field), Victory Road, Portland

65 From Planning Register 2009-13, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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77 new build units consisting of 69 houses and 8 flats within a new urban space including the creation of public streets and a small public square (Full) 29-Apr-2009 Approved 29-Jul-2009 09/00140/FUL Land on North Side Between 12 And 14, Woolcombe Road, Portland Erect pair of semi-detached houses (Full) 10-Mar-2009 Refused 05-May-2009 09/00013/FUL 140 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LT Conversion and alteration of store to form dwelling (Full) 09-Jan-2009 Approved 05-Mar-2009 09/00010/FUL 9 - 11 Easton Street, Portland, DT5 1BS Erect 2 detached dwellings at rear (1 served by existing access from Reforne and the other from reinstated access off Easton Street) (Full) 08-Jan-2009 Refused 05-Mar-2009 10/00973/OUT York House, Weston Road, PORTLAND, DT5 2DB Erect 3 dwellings (resubmission) (Outline) 29-Dec-2010 Approved 11-Feb-2011 WP/10/00779/FUL Land at North End of Perryfield Works Complex, Pennsylvania Road, Portland Erect 6 dwellings (revised scheme) (Full) 15-Oct-2010 Approved 09-Feb-2011 10/00757/FUL Royal Breakwater Hotel, Castletown, Portland, DT5 1BD Demolition of outbuilding and erect new dwelling with parking (resubmission) (Full) 13-Oct-2010 Approved 23-Dec-2010 10/00750/FUL Green Shutters Inn, 12 Castletown, Portland, DT5 1BD Erect two storey rear extension and mansard roof to create 3 self contained flats at first and second floor levels (resubmission) (Full) 08-Oct-2010 Approved 30-Dec-2010 10/00670/FUL New Star Inn, 115 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LU Alterations/demolition of skittle alley and erect 3 dwellings (resubmission) (Full) 14-Sep-2010 Refused 21-Oct-2010 10/00578/FUL 76 Chiswell, Portland, DT5 1AP Extension of time limit for implementation of planning permission for alterations to existing dwelling and erect new dwelling, reference 07/00631/FUL (Full) 10-Aug-2010 Approved 01-Oct-2010 10/00570/FUL Land adjoining (rear Of St Johns Church), Ventnor Road, Portland Extension of time limit for implementation of planning permission to erect dwelling with integral garage (resubmission) reference 05/00376/FUL (Full) 04-Aug-2010 Approved 28-Sep-2010 10/00486/FUL3 Portland Town Council, 3 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LW Extension of time limit for implementation of planning permission for alterations to form 8 flats on ground first floor and new second floor (with Portland Council function relocated to lower ground floor), including parking provision at Hambro car park, reference 07/00524/FUL3 (Full) 12-Jul-2010 Approved 06-Sep-2010 S10/00415/FUL Land at, Greenhill Terrace, Portland Erect dwelling (Full) 07-Jul-2010 Approved 29-Oct-2010 10/00258/FUL New Star Inn, 115 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LU Alterations/demolition of skittle alley and erect 3 dwellings (Full) 20-May-2010 Refused 05-Jul-2010 10/00251/COU Sunbeams Day Nursery, 2 Compass Terrace, Southwell Business Park, Portland, DT5 2NP Change of use of first floor to provide work/living accommodation (Change of Use) 26-Apr-2010 Approved 05-Jul-2010 10/00016/COU 139 Chiswell, Portland, DT5 1AP Change of use from business use to dwelling (retrospective) (Change of Use) 23-Mar-2010 Approved 18-May-2010 10/00060/FUL Land Adjoining 31, Moorfield Road, Portland Erect dwelling (Full) 11-Feb-2010 Refused 08-Apr-2010 10/00059/FUL The Mermaid, 195 Wakeham, Portland, DT5 1HS Change of use from public house to dwelling to include alterations and extensions (Full) 08-Feb-2010 Approved 08-Apr- 2010 11/01126/FUL 26 Easton Square, Portland, DT5 1BX Erect 3 flats and 2 dwelling houses with associated car parking (Full) 22-Dec-2011 Approved 08-Mar-2012 11/00981/OUTM Stone Firms Ltd, Bumpers Lane, Portland, DT5 1HY Demolition of existing redundant industrial buildings and erect approximately 80-90 residential dwellings including affordable housing, open space, leap and sub-station (Outline) 18-Nov-2011 Refused 14-Feb-2012 11/01056/RELA Land Adjoining 31, Moorfield Road, Portland Extension and alteration of existing garage to form dwelling - without compliance with conditions 2, 3, and 6 of previous planning permission 11/00245/FUL - To allow the use of revised materials and re-introduction of a radon de- pressurisation sump below the existing floor (Variation of condition) 18-Nov-2011 Approved 27-Jan-2012 11/01008/RELA Land at North End of, Perryfield Works Complex, Pennsylvania Road, Portland Demolish existing buildings and erect 66 dwellings without compliance with conditions 8 and 9 of planning permission reference 08/00513/FULMAJ - Amend hard landscaping, highways and footpath by the omission of permeable paving and its replacement with tarmacadam (Variation of condition) 04-Nov-2011 Approved 19-Dec-2011 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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11/00988/FUL Kimberlin Club, Blacknor Road, Portland, DT5 2HU Erection of a pair of semi detached houses (revised scheme) (Full) 25-Oct-2011 Approved 06-Feb-2012 11/00921/FUL Portland United Reformed Church, Chiswell, Portland, Change of use of 'manse cottage' and church hall to two dwellings and new side entrance to church building (Full) 10-Oct- 2011 Approved 18-Jan-2012 11/00742/FUL Land South of Dar Ism, Park Road, Portland Erect 4 bungalows (Full) 10-Aug-2011 Approved 28-Oct-2011 11/00686/FULM The Windmills Housing Site, Park Road, Portland The replacement of 11 no. dwellings approved under planning consent 08/00794/FULES with 15 no. new dwellings in the same area of the site (Full) 09-Aug-2011 Approved 15-Feb-2012 11/00573/FUL 88 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LR Extension of time limit for implementation of planning permission for conversion of second and third floor maisonette to 2 self contained flats with associated storage at first floor level (reference 08/00340/FUL) (Full) 24-Jun-2011 Approved 16- Aug-2011 11/00523/FUL 67 New Street, Portland, DT5 1HQ Conversion of annexe to form separate dwelling (Full) 08-Jun-2011 Approved 03-Aug-2011 11/00488/FUL Land to the South of 44C to 62, Weston Street, Portland Extension of time limit for implementation of planning permission for the erection of 4 dwellings (reference 08/0231/FUL) (Full) 26-May-2011 Approved 01-Jul-2011 11/00314/COU 46 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LZ Change of use from shop to residence (Change of Use) 07-Apr-2011 Approved 02-Jun-2011 11/00231/FUL 22 St Georges Road, Portland, DT5 2AT Erect dwelling with garage (Full) 15-Mar-2011 Approved 11-May-2011 11/00103/FUL 6 New Road, Portland, DT5 1LE Replace existing dwellings with 3 dwellings and integral garages (Full) 04-Feb-2011 Refused 09-Mar-2011 11/00026/FUL Salvation Army, Easton Street, Portland, DT5 1BP Conversion to 3 dwellings, including demolition of central flat roof building (Full) 11-Jan-2011 Approved 28-Feb-2011 WP/12/00903/COU 7b Castletown, Portland, DT5 1BD Conversion of ground floor from storage to residential to provide one-bedroom studio apartment (Change of Use) 06- Dec-2012 Approved 08-Mar-2013 WP/12/00893/FUL 11 High Street, Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1JQ Replace derelict dwelling and erect additional dwelling in part of gap alongside (Full) 29-Nov-2012 Approved 10-Jan-2013 12/00891/FUL Land on North Side between 12 and 14, Woolcombe Road, Portland Extension of time limit for implementation of planning permission to erect pair of semi detached houses (revised scheme) (reference 09/00766/FUL) (Full) 14-Nov-2012 Approved 12-Mar-2013 12/00866/FUL 19B Clements Lane, Portland, DT5 1AS Construct detached dwelling on adjacent land (resubmission) (Full) 01-Nov-2012 Refused 15-Feb-2013 12/00720/OUTM Redundant buildings at, Bumpers Lane, Portland, DT5 1HY Demolition of existing redundant industrial buildings and erect residential dwellings including affordable housing (revised scheme) (Outline) 29-Oct-2012 Refused 07-May-2013 12/00822/FUL Pitthays Cottage, Old Hill, Portland, DT5 1LQ Formation of a separate unit of accommodation by blocking a door (retrospective) (Full) 12-Oct-2012 Approved 22-Mar- 2013 12/00594/RELA Osprey Quay Site R (Former Officers' Field), Victory Road, Portland 77 new build units consisting of 69 houses and 8 flats within a new urban space including the creation of public streets and a small public square - without compliance with condition 25 of previous planning permission reference 09/00266/FULMAJ - To allow the occupation of no more than 11 units before the completion of the crossing works which shall be finalised before the 30th November 2012 (Variation of condition) 03-Aug-2012 Approved 30-Oct-2012 12/00585/FUL 30 Montrose Close, Portland, DT5 2BN Convert property to 6 self contained units (Full) 27-Jul-2012 Approved 10-Dec-2012 12/00566/RELA Bottomcoombe Masonry Works, Park Road, Portland Mixed use development including a retail unit (Class A1), 36 residential units, care home, access drive and road, landscaping and ancillary works - Temporary variation of conditions 6 and 7 of planning permission 08/00794/FULES (as amended by 09/00577/RELAX) to extend trading and delivery hours on Sundays during the Olympic period (22/07/12 to 09/09/12). (Variation of condition) 13-Jul-2012 Approved 28-Aug-2012 12/00544/FUL 9 Easton Street, Portland, DT5 1BS Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Extension of time limit for implementation of planning permission to erect 2 detached dwellings at rear (served by existing access from Reforne and the other from reinstated access off Easton Street) (resubmission) (reference 09/00360/FUL) (Full) 11-Jul-2012 Approved 28-Aug-2012 12/00488/COU 28 Fortuneswell, Portland, Change of use from library to two units of accommodation (Change of Use) 25-Jun-2012 Approved 20-Sep-2012 12/00164/FULM Vindelis Court, Verne Common Road, Portland, DT5 1EL Demolition of existing buildings and erection of 20 houses and 4 apartments with associated parking and access (Full) 28- Mar-2012 Approved 09-Aug-2013 12/00257/FUL Old Stable Block Adjacent to Masons and Mariners, Victoria Square, Portland Alterations and refurbishment to include provision of additional flat on first floor (resubmission) (Full) 19-Mar-2012 Approved 14-May-2012 12/00213/FUL York House, Weston Road, Portland, DT5 2DB Erect 3 dwellings (resubmission) (Full) 12-Mar-2012 Approved 12-Apr-2012 12/00207/RELA Land at North End of Perryfield Works Complex, Pennsylvania Road, Portland Demolish existing buildings and erect 66 dwellings - without compliance with conditions 15, 16 and 26 of previous planning permission reference 08/00513/FULMAJ - To allow changes to dwarf/screen walls and secure cycle storage (Variation of condition) 05-Mar-2012 Approved 19-Apr-2012 12/00005/FUL York House, Weston Road, Portland, DT5 2DB Erect 3 dwellings (Full) 30-Jan-2012 Refused 08-Mar-2012 WP/13/00801/OUT Land on North Side between 12 And 14, Woolcombe Road, Portland Erect 3 dwellings (resubmission) (Outline) 29-Nov-2013 WP/13/00729/FUL Land between 8 and 22, Weston Street, Portland Construct dwelling on vacant land with vehicular access (Full) 28-Nov-2013 WP/13/00523/FUL 133-135 Chiswell, Portland, DT5 1AP Alterations and extensions to existing buildings to create a new dwelling (Full) 14-Aug-2013 Approved 09-Oct-2013 WP/13/00480/FUL The Windmills Housing Site, Park Road, Portland Erect 3 new dwellings in lieu of previously approved (3No) under planning approval ref 08/00794/FULES (Full) 16-Jul-2013 Approved 24-Sep-2013 WP/13/00474/FUL 140 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LT Extension, alteration and change of use of building from store to dwelling (Full) 10-Jul-2013 Approved 02-Oct-2013 WP/13/00431/FUL Land Adjacent, 8 Moorfield Road, Portland Erection of dwelling (Full) 14-Jun-2013 Approved 09-Aug-2013 WP/13/00424/Ful Site of Former, 34a Chiswell, Portland Erect Dwelling (resubmission) (Full) 14-Jun-2013 Approved 02-Sep-2013 WP/13/00367/FUL Alma Terrace, Portland Convert basement level into habitable accommodation to form 11 flats (Full) 10-Jun-2013 Approved 27-Aug-2013 WP/13/00360/FUL 88 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LR Alterations to maisonette to provide three residential units and modifications to existing ground floor shop, remove existing roof and replace at 37.5 degrees with dormers to rear (Full) 05-Jun-2013 Refused 31-Jul-2013 WP/13/00339/COU 159 Fortuneswell, Portland, DT5 1LU Change of use of shop to living accommodation (Change of Use) 03-Jun-2013 Approved 26-Jul-2013 WP/13/00272/OUT Land Opposite, 1A-8 Reap Lane, Portland Outline application for residential development (approx 32 dwellings) (Outline) 09-May-2013 Refused 02-Sep-2013 WP/13/00267/FUL 42 Furlands, Portland, DT5 2LJ Erection of dwelling (Full) 26-Apr-2013 Refused 18-Jun-2013 WP/13/00218/CLE 4 Fishermans Stores, Ferrybridge, Portland Beach Road, Portland Use of first floor as a single dwelling. (Certificate of Lawfulness (Exi) 04-Apr-2013 Approved 23-Oct-2013 WP/13/00211/CLE 6 Fishermans Stores Ferrybridge, Portland Beach Road, Portland A single residential unit of accommodation at ground and first floor (Certificate of Lawfulness (Exi) 26-Mar-2013 Approved 23-Oct-2013 WP/13/00154/FUL Land Adjacent to North Portland Working Mens Club, East Street, Portland Erect Dwelling (Full) 26-Mar-2013 Approved 21-May-2013 WP/13/00195/FUL Land to the South of 44c to 62, Weston Street, Portland Erection of 5 dwellings (Full) 20-Mar-2013 Approved 04-Jun-2013 WP/13/00085/VOC Royal Breakwater Hotel, Castletown, Portland, DT5 1BD

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Demolition of outbuilding and erect new dwelling with parking (resubmission) without compliance with condition 8 of previous planning permission reference 10/00757/FUL - Before occupation of the dwelling the Flood Mitigation Strategy as set out in section 4 of this statement to include Flood Advice notices and the flood proofing of the ground floor of the building shall be implemented to the satisfaction of the LPA. Such measures will be maintain (Variation of condition) 01- Feb-2013 Approved 28-Mar-2013

Strategic Housing Land Availability Appraisal (SHLAA) Sites A relatively small number of sites on Portland have been accepted for inclusion in the latest SHLAA, 2013. The sites that have made it are listed in the table below. They have been judged by the Borough Council’s advisers as having ‘potential’ for housing through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. “The densities and developable site areas are indicative and would be subject to full assessment if they should be brought forward through planning permissions or a Core Strategy site allocations DPD66”67.

Portland SHLAA Sites with Potential 2013 Site Ref. Site Address Developable Estimate site area (Ha) of Potential 4/05/0022 land at rear of 23 Moorfield Rd 0.04 2 4/05/0024 Land at Reforne (near Fancys Close) 0.1 5 4/06/0021 Land beside 1-13 Courtlands Rd 0.06 4 4/07/0019 Garages adjacent 31-39 Coronation st 0.02 2 4/07/0020 Garages adjacent 105/107 East Weare Rd 0.04 2 4/07/0021 Land adjacent 2-14 Amelia Close 0.09 5 totals: 0.35 20

Also included in the Borough Council’s calculation of sites and houses that may be developed for housing in the years ahead are a number of sites that have been identified by the Borough Council as identified by the Borough Council as having ‘development potential’ for housing through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. “The densities and developable site areas are indicative and would be subject to full assessment if they should be brought forward through planning applications or a Core Strategy site allocations DPD68”. These sites are as follows:

Portland SHLAA Further Sites with Potential 2013 Developable Estimate Site Ref. Source Site Address site area (Ha) of Potential 0-5 Years: 4/05/0021 Pre Application Discussion 25 Easton Street 0.01 2 4/07/0015 Pre‐Application Discussion Marpol Tanks Castle Road 0.58 35 4/07/0016 Pre Application Discussion New Star Inn 115 Fortuneswell 0.02 3 5-10 Years: 4/06/0022 Planning Application Refused Land adjacent 14 Woolcombe Road 0.03 2 4/07/0017 Pre Application Discussion Land adj 44 East Weare Road 0.09 2 4/07/0018 Pre Application Discussion 1 Greenhill Terrace 0.01 1 11-15 Years: 4/05/0004 Pre‐Application Discussion Clifton Hotel Grove Road 0.14 10 4/06/0002 Urban Capacity Study Land at Avalanche Road 0.17 5 4/07/0001 Urban Capacity Study 181a Brandy Row 0.14 8 4/07/0003 Urban Capacity Study Engineering Works, Brymers Avenue 0.77 18 4/07/0004 Urban Capacity Study Land r/o 17‐19 Clovens Road 0.22 7 1.44 48

66 DPD = Development Plan Document 67 Appendix C, Weymouth & Portland SHLAA, Weymouth & Portland BC, 2013 68 Appendix E, Weymouth & Portland SHLAA, Weymouth & Portland BC, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Many more Portland sites were put forward by landowners and developers for assessment; but after a technical appraisal the following sites were deemed as “not having potential for housing69”. In each case the reason for non-inclusion is given: 4/05/0005 Land at Park Estate Rd, Portland Important open area and pedestrian route that is well used. Good quality local open space ‐ development of part of site would compromise 4/05/0008 Land r/o 138 Wakeham, Portland Most of site in SNCI which is likely to severely constrain any development. Former quarried land important part of open gap. Development would detract from strong linear street frontage of Wakeham and Conservation Area 4/05/0010 Land at Easton Lane, Portland Important existing employment site and Household Waste facility. No proposals exist for replacement facilities. Housing would result in loss of large existing employment site. Contamination issues. 4/05/0011 Land at Park Road, Portland Car park required to meet local parking requirements of local centre and access constraints on the rest of the site 4/05/0012 Land South of Augusta Rd, Portland Important play area and private allotments. Important part of open gap. 4/05/0013 Land at Bumpers Lane, Portland Part of former landfill site. Not well related to existing built up area. Development would detract from character of conservation area and strong street frontage of Wakeham. Part of important open gap. 4/05/0014 Land east of Moorfield Road, Portland Part of open gap not well related to existing built up area. Need to retain as open undeveloped land. 4/05/0015 Land adjacent stone firms factory, 99 Easton Street, Portland Large area of former quarry land not well related to existing built up area. Would represent significant expansion of Easton village onto open land. Adjacent to SSSI and SNCI. 4/05/0016 Land to west of Wakeham, Portland Part of the Bottomcoombe quarry completely unrelated to rest of built up are of Easton with poor access. Part of important gap between Easton and Weston, adjacent an SNCI. 4/05/0007 Land r/o 94 Wakeham, Portland Important part of open gap and adjacent to SNCI and active quarry. Development would detract from strong linear street frontage of Wakeham and Conservation Area. Poor residential environment adjacent to quarry. 4/05/0023 Independent Quarry, Portland Large site which due to its size provides a potential strategic development option. Within low flood risk (EA level 1), and no environmental designation on site but adjacent to SSSI. Site within walking and cycling distance of local services and facilities. Site identified for as a potential location for the proposed Portland Academy as part of a mixed use proposal with extensive number of housing and some employment. Land availability is key issue, potential for further expansion of Academy could compromise the amount of open space and safeguarded sports pitch provision. Significant development outside of Weymouth (Portland) is not in conformity with the emerging Draft South West Regional Spatial Strategy. Significant existing levels of housing commitments remain outstanding on Portland. 4/06/0003 Land adjacent Page Drive, Portland Part of important strategic gap linking to quarries to north. Heavily treed site of visual importance. Strong local opposition. 4/06/0004 Land adjacent 106 Weston Street, Portland

69 Appendix D, Weymouth & Portland SHLAA, Weymouth & Portland BC, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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House and large garden not physically related to rest of built‐up area of Weston. Development would detract from open nature of Conservation Area, and site is part of the strategic open gap separating Weston and Southwell. 4/06/0005 Limecroft, Southwell Street, Portland Part of important strategic gap linking to quarries to north. Part of open undeveloped entrance to village of visual importance. 4/06/0006 Sea Mist, Portland Large back garden site outside the Development Boundary, access constrained requires property demolition. 4/06/0007 Land at Reap Lane, Portland In important gap and of landscape interest visually linking to wider coastal landscape. Not well related to rest of village. 4/06/0008 17 Sweethill Road, Portland Large back garden outside the Development Boundary and in ALLI 4/06/0009 Land adjoining Argos House, Southwell, Portland Part of the open undeveloped entrance to village. Part of Heritage Coast with strong visual links to rest of coastal landscape. 4/06/0010 Land north west of Croft Road, Portland Important informal green space in estate that lacks green space and landscaping. Retain as open space to serve recreation needs of existing local residents. 4/06/0011 Land east of 151 Weston Street, Portland Development would impinge on important gap between Perryfields and Weston and introduce an inappropriate scale extension to the existing small scale intimate street frontage. Needs to link to restoration plans for remainder of quarry. 4/06/0012 Land south of 27 Sweethill Road, Portland Exposed and visible site outside the Development Boundary and within ALLI 4/06/0013 Sports field east of 21 Weston Street, Portland Important open space and sports facility. No physical relationship to rest of built up area in Weston Street/Rd. Important green open feature of Conservation Area ‐ development would have adverse impact on Conservation Area. 4/06/0014 Land west of 146 Weston Street, Portland Part of important strategic gap. Development would introduce solid developed frontage to Weston St which would be out of character. Part of wildlife corridor. Needs to link to restoration plans for remainder of quarry. 4/06/0015 Land east of Avalanche Road, Portland Part of important strategic gap. Development would introduce solid developed frontage to Avalanche Rd which would be out of character. Part of wildlife corridor. Needs to link to restoration plans for remainder of quarry. 4/06/0016 Land south of 2 Weston Street, Portland Part of important strategic gap. Development would introduce solid developed frontage to Weston St/Avalanche Rd which would be out of character. Part of wildlife corridor. Needs to link to restoration plans for remainder of quarry. 4/06/0017 Land south of 1 Sweethill Road, Portland Grazing land not related to existing built up area. Important Open Gap 4/06/0018 Land east of 21 High Street, Southwell Portland Exposed visible site part of Heritage coast and coastal landscape. 4/06/0020 Land north of Page Drive, Portland Part of important strategic gap linking to quarries to north. Site slopes steeply to northern boundary. Strategic gap has visual landscape importance. Strong local opposition to development within this gap. 4/07/0005 Castletown Pier, Portland

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Existing employment site allocated for water sports. High tidal flood risk and possible contamination makes site unsuitable for housing. Close to Portland Port noisy commercial site. Need to retain for employment/water sports facilities. 4/07/0010 Land at Verne Common Road Portland Steeply sloping prominent site. May be ground stability problems. Poor access and important green landscape feature adjacent to SSSIs so likely to have nature conservation interest. 4/07/0006 Masonic Car Park, Chiswell, Portland Adjacent to Chesil Beach at significant risk of flooding and tidal inundation. Impact on SAC/SSSI nature conservation interests. Loss of car parking. Outside development boundary as not well related to built development around Victoria Square.

The Issues and Economics of Affordability The recently published Economic Strategy by the Local Economic Partnership reaches a stark conclusion about current housing provision in Dorset generally. “In Dorset, the housing market is failing to provide enough of the right homes in the right places and at the right prices. The shortage of the right kind of housing for Dorset’s growing workforce keeps house prices and private rents high as the economy and wages remain the same. As the costs of the commercial housing market soar, more pressure is placed upon the limited supply of affordable homes. The latest statistics suggest these problems are set to worsen if action is not taken.”70 A recent research from the polling and research company ‘ComRes’ states that “80% of employers in the South West say that the lack of affordable housing is stalling economic growth in local communities, with 70% warning it would affect their ability to attract and keep workers”71.

There is no doubt that the need for many more affordable houses in the Weymouth and Portland area is recognised and well established. “The level of need identified does however provide an evidence base for seeking to maximise affordable housing delivery.”72

The most recent SHMA concluded that it would take “904 additional units of affordable housing per annum if all needs are to be met (in the five year period from 2011 to 2016)”73. Delivery of this scale of affordable housing would mean that all households are living in secure housing which is of the right size, condition and layout and at a price they can afford – “in reality this is not likely to be achievable”74. The reality however is that the housing stock of Weymouth & Portland increased only by 969 homes in total between 2007 and 2011, with a mere 19.5% of these classified as affordable housing. Moreover, although house prices may have gone down this does not mean that housing has become more affordable. This is dependant on other changes such as the local economy, demography and access to finance for housing as well as the cost of private rented accommodation.

Viability assessments carried out across Dorset for the SHMA suggest that in many cases it will be possible to provide at least 40% of housing as affordable on future sites and in some cases (particularly on green-field sites) up to 50%.

In 2010 an overview of the Dorset housing market concluded that “Dorset is a strong location in which to develop affordable housing. Residual values range from £1 million to £5 million per hectare and £2.5 million per hectare at 35% affordable housing is probably a reasonable average indicator. This provides….. a 250 fold increase in land value above agricultural land and as such should provide a very strong negotiating position for

70 Remarkable Dorset, Dorset LEP Strategic Economic Plan, 2014 71 Remarkable Dorset, Dorset LEP Strategic Economic Plan, 2014 72 Dorchester/Weymouth Housing Market Area 2011 Strategic Housing Market Assessment Update, for Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, JG Consulting & CBA 2011 73 Dorchester/Weymouth Housing Market Area 2011 Strategic Housing Market Assessment Update, for Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, JG Consulting & CBA 2011 74 Dorchester/Weymouth Housing Market Area 2011 Strategic Housing Market Assessment Update, for Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, JG Consulting & CBA 2011 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

58 the councils. It makes sense for most local authorities to adopt a split affordable housing target. This is because small variations in house prices lead to very significant variations in residual site value. Where split targets can be practically adopted, we suggest that councils take this policy forward.”75

Portland - Estimated Residual Values in £M/ Hectare, 201076 % of affordable hsg: 0 25%* 30% 35% 40% 50% 60% 30 dwellings per Ha £2.37 £1.58 £1.43 £1.27 £1.11 £0.80 £0.48 40 dwellings per Ha £2.85 £1.85 £1.65 £1.45 £1.25 £0.85 £0.45 50 dwellings per Ha £3.33 £2.12 £1.88 £1.64 £1.40 £0.92 £0.44 90 dwellings per Ha £3.76 £1.84 £1.45 £1.18 £0.68 -£0.09 -£0.86 100 dwellings per Ha £3.58 £1.50 £1.09 £0.65 £0.26 -£0.57 -£1.40 120 dwellings per Ha £4.47 £1.65 £1.18 £0.70 £0.23 -£0.72 -£1.67 * Local Plan Policy Hous1. Minimum requirement

A recent study of affordable housing provision and developer contributions in Dorset was undertaken for West Dorset Council. It confirmed that affordable housing could be provided even on the smaller sites. “Sites with a low number of dwellings (smaller sites) are no less viable than sites with a larger number. They can be shown to generate higher land values than larger sites. This means that where existing use value is relatively low, as we think will be the case for example, with back-land, infill or garden land, the Council should pursue a robust approach to obtaining affordable housing and other s106 contributions.

Schemes which involve the redevelopment of one dwelling with either one or two new dwellings will be more difficult to deliver with an affordable housing contribution because of the high existing use value…… around half the schemes for one and two dwellings involve demolition of an existing dwelling(s). There will be some circumstances, particularly in higher value areas where an affordable housing contribution will be viable.”77

Key Questions and Messages for the Neighbourhood Plan  Should we be encouraging or discouraging inward and/or outward migration?  The need for more affordable housing is evident and growing  What does affordability mean to Portlanders?  There are too many empty and poor quality houses on Portland  There is a shortage of available housing sites  More housing suitable for small elderly households will be needed  Should retail and community space be lost through housing conversion?  Can the number of second homes be controlled?  Will more ‘executive housing help the market as the Chamber suggests?  To what extent can Portland’s housing issues be solved off the Island?

75 Dorset Viability Study Overview Report, Three Dragons, Jan 2010 76 Dorset Viability Study Overview Report, Three Dragons, Jan 2010 77 Affordable Housing Provision and Developer Contributions in Dorset Final Report, Three Dragons, Jan 2010 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Gaps in our Knowledge  The views and intentions of housing associations  The implications of conservation areas appraisals for the Underhill, Easton, Weston and the Grove  How developers view Portland’s housing market  What is the local housing need?  Why is Portland’s affordable percentage on new build at 25% when Weymouth’s is at 35% when we have the lowest wages in the area?  Social housing policies towards relocating people onto the Island and the allocation of housing to Portland residents  The partnership / ownership structure between Portland Stone Firms and Betterment Homes  What developers say about affordability and viability in the context of Portland

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Business & Employment

Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence – Lines of Enquiry What do people do to earn a living? To what extent is unemployment or under-employment a local issue? Where are the jobs? And what are they? What is the impact of commuting? Employment What local skills are there? What are the employment and training needs? What are the prospects for young people and those with special needs? Is there a need for more local employment? Is there a demand for people to work from home? Are there particular infrastructure needs to support home working? How important are village retail and commercial outlets? Retail What are the retail trends? and Commerce What can be done to improve the retail experience? What are the local business trends and opportunities? Where are the main business development opportunities? Business Is there adequate space for businesses to grow? Is there sufficient business space of the right kind available?

Introduction The Island of Portland Neighbourhood Plan offers the opportunity for the people of the Island of Portland to direct developments during the period from 2015 to 2030 towards outcomes that matter to them, such as their quality of life and prosperity. It also presents The Island and its neighbouring parishes with the chance to lay a foundation for sustaining the core qualities of the area. This component of the Evidence Report concentrates upon the foundations for a sustainable economy – an issue that overlaps with many other areas of the Plan, such as Transport and Housing.

The Neighbourhood Plan exists within the wider policy framework and Local Plan for Weymouth and Portland, and these are first summarised. The current economy of The Island is then characterised from routine data as well as data collection exercises carried out as part of the neighbourhood planning process. Finally an economic picture of The Island of Portland is painted that embraces the character, culture and aspirations of the Portlanders themselves.

Strategic Framework Dorset Local Economic Partnership The overarching framework for economic policy in Dorset is provided by the Local Economic Partnership (LEP). This effectively means that to gain support for the economic development priorities for Portland they must mesh in with those of the LEP.

In practical terms the LEP seeks to enhance prosperity in Dorset and to end its poor economic performance. A measure of this is The Gross Value Added (GVA) contribution to the economy of each individual producer. In 2011 Dorset’s per capita GDP was 77% of the UK average. In 2011 per capita incomes needed to increase by some £4,800 per annum to match the UK average.

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The Dorset LEP dashboard78 was commissioned by the Dorset LEP and contains information selected to help answer questions relevant to the aims of the local growth strategy. Unfortunately the data is not broken down to a Portland level. Information from this source has been used below.

The Median gross weekly earnings of full time employees in 201379 - The median measure is preferred to the mean as it is less affected by extreme values. The median is the mid-point value. The workplace based figures show how much is paid to employees whose place of work is in that area whereas the residence based figures show how much residents of an area earn (but they may work outside that area). In most parts of Dorset, residence based earnings are higher than workplace based earnings. For Great Britain this figure was £518 per week (100%); for Dorset County £466 (93%) and for Weymouth and Portland £426 (86%).

Business Demography 2012 - The business demography dataset gives information about the stocks, births and deaths of businesses. For England and Wales this was 11.5%; Dorset CC 8.9% and Weymouth and Portland 10.5%. As we show below, the Portland area is not greatly dissimilar for the Dorset average. However the neighbourhood planning process provides the opportunity to raise the question of whether Portland, with its special opportunities, should not aspire to the England average, rather than the more modest Dorset aspiration.

Local Economic Partnership (LEP) Key Objectives - The LEP’s overall aim is to deliver growth through business enterprise whilst safeguarding the environment. This will be achieved in three key ways:  Enhance the skills of Dorset’s current and future workforce.  Improve digital and physical connectivity, primarily via high-speed broadband.  Creating the right conditions for enterprise, driving forward integrated spatial and infrastructure planning across the county, providing more affordable housing, and emphasising the need to be ‘Open for Business’ - especially in more rural areas.

Local Economic Partnership (LEP) Priorities - In support of their Key Objectives the LEP has identified a number of priorities. They are therefore all very relevant to Portland:  “Creating a global hub for international trade and business, focussing on Bournemouth Airport and the Ports of Poole and Portland  Achieving excellent high-speed broadband  Advancing integrated spatial and infrastructure planning across the whole conurbation  Planning positively for sustainable economic growth, emphasising the need to be “open for business”  Capturing the Olympic legacy across the entire LEP area  Securing opportunities from offshore renewables  Creating a culture of enterprise and improving employability skills, working with schools, colleges and employers to develop an enterprise friendly curriculum  Reviewing and implementation of the Dorset Employment & Skills Strategy  Positively embracing the role of older people within the economy of Dorset  Encouraging businesses to “go global”  Encouraging the work of, or development of, sector-specific advisory bodies”

78 https://www.dorsetforyou.com/datadashboard 79 Dorset Economy Key Facts at https://www.dorsetforyou.com/411252 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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The LEP are looking at nine employment sectors, identified in the W&PBC Local plan (4.2). The five main ones that are relevant to Portland are:  “Tourism, leisure, hospitality & International Education: vital to the local economy. The LEP plans to significantly increase this industry, which will involve countering seasonality, addressing skills shortages and supporting businesses to be more competitive  Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing: This is a strong base upon which to develop the sector, provide new jobs and enhance the area’s reputation for aerospace and marine engineering  Health & Social Care: Demographic changes mean this sector must perform well, providing business and employment opportunities and the need to invest in skills development  Creative Industries: many creative jobs are in self-employment. This sector has enormous potential for job and wealth creation, especially if the LEP can help to retain graduates from local education institutions  Environmental Goods & Services: This sector also has huge growth potential, harnessing the environmental assets of Dorset and developing existing business activity and expertise”

The above objectives provide a good fit for Portland because:  In many ways Portland’s historic role in support of the Navy provides a good reservoir of skills for use by employers within the sub-region. We are building on this skill based culture with Weymouth College recently establishing a basic marine engineering training facility on Portland.  High speed broadband is with us on Portland, thanks to the Olympic Games, and is already attracting small media and artist based businesses.  The fundamentals are in place to build the LEP aspiration of creating the right conditions for enterprise, evidenced by this Report.  Tourism and Leisure opportunities are strong. Portland has many national, and some world class, outdoor attributes. There is also strong developer interest in bringing tourism based development to the Isle, building on its landform, history and location. These are covered elsewhere in the Report.  Portland Port and Osprey Quay business development areas are on the doorstep bring local jobs to local people.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Although a community-led plan, the Neighbourhood Plan needs to have regard to national planning guidance and in general conformity with the local planning authority’s strategic policies. The Government’s national planning policies for England are set out in the NPPF. The Framework advises that neighbourhood plans should plan positively to support local development. One of the core planning principles is that planning should proactively drive and support sustainable economic development to deliver the homes, business and industrial units, infrastructure and thriving local places that the country needs. Significant weight should be given to the need to support economic growth through the planning system.

The Framework advises that plans should include polices to support the viability and vitality of town centres; there remains a broad presumption that main town centre uses should be accommodated in town centres, rather than edge of centre locations.

Planning policies should support economic growth in rural areas in order to create jobs and prosperity by taking a positive approach to sustainable new development. Neighbourhood plans must be in general conformity with the strategic polices of the Local Plan. To facilitate this, local planning authorities (LPAs) should prepare and ensure that an up-to-date Local Plan is in place as quickly as possible.

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The West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland Local Plan80 The Weymouth and Portland Local Plan provides the framework upon the Portland Neighbourhood Plan is built. To aid the consultation process the relevant abstracts from the Local Plan are cited below: “4. ECONOMY 4.1 INTRODUCTION 4.1.1 Employment should be focused in places where it will provide people with the opportunity to work locally, helping to reduce the need to travel and promote social inclusion. The type and scale of new employment development should also be appropriate to its location. 4.1.2 The Councils will work with the Local Enterprise Partnership to encourage and support the development of: - Tourism, leisure, hospitality and international education - Food and drink industry - Environmental goods and services, including support for the renewable energy sector - Precision engineering, including marine related business - Creative industries - Health and social work - Finance and banking. AN ECONOMIC VISION FOR THE AREA Economic development will play a key role in: - Providing the necessary flexibility to support businesses, and enable them to grow - Facilitating inward investment to create better paid employment - Regenerating the area’s vibrant town centres A BROAD DEFINITION OF EMPLOYMENT 4.1.4 Employment uses have previously been defined as offices, light industrial, general industrial, storage and warehousing, often referred to as B class uses. Traditional industries will continue to be supported, However there are a number of other sectors in the plan area which are large employers and make a significant contribution to the economy, for example tourism in its many facets. A broader definition of employment has therefore been adopted in this local plan. Employment For the purposes of this plan employment includes development in the B Use Classes such as offices, workshops and industrial premises, storage and distribution warehouses and sui generis uses commonly found on industrial estates. It also applies to non B class development which provides direct, on-going local employment opportunities such as tourism and retail. Employment sites are land or premises that are presently in an employment use, or previously in an employment use if now vacant. 4.1.5 Retail and visitor attractions are an inherent part of the economy of the local area, but have quite different impacts and needs. Specific policies are included on these types of economic development. Tourist accommodation in its many forms also plays a major part in the tourism industry, and policies for these uses are included in this chapter, although they are not within this plan’s definition of employment. STRATEGIC APPROACH A continuing supply of land and premises suitable for employment uses is needed, of a type and scale appropriate to the characteristics of the local area, to provide sufficient opportunities for employment needs to be met locally, to reduce the need to travel and promote economic growth and social inclusion. This will be delivered through the allocation and provision of new sites (with the greater proportion of development at the towns), the suitable protection of existing employment sites (taking into account their significance), and flexible policies to allow development to come forward on other suitable sites. Development should not undermine the functioning of any centre, or adversely affect its vitality or viability. 4.2 THE SUPPLY OF EMPLOYMENT LAND AND PREMISES

80 Economy Chapter, West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended version, WDDC & W&PBC, 2014

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4.2.1 If future economic growth is to be successfully delivered it is vital that enough land, and the right kind of land, is provided for these uses. A flexible approach and a ready supply of employment sites in suitable locations are fundamental to the economic performance of the area. The larger settlements have a key role to play because of their accessibility to labour, support services and infrastructure. 4.2.2 To help meet the anticipated demand for employment land, sites for employment uses have been identified and allocated at the main towns (see Table 3.3 for where these are set out in the site specific chapters). Flexible policies for the rural areas have been included instead of specific allocations in and around the smaller settlements. Further employment allocations may come forward through neighbourhood development plans. 4.2.3 The expansion of existing employment sites and premises, and sensitive small scale development in and around suitable settlements, can help bring about economic activity and local job opportunities. Live-work developments provide an opportunity for people to adopt more flexible working practices, and therefore are also encouraged where housing would otherwise be acceptable. While the plan generally seeks to concentrate development in the areas which are most accessible, it is recognised that small-scale employment development in rural areas, through well-designed new buildings on the edge of existing settlements, the re-use and adaptation of existing buildings, or farm diversification schemes, is of value even though such development is unlikely to be served by public transport. Proposals for development in less accessible locations may be required to provide information on the long term viability of the enterprise and a clear justification of why such a location is needed. Consideration will be given to the removal of permitted development rights in such locations where they may otherwise change to non-employment uses or result in a more harmful impact. LP Policy: ECON 1. PROVISION OF EMPLOYMENT i) Employment development will generally be supported: - within or on the edge of a settlement, - through the intensification or extension of existing premises, - as part of a farm diversification scheme, - through the re-use or replacement of an existing building, or - in a rural location where this is essential for that type of business. ii) Proposals for live-work developments will be supported in locations considered suitable for open market residential development. 4.3 PROTECTING EMPLOYMENT SITES 4.3.1 Existing employment sites and premises provide valuable opportunities for jobs close to where people live, and benefit the local economy. However there is increasing pressure for change of use from employment to non employment generating uses. The loss of employment uses can impact negatively on local access to employment and the economic competitiveness of local areas. This in turn would potentially undermine economic growth. 4.3.2 “Key employment sites” are the larger employment sites that contribute significantly to the employment land supply for B class uses. These are safeguarded for B class uses and other employment uses which would achieve economic enhancement without detrimental impact to the site or wider area. In considering economic enhancement, regard will be given to issues such as wage rates, achievement of higher level skills, job numbers, and key sectors identified by the Local Economic Partnership. 4.3.2 The councils are committed to ensuring they do everything they can to support sustainable economic growth. Where there is recognised viability issues preventing the delivery of sites the councils will work with developers to understand and seek to address potential barriers. Key Employment Sites on Portland Portland Port - Existing Southwell Business Park - Existing Inmosthay Industrial Estate - Existing Tradecroft Industrial Estate - Existing

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LP Policy: ECON 2. PROTECTION OF KEY EMPLOYMENT SITES i) Within key employment sites (as identified on the proposals map) applications for B1 (light industrial), B2 (general industrial), B8 (storage and distribution) and other similar uses will be permitted subject to proposals not having a significant adverse impact on surrounding land uses. ii) The use of key employment sites for employment purposes other than B1, B2 and B8 may be appropriate if it can be proven that the use provides on-site support facilities or demonstrates an economic enhancement over and above B1 / B2 / B8 uses. Such development will not prejudice the efficient and effective use of the remainder of the employment area. iii) Retail uses will not generally be supported. Exceptionally, uses which have trade links with employment uses or are un-neighbourly in character (such as car showrooms, tyre and exhaust centres, or trade counters) may be permitted on employment sites which have good access to a range of transport options. iv) Other uses that do not provide direct, on-going local employment opportunities will not be permitted. 4.3.4 Other employment sites are also valued for the job opportunities that they provide, but a more flexible approach will be taken on these to help facilitate a broad range of economic development, which is vital for the future sustainability and development of the area’s economy. The policy also recognises that some existing employment sites may be causing significant environmental or amenity problems that cannot be overcome. In some circumstances there may not be a need for that site to remain in employment use, if there are sufficient alternatives available in the local area, and it would not benefit the local economy for it to remain vacant. And in some cases, the size, location and characteristics of a site may mean that more intensive, mixed use development could provide greater benefit to the community, in terms of addressing local needs, than if the site was retained solely in employment use. Proposals for mixed-use redevelopment will be expected to retain an equivalent amount of jobs on the site (and in the case of vacant or underused sites, consideration will be given to the potential of that site for job creation rather than the existing number of jobs). Where employment sites are proposed for mixed-use development, the following information will be sought: - Description of community and regeneration benefits - Description of economic benefits (for example skills and training provision) - Any local employment or other needs addressed by the proposal - Existing job numbers (full time and part time) by job type - The amount and type of any employment development to be retained / provided - Expected job numbers (full time and part time) by job type, and how this is justified 4.3.5 Where there is no reasonable prospect of an employment site being used for employment purposes, alternative uses may be considered. Where an application is made for an alternative use other than employment, the following information will be sought: - Description of any problems caused by the employment use, the measures considered to try and mitigate these issues, and an explanation of why these problems could not be overcome - Any other reasons why the site is thought unsuitable for employment uses - Details of how the property has been marketed, over what period and for what price (and how the asking price was calculated), what use/s it was marketed for, where it was advertised, and whether there have been any offers received - What other suitable, viable, alternative sites are available locally for employment uses (this should include an assessment of existing sites and premises in addition to land allocated by the Local Plan) 4.3.6 The Councils will require applicants to demonstrate that real effort has been undertaken to achieve alternative employment uses on that site. In assessing this information, consideration will be given to current market trends and the future land needs in that location. LP Policy: ECON 3. PROTECTION OF OTHER EMPLOYMENT SITES i) Outside key employment sites, the redevelopment of existing employment sites to an alternative employment use will normally be permitted. ii) The redevelopment of employment land and premises for non employment uses that are in accordance with other planning policies will be permitted where it will not prejudice the efficient and effective use of the remainder of the employment area and:

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- the present (or where vacant or derelict, the previous) use causes significantly harm to the character or amenities of the surrounding area and it has been demonstrated that no other appropriate viable alternative employment uses could be attracted to the site; or - substantial over-supply of suitable alternative employment sites is locally available; or - redevelopment of the site would offer important community benefits or no significant loss of jobs / potential jobs. 4.4 RETAIL AND TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENT 4.4.1 Town centres and local centres are places where people can access a range of local services and facilities. They are also places that people identify with strongly, as a place to meet and socialise. And many of them have strong links to the past, with Listed Buildings and other historic features or connections. However they can decline through lack of investment, particularly where there are other centres or outlets providing competition for potential customers. 4.4.2 Town centre areas have been defined in Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport, Sherborne and Lyme Regis where the retail shops are concentrated, together with leisure, business and other main town centre uses. re the concentration of retail is particularly high. 4.4.3 Sites that may provide suitable locations for future expansion to the town centre or primary shopping areas at Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport and Sherborne. 4.4.4 More local centres exist in the smaller towns and neighbourhood areas, relative to the size of the area they serve. Local centres, such as Easton, Fortuneswell and Beaminster, have an important role in delivering small scale development to meet local need. 4.4.5 Supporting the vitality and viability of existing centres means that these centres should be the first priority when locations are being considered for new retail development (or for other town centre uses such as hotels, leisure, offices and the arts). 4.4.6 The sequential test 4.4.7 As part of the sequential assessment 4.4.8 Some larger settlements may have more than one centre. 4.4.9 Applications for retail or other town centre uses that do not pass the sequential test 4.4.10 While the sequential test 4.4.11 Proposals for retail or other town centre uses exceeding 1,000m² floorspace in locations outside of the town centre areas, and proposals for smaller-scale retail developments in locations outside of any existing centres, will be required to submit an impact assessment including the following information: - The availability, suitability and viability of potential alternative town centre sites, and where appropriate, edge of centre sites - The impact of the proposal on town centre vitality and viability, including local consumer choice and trade in the town centre and wider area, up to 5 years from the time the application is made. For major schemes where the full impact will not be realised in 5 years, the impact should also be assessed up to 10 years from the time the application is made - The impact of the proposal on existing, committed and planned public and private investments in the town centres within the catchment area of the proposal 4.4.12 Impact assessments will not be limited to new development; they may also be required for extensions, redevelopment or the variation of conditions where this would alter the effects of a development. Where a proposal is likely to lead to significant adverse impacts the application should be refused. What constitutes a significant adverse impact will be based on the circumstances of each case. The cumulative impact of recent/committed proposals may also be relevant. Where the evidence shows there is no significant adverse impact the positive and negative effects of the proposal will be balanced, together with locational and other considerations, to reach an overall judgement. 4.4.13 The impact test applies to all main town centre uses, but is particularly relevant to retail and leisure/entertainment proposals. Other main town centre uses (including offices and arts, culture and tourism) will require impact testing, but the scope and level of detail required will vary according to local circumstance.

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4.4.14 The concentration of a variety of shopping and other services within a town centre is a major component of maintaining its vitality and viability. Arts, creative and cultural development can also contribute to healthy and vibrant centres and communities. Buildings that open later in the evening, such as theatres, pubs and restaurants, can complement retail uses and prolong the activity and vibrancy of a centre into the evening. The use of upper floors for offices or residential uses adds vitality to town centres without fragmenting the retail and services on the ground floors. 4.4.15 The loss of ground-floor retail uses to other uses can have an adverse impact within the primary and, to a lesser extent, secondary shopping frontages if they would fragment the retail offer to such an extent where it would make the centre less attractive and convenient. The loss of an active retail use, however, cannot be prevented, and no-one wants to see units remain vacant for long periods. In recognition of the importance of maintaining the attractiveness of existing centres a degree of flexibility, rather than a rigid insistence on certain uses, is needed during times of economic change. Changes of use should be permitted where it is clear that without redevelopment or significant remodelling the existing use of the property cannot continue. 4.4.16 Where development would result in the loss of a retail use in the primary shopping frontage, or the loss of a town centre use in the secondary shopping frontage, the impact on the function of that area will need to be assessed. The impact on the number and frontage length of retail (and in the case of secondary frontages, other town centre uses) in that stretch (from junction to junction) should be submitted with the proposal. LP Policy: ECON 4. RETAIL AND TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENT i) Development proposals for retail and town centre development should be appropriate in type and scale to the particular centre and its catchment population. ii) Small scale development of shops, financial and professional services, food and drink, office, leisure and community uses will be permitted in local centres. iii) A sequential approach will be taken to planning applications for new (or major extensions to) retail and town centre uses, except in the case of: small scale rural development (including offices) small scale community facilities employment trade related uses on key employment sites Development likely to lead to significant adverse impacts on existing centres will be refused. iv) Development will be expected to maintain an appropriate concentration and mix of retail and other town centre uses in the centre, to protect its vitality and viability. Retail uses should normally make up about 75% or more of the nearby ground floor primary shopping frontage. Retail and other main town centre uses should make up about 75% or more of the nearby ground floor secondary shopping frontage. Development in these locations will be expected to have its main access and windows onto the primary (or secondary) frontage. v) The use of upper floors of premises in the town centre areas for residential or commercial uses will be encouraged subject to the ground floor use not being undermined and, where possible, separate access to the upper floors being provided. [For Tourism (Section 4.5) see ‘Arts, Culture and Tourism’ Evidence] 4.6 FARMING AND THE DIVERSIFICATION OF LAND-BASED RURAL BUSINESSES 4.6.1 A significant proportion of the plan area is in agricultural use. Farming and other land-based rural businesses have a great influence on the landscape and character of the area, although they now employ a relatively small proportion of the population. It is important to support the farming industry as vital part of the rural economy, and so that farmers can continue to actively manage the countryside. 4.6.2 Agriculture has undergone significant changes over the last half century. Many modern farming processes are less labour-intensive, reducing employment and resulting in additional redundant buildings (some of which make a significant contribution to local character). In order to ensure the most efficient and effective use of land and premises new development should only be permitted where there are no redundant buildings capable of conversion or replacement. The replacement of a farm building that makes a positive contribution to the local character will be resisted. There may be cases where existing buildings are inefficient or inappropriate for the proposed uses. In these instances new development may be permitted. An increasing number of farmers are seeking to diversify in order to supplement their incomes. Policies in this plan are therefore intended to promote the development and diversification of agricultural and other land- based rural businesses, where this will help support the ongoing good management of the land. Development

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68 may be required to be tied by legal agreement to the agricultural unit where its has been provided in a location where it wouldn’t ordinarily be permitted. 4.6.3 Where a land based rural business is hoping to supplement its income through the conversion of an existing building for tourist accommodation or housing for rent, this will be considered under policy SUS3. Proposals for caravan and campsites will be considered under policy ECON7. LP Policy: ECON 8. FARM DIVERSIFICATION i) Farm diversification projects (for agricultural and other land-based rural businesses) for the use of land or buildings for non-agricultural employment purposes will be supported, provided they are in keeping with the rural character and comprise: - The use of land; or - The re-use or replacement of an existing building or buildings; or - New ancillary development that relates well to existing development (provided that there are no redundant buildings capable of re-use/replacement ii) The proposed diversification must make an on-going contribution to sustaining the enterprise may be required to be tied by legal agreement to the business that is diversifying. NEW AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS 4.6.4 The councils recognise the need to support modern farming practices. However the trend towards larger agricultural buildings, which have a more industrial appearance, can have a significantly adverse impact on the local landscape character and also result in more traditional farm buildings falling into disrepair. New agricultural buildings can be allowed under ‘permitted development rights’, but where this is controlled under the planning system applicants will be encouraged to locate development where it won’t impact on the openness and attractive character of the countryside, for example by re-using existing buildings or locating new ones close to existing buildings or on areas of existing hard standing. The impact on residential amenity, including that arising from farm traffic movements, will also be a consideration. LP Policy: ECON 9. NEW AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS i) The development of new agricultural buildings, or extension of existing buildings, will be permitted where the development is necessary for the purposes of agriculture on the unit or locally where facilities are to be shared, and there are no existing buildings on the unit which are capable of re-use. The scale, siting design and external appearance of the buildings should be designed to minimise adverse impact on the landscape character and residential amenity. EQUESTRIAN DEVELOPMENT 4.6.5 Riding and horse keeping are popular leisure activities which can be located in and around built up areas but generally require a rural location. Equestrian businesses can contribute to the rural economy, and provide opportunities for farm diversification. Equestrian development can range from field shelters and domestic stables to livery yards, riding schools, stud farms and racing stables and can also includes all-weather training areas and gallops. These uses vary in their impact on the surroundings, and in the numbers of people visiting them, and these factors need to be taken into account in assessing proposals. Possible adverse impacts include fragmentation of agricultural land, and harm to the character of the countryside through poor land management the proliferation of stables and other related equipment. LP Policy: ECON 10. EQUESTRIAN DEVELOPMENT i) Equestrian developments, including extensions to existing premises, will be permitted where: - Schemes would not, individually or cumulatively, harm the landscape character or rural amenity of the countryside - The scale of development is appropriate to the proposed use and the number of horses to be kept; and - Adequate supervision can be provided without the need for new or additional on-site residential accommodation; and - In the case of substantial built development proposals, a satisfactory independent assessment is submitted regarding the long term economic viability of the enterprise. ii) Development should make use of existing buildings where possible and must otherwise relate well to existing development. Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

69 iii) Proposals to re-use or adapt substantial purpose-built equestrian holdings for non-equestrian uses will only be permitted where it can be demonstrated that continued equestrian use is inappropriate or unviable. Proposed uses must be in accordance with other plan policies.

Within Appendix 1A of the Weymouth and Portland Local Plan, Portland is described as “physically and visually separated from Weymouth, linked by a single carriageway road on the causeway adjacent to Chesil Beach and The Fleet. Although an entity in its own right, Portland is made up of a group of villages, each with very distinctive features. The Port is an important regional facility and has potential to play a more significant role in the UK. Considerable regeneration has taken place here over the last 15 years.” 81

Looking at Economic Issues:  “Wage levels are lower than average and there is a reported shortage of labour with relevant skills or training. This may increase over the plan period as a large proportion of existing trades people are due to retire.  Many Portlanders have had to look for job opportunities on the mainland and some of the employment opportunities created on the island do not match the skills of the local workforce.  The Vision for Weymouth and Portland – “We want the next 20 years to be an exciting time for the Borough, with significant investment and regeneration of key sites and infrastructure, making this a place where people of all ages will be engaged with their local community, feel a real sense of belonging and civic pride.”82

Weymouth and Portland are special places, set within the World Heritage Coast and the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The relationship with the sea is key to our identity, past, present and future, from the beach to the port and harbours, the sailing opportunities, and all the related maritime industries.

The Local Plan intends to meet the strategic objectives, in economic terms by ensuring “a continuing supply of land and premises suitable for employment uses is needed, of a type and scale consistent with the local area, to provide sufficient opportunities for employment needs to be met locally, to reduce the need to travel and promote economic growth and social inclusion. This will be delivered through the allocation and provision of new sites (with the greater proportion of development at the towns), the suitable protection of existing employment sites (taking into account their significance), and flexible policies to allow development to come forward on other suitable sites.”83

The Need for Employment land Allocations - Existing Supply and Unmet Demand This is covered in Section 3.3 of the Local Plan Appendix 1A:  “The Need For New Housing and Employment Land Allocations Existing Supply and Unmet Demand  In deciding the amount of land that will need to be allocated for development, existing permissions and likely development on small sites (informed by the strategic housing land availability assessment, employment land review and further studies) is taken into account. Allocating the remaining shortfall (and over-allocating) provides an opportunity to redress imbalances and provide development where it will best meet local need.  The following outlines the existing supply (and factors in that not all permissions will be implemented) and from this estimates how much land needs to be allocated for development in each council’s area to achieve the proposed level of economic and housing growth.  For Weymouth and Portland in 2011 the supply of employment land was “21.6ha with permission (not all will come forward)”. Because of this the Local Plan assumes that there is no unmet demand.

81 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan pre-submission draft, WDDC & W&PBC, Jul 2012 82 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan pre-submission draft, WDDC & W&PBC, Jul 2012 83 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan pre-submission draft, WDDC & W&PBC, Jul 2012 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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 On Portland there is 30.3ha of land at Portland Port part of which has planning permission and 8.6ha at Osprey Quay 8.6 (minimum) part of which has planning permission.”84

Defined Development Boundaries  “Defined development boundaries have been carried forward from the previous adopted local plans, defining the areas within which development will generally be accepted.  The market and coastal towns of…. Portland will be a focus for future development.  Within development boundaries residential, employment and other development to meet the needs of the local area will normally be permitted.  Outside defined development boundaries, development will be strictly controlled, having particular regard to the need for the protection of the countryside, and be restricted to: o agriculture, forestry or horticulture or related enterprises such as farm diversification and equestrian development o alterations and extensions to existing buildings in line with their current lawful use, including their subdivision or replacement o new employment, tourism, recreational or leisure-related development o new homes restricted to affordable housing, rural workers housing, sites for gypsies, travellers and travelling show-people o proposals for the generation of renewable energy or other utility infrastructure o flood defence, land stability and coastal protection schemes o local facilities appropriate to a rural area o specific allocations in a Development Plan Document”85

Current Economic Situation In 2013 West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council commissioned a Corporate Peer Challenge which culminated in a November 2013 Report.86 The findings of the Review, as they related to Economic Development provide a useful background to the current economic situation. The implementation of the Review Recommendations will also strongly influence the outcomes of the Local Plan and this Neighbourhood Plan. “The economy is a priority…… There may be economic opportunities for care sector development as a developing sector of the future economy, although traditionally this has been often low skilled and low paid. Both councils are characterised by an ageing population - with both having circa 25 per cent of their population over the age of 65 years, where the national average is 16 per cent. The role of the new Health and Wellbeing Board, bringing together social care, health and council support arrangements, will be important in this regard.

Tourism forms an important part of the economy (13.5 per cent). However this has tended to be supported by seasonal work that is again low skilled and low paid. The councils are keen to rebalance the economy and this is not to say that tourism will not be important in the future but might be reconfigured to take a different form and be balanced by other sectors that are higher skilled and higher paid. Economic growth is a priority for both councils. West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland have experienced the less deleterious effects of the economic downturn with unemployment in Dorset well below the average for England. However, it is important to bear in mind that this is within a low wage economy.

Evidence suggests that the local economy is resilient. The local economy is improving with good levels of occupancy on industrial parks and commercial interest in new investment at its strongest level since 2007. Unsurprisingly, given the geographic location and communication links, the economy is underpinned by local

84 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan pre-submission draft, WDDC & W&PBC, Jul 2012 85 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan pre-submission draft, WDDC & W&PBC, Jul 2012 86 https://www.dorsetforyou.com/peerchallengewestweymouth Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

71 businesses but with some important national and international representation. Private sector representatives suggest that current commercial interest relates primarily to the expansion of existing local businesses.

The councils’ joint Local Plan anticipates the two council areas generating 16,100 jobs from 2011 to 2031. The councils would benefit from some detailed work that could delineate how these numbers would breakdown by sector and what the employment land needs for these might be. This would assist the councils moving to a position to market sites to potential local businesses and investors.

The Council’s …. are recommended to:  Produce a joint economic growth strategy and delivery plan that addresses: o To what sectors the expected 16,100 jobs created from 2011- 2031 will fall o what employment land might be used for this purpose; o how the objective of high-wage and high-skill jobs will be realised; o a clear housing and employment growth implementation plan o the use of the councils’ assets o the Partnership’s engagement approach This should lead to a portfolio of sites being developed for marketing to potential investors and developers and be aligned to the Dorset LEP Strategic Economic Plan.

 Work with Dorset councils to identify the extent of high speed broadband coverage and the likely gaps that would adversely affect West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland. This will be an important piece of work given the transport infrastructure constraints that might limit economic growth.  Progress the work on producing an Asset Management Strategy, being taken forward by the Dorset Joint Asset Management Board; this will be an important piece of work, linked to the Local Plan, to support economic growth.  Conduct work on how to bridge the funding gap between the cost of the infrastructure necessary to support growth and the projected income from future Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and S106  Consider how the councils can work with partners to increase affordable housing delivery.  Develop a clear vision for Portland Port and Osprey Quay, led by commercial interests with council support through a new, flexible planning”87

87 Corporate Peer Challenge – Letter from Peer Challenge Manager, Nov 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Employment-Related Demographics The 2011 Census provides us with a detailed demographic profile of the neighbourhood area and is an important element in forming a view on the way forward for economic development aspects of the Neighbourhood Plan.

Looking at the population change between 2001 and 2011 on Portland we can see a dramatic fall in population on the Island of the under 44 year olds. This is coupled with a significant increase in the over 60 year olds. As the population has remained relatively stable this must reflect an inward migration of the retired and an outward migration of the working age population. This will have a significant impact on attempts to bring new jobs to the area as the working population is effectively decreasing and with it the labour pool on which any inward investor would be relying.

Portland Demographic Profile Age Portland 2001 Portland 2011 Change % Change All usual residents 12,752 12,844 92 +0.72 Age 0 to 4 703 708 5 +0.71 Age 5 to 7 423 438 15 +3.54 Age 8 to 9 317 275 -42 -13.25 Age 10 to 14 846 691 -155 +18.32 Age 15 187 142 -45 -24.06 Age 16 to 17 397 284 -113 -28.46 Age 18 to 19 459 451 -8 -1.742 Age 20 to 24 744 952 208 +27.96 Age 25 to 29 775 711 -64 -8.26 Age 30 to 44 2,898 2,371 -527 -18.18 Age 45 to 59 2,619 2,813 194 +7.41 Age 60 to 64 583 903 320 +54.89 Age 65 to 74 974 1,175 201 +20.64 Age 75 to 84 636 679 43 +6.76 Age 85 to 89 139 171 32 +23.02 Age 90 and over 52 80 28 +53.85

The above noted trend is reinforced by the findings of the socio-economic classifications: 2010 ACORN is a geo-demographic segmentation of the UK's population which segments small neighbourhoods, postcodes, or consumer households into 5 categories, 17 groups and 56 types. The 5 higher level categories "wealthy achievers", "urban prosperity", "comfortably off", "moderate means" and "hard pressed" are shown below. Dorset has 80% of its population ‘comfortably off’ or better. This compares to 32% in these upper categories on Portland. Those on ‘moderate means’ on Portland are 5 times higher than the rest of Dorset emphasising that Portland can be seen as a skilled labour pool for the region. The choice of Portland Port, Osprey Quay, Southwell Business Park, Inmosthay Industrial Estate and the Tradecroft Industrial Estate as Key Employment sites therefore makes eminent sense. This also reinforces the short travel to work emphasis in the Local Plan which should also benefit Portland.

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The ageing of the sub-regional population also provides great opportunities for small service based businesses looking after the needs of the affluent elderly. This should provide great opportunities for the labour force to earn the ‘Living Wage’ as a minimum remuneration.

Portland Classifications Dorset Portland % Wealthy Achievers 40.1 4.2 % Urban Prosperity 7.1 7.4 % Comfortably Off 33.2 20.3 % Moderate Means 9.2 51.3 % Hard Pressed 10.2 16.8 % unclassified 0.2 0.0

% of Households Category Group Portland Dorset National Wealthy Achievers Affluent Greys 2.8 28.9 8.2 Wealthy Achievers Flourishing Families 1.4 4.8 7.2 Wealthy Achievers Wealthy Executives 6.4 8.1 Urban Prosperity Aspiring Singles 7.0 5.0 3.7 Urban Prosperity Educated Urbanites 0.4 1.6 7.6 Urban Prosperity Prosperous Professionals 0.4 2.0 Comfortably Off Prudent Pensioners 3.5 11.4 3.2 Comfortably Off Secure Families 6.8 9.3 13.6 Comfortably Off Settled Suburbia 1.5 7.7 6.4 Comfortably Off Starting Out 8.5 4.8 4.7 Moderate Means Blue Collar Roots 30.6 6 .0 8.0 Moderate Means Post Industrial Families 20.7 3.3 4.4 Moderate Means Asian Communities 1.2 Hard Pressed Burdened Singles 4.5 2.4 5.0 Hard Pressed High Rise Hardship 0.3 1.9 2.7 Hard Pressed Struggling Families 12.0 5.9 11.8 Hard Pressed Inner City Adversity 2.1 Unclassified Unclassified 0.0 0.2 0.2

Looking in more detail at the ACORN Groups88 (See table above), it is possible to see that within Portland, the ACORN group with the highest proportion of households is classified as ‘Blue Collar Roots’, which is part of the Moderate Means Category. This is five times the county average and almost four times the national average. The Post Industrial Families group accounts for one in five households in Portland, which is much higher than both County and national averages.  The Struggling Families (Hard Pressed) group is one of the other more prominent ACORN groups in Portland. 12% of households fall into this category. This is similar to the national proportion, and double the county average.  Households grouped as Starting Out (Comfortably Off) and Aspiring Singles (Urban Prosperity) both have a higher proportion than that of Dorset.  The Affluent Greys group accounts for a much lower proportion of households than for Dorset as a whole, where 28.9% of households are Affluent Greys. It is also about three times lower than that of Great Britain.

88 Summary of the ACORN classifications produced by Research and Information, Dorset County Council during August 2011 using the 2010 data Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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 Looking at the Ward Profiles below the Moderate Means categories represent the highest proportions in each of the three wards on Portland.

The table below shows a broad mix of occupations amongst the population living on Portland in 2011, reflecting a mixed society on the Isle.

Portland Occupations 2011 No. % All Usual Residents Aged 16 to 74 in Employment 5886 1. Managers, Directors and Senior Officials 519 8.8 2. Professional Occupations 571 9.7 3. Associate Professional and Technical Occupations 710 12.1 4. Administrative and Secretarial Occupations 549 9.3 5. Skilled Trades Occupations 978 16.6 6. Caring, Leisure and Other Service Occupations 740 12.6 7. Sales and Customer Service Occupations 463 7.9 8. Process, Plant and Machine Operatives 527 9.0 9. Elementary Occupations 829 14.1 100

Ward Profiles The R&I Dorset CC data breaks the information down to Ward Level. The following combines this information with the “Knowing Our Communities” - A summary of key information about the communities on Portland with a base date of 2010.

Tophill West Tophill West includes two residential areas, Weston and Southwell, and covers the south end of the island where Portland Bill is situated. There is a high number of young families in Tophill West. Total Properties: 2276 AREA: 508.7 Hectares Total Population: 5059 Males: 2452 Females: 2607 (mid-2008 estimate, Office for National Statistics) Tophill West is ranked as joint 8th most deprived out of the 15 wards within the borough. (National Indices of Deprivation 2007: www.communities.gov.uk) Population Total The age profile is slightly younger than that of the borough. There are fewer people aged 70+, 11% compared with 15% across Weymouth & Portland. Tophill West has a low population density of 10 per hectare, lower than the borough figure of 15.2 per hectare. The ward has a significant area of Affluent Grey households in the south of the ward (Southwell). There is also a small area of Flourishing Family households just north of Southwell. Combined these account for one in ten of households in the ward. To the north of the ward there is more of a mix of households. The most predominant group is the Blue Collar Roots, followed by Post Industrial Families and Secure Families. These ACORN groups cover the area of Weston and a large proportion of Southwell. Hard Pressed households are located in and around the Weston area and consist of 8.7% Struggling Families and 4% Burdened Singles households. Employment (Old Data)- In 2001 66.3% of people aged 16-74 years in Tophill West were either employed or self-employed, higher than the average across the borough of 62.2% (2001 Census data). Unemployment was 2.8%, just below the Weymouth & Portland average (2.9%). Dorset County Council 2009 data shows the unemployment rate increased to 3.2% in Tophill West since 2001. Across Weymouth & Portland the figure was 3.1%, an increase since 2001 in line with national trends.

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Tophill East Tophill East includes the residential areas of Easton and The Grove. There is a high number of young families in this ward. The population of young males is higher than average due to the Portland Young Offenders’ Institution situated here. Total Properties: 1478 AREA: 373.9 Hectares Total Population: 3706 Males: 2100 Females: 1606 (mid-2008 estimate, Office for National Statistics) Tophill East is ranked as joint 8th most deprived out of the 15 wards within the borough. (National Indices of Deprivation 2007: www.communities.gov.uk) The age profile is generally younger than average for the borough. There are a large number of males aged 15-24 years, many of which are resident in the Portland Young Offenders’ Institution. Tophill East has a low population density of 9.9 per hectare, lower than the borough figure of 15.2 per hectare. Tophill East ward has a high proportion of Moderate Means Blue Collar Roots households, 37.6% fall into this category. Post Industrial Families are also prominent and both groups are found across the whole ward. Other significant ACORN groups in this ward are Secure Families and Starting Out households from the ‘Comfortably Off’ Category, together accounting for about one in five households. These tend to be located to the south of the ward in the Easton area. There are a few pockets of households seen in the centre and north of the ward which are classed as Burdened Singles and Struggling Families, and also a small pocket of Flourishing Family households to the west of the ward (part of Easton). Employment (Old data) - In 2001 57.7% of people aged 16-74 years in Tophill East were either employed or self employed, lower than the borough average of 62.2% (2001 Census data). 3.1% were unemployed, higher than the Weymouth & Portland average (2.9%). Dorset County Council 2009 data shows the unemployment rate has decreased to 2.1% in Tophill East since 2001. However this could be due to the inclusion of the Young Offenders’ Institution population in those figures. Across Weymouth & Portland the figure was 3.1%, an increase since 2001 in line with national trends.

Underhill Ward Underhill includes Fortuneswell, Chiswell and Castletown. Total Properties: 1960 Area: 382.3 Hectares Total Population: 4050 Males: 2274 Females: 1776 (mid-2008 estimate, Office for National Statistics) Underhill is ranked as the 3rd most deprived out of the 15 wards within the borough. Parts of Fortuneswell are within the 20% most deprived areas in the country. (National Indices of Deprivation 2007: www.communities.gov.uk) The age profile is generally younger than average for the borough. There are fewer people aged 60+: 20% compared with 27% across Weymouth & Portland. Underhill has a higher than average proportion of males in their 30s and 40s due to the prison in the ward (HMP The Verne). Underhill has a population density of 10.6 per hectare, lower than the borough figure of 15.2 per hectare. Underhill ward contains a diverse mix of households. Blue Collar Roots, Post Industrial Families, and Struggling Families households are the most prominent, with the latter mainly located to the east of the ward in the Castletown area. Blue Collar Roots and Post Industrial Family households tend to be located to the west in the Chiswell area of the ward, which also has areas of Starting Out households (12%) and some areas of Aspiring Singles households (15%). Employment (Old data)- In 2001 55.5% of people aged 16-74 years in Underhill were either employed or self employed, lower than the borough figure of 62.2%. Unemployment was 4.2%, above the Weymouth & Portland average (2.9%). Dorset County Council 2009 data shows the unemployment rate has decreased to 3.6% in Underhill since 2001. Across Weymouth & Portland the figure was 3.1%, an increase since 2001 in line with national trends.

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Qualifications and Trends 2001 to 2011

Portland Qualifications 2011 Portland - 2011 All people 16-74 E&W - All people 16-74 All people aged 16-74 9,660 41,126,540 No qualifications 20% 19% Level 1 qualifications 19% 14% Level 2 qualifications 19% 16% Level 3 qualifications 14% 13% Level 4 qualifications and above 19% 29% Other/unknown/apprenticeships 10% 9% Portland - % change from 2001 to 2011 All people 16-74 E&W - All people 16-74 All people aged 16-74 +180 +3,519,102 No qualifications -10% -11% Level 1 qualifications -3% -2% Level 2 qualifications -3% -3% Level 3 qualifications +8% +5% Level 4 qualifications and above +8% +9% Other/unknown/apprenticeships 0% +2%

The good news is that Portland was outperforming England and Wales in terms of qualifications in 2011. The trend line is similar to the national one.

Portland Residents in Employment 2011 Excluding public sector jobs the main employment areas are ‘wholesale and retail trade’; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles (14.5%); Manufacturing (10.3%) and Construction (8.2%). It is worth noting that the two industries that are generally associated with Portland i.e. Mining and Quarrying (0.7%) together with Agriculture, forestry and fishing (0.7%) barely register on the employment scale.

Portland Industry Categories 2011

All categories: Industry 5,886

Agriculture, forestry and fishing 42 0.7% Mining and quarrying 42 0.7% Manufacturing 604 10.3% Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 13 0.2% Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation 75 1.3% Construction 480 8.2% Wholesale and retail trade; repair of m/vehicles and m/cycles 855 14.5% Transport and storage 262 4.5% Accommodation and food service activities 437 7.4% Information and communication 86 1.5% Financial and insurance activities 49 0.8% Real estate activities 75 1.3% Professional, scientific and technical activities 203 3.4% Administrative and support service activities 254 4.3% Public administration and defence; compulsory social security 904 15.4% Education 473 8.0% Human health and social work activities 754 12.8% Arts, entertainment and recreation; other service activities 274 4.7% Activities of households as employers 4 0.1%

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Travel to Work Patterns Here is some old data (2001) on commuting on and off the Isle.

2001 Commuting Internal commuters In commuters Out commuters Net commuting Portland 2457 1402 3208 -1806

The proportions of commuting are likely to be similar now as the population numbers have been relatively stable, there has been little development on the Island and the socio-economic profile is unlikely to have significantly shifted.

The method of transport to work (2011 Census) is shown below. Driving to work is very much the dominant method but it is interesting to see that more people travel to work on foot than use public transport.

Portland Method of Transport to Work 2011 % All Usual Residents Aged 16 to 74 9,660

Work Mainly at or From Home 233 2.4 Underground, Metro, Light Rail, Tram 6 0.1 Train 37 0.4 Bus, Minibus or Coach 621 6.4 Taxi 17 0.2 Motorcycle, Scooter or Moped 115 1.2 Driving a Car or Van 3,383 35.0 Passenger in a Car or Van 352 3.6 Bicycle 161 1.7 On Foot 874 9.0 Other Method of Travel to Work 87 0.9 Not in Employment 3,774 39.1 100

Portland Hours Worked 2011 All persons Males Females All people 16+ 5,912 3,278 2,634 Part-time: Total 2,084 711 1,373 Part-time: 15 hours or less worked 571 215 356 Part-time: 16 to 30 hours worked 1,513 496 1,017 Full-time: Total 3,828 2,567 1,261 Full-time: 31 to 48 hours worked 3,125 2,016 1,109 Full-time: 49 or more hours worked 703 551 152

Reviewing the above table:  The first thing to note is that the male and female numbers are of a similar proportion; Portland is definitely a place where people expect and or need to work.  Twice the number of females is in part-time work as the number of men.  The vast majority of part-time work is in the 16-30 hours category  Circa 4 times as many men are in full-time work as are in part-time work. For women its about a 50:50 split

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Recent Portland Employment Data – 2012 and 2013 In December 2013 there were 240 people unemployed on the Isle, a rate of 2.9%

Portland Unemployment July 2013 The proportion of the resident population aged 16-64 (%) and the actual number of persons for July 2013 who were UNEMPLOYED was as follows: Male 2.9% (131) - Female 2.0% (72) - Total 2.5% (203) - Long Term unemployed 16.3%

Portland Employment 2012 The total number of people working on Portland was 3,400 The number of firms (excluding the self-employed) was 290 (2009 data) Full-time Employed 65% Part-time Employed 35%

Type of Employment on Portland Production and construction 21% Distribution, accommodation and food 22% Finance, ICT and other professional services 3% Other market services 9% Public Administration, education and health 45%

Community Consultation 2013 What we have been told about employment and business on Portland:  Protect existing business sites  Exploit Olympic legacy  Find ways to encourage and support new enterprise and business start-ups  More employment sites for growth industries  Encourage business diversity  Convert redundant spaces for small business use  Apprenticeships and job schemes for the Island’s young people  Better links between schools and businesses  Attract higher education facility to the Island  Disused quarries have the potential to generate income and jobs for the Island  Make more use of renewable energy potential

Nature of Portland Businesses Assets W&PBC’s Economic Development Team provided the following picture of Assets on Portland: Commercial Land Between 1994 and 2010, 12.0 Hectares of industrial land was developed in Portland. The total area of land with permission or allocated in local plans is 56.2h, of which 11.5h are at the naval air station and 38h are at Portland Port. Industrial Estates Osprey Quay (49h), Portland Port (47h), Immosthay (7.5h), Tradecroft (6.5h), Southwell Business Park (8h) and St Georges Centre Workshops (0.1h) Retail Profile 58 shops / 44,000 sq. ft. (at 2005) – All local shops plus Co-op and Tesco Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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The Local plan identifies a number of developments as having consent and expected to play a major part on delivering the vision for Portland, some associated with the hosting of the Olympic and Para Olympic Sailing events, others related to the ongoing regeneration.

Portland Port Portland Port is a port of national and international importance and is a vital part of the local economy and the south west region. It is a key employment site. The Port attracts employment and investment to the area and is a major asset to the local community. It is important that there is sufficient land available to support port related uses. However because the location of the site in an area designated for its national and international nature conservation interest, care will need to be taken to ensure it complies with the relevant legislation. Proposals for this area must not have a significant adverse impact upon the international wildlife designations, either alone or in combination with other projects. Land within Port jurisdiction will be safeguarded for potential port operational and ancillary uses.

Osprey Quay In 2001 a master plan was approved for the redevelopment of 33 hectares at Osprey Quay, with the aim of creating a centre of excellence for marine business and leisure. Significant regeneration has taken place, some of which is associated with the National Sailing Academy and the hosting of the 2012 Olympic Sailing Events. The area now contains a mix of uses including a 560 berth marina and associated shore-side facilities, workspaces for marine related business, Coastguard Helicopter base (now scheduled for closure), restaurant/café, residential and a new school (to be opened 2013).

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) took on the responsibilities of The South West Regional Development Agency. Since then the HCA has been managing the development of Osprey Quay as a mixed use development scheme to include housing, employment, tourist and leisure related uses.

Land at Osprey Quay is allocated for development as part of a mixed use development scheme to include housing, employment, tourist and leisure related uses. Any development should be in accordance with the most recent approved Osprey Quay Master Plan. The development is expected to create circa 350 jobs.

In March 2013, out of the original 105 acres there are 17.5 acres left to develop: of which 8.8 acres are north of the flood alleviation channel/runway and approx. 8.7 acres are in the area known as Castle Court.

In April 2013 the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) secured outline planning approval for up to 147,500 sq ft of new business space including offices, industrial and distribution facilities at the Mere Tank Farm area. Development of industrial units on the site is progressing.

The HCA has transferred the ownership of 8.5 ha of land at Osprey Quay to national charity the Land Trust, an organisation that manages public spaces to ensure they deliver a range of community benefits. For Osprey Quay, this includes ensuring the complex flood defence are maintained and repaired and providing high quality estate management services for the businesses and visitors using the promenade, marina and leisure facilities. The deal included a £1.2m endowment from the HCA that will be used for the maintenance of the flood defences which protect the businesses and leisure uses provided at Osprey Quay.

The first phase of land transfer included the flood defences, open space areas of the business park and the promenade between Portland Castle and the marina. The second phase will included the new Liberty Square adjacent to Portland Castle and the former Royal Naval Air Station canteen building.

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A recent interview with the Homes and Communities Agency has established that:  The Land Trust own nearly all of the land to the North of the flood Bund bordering the runway  The exceptions to land ownership are the Coast Guard Station and a few undeveloped plots  The listed brick building (incl. the control tower) is to be converted to housing on a new U plan layout. It will be a loss leader and is expected to begin once planning permission has been granted.  There will be housing behind the RYA Building. The HCA are looking to move the retail permission from the area next to the school to the mixed use industrial site across the road. No interest in the retail has been forthcoming. The retail site would then be housing.  The light industrial site to the north of the road would then have a retail component.  Detailed planning is in place for most of this to ensure that it fits against the Portland Castle and RYA building.  A low cost hotel and pub are still to be built on the land next to the RYA building.  HCA are happy with The W&PBC Local Plan provisions.89

Former Hardy Complex The Former Hardy complex was previously Navy accommodation. Planning permission for 554 new homes was granted in 2004. The existing officers’ accommodation blocks have been partly completed, with Atlantic House completed in 2009. The remaining phases of construction, which would provide 384 homes, have not progressed due to economic downturn. There is access issues associated with this level of development, which will be addressed through the completion of a link road. The Former Hardy Complex is allocated for housing development. There may be potential in the unfinished block to link it to student accommodation for marine based training.

Southwell Business Park Southwell Business Park is an ex-Ministry of Defence site. It has been used to create flexible workspaces for businesses and start-ups. The businesses are mainly micro-businesses from a wide range of service sectors, but the site also includes 350 storage units, a fitness centre, hotel and conference venue. It is a key employment site. Additional land is available to provide around 3,000m² of light industrial units. It is in a sensitive location and particular regard will need to be had to the landscape and nature conservation interests on land within and adjoining the site, including its visibility from the South West Coastal Path and Heritage Coast.

Inmosthay and Trade Croft Industrial Estates The Inmosthay and Trade Croft Industrial Estates are similar in character and provide opportunities for heavy industry that would not easily fit within a residential area. Both are identified as key employment sites.

The Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy (IPACA) The Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy opened in September 2012, bringing together five Portland schools, the Grove, Brackenbury and Underhill, Southwell and Royal Manor Arts College. IPACA is a non- selective, non-fee paying, co-educational state school for young people aged 4 – 16, together with Foundation Stage units including nursery and reception age children. Reflecting the unique resources and position of Portland, the Academy specialises in Environmental Science and in Sports Science. They also place particular emphasis on Entrepreneurship - giving students the confidence to achieve whatever they want in life.

The Chamber of Commerce View90 What do people do to earn a living? - Mostly people come off of the Island for employment to Weymouth, Dorchester and beyond asides the local retail, school related jobs etc. There are a couple of engineering companies and of course the prison and YOI. The business park at Southwell, Port and Osprey Quay are good employers.

89 Based on an interview with the Area Manager of the Homes and Communities Agency, 25 March 2014 90 Based on interview with M Blunden, Past President, W&P Chamber of Commerce, Mar 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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 To what extent is unemployment or under-employment a local issue? - This is a big issue for Portland with house prices versus average salary being a big issue. The gap between the two is increasing but there is hope of more jobs particularly on Osprey Quay, Portland Port and at IPACA.  Where are the jobs? And what are they? – Osprey Quay, the Verne (immigration Centre), and YOI as well as engineering and tech jobs at the Port and old naval building at Southwell. The areas naval history means there are lots of defence related roles and mechanical and electrical engineering companies that have spun off from the RFA days. There is also the increase in sailing related jobs at the academy and marina.  What is the impact of commuting? - Very busy roads coming on and off the island and up through Boot Hill in Weymouth and the Ridgeway. The high cost of fuel will reduce the benefit of higher salaries gained off the island. No rail link from Portland is an issue. Weather can also play a part in delays.  What local skills are there? - Engineering and technical skills. Marine and Defence based experience is high.  What are the employment and training needs? - At least another 500 jobs are essential. A lot of these need to be well paid jobs in excess of £30k a year to allow for people to take mortgages and support families.  What are the prospects for young people and those with special needs? - Not ideal but there are jobs there for those with the right training and education. It’s essential that the young are encouraged and trained to a high level to make them competitive in the jobs market. Not sure on special needs.  Is there a need for more local employment? - Yes  Is there a demand for people to work from home? - Some yes I think.  Are there particular infrastructure needs to support home working? - The internet speed is thought to be good but can’t say for sure. A good broadband speed is essential, especially to embryonic businesses working from home in marketing and web design. There is a reported lack of affordable workshop space for entrepeneurs, artisans, crafts.  Business rates benefits  How important are village retail and commercial outlets? - Essential to reduce traffic to Weymouth and provide local employment. They also add to the community feel.  What are the retail trends? - A push off the island except for essential small retail such as grocery, take away, post office etc.  What can be done to improve the retail experience? - Modernise and keep up with national trends. Provide good customer service. Empty retail should be given change of use back to residential or other to improve the feel of retail areas and improve look and feel of the areas.  What are the local business trends and opportunities? - Some small engineering, hotels, marine and B&Bs. Marine and Defence companies are attracted to Portland due to skills laid over from the RFA days. Portland Port is also buoyant with the cruise market and is set to grow further. Sunseeker and Portland Port have been local success stories.  Where are the main business development opportunities? - Marine and perhaps off-shore wind jobs. Watersports, leisure and tourism especially if the Jurassica project comes off.  Is there adequate space for businesses to grow? - Yes.  Is there sufficient business space of the right kind available? - Yes but limited.

Portland Port91 “Background The essential role of ports in the UK economy is discussed in the National Policy Statement for Ports (published February 2012), which makes the point that by virtue of our long coastline and maritime history, it is the largest such industry in Europe. It also states that over 95% of imports and exports, by volume, and 75% by value still pass through the country’s ports. The statement goes on to say that by bringing together groups of related businesses within and around the estate, ports also create a cluster effect, which supports economic growth by encouraging innovation and the creation and development of new business opportunities.

91 Preliminary Economic Summary Paper Portland Port, Sandie Wilson, Portland Harbour Authority, Feb 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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The ports sector gave a strong welcome to the Treasury commissioned Transport Study by Sir Rod Eddington published in December 2006. It highlights a compelling link between the transport system and economic prosperity throughout history. This is helpful when considering the case of improving transport connections between Dorset and the M5, and rail connections towards Bristol. We continue to encourage government to invest in this infrastructure. The sheltered and deep water of Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay, adjacent to one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, secures Portland Port as a gateway to domestic and international trade and a hub for shipping and maritime business services spanning a diverse range of markets. A recommended read is the British Ports Association co-sponsored study on the economic impact of the ports sector (Oxford Economics, 2013), undertaken as part of a wider study into the impact of the total UK maritime services sector. The ports industry in England makes a direct GVA contribution of £4.8bn. Labour productivity remains high relative to the UK average. Gross Value Added (GVA) per worker averaged over £67,400, nearly 40% higher than the UK economy-wide average of £48,400. Portland Port (and Osprey Quay) has been identified by the Dorset LEP as a priority however it remains unclear at this stage whether any funding will be available for the local area. Portland Port are working hard to ensure that the Dorset LEP ensure equivalent investment across all the Dorset LEP's commercial ports. Significant political support and investment at Portland Port from the LEP will benefit Weymouth and Portland (an area that genuinely needs it), it will benefit Dorset, and it will ensure Dorset is delivering upon its contribution to the national economic programme. Weymouth and Portland for example has some of the most deprived districts in the whole country, the second highest unemployment figure within the county (reported at 7%), and a fragile business portfolio reported to have survival rates dropping by 6% since 2009 and by 2% in the last 18 months.

The Port’s unique set of assets can be described as follows:  In Excess of 35 Hectares of Key Employment Land with over 2000 metres of alongside berths and 11.6 metres (C.D.) depth of water at deepest alongside berth, 24/7 operation and security and planning permission for industrial and port type uses including permitted development powers for certain types of projects. Portland Port is supported by a maritime supply chain that offers excellent growth potential, as well as education, training and skills capability locally with local government support;  17 Hectares of New Waterside Development Land and Facilities enabled by a fully consented harbour revision order and awaiting funding to build;  2,400 Hectares of Sheltered Deep Harbour Authority Controlled Waters with unrestricted access and no tide, lock or beam restrictions. 15 designated anchorages within the inner and outer harbour, depths of up to 20 metres (C.D.) in the outer harbour. A highly sheltered inner harbour, with a width of 210 metres and depth of over 12.4 metres (C.D) at the harbour entrance, and 15 metres (C.D) in the inner harbour. The port offers a 24/7 operation. All of which delivers innovative opportunities to maritime business. Portland Port Business Development Plan (2013) At the end of 2013, Portland Port approved a new business development plan which has identified a number of market sector opportunities. The port actively support including a range of industries including offshore wind and marine renewables as an example which offers significant opportunities for the Dorset economy and job creation. The UK government announced in December 2013 new energy reforms to support 250,000 jobs, keep bills down and produce cleaner energy. Navitus Bay has suggested that the potential economic value that the offshore wind park can add to the region over the life time of the project is £1.85 billion. The tidal industry in the UK is an amazing success story, currently the undisputed global leader, and has a forecasted worth of £6.1 billion to the UK economy by 2035, creating nearly 20,000 jobs and £50 billion by 2050 (RenewableUK). Dorset already has strengths in engineering, marine operations and ports and manufacture (Regen SW, 2013) and is well placed to serve these sectors with proper support from the LEP. Market Sector Opportunities The market sector opportunities identified in the new business development plan are summarised below: Agribulk (animal feeds, grains and fertilisers) - Construction of bespoke facility underway and operation to commence Q2 2014. Customer base throughout Dorset, the South West, Bristol and beyond. This facility Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

83 rethinks import and export of agri-bulks reducing cost and placing Dorset at the cutting edge of the agricultural industry. Cruise - The cruise success story at Portland is to be reinforced by significant financial investment in berth infrastructure which will open up in excess of 95% of the global cruise fleet enabling continued expansion into international markets starting with USA, Germany and Italy. Ship Repair Yard - Currently looking for a partner to set up and operate a major commercial shipyard at Portland. It's a big opportunity for an investor to create a successful North West European ship repair facility, with floating dry docks. Find out more in our video available at http://www.portland- port.co.uk/business/Ship- Repair-Yard-Opportunity. Enhanced Vessel Services - Portland is a 'service station of the seas' where vessels can fuel up, take on freshwater, have an 'MOT' or undertake repairs. The deep, sheltered and exceptionally clear waters enable Portland to compete in an international market. Negotiations are underway with key market players to establish base at Portland for an enhanced service offering. Offshore & Marine Renewables & Energy - Significant opportunities in offshore wind and tidal energy. Currently finalising MOU with Navitus Bay regarding operations & maintenance base at Portland, and a hub for construction activities. Significant opportunities in tidal energy with sites off Portland, Island of Wight, and Channel Islands. Long term prospects with technological developments such as deep-water and floating turbines. Portland Port strives towards establishing a Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind and Marine Renewables. Recycled Commodities - Creates many 1000's of jobs and has shown sustained growth throughout challenging financial times. There are both domestic and export opportunities striving towards high quality recyclate products putting 'waste to work at home and abroad'. Negotiations underway with niche operators and market leaders to develop a sustainable long term business in this sector.

Portland Port is the only true deep water port in Dorset and has huge potential for future growth. We have demonstrated considerable success since taking over the former naval base in 1996. The port is already a major employer and yet still offers considerable growth opportunities with spare berth capacity and many hectares of vacant land. Political and financial support is however needed to fully exploit the port's great potential.” 92

A Few Port Related Findings Over 95% of imports and exports by volume, and 75% by value pass through the country’s ports. Add to this a strong interest in off-shore energy production (wind and tidal) and the growth in cruising, result - the 21st Century will be a maritime Century and Portland Harbour is ideally positioned to grow with it.

The hinterland to the Port is essentially a business park and has been recognised as such in the W&PBC Local plan. The Port are very happy with the provisions in the Local Plan and so great care needs to be taken if we are to suggest any changes that may affect the Port.

The Port is seeking to develop a £50million ship repair yard which could bring up to 1,000 jobs to the borough. The project is part of a long-term plan to develop the harbour into one of the most economically-active ports on the south coast of the country. Portland Harbour Authority chief executive Steve Davies said: “The shipyard, when it is fully developed, is expected to employ more than 300 people directly. But the knock-on effect for the local economy may see up to an additional 700 jobs created in the supplier industries, such as engineering companies and the supply of raw materials. It is anticipated that the creation of the shipyard repair and floating dry dock facilities will take approximately 12 months. During this period the local economy will benefit significantly.” An international search is on to find a development partner with which to establish the repair

92 Useful links: http://www.portland-port.co.uk/ http://www.britishports.org.uk/ http://www.maritimeuk.org/ http://www.maritimeuk.org/key-statistics/ http://www.portskillsandsafety.co.uk/skills/careers/careers_map http://www.ssa.org.uk/directory (click on the 'services' drop down menu for range of services)

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84 yard. “Work on the creation of the shipyard will take place during 2014 and it is hoped it will be operational by 2015.”93 Weymouth College has established a Basic Marine Engineering Course, with premises in Chesil, to support the Port’s expansion plans. This will bring significant training opportunities to The Island; it’s where the majority of blue collar skills are located. Cruise Ships are increasingly calling in at The Port, circa 20 in 2013 and an increase in this number is expected for 2014. The Cruise Ship industry traditionally manage their own shore itinerary and so it will be necessary for local businesses that wish to benefit from this business to establish contact and work through the relevant Agents. The Port are trying to encourage local businesses to take advantage of this opportunity by holding seminars on how to benefit and looking at the offer. There is also a significant walk-off opportunity that could exploit the major heritage visit opportunities immediately adjacent to the Port e.g. Submarine Pens, Underground Hospital, WW2 Bunkers, Quarries etc. We will need to consider protecting these heritage sites as part of the Neighbourhood Plan. There is a suggestion that the Island is on the limits of its power supply. There is a huge transformer at Chickerel (installed when there was a possibility of power station) but the power cable links to the Island may need to be enhanced if growth is not to be limited. The Quarries and their Legacy Portland Stone Firms Ltd are a significant employer on Portland directly employing 68 staff and indirectly a significant number more. The business has grown since its purchase from Hanson in 2004 through investment of £2 million in new buildings plant and machinery. The plant is reputed to be one of the most modern masonry factories in Europe. This should ensure long term employment. There are also plans to expand their existing factory site at Easton. Albion Stone work the Crown owned quarries as their tenants. The land ownership of the quarries is complex. There are 2500 individual ownership strips outside the Royal Manor Boundary, called Tithe Land. This complexity is a result of The Royal Manor being outside The Enclosures Act. The Tithes are unregistered and include ownership of the mineral rights.

Planning Permissions and the Quarries The Review of Minerals Planning Permission 1951 (ROMP) is still in force. There are only TWO tier planning conditions (these were based upon need for stone in the rebuilding of London): 1. All overburden removed must be put back into the finished quarry 2. No quarrying closer than 25ft to Public Highway The 1985 Development Boundary is still in force. In October 1999 the Government tried to make sense of complex ownership and undertook a review of mineral planning permissions. In February 2006 Portland Stone Firms Ltd submitted an Environmental Statement (11 Volumes) but W&PBC did not accept it and a stalemate ensued. In 2008 The ROMP Legislation revisions stalled because of lack of agreement. Since then a New Screening and Scoping Terms of Reference has been under preparation BUT to date there is no sign of it being completed. Future Development In terms of future development and the interface with on-going quarrying it should be noted that the quarry areas lie outside the development boundary on the Local Plan. On Portland it will always be important to sustain economic growth while recognising that the level of protection afforded to environmental assets at international level means that physical development is likely to be constrained. Recognising this, there is potential to manage the development of the quarry areas.

93 Portland Harbour Authority Chief Executive Steve Davies, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Tourism as a business opportunity Portland has potential to contribute to the functional role of the area as a tourism destination whilst also helping to meet local objectives – in terms of tackling pockets of deprivation on the Island, meeting needs for affordable and market housing, addressing the shortage of retail facilities and delivering elements of local economic strategies. The Quarries will play an important part in developing Tourism opportunities on the Isle. These issues are considered further under the Section for Arts, Culture and Tourism. Quarry related developments There are not enough attraction projects to get people off the ‘perimeter road’. The following is a list of projects at various stages of inception and development that are linked to quarry sites, some of which are visitor attractor projects: Caravan and Leisure Park at Coombefield Quarry - This is at the detailed planning stage. MINACK Project (Cf Cornwall) Outdoor theatre provision - This is at outline design stage. The Minack Theatre is the most famous cliff side open-air theatre in Britain, possibly in the world; from above it looks as though some wandering Greeks, two thousand years ago, had carved a theatre into the granite cliffs of Porthcurno, Cornwall. In fact, it was just under eighty years ago that there was nothing there except a sloping gully of gorse and heather and below that, the sea of the Atlantic Ocean. Durdle Pier was used to ship Christopher Wren’s stone to London. There is still a lot of evidence on the ground of those times. Searaiser – A wave power generation pilot project using ‘Seamills’. Invented by Devon engineer Alvin Smith, Searaser harnesses the almost constant power of ocean swells to create electricity on demand.94 MEMO95 is an educational charity dedicated to building a beautiful monument to species going extinct worldwide, together with a biodiversity education centre. Conceived as a continuous spiral of stone, it will be lined with the carved images of all 850 species to have perished since the dodo in the 17th century. - Full planning permission was granted in February 2012 following the unanimous vote of the local Planning Committee. It is now raising funds. a) Full planning permission was granted by the unanimous vote of the local planning committee in February 2012. 20,000 foreign journalists are expected in the UK for the Olympics this summer and the sailing events are taking place on the waters below our site. To celebrate securing planning permission the project will be launched for the international media on the island this summer. b) Timelines - Phase I, including the development of architectural design and business plan for the submission of the planning application, and pilot events and exhibitions to test the project with the public, has been completed. c) Phase II includes - the 2012 launch, further planning, project management and fundraising costs. It will run to December 2013 and has a budget of £500,000. d) Phase III: - construction of the memorial, education centre and further carvings will take up to 18 months. e) capital cost and business plan - The capital cost for constructing MEMO will be £20-25 million (there are two alternative plans for the education centre). It is anticipated that this will be raised from a mix of private, public, corporate and charitable funders. The site is being provided by The Crown Estate on a 99-year lease for a peppercorn. f) In order to achieve Phase I, funding totalling £150,000 has been raised from Dorset County Council and numerous ‘Founding Benefactors’ with significant additional gifts in kind from members of the design team and others. g) The business planning has been on the basis of a pay-for-entry visitor attraction with a top entry fee of £9. Arrangements whereby a top-up donation yields gift-aid on the whole entry price will produce revenue funding each year for local and international conservation projects. h) Annual visitor numbers are projected at 140,000 within three years of launch.

94 http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/our-green-energy/our-green-electricity/and-the-sea/seamills 95 http://www.memoproject.org/ Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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With a future operations budget of £1.2 million, the project is expected to create 20 permanent jobs on the island and diversify the tourism offer of the wider area.

Jurassica is a big and significant a project as MEMO. It has many similarities to the Eden Project in Cornwall but focuses on the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Jurassic Coast. Jurassica will bring to life the extraordinary scientific and cultural heritage of a coastline that is not only extraordinarily beautiful, but about which it may be fairly said was the birthplace of modern science. It is proposed to build a spectacular subterranean geological centre in a quarry on the Island of on Portland, a roughly circular pit around 100 metres across and 35 metres deep. The pit will be covered with a unique, lightweight, spider-web-like translucent roof that will be almost invisible from outside. The renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, whose work includes the Shard in London, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Pompidou Centre in Paris, has produced a series of preliminary design sketches for the spectacular structure. Visitors will ascend through a spiral of time that explains the prehistoric past of this extraordinary place. They will learn about the creatures of land, sea and air that populated the lost world of the dinosaurs. It is hoped that displays will showcase world-class fossils specimens held at the Natural History Museum in London and local collections and bring a hitherto neglected part of Britain’s scientific heritage into the spotlight where it belongs. Visitors will be able to see not only fossils, but animatronic sea monsters, robotic replicas of the gigantic marine lizards that patrolled the tropical seas of the Jurassic. Jurassica is in discussion with one of the world’s leading robotics company in Japan, which has produced award-winning robots that have been displayed in the Natural History Museum and elsewhere. This will be the first time that marine animatronics will have been created that will ‘swim’ in a real aquarium – a world’s first for Dorset. Jurassica will be very green, making use of a brown field site, solar panels to generate its own power and, it is hoped, reviving the park and ride scheme that was part of the Olympic transport system. Jurassica itself will generate 200 permanent jobs when up and running. It will take five years to build and cost circa £85M; a huge sum, but with the backing of the Jurassica Trustees and supporters, who include Sir David Attenborough, Sir Tim Smit and major players such as the Royal Society and even Mumsnet, Michael Hanlon believes this Dorset focused project will bring businesses large, small and micro together for the benefit of the county. The Quarrying and Environment Dilemma96 Much of the Island contains environmentally sensitive areas of international and national importance. The Island’s natural assets represent its most ‘unique selling point’ and any development would be required to respect its sensitive landscape. Virtually the entire coastal strip has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and forms part of the Island of Portland to Studland Cliffs a candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC). There is a general recognition of the importance for ensuring that quarries on the Island continue to be of value long after quarrying has ceased. With some quarries the aim is to restore sites in such a way as to maximise interest and create assets that deliver benefits to the local community and/or economy by creating greater potential for amenity, recreation tourism and education.

The World Heritage Coastline The purpose of the world heritage coastline, which is afforded International and National protection status, is to conserve the natural beauty of the coast including its coastal scenery, wildlife, historic, archaeological and geological interest and to improve public access to the coast.

96 Draft Destination Portland Report - Initial Feasibility Report Chapters - September 2006 Terence O’Rourke Ltd Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Development on or in proximity to the coastal strip will be required to conserve or enhance its natural beauty and not visually intrude views of the foreshore, skyline or along the coast. The community will oppose any development that could potentially undermine these key objectives. Local initiatives that enhance visitor’s enjoyment of the area, such as improving the coastal paths, are more likely to gain support from local residents. The ‘northern parts’ of the Island The parts of the Island to the north contain a number of quarried areas designated as SSSIs. These are protected due to their national geological importance, in particularly heir extensive, well exposed and accessible outcrop of the Portland and Purbeck Beds. The northern quarries could be retained for nature conservation and environmental / public access purposes, broadly speaking, in their present and restored form with public safety clearly being an issue. The Dorset Wildlife Trust has extended their management from King Barrow into Tout Quarry. Verne Common and other open areas directly surrounding Portland Prison are protected for their international and national importance; the aim may be to conserve their open, natural character.

The ‘central parts’ of the Island New development on Portland may be most appropriate on central part of the Island as these represent the least resistance in terms of planning policy and proposed local initiatives. The quarries may have potential for after uses which could provide recreational orientated amenities for both local people and visitors. Clearly any proposals relating to tourism, leisure and recreation-related development that ‘draws’ upon the Island’s natural and environmental assets encouraging activities such as trial walking, bird watching, horse riding, golf and water sports would generally be supported by local residents. There is potential scope for more commercial-orientated leisure and tourism development on this part of the Island along with some limited retail, employment and housing development. Any development in these areas will be required to respect existing neighbouring uses, particularly in the residential areas at Easton, Weston and Southwell.

The ‘southern parts’ of the Island Areas to the south contain significant landscape settings which contribute to the Island’s natural environment. The southern part of the Island could remain as an open natural undeveloped area, in view of the open landscape that is prevalent in this area and the manner in which it dips down towards Portland Bill and the sea. The sea cliffs of the southern part of the Island have the potential to be passed to the National Trust along the eastern side of the Island. The majority of the area is designated as heritage coastline to conserve the natural character of the area. Portland Bill, as the most southerly point of the Island, is considered to represent an important natural feature by virtue of its location, open sea views, lighthouse and visitor centre. It is protected as a ‘feature of national importance’ and will be resistant to any further development, as this would contravene the aim of conserving the quality of the environment.

Resolving the Quarries and Environment Dilemma A step change in the tourism sector is key to achieving sustainable development on the Isle, especially marketing Weymouth and Portland as an all year round tourist destination. This will require the provision of high quality tourist accommodation, catering and customer service and a range and quality of local facilities. Portland is a centre for activity based holidays which has the advantage of visitors being more likely to spend time visiting, as opposed to tourist ‘locations’ which are often associated with short visits (a couple of hours in the case of Portland Bill).

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Clearly any type of ‘local’ development that enhances the natural resource and promotes the heritage on the Island will have a much greater chance of gaining local support. However, this approach will not sufficiently address the low visitor spending and ‘day trip’ mentality of tourists that currently use the area. Additional development of a more commercial nature is needed to raise the profile of the area and ensure that tourists in the South West have a reason for visiting Portland. Currently Portland is loosing out economically and its natural environment remains hidden, remote and in several places poorly managed. Any new development will need to demonstrate its wider economic and social benefits to improving the current experience for visitors to the Island and also for local residents. Proposals should also address significant constraints placed on the Island by its sensitive environment and poor transport infrastructure links. At this stage, development proposals should not be ruled out providing they are:  Well sited  Good quality  Attenuate transport flows  Bring wider economic and social benefits. Development that encourages visitors to stay on the Island for longer periods will enable tourists to learn more about the Island and its natural assets which in turn will provide greater economic opportunities for the local economy and reduce traffic congestion and pollution associated with peak traffic flows. There is potential for some form of tourist / visitor attraction to add value to the existing experience of the potential three hundred thousand visitors to Portland each year, so that their length of stay on the island is longer and therefore the economic benefit is greater. Tourism related development should be very much “of the Island” and should draw upon its natural, environmental, and heritage assets.

Key Questions and Messages for the Neighbourhood Plan  To what kind of local economy should we aspire and how can it be made more sustainable?  Should Portland be viewed and treated as part of a wider employment market centred on Weymouth and Dorchester?  How can we help ensure that there is a continued supply of local jobs that will meet local employment needs and help increase prosperity?  What are the key growth sectors – in Portland terms?  Can we achieve an effective mix of economic development opportunities?  How can we ensure we have the right mix of land and buildings available to facilitate growth?  To what extent do we need to meet the aspirations of young people?  Is tourism development the answer?  How can we best make economic and environmental use of our quarrying legacy and the worked out quarries of the future?  To what extent does the low carbon sector, linked to wind, tidal and micro-power generation offer an avenue for sustainable economic growth?  How can we harness the area’s tourism potential to increase its contribution to sustainable economic growth?  What can we do to increase wage levels?  Potential of the high-speed broadband to stimulate new forms of local economic growth  Become more involved with the LEP and LNP to both influence their policies and provide knowledge of the economic strategy and development plans in adjoining areas  The relevance of an Economic Strategy for Portland to accompany the Neighbourhood Plan

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Gaps in our Knowledge  What are the economic strategy and development plans in adjoining areas and their implications?  What are the views and aspirations of local businesses?  What are the training needs?  Is there a hidden or localised under-employment problem?  How many jobs has Sailing Academy brought?  How does Portland Port intend to integrate their development plans into the needs of the local community?  To what extent the LEP attribute importance to this area as part of their overall strategy  What are the implications of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s long term view about Portland?  The Local Nature Partnership’s view on the Local Enterprise Partnerships strategies and policies, especially as they relate to Portland.(see Nature and Built Environment)  The true position on negotiations linked to agreeing a new Mineral Core Strategy (see Nature and Built Environment)  How do the quarry companies and landowners intend to integrate their development plans into the needs of the local community?

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Roads & Transport

Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence – Lines of Enquiry What are the unmet transport needs? How adequate is the public transport network and services? Travel How can motor transport use be reduced? and Transport What are the parking problems/issues? How can cycling be further encouraged and made safer? What improvements to the network and services are most needed? What are the existing pedestrian & vehicular routes and usage? Access and Are they safe? Circulation Are they adequate? Are new routes needed?

Community Consultation 2013 Some of the areas we have been told about Roads and Transport: Roads  The current network could be a constraint on development in particular tourism opportunities  For various reasons a bypass of Underhill is needed  20mph speed limits near schools  Safety of crossing in a number of areas particularly for elderly and vulnerable

Footpaths  Maintain and improve (where possible) existing network in particular ensure that a review of classification (footpath/bridleway/cycleway) is undertaken  Create additions to network and themed nature trails  Improve maps of local paths and involve Young people as Youth Rangers

Public Transport  The frequency and reliability of public transport was a concern  There was a need for additional routes to link to services and employment sites and the need to plan for these  A number of areas on the Island are not served and other types of public transport provision might be relevant to these  School provision should be separately contracted

Parking  Consider resident permits  Car parking extension of free or reduced charges for locals  Mixed views on whether additional car parks are needed or not  Parking on verges causes concern  Parking in certain areas creates narrowing and effects sight lines

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Strategic Context Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole ‘Local Transport Plan 3’ 2011-2026 states: “Our vision is for a safe, reliable and accessible low carbon transport system for Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset that assists in the development of a strong low carbon economy, maximises the opportunities for sustainable transport and respects and protects the area’s unique environmental assets.

What will achieving our vision mean for people in Dorset? • a greater choice of realistic alternatives to the car • people being able to make informed travel decisions, creating sustainable travel patterns • people walking or cycling for shorter distance trips out of preference, in attractive and safe environments • easy to use, affordable and convenient public transport • more efficient use of the car where it is the only practical choice • a well maintained, managed and resilient transport network - allowing people and goods to reliably get to where they need to go and keeping traffic flowing more freely • sustainable use of natural resources, supported by the latest technologies, which respects and enhances our unique environment”97

Research to inform ‘Local Transport Plan 3’ In order to inform the development of LTP3 Dorset County Council, as the Highways Authority, commissioned transport consultants Buro Happold to undertake an analysis of the road network and using accepted models to forecast future demand. This was them mapped against the likelihood of future funding, growth opportunities and Government strategy. The study was conducted in 2008/09 just prior to the recession. The analysis data was normally collected in neutral months February and November.

Method of Measurement (Ratio to Flow Capacity) Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFCs) is the relationship between the predicted volume of traffic travelling along a link and the theoretical capacity of a link (amount of road space available). A road can be deemed uncongested if the RFC is under 90% and if the RFC exceeds 100% delays are likely and the road is deemed to be congested.

The Portland Beach Road morning peak based on 2008 conditions was 94%

All projected scenarios following potential developments across Weymouth and Portland increased this figure to 133-134%. This included a single development of 200 units at Independent which included the impact on inbound commuting due to employment sites on the Island. Notwithstanding these calculation the strategy recommended an emphasis on sustainable transport options and included the abandonment of road building projects unlikely to be delivered by 2026 this included the ‘Western Relief Route’ (Lanehouse/Wyke By pass) and the Underhill Relief Road.

Measures to mitigate this potential congestion In order to mitigate increases the study recommended the following strategy for Weymouth and Portland: General Measures are: • Up to 2016, a strategy is adopted focussing upon tangible deliverables such as infrastructure improvements (mainly cycle-ways) and travel demand management measures (e.g. leaving car at home). This included improvements to Portland Beach Rd cycleway to make it wider. • Post 2016, a step-change in travel needs to be embraced and within the context of this strategy this includes conceptual schemes that set out the direction for future strategy development. (See below). • Land use measures, to encourage the use of public transport, cycling and walking, shorter journeys, and less frequent travel. These measures include higher densities, public transport orientated

97 Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Local Transport Plan 2011-2026, Bournemouth BC, Dorset CC, Poole BC, Apr 2011 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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development, mixed-use development, development located to achieve the full utilisation of the highway network and travel planning • Information provision, including conventional direction signing, coordinated public transport information, signage for cyclists and pedestrians, and variable message signing.98

Further immediate schemes during 2014/15 • Splitting of Portland Beach Rd cycleway to encourage inbound traffic via Osprey Quay and Outbound via Beach Rd (Victoria Square to Hamm Roundabout). • Feasibility study of alternative safe routes through Underhill to Verne Yeates area

Post 2016 Conceptual Schemes • High frequency public transport corridor, shuttle service and park and ride transport alternative to single occupancy car journeys. • Community exchange hub focus for travel choice • Improvements of urban cycle and pedestrian routes interconnectivity for local use and increased leisure use. • Rights of Way improvements to create locally significant, strategic, combined equestrian, cycle and pedestrian routes for local functional use and increased leisure use. • Support for the development of Waterborne Transport.

Portland Transport Assessment - Technical Paper (produced to inform the Local Plan and potential for development on Portland) Following continued local concern during the development of the Local Plan in particular following strong lobbying from Portland Port the planning authorities asked Dorset County Council to review the position in regard to Portland Beach Rd and Underhill. A Technical Assessment was produced in August 2012 calculated a capacity of the following: 1,200 – 1,300 per hour on the Portland Beach Rd 1,000 – 1,200 per hour (approx) - at Fortuneswell A comparator road of the Wimborne by-pass was used. The study recognised that summer peak numbers increased by 2,000 vehicle journeys per day from 16,000 to 18,000.

Due to the potential for increased traffic in Castletown and Grove areas as well as a loss of amenity sites any proposal would have to also justify the economic benefits overall to the Island.

Potential Differences with the Burro Happold Data On this basis the Buro Happold base calculation of 94% would produce a figure of 1,128- 1,222 for Portland Beach Rd.

The base line assessment shown in the Technical Study for Portland Beach Rd was 800 - 900 vehicles per hour. The assessment then tested the likely capacity on these roads following projected potential housing and employment developments. The conclusion was that, apart from the scenario which set out the maximum numbers, the road networks in the two areas could cover the potential increases.

On face value there appears to be a general level of inconsistency between these two sets of data which were constructed for different purposes. Given the various impacts on growth and potential projects it may be prudent to undertake a new study.

Car Movements and Mode Statistics An analysis of Census figures shows a general resilience to the use of cars between 2001 and 2011.

98 Weymouth & Portland Transport Study, Buro Happold for Dorset CC, Oct 2011 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Overview of Local Situations Road Network The Island is served by a single main A Road the A354 which terminates at Easton Square. All other roads on the Island including those from Easton Square to Portland Bill and return are recognised as C roads (unclassified). Both the Portland Beach Road and the section from the Verne Common Gate to Verne Yeates roundabout have no effective unmanaged alternative route in the event a transport disruption.

With the growth of the Osprey Quay Area and improvements to the Chesil Beach Centre more roundabouts and pedestrian protection areas have been created on the A354 (Beach Rd).

Main flows in Underhill are split between Fortuneswell and Chiswell with a one way system operating separating traffic to and from Tophill. Traffic in Fortuneswell dissects the main shopping and pedestrian area often in close proximity to one another.

Visitor traffic to Portland Bill (the most popular visitor attraction) is encouraged (by signing) to travel via Easton and Wakeham on the outbound leg and via Weston when returning.

Prison and Immigration Centre at The Verne and Grove are served by minor roads.

There has been a long held desire to by pass Underhill by creating a road around/through the Port and up the Incline Road to the Grove area. A new road would then have to be constructed through Independent Quarry and onto the Grove Road. Potentially by using worked out quarry sites there is an opportunity to create further distributor roads.

The recent storms have again highlighted the dependency of the Island on the Beach Road and with the Shoreline Management plan indicating ongoing and increased risk with a number of areas particularly around at the Northern end indicated as being subject to no active intervention . A local debate has started about raising the height of the road.

Road Deterioration A number of areas have recently been resurfaced in particular the road through Fortuneswell which reduced markedly the road noise from traffic. However the high levels of traffic coupled with the relative levels of HGV and Public Transport has meant that a number of these areas are already starting to show signs of wear.

Public Transport The No 1 service runs from Weymouth centre to Southwell via Fortuneswell, Easton and Weston. The service timetable is due to change from April 2014 and will now operate mainly at a 7/8 minute frequency from 5.30am to 7.00pm. Thereafter this changes to a 20 minute frequency until 11.00pm, with a new night bus extension on Friday and Saturday nights at a 30 minute frequency until 02.00pm. This service operates commercially (without direct subsidy). An analysis of modes of transport (see page 95) shows a high use of public transport. This would be consistent with the frequency and therefore opportunity.

The service route in Weymouth changed in 2013 to allow for easier transfer between services at the Kings Statute particularly the 10 service to Dorchester (Dorchester Hospital) after the withdraw of a hourly direct service between Portland and Dorchester by South West Coaches. The new route has created issues because it no longer serves the lower part of Weymouth Town centre on the inbound service to Portland instead travelling via Kings Street and Westwey Rd where a new and weather exposed bus stop has been established. This new routing particularly in the summer months means that the service gets caught up in traffic on the Esplanade, Kings St and Westwey Rd creating problems of inconsistency for the timetable. This is compounded because of the frequency of the service means that buses can quickly catch one another up.

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The existence of a high frequency service which travels through the core area of the Island is seen as a factor when reviews of various community services and facilities are undertaken.

As part of the Olympic Funding package investment was made in real time table displays at bus stops. The displays revert to scheduled times when the real time activation fails. Given the high level of investment against other options (e.g. development of smart cards) it is not currently proven that the displays have been effective in encouraging public transport use.

First Bus have recently reviewed their tariff arrangements into zonal fares as set out below First have recently reviewed their tariff arrangements into zonal fares as set out below:

Journey Adult Single Adult Return Child Single Child Return Anywhere in the Weymouth fare zone £1.80 £3.00 £1.20 £2.20

Weymouth fare zone to Dorchester £3.00 £4.00 £2.00 £3.00

Portland to Dorchester £4.00 £5.00 £3.00 £4.00

Portland to Weymouth £2.20 £3.50 £1.70 £2.50

Anywhere on Portland £1.70 £2.50 £1.20 £2.20

Portland to Lyme Regis £7.00 £8.00 £4.00 £5.00

Our day return tickets can now be used as many times as you wish within the zones that the ticket was purchased. For example: Adult Return for £5.00 or child return for £4.00 can be used from Portland to Weymouth on Service 1, to Chickerell and back on Service 8 and then to Dorchester and back on Service 10 and then finally back to Portland. First Week Weymouth Plus Prices Adult £16 First Week Portland Prices Adult £10 Child £7.50 First Month Weymouth Plus Prices Adult £55 A maximum of two children under five, travelling with an adult ticket or pass holder, are carried free when they do not occupy a seat to the exclusion of a fare-paying passenger. Additional children under five and all children aged five and under-16 are charged the child fare.

School Travel There is a large movement of pupils and students both within the Island and off the Island. Weymouth College offer an enhancement to the First service provision with an additional double-decker service direct to their campus at Cranford Avenue (one journey am and pm) However purchase of tickets then allows the students to make use of the existing First Bus network providing personal timetable flexibility; similarly, Thomas Hardye School at Dorchester for which First Operates a direct service 1A. Kingston Maurward College also offer a direct am/pm service but this is on a contract arrangement.

Other schools off the Island can be accessed directly by service buses (All Saints) or by transfer to other reasonable frequency services (Wey Valley/Budmouth 15 minute services from Weymouth centre).

On the Island there is a high degree of public transport use particularly from Underhill and Southwell to gain access to the Royal Manor site. This can cause tensions at peak times although the operator does put on additional vehicles.

As part of the siting of the Academy at Southwell proposals have been made for contract routes to meet the demand

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Service 501 During the high season service 501 operates to the Bill. This is a tourist service and it has a winding route in Underhill taking in the Sailing Academy and Portland Castle it also travels via Wakeham offering this area of Portland an hourly service.

Areas Not Served There are a number of areas on the Island which are no longer served in particular Castletown (Portland Hospital/ Doctor’s surgery, Foylebank) The Verne , Verne Common Estate, The Grove, Weston St and (apart from the high season) Portland Bill. A number of these were previously served but demand was insufficient. The recent changes to the status of the Verne Prison (to an immigration centre) and the YOI to a resettlement Prison may provide a new demand which could be built on.

There has been a call for a round the Island bus which would visit attractions and provide a service to these communities but this may require some form of development funding.

Other service improvements which have been suggested in the past are a redirection of the 1 service via Osprey Quay, a bus stop at the Chesil Beach Centre and a direct service to the Granby Industrial Estate as well as a restoration of the direct service to Dorchester.

South West Coaches still operate from the Tradecroft Estate but no longer run any services on the Island although do operate contract services for DCC involving Island residents.

Similarly DCC directly operate minibus services to the day centre at Fairfield which is open every weekday except Tuesday. These collect between 9am and 10.15 am and return normally between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.

Community Transport Island Community Action operate an 8-seater minibus and a small car which provide some level of service to the elderly particularly shopping trips to Tesco and journeys to the doctor’s surgery. They also now offer a linked service with Fairfield Day Centre with the DCC minibus dropping at an activity venue and the ICA minibus then taking the residents to the Day Centre. A care assistant provides continuity.

There are also other community based arrangements. A suggested proposal is that the school passenger flows to Southwell could now provide opportunities to be built on for both community transport and a round the Island bus route.

Trains The nearest station is at Weymouth. Historically there was a service from Weymouth which ran via the now named Rodwell Trail, Victoria Square and the east side of the Island into Easton. An extension for freight (stone) then ran on to Inmosthay. The carrying of stone was the main reason for the development of the service although passenger traffic also provided a useful income but with the development of the bus service and a more flexible HGV operation the line ceased due to competition.

The memory of the service, the continued existence of large parts of the track bed and the success of the Swanage Railway together with concerns about the level of HGV operation has fuelled ideas about re- establishing a line but this would require a level of investment which currently could not be proven.

Waterborne Transport For a number of years during the summer months a ferry service has operated from Weymouth to a jetty adjacent to Portland Castle.

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Part of DCC’s ongoing strategy is to look at waterborne transport particularly as a high season option. However this would have to be linked to visitor attraction management as timings even with the most efficient of ferry operation would not be attractive to be considered as a worker movement option.

Walking, Cycling and Horse Riding “Walking, cycling and horse riding have a valuable role in recreational and leisure trips, and in meeting local access needs. Existing strategic routes exist within the plan area including parts of the National Cycling Network (NCN). There is considerable potential to make horse riding, cycling and walking more attractive alternatives for short journeys, providing a healthy alternative option to the car. Such routes can also provide wildlife corridors and form part of a green infrastructure network.

There are opportunities to improve route connectivity, particularly in Dorchester, Weymouth and , Portland and out into the wider countryside, to bring about a comprehensive public rights of way route network, providing safe routes for regular and leisure trips. For example there is a lack of bridleways on Portland, and multi-user routes in West Dorset. there is a project to develop a multi-user route for walking, horse-riding and cycling along the redundant Maiden Newton to Bridport railway line. Where possible, we need to provide multi-user routes (those that can be used by walkers, cyclists and equestrians) and better integrate paths with the wider highway network and also with public transport and parking facilities. These opportunities will be explored with Dorset County Council as the local Highway Authority. POLICY COM 7. CREATING A SAFE AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORT NETWORK i) Development that generates significant movement should be located where the need to travel will be minimised and the use of sustainable transport modes including public transport, walking and cycling can be maximised. ii) Development should be located where the volume of traffic likely to be generated can be accommodated on the local highway network without exacerbating community severance. iii) Development will not be permitted where the residual cumulative impacts on the efficiency of the transport network are likely to be severe. iv) Development will not be permitted unless it can be demonstrated that it would not have a significant detrimental effect on road safety, or measures can be introduced to reasonably mitigate potentially dangerous conditions. v) The delivery of a strategic cycle network and improvements to the public rights of way network will be supported. Development should not result in the severance or degradation of existing or proposed routes. Where development degrades the attractiveness of a route, compensatory enhancements will be sought such that there is a net improvement to the public right of way network. Where development proposals provide the opportunity to significantly improve links within the public rights of way network, an appropriate link through the development will be required.”99

99 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended version, WDDC & W&PBC, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Cycleways The Portland Beach Road Cycleway has recently been upgraded and now forms part of a wider Cycleway network. This is part of the Local Sustainable Transport funding which has improved cycleways across the Borough.

It is proposed that when the roads in Osprey Quay are adopted by the Highway Authority an inbound route via the Hamm Roundabout will utilise the existing cycleway terminating at Portland Castle. Further signing either back to Victoria Square (for Chiswell) or via Castle Road to Fortuneswell and Tophill will be shown.

When New Road was realigned an opportunity was taken to form an ascending cycleway to Verne Yeates (Heights Hotel) at its top end. As cycling has increased the difficulties presented by the ascending section from Castle Road through Fortuneswell and to the New Road Cycleway has become more apparent. A feasibility study is now being considered to look at options however some of these are potentially constrained by environmental and archaeological concerns.

There are currently no specific plans for additional cycleways beyond the Heights area, apart from proposed cycleways linked to Portland Academy at Southwell Business Park in Weston Road and Reap Lane.

An option to a formal cycleway is to designate a path as a Bridleway with a possible consideration of a spinal route through the quarry areas with footpath only signing on paths known to be sensitive to heavier use.

Local Plan Design Considerations – Safe Environments The local plan sets out issues which should be taken into account when designing new development. The key priorities are: Consider FIRST - pedestrians then Cyclists, then Equestrians, then Public transport users, then Specialist service vehicles – e.g. emergency services, waste etc; Consider LAST - other motor traffic

Traffic Collision Statistics (Last Five Years) data DCC Explorer Whilst there have been only two incidents which have resulted in death there have been 24 serious incidents which are spread as follows: 5 on Portland Beach Road 2 In Underhill 6 Easton Lane 6 Weston/Westcliff 3 Southwell area 2 elsewhere in Tophill

Slight Incidents = 29 in Underhill and 35 in Tophill

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Car Parking General Overview The table below shows the level of local car ownership on Portland.

Portland Car or Van Availability 2011 % All Households 5,175 No Cars or Vans in Household 1,275 24.6 1 Car or Van in Household 2,450 47.3 2 Cars or Vans in Household 1,109 21.4 3 Cars or Vans in Household 257 5.0 4 or More Cars or Vans in Household 84 1.6 All Cars or Vans in the Area (Vehicles) 5,820 100

The lack of, or poor planning of, parking provision can have a negative impact on the public realm and highway functions. Over-provision and poor management can lead to the inefficient use of land. Under- provision can lead to congestion and clutter on the roads and related access problems.

The high level of car ownership coupled with narrow roads and a lack of off street parking presents an issue on the Island. Particular hot spots are Reforne, Southwell, The Grove and nearly all areas in Underhill. In order to alleviate Underhill the main two car parks at Fairfield Hambro and Lord Clyde are free for up to 72 hours continuous stay with most locals using these overnight However there remains capacity issues. Other car parks in Underhill are at Castletown and the Masonic but these are pay and display controlled by the Borough Council. The Grove residential area issues are compounded by the traffic to and from the HM Prison Portland with parked vehicles creating poor sight lines and narrowing. Similar issues occur in Southwell, which are compounded by the visitor traffic to Portland Bill.

The car parks at the Bill and the Chesil Beach Centre are managed by the Borough Council on a ‘pay and display’ basis. The landowner is the Crown who receives a rental fee. The Car Park at New Ground is currently free although there is discussion to introduce a pay and display arrangement to reflect that this is used mainly during the day by visitors.

Over the last few years the area of undeveloped ground at Osprey Quay opposite Portland Castle has been used as an informal car park and gathering area, providing an overspill for the Castle and collection point for passengers from the increasing number of Cruise Ship visits transferring to coaches for day trips further afield.

Town Centre Car Parking Policy Recognising issues that car park charges and parking enforcement can have on the viability of Town Centres DCC is currently consulting to inform possible policy changes. This includes taking on board a Town’s vision for the future.

Given the size of the community Portland is not recognised within the Local Plan as having recognised Town Centres and as such there are no specific strategies around developments in the traditional centres of Fortuneswell and Easton. The Osprey Quay area did have a designation of having retail outlets and there was a decision by Boots a few years ago to move out of Fortuneswell to here however this was strongly resisted by the Community and was never proceeded with.

A mixed view was expressed in the community consultation in Jan 2013 with both requests for more car parks and no more car parks with a further request for consideration of a local tariff in pay and display car parks particular in the winter. The availability of cheap/free parking has been recognised as a key element in attracting footfall balanced by vehicles parking without restriction which then tie up parking areas. Certainly signage improvements may help in Easton where there is an absence directing visiting traffic to the Tesco and Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Easton Car Park spaces. Consideration has also been given in the past for the creation of ‘village’ car park spaces.

Community Interchanges Local Plan policy is to create interchanges where local traffic, cycling and walking can work with public transport. The local plan calls for the development of sustainable tourism on the Island but currently outside of use of the existing Park and Ride facility at Mount Pleasant in Weymouth there is no recognition of a more local hub adjacent to the Island. The flat area of Osprey Quay given the flooding risks would appear to be an area where this may be a possibility.

Speed Limits and Clearways and Bus Stops In order to ensure that traffic remains free flowing a number of sections of the roads on the Island have been designated Clearways. This includes sections of the Portland Beach Rd, New Road, Easton Lane, Wide Street, Southwell Rd and the road to Portland Bill. In tandem with this a number of the sections on the Island have designated 40mph limits with the normal 30 mph limits in built up areas. There are currently no 20 mph limits although the consultation in January 2013 asked for consideration of these near schools. Similarly requests have been made for a 20 mph limit in Fortuneswell. Traffic calming measures have been introduced at Reforne and Reap Lane and in the area of Easton Square in conjunction with the establishment of Tescos.

The positioning of some bus stops together with the frequency of service can create some minor traffic build up. Some bus stops particularly in Weston and Easton which do not have bus lay-bys can also create sight line issues. Buses can also have difficulty in negotiating the Southwell area due to parked cars and some tight bends.

Academy As part of the proposal to have the main site of the Academy at the Southwell site, a number of improvements to pathways and the highway have been proposed. This includes some minor junction realignment. There is a general concern that the analysis of the road network and the likely volume of car use has been not fully though through and will create additional congestion and road issues.

Transport & Travel Statistics

Portland Cars and Traffic- Source 2011 Census (parish data) with no cars or Area vans in h’hold 1 car or van 2 car or van 3 car of van 4 or more England 25.6% 42.2% 24.7% 5.5% 1.9% Dorset 15.%% 43.5% 30.2% 7.8% 3.0% Portland 24.6% 47.3% 21.4% 5.0% 1.6% 2001 Census 25.5% 50.2% 19.8% 3.5% 1.0% Diff 01-11 -0.9% -2.9% 1.6% 1.5% 0.6%

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Portland Comparison of Travel Mode 2001-2011100 (source Census ONS via DCC) 2001 2011 No. % No. % All people 16-74 in employment 5,660 5,886 People who work mainly at or from home 423 7.5% 233 4.0% Tram, train or bus 731 12.9% 681 11.5% Motorcycle, moped ,scooter 134 2.4% Driving a car or van 3,030 53.5% 3,498 59.4% Passenger in car or van 393 6.9% 352 6.0% Taxi or minicab 27 0.5% Bicycle 137 2.4% 161 2.7% On foot 726 12.8% 874 14.8% Other 59 1.0 87 1.5%

Annual Average Daily Traffic – Portland Beach Road101 Year 1983 1990 2002 2012 Nos 12,900 16,500 15,600 15,800 % change 22% (83-12)

Portland In and Out commuting including internal (on Island movements) 2001 Internal commuters In commuters Out commuters Net commuting Portland 2457 1402 3208 -1806

Analysis 2001-2011 In general whilst there has been a small decrease in the number of households with a car this is has been offset by the number of households which now have more than one car. Even so the number of households with at least one car is higher that the figures for Dorset and England. In 2001, at a ward level, Tophill West had the highest ownership whilst Underhill the lowest.

There was a 6% increase in car use between 2001 and 2011 with a slight reduction in public transport.

Overall, the annual daily count figures for the Portland Beach Rd between 1983 and 2011 shows a 22% increase.

100 Census Office of National Statistics via Dorset CC 101 From Dorset CC Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Key Questions and Messages for the Neighbourhood Plan  Can we reduce regular car usage by local people?  How can we manage and improve the footpath and road networks in the light of public sector budget cuts?  What role is there for park and ride?  Have we got sufficient car parks?  How can we encourage non-car travel?  Can we develop a safe cycle route network on the Island?

Gaps in our Knowledge  Current condition of footpath network and any agreed improvements  Accuracy of traffic flow information with anomalies in different sets of data  Traffic-modelling against potential developments  Up-to-date travel to work distance patterns  Viability of road network options  Any car parking strategies coming from review

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Community & Social Facilities

Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence – Lines of Enquiry How far do people have to travel for different services? Who are the local service providers? Everyday Services How do people get to the services? How easy it is? Do existing services have the capacity to cope with a larger population? What additional services do people think should be provided locally? Are schools currently over or under capacity? Do they have the potential to grow? Education Is the area served adequately for further and higher education? What are the unmet needs for education facilities and services? Are young families adequately catered for locally? Young Families Do they have the support and facilities that they need? Is the right level of care/services available that enable older people to stay put? Elderly Care What are the main issues for the elderly living in this community? Do young people have the facilities that they need to meet and develop? Young People Do young people feel safe? Are their particular young persons’ issues and/or discontents? Is there a demand for more facilities and services from young people?

Services Many of the day to day services a community require are available on Portland (as illustrated by the table below); although the choice for several is limited. It could be argued that being so close to Weymouth is both a benefit, for access to more and a wider range of services; and a dis-benefit as its proximity serves as a disincentive to being located on Portland for some, particularly public, service providers on Portland.

Services Available on Portland - January 2014 Service: Portland? Service: Portland? A hot meal at lunchtime  Garage services  A&E Dorchester Garden centre Weymouth Ambulance Weymouth Hairdresser  After school club  Hospital (non-emergency)  Bank  Internet access  Blood test  Job search/advice Weymouth Cash-point  Library  Cemetery  Museum  Crematorium Weymouth Non-vocational education  Charity shop  Petrol/fuel  Chemist  Photo-copies  Citizens Advice  Police Weymouth Clothing  Pub  Coffee shop/cafe  Recycling  Borough Council office Weymouth Secondary school  Day centre  Solicitor  Dentist  Stationery  DIY materials  Summer play-scheme  Doctor  Supermarket  DVD hire  Take-away food  Electrical goods  Theatre  Estate agent  Tool hire  Faith/Worship  Travel agent Weymouth Fire & Rescue  Vet  Farmers’ market  Wedding reception  Furniture  Youth club 

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Local Plan Local Community Buildings and Structures - local neighbourhood shops; - post offices; - banks and building societies; - cafes, restaurants and public houses – especially where there are only one or two locally; - petrol stations; - education and training facilities, pre-school centres and other children’s services; - doctors’ surgeries and dental practices, day-care centres, hospitals and other healthcare/social service facilities - meeting places such as community halls and places of worship - cultural facilities, such as arts centres; libraries and museums

Policy The provision of community facilities is important for the social wellbeing of the community. The need for additional facilities is likely to arise through the plan period due to growth in homes and employment. Local shops, facilities and services should be able to develop and modernise for the benefit of that community. Such facilities will be directed towards the town or local centres, depending on their scale and the area served. Development in open countryside will require special justification, and may be considered favourably if part of a farm diversification project. Policy COM 2. New or Improved Local Community Buildings and Structures i) Proposals for new, replaced or improved local community buildings or structures will be permitted providing the proposal is within or adjoining an existing settlement, or where it involves the re-use of rural buildings, provided that: - The proposal would be well-located to be accessible to its main catchment population and would not generate significant additional single purpose trips by private car transport; and - The proposal would not undermine the commercial viability of nearby community facilities which may be better placed to service the needs of the surrounding community ii) Regard will be had to the desirability of concentrating new community buildings and structures in settlements, especially where new housing development is permitted, and also ensuring that, where practicable, the design allows for a range of current and future uses.

The Retention of Existing Local Community Buildings and Structures The loss of valued local community facilities and services can significantly reduce a community’s ability to meet its day to day needs and will also have an adverse impact on the social interaction and wellbeing of that community. Proposals which would result in the loss of a community facility must demonstrate that efforts have been made to retain the facility and that opportunities for conversion to alternative community uses have been explored. Evidence submitted should typically include: - Details of how the property has been marketed, the length of time that the marketing was active and any changes during this period, and the asking price - Details of the level of interest generated and any offers received - What consultation there had been with local community groups / service providers on possible alternative community uses In considering proposals that would result in the loss of local community facilities, the councils will take into account what other facilities and services are available locally, and whether there are proposals to consolidate that service into a community facility hub. Where proposals relate to the conversion of shops or other bespoke premises, the retention of elements which would allow a range of future uses, such as shop front features and separate upper floor access, should be considered where practicable. Policy COM 3. The Retention of Local Community Buildings and Structures i) Planning permission for proposals, including change of use, which result in the loss of local community buildings or structures (including sites which were most recently used for this purpose where the use has ceased or the building has been demolished), will not be permitted unless: - it can been demonstrated that there is no local need for the facility or that such a facility is no longer likely to be viable, and - an appropriate alternative community use to meet local needs is not needed or likely to be viable.

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Community Assets The rationalisation of services and the recession have left a number of ‘service’ buildings empty and at risk. The community on Portland has already recognised the risk this trend presents to future service delivery. No 79 Fortuneswell, Portland, the privately owned Old Post Office, was nominated as a community asset to be included on the list of community assets maintained by the Borough Council, under the Localism Act 2011 and The Assets of Community Value (England) Regulations 2012. This means that If the asset comes up for sale, long term rent or assignment, the nominating body can trigger a pause of up to six months in order to raise money and bid to buy the asset. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council has received notification from the owner of the Old Post Office that the property is for sale. This means that from 17th December 2013 an interim moratorium existed for a 6 week period effective from this date during which the owner cannot enter into a contract to dispose of the property. During this period, any community interest group can notify the Council of its intention to bid for the asset under the above legislation.

No other Portland building or site has yet been nominated for the community Asset register although there are several worthy candidates. Several are resultant from the recent re-organisation of the education service on Portland.

Community Consultation 2013

What we have been told about services on Portland:

 We should be seeking the creative re-uses of existing buildings under threat for community services, such as Underhill School  Libraries should be protected and extended  We need more and better public lavatories

Education The island is currently producing around 140 children per annum that require education provision of some kind from the age of two upwards.

There are several pre-school groups on the island. Those listed on the Dorset County Council’s Family Information Service are as follows:

Portland Pre-school Provision 2013 capacity per session Little Dragons 26 St Georges Primary School, Clarence Road Haylands 40 The Static Hut, St Georges Primary School Jumping Beans 26 Weston Community Hall, Weston Road, Weston Southwell Smiley Faces 26 Longstone Close, Southwell

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Portland Children & Young People by Age, 2011 Age: No. % Age Under 1 137 5.0 Age 1 159 5.8 Age 2 138 5.1 Age 3 158 5.7 Age 4 116 4.3 Age 5 133 4.9 Age 6 149 5.5 Age 7 156 5.7 Age 8 147 5.4 Age 9 128 4.7 Age 10 127 4.7 Age 11 117 4.3 Age 12 139 5.1 Age 13 158 5.8 Age 14 150 5.5 Age 15 142 5.2 Age 16 140 5.1 Age 17 144 5.3 Age 18 189 6.9 2727 100.0

Education provision on Portland was transformed in September 2012 when The Island of Portland Aldridge Community Academy (IPACA) was opened. It is jointly sponsored by the County Council and the Aldridge Foundation. It has brought together five Portland schools, the Grove, Brackenbury and Underhill, Southwell and Royal Manor Arts College. It is a non-selective, non-fee paying, co-educational state school providing education for young people aged 4 – 16, together with foundation stage units including nursery and reception age children.

Reflecting the unique resources and position of Portland, the Academy specialises in environmental science and in sports science. It also places particular emphasis on ‘entrepreneurship’ – with the ambition of “giving students the confidence to achieve whatever they want in life”102.

IPACA is sponsored by educational charity The Aldridge Foundation, which aims “to help young people to reach their potential and contribute to improving their communities”.

IPACA inherited a challenging education agenda that was highlighted in a County council education report: “Portland suffers from high levels of social deprivation amongst many of its population and is one of the most deprived areas in Dorset, with Fortuneswell being the single most deprived area in the County. In this context we need to address a number of barriers:  High percentage of NEETs - over 12%  Highest teenage pregnancy rate in Dorset of 54 per 1000  High proportion of white working class boys liable to underachieve  Major health issues on the island (obesity, drug/alcohol dependency etc)  No pre-nursery (0-3) provision in Underhill and very limited across whole Island  High levels of domestic violence - 465 in 2006  Historically low aspirations - very little experience of Higher Education among families on Portland

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 Fragile family structures  Low levels of literacy and numeracy on entry to school  Historically low achievement  Low basic skills identified by employers  Recruitment difficulties among all schools on Portland  High level of Special Educational Needs among all year groups We want to increase education’s influence, and therefore educational attainment, so we have to work more effectively in partnership with all relevant agencies to improve the social and environmental factors. ”103

IPACA currently operates across four campuses at:  Osprey Way (newly opened)  Underhill  Royal Manor  Southwell IPACA has ambition to consolidate in fewer and newer accommodation. It applied for planning permission for a new Southwell Park campus in 2013. The campus would be created largely from the conversion of existing buildings, Maritime House, on Southwell Business Park. The campus “would initially cater for students between 3 and 16 years old, with the main school buildings divided into houses or “schools within schools”, and a separate section for early years children from Nursery to Year 3, with its own entrance and play areas. The vision is to introduce post 16 options following the move to the news campus. Plans submitted included:  a performing arts theatre  heated swimming pool  a new sports hall  specialist sports, art, drama, music, science and environmental science facilities  cutting-edge computer facilities and new technology to support learning  a dedicated zone to support enterprise for students and the community As well as first class educational facilities, the Southwell Park campus would offer a range of after-school activities, which could also be available out of school hours for local residents and groups, opening up new resources for the wider community.”104

The 2013 IPACA planning application divided opinion on the island; after debate the Town Council decided to object to the application. The Borough Council concurred with the substance of the Town Council’s objection. The reasons it gave for refusing the application reflect these objections: “WP/13/00101/FUL 2- Reasons for refusal: 1. The poor and unsustainable location of the proposed school means that it would not integrate into the existing community and there would be no reasonable prospect of this changing in the future. As such the proposal is contrary to Government policy expressed through paragraphs 38, 70 and 72 of the National Planning Policy Framework. 2. The poor and unsustainable location of the proposed school will result in a level of traffic that would have significant implications for highway safety and a loss of residential amenity in Sweet Hill Road and Avalanche Road, contrary to: (a) paragraphs 32 and 34 of the National Planning Policy Framework; (b) Weymouth & Portland Local Plan policies D3 (General Development Criteria) and T6 (Providing Safer Environments); and (c) Draft West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan policies ENV 16 (Amenity) and COM 7. (Creating a Safe and Efficient Transport Network). 3. Activity within the grounds of the school will impact negatively upon the Site of Nature Conservation Interest within the site leading to a net loss of bio-diversity, contrary to the objectives of: (a) the National Planning Policy Framework; (b) Weymouth & Portland Local Plan policy N16 (Sites of Nature Conservation Interest,

103 Dorset County Council report 2009 104 IPACA website Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Regionally Important Geological Sites and Local Nature Reserves); and (c) Draft West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan policy ENV 2 (Wildlife and Habitats). 4. The proposed sports hall lies outside of the development boundary for Portland and will intrude into an important open gap between Southwell Business Park and Southwell itself. This will have the effect of causing the two developments to coalesce, contrary to the objectives of: (a) the National Planning Policy Framework; (b) Weymouth & Portland Local Plan policies D1 (Development Boundaries) and D3 (General Development Criteria); and (c) Draft West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan policies SUS 2 (Distribution of Development) and ENV 13 (The Design and Positioning of Buildings). 5. The proposal will lead to a loss of employment contrary to: (a) the National Planning Policy Framework; (b) Weymouth & Portland Local Plan policy E2 (Retention of Employment Sites and Premises); and (c) Draft West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan policies ECON 2 (Protection of Key Employment Sites and COM 6 (The Provision of Education and Training Facilities).”105

This application was subsequently appealed and IPACA has been granted planning permission. It hopes to be up and running in Southwell by September 2015.

St Georges Primary School on Clarence Road, Portland opted not to join with IPACA. 95% of the school’s parents in 2010 voted to retain the separate primary school facility and against the “all-through” concept behind the Academy. St Georges is an independent Foundation School. It currently has a school population of 209 girls and 214 boys aged 4 to 11. It does work closely with IPACA. Pupils from St. George’s are able to apply to enter IPACA at Year 7.

St George’s very recent Ofsted inspection summarised the school as follows:  “The school is larger than average when compared to all primary schools.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding provided by the government for pupils entitled to free school meals, those in care, and those whose parents are in the armed forces) is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with a disability or special educational needs supported at school action is similar to the national average, whilst the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is much higher. The school has a higher than average turnover of pupils.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British origin.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for  pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.” 106

105 Refusal of Planning Permission, letter to applicant, Weymouth & Portland BC, 4 Jul 2013 106 Ofsted Report, Jan 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Local Plan Background “There are no overall proposals for major change to [the current] pattern. However this will be kept under review as the introduction of academies or free schools is assessed. The County Council wishes all schools to be successful so that parents can have access to an excellent local schooling without the need to travel great distances to alternative provision. Current school facilities generally meet the needs off the local area. However, future residential development can put pressure on existing facilities. Some schools will have capacity to accommodate an increase in population while others will require additional accommodation or complete re-provision. There are also currently circumstances where a school is not full, but the educational infrastructure available is sufficient only for the pupils in the school. Where new (or continuing) housing proposals do emerge, it is expected that new pupils will be catered for through the expansion of existing provision. This provision may include the need for new or additional pre- school provision as necessary. Where appropriate the allocation of land to enable schools to be built or extended has been made a requirement. The Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) provides the most up to date picture of current schools provision and where site specific needs have been identified. Information is also included in the appendices to the background papers on the site specific chapters.” Policy For the purpose of this plan, education and training facilities includes pre-school nursery provision, schools and colleges of further education (whether provided by the local education authority or independently), work-based learning and skills training and adult and community learning centres. It may also includes cultural learning that can be is provided through arts centres, visitor centres, libraries and museums. Within the plan area, Dorset County Council is the local education authority and therefore the key agency responsible for delivering education. Good education and training facilities are key to making sure that our local workforce has appropriate skills and training, and that young families want to live in the area. Schools and colleges also play a key role in bringing the community together and providing facilities that the local community can use. It is important that there is adequate provision for pupils reasonably close or accessible to where they live. Where new homes are built, any additional demand for education and training will need to be catered for through the expansion of existing education provision. In some cases this may trigger the need for substantial changes in how the service is provided. New homes will be expected to contribute towards enhancing education facilities where these are insufficient to support the development. This may include contributions or the allocation of land (or both) to enable facilities to be built or extended. Policy COM 6. The Provision of Education and Training Facilities i) Proposals for the provision of new/replacement facilities or the expansion of existing education and training facilities will be supported, provided that: - The location is well linked in terms of accessibility to the local catchment (taking into account how this may change through the development of strategic housing sites); and - Any loss of facilities consequential to the development is re-provided to the same or higher standard.

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Community Consultation 2013 What we have been told about Education on Portland:  There needs to be closer connection between education and training and the businesses on the Portland  We should increase post-16 education opportunities on Portland  We need to develop relevant apprenticeships on Portland for our young people  We should encourage higher education providers to consider siting a facility on Portland e.g. for marine, biology or geology

Young Families Outlooks Children's Centre on Castle Road, Portland is run by Action for Children, who work in partnership with Dorset Sure Start and other agencies to provide services for families in the local community. The centre is one of a cluster of four Children's Centres based in Weymouth and Portland, which includes The Mulberry Children's Centre in Weymouth town centre, Bincombe Valley Children's Centre and Westham Children's Centre.

Across the cluster, a wide variety of services are provided for families with children under five years and expectant parents. Activities include:  Baby groups, including baby massage, weaning advice, signing and breastfeeding support groups  Play and learn sessions for all  Toddler groups with songs and rhymes to encourage early talk  Groups for families with children who have additional needs, young parents, childminders and families with twins/triplets

Outlooks Children’s Centre was designated in March 2007. Governance is provided by Action for Children on behalf of Dorset County Council. The centre operates as part of a cluster model alongside Mulberry, Westham and Bincombe Children’s Centres in Weymouth and is in an area which is within the top 30% most disadvantaged. Its reach area covers the whole of the Island of Portland and the Wyke Regis area of Weymouth. The centre offers the full range of core services and early year’s provision is commissioned through a local private provider. The centre also provides on-site crèche facilities for parents attending activities and training. The local population is mostly White British families with much smaller but growing percentages of other minority ethnic groups. The area has few employment opportunities and a high proportion of families are dependant on low incomes or workless benefits. Typically, children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills just below those expected for their age, particularly in relation to their communication, language and literacy skills.107

107 Ofsted Report, Jun 2011 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Portland Families with Children 2011 No. All Families in Households 3,579 No Dependent Children in Family 2,136 One Dependent Child in Family; Aged 0 to 4 20 One Dependent Child in Family; Aged 5 to 11 167 One Dependent Child in Family; Aged 12 to 18 312 Two Dependent Children in Family; Youngest Aged 0 to 4 205 Two Dependent Children in Family; Youngest Aged 5 to 11 199 Two Dependent Children in Family; Youngest Aged 12 to 18 107 Three or more Dependent Children in Family; Youngest Aged 0 to 4 148 Three or more Dependent Children in Family; Youngest Aged 5 to 11 88 Three or more Dependent Children in Family; Youngest Aged 12 to 18 12 Total Dependent Children 2,548

Family Support The island has the service of the Weymouth & Portland Locality team, which offers ‘early intervention’108 support. Its Vision: “To improve outcomes for children, young people and families, with a particular focus on those who are vulnerable, by developing and delivering early intervention services.”

It offers families, children and young people: • Targeted individual support to child/young person • Delivery of evidence based parenting programmes • Individual support to parents • Access to positive activities • Open access youth work • Support to children/families experiencing difficulties with school attendance • Promotion of a positive school experience • Assistance with transitional periods in a child’s life • Help to set-up and sustain support groups • Out-reach work in rural locations • Signposting and/or referral to specialist agencies • The identification of needs within the local area and the empowerment of communities to make positive changes.

The general trends and the likely focus of future early intervention are addressed in the County Council’s recent state of the county review. As regards the county’s children it said: “Early intervention to tackle issues such as child poverty, child development and health will help address issues of health and well-being in the long term. Identifying problems early and intervening effectively to prevent their escalation is essential if we are to support children and their families successfully. There is a strong evidence base that early intervention has benefits not only for the children and families involved but for communities generally because it reduces social problems and is generally more cost effective. It will be important in the future to ensure that services that are available to all children and families play a part in building resilience and identifying those most at risk of poorer outcomes later on, and that our resources are targeted where they are needed most to respond to risk and vulnerability.

108 Early intervention means providing integrated support and services to children and families as soon as problems emerge or when there is a strong likelihood that problems will emerge in the future. Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Coming together to place families at the heart of the services we deliver will lead to greater coordination of service delivery and improved outcomes. Evidence suggests that smarter working with the whole family leads to improved outcomes and better value for money. It is recognised that some children and their families will require on-going support so it is important that there is a continuum of services that can meet the needs of more vulnerable groups over a longer period of time…… ………..In Dorset, it is estimated that there are around 15,800 children and young people with a mild disability and 5,600 with a severe disability. While the overall number of disabled children in the local population is not increasing, there is a rising trend in two areas – an increase in the number and life expectancy of children living with assisted technology and/or life limiting conditions and complex health needs and an increase in numbers of children and young people diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder”.109

Young People Youth Workers are also part of the Weymouth and Portland Locality Team. They work with young people aged 11 to 21 (up to 25 for those with additional needs) with an emphasis towards 13 to19, and provide a range of positive, educational, developmental activities and targeted youth support. Youth centres are based at:  Portland Area Youth and Community Centre, Royal Manor Arts College, Weston Road  The Drop In (partnership with the Methodist Church) Easton Methodist Church, Reforne  Islanders Club for Young People (partnership with ICYP110) East Weare Road

Elderly Care & Wellbeing 16% of Portland’s population was over the age of 65 at the time of the last census in 2011. As with most communities in the UK the number and proportion of elderly persons is forecast to increase. The latest projections associated with the Local Plan forecast the number of person 65+ to increase by 84% to nearly 4,000 persons by 2031. It is possible, according to the County Council’s latest projections111, that by 2013 almost 30% of the population of Portland could be over 65. With life expectancy continuing to increase, the demand for services will certainly be greater. However as the proportion of active and independent elderly also increases then future service delivery will need to adapt.

Portland Elderly Residents 2011

Total Residents 12844

Age Bands %

Age 60 to 64 903 7.0

Age 65 to 74 1,175 9.1

Age 75 to 84 679 5.3

Age 85 to 89 171 1.3

Age 90 & over 80 0.6

3,008

Recent figures for health and life expectancy in Weymouth and Portland112 suggest the area compares favourably with national statistics, with an average life expectancy at 81.7 years for females and 76.4 years for males.

109 State of Dorset 2013, Dorset County Council, 2013 110 ICYP = Islanders Club for Young People 111 Unpublished ward level projections based on 2007-11 demographic and migration trends, Dorset CC, 2013 (see page XX) 112 The Community Plan for Weymouth & Portland 2008-2016 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Dorset County Council’s ‘State of the County’ report in 2013 discusses the implications of an ageing population on resources and service delivery. “With a high proportion of older people and life expectancy in the county amongst the highest for the UK, the pressures on services for older people are ever increasing. Health, social care, housing and support options will all need to respond to this challenge with access to services being a particular issue in rural areas. In addition, a major shortfall in the number of people willing and able to work in the care industry is presenting a huge problem to providers, including agencies, establishments and hospitals. As the number of older people grows, the number of individuals with a long term illness or disability will also grow with increased demands for care and support. The proportion of people with dementia roughly doubles for every five year age group: with extended life expectancy, the likelihood of developing dementia or severe cognitive impairment will increase. Low levels of dementia diagnosis may mean that some individuals and their families struggle to access the support they need. Sensory loss (visual and hearing impairment) increases with age and becomes a debilitating problem for many.” 113

The Health and Wellbeing strategy for Dorset echoes the state of the county report. The ageing population of Dorset will present a number of challenges for the future; in particular potential increases in demand for social care (community and residential based services), supported housing need and the need to take account of the increasing impact of chronic disease. The impact of population ageing will depend on whether older people are enabled to remain independent and remain in good health for longer.114

Local survey data from 2008 has been used to quantify the self reported housing need of older people and this has been mapped compared to the proportion of the older people in each area. The highest current needs are dispersed across Dorset and include urban and rural areas. Weymouth & Portland falls in the top quintile for both these indicators (see fig. 12 below115) Figure 12:

The County Council is committed to keeping people in their own homes as long as possible and providing the support services that are necessary, but within a very restricted public sector budget.

“Dorset County Council is working with partners including NHS Dorset and voluntary organisations to support people to stay healthy and independent for as long as possible and lead full and active lives.

113 State of Dorset 2013, Dorset County Council, 2013 114 Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Dorset, Dorset Health & Wellbeing Board, 2013 - 2016 115 Extra Care Housing Strategy 2014-2021, Dorset County Council, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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During 2009 over 4,000 older people took part in an consultation exercise which asked them what they thought they needed to help them to achieve a healthy and active older age and what currently prevented them from doing this. The consultation found that older citizens in Dorset want to:  Feel secure and safe  Feel free from discrimination  Be socially integrated and not isolated  Make a positive contribution and experience fulfilment as a result  Have dignity, choice and control throughout their life  Be in good health in mind and body  Have housing suitable for individual needs  Feel financially secure”116

However the County council is operating within restricted budgets and is seeking innovative and cost effective methods to provide support at a local level.

“’Pathways to Independence’ is a new programme which will review, reform and redesign adult social care services. New models of care will be designed, in line with Government policies, to promote health and independence, increase choice and control, and reduce the need for long-term services by maximising the impact of our investment in prevention and recovery work. DCC wants to provide information and advice to help people stay healthy and take responsibility for their own care needs; integrate services, wherever possible, particularly with the NHS (through the 'Better Together' project); give the public input into service changes, and create realistic expectations about the levels of support the county council will provide in the future. Overall, DCC needs to reduce the demand for social care, while ensuring that services deliver the best outcomes for the public, meet statutory duties and make the best use of resources. The current system and culture is not sustainable, given the scale of financial reductions. The programme will achieve this through a variety of means, including:  more use of assistive technology, such as telecare  develop prevention and community support services, for example building on the successful POPP programme for older people  move older people and people with learning disabilities away from residential placements to community supported living accommodation, where appropriate  extend the use of direct payments and personal budgets to give service users more choice, supported by ' care navigators' to help them make the best use of their money  develop a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC), which can provide quality residential, nursing, respite, day care and reablement services for self-funders, raising income and enabling savings to be made”117

116 Ageing Well in Dorset, Dorset County Council, 2009 117 Pathways to Independence, Dorset County Council, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Portland GP Surgeries - Summary 2012/13118 Royal Manor PCT Eng &W (%) (%) (%) % aged 0-4 6.0 5.0 6.0 % aged under 18 20.9 18.2 20.8 % aged 75 and over 7.9 11.4 7.7 % aged 85 and over 2.1 3.7 2.2 Deprivation Score (IMD119) 25.5 17.4 21.5 Income deprivation affecting children 23.0 15.9 21.8 Income deprivation affecting the elderly 14.0 14.6 18.1 % with long-standing health condition 56.3 57.7 53.5 % with health problems in daily life 54.4 48.0 48.7 Disability allowance claimants (per 1000) 60.7 41.4 48.3 % that would recommend practice 72.7 86.0 79.9

Community Consultation 2013 What we have been told about health facilities on Portland:  The current health facilities and services are close to capacity  A national health dentist is needed 

118 Practice Profiles, Network of Public Health Observatories, Sep 2013 119 IMD= Index of Multiple Deprivation Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Crime & Safety

The most recent crime statistics for Portland are as follows120:

Portland Summary of Recorded Crimes 2011/13 ASB Burglary Robbery Vehicle Violent Other Total Nov/Jan14 88 18 0 10 34 Jul/Oct13 35 7 2 3 22 34 103 Jan/Jun13 179 32 3 30 87 211 543 Jul/Dec 12 245 18 7 20 103 194 587 Jan/Jun12 324 26 1 18 128 222 719 Jul/Dec 11 349 25 4 18 106 222 724 Jan/Jun11 296 31 3 23 81 285 719

Other Drugs PDW CD&A Shoplifting Other theft Other Total Nov/Jan14 6 10 8 11 1 Jul/Oct13 32 13 32 33 25 11 146 Jan/Jun13 37 21 40 39 54 7 198 Jul/Dec 12 24 21 41 46 50 12 194 Jan/Jun12 28 31 59 39 56 9 222 Sep/Dec11 11 8 38 35 32 7 131

Fig. 14

120 From https://www.ukcrimestats.com/ Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Portland & Dorset Recorded Crimes May 2013-Jan 2014 Eng & Portland Dorset Portland Wales % of No. % No. % % Dorset Anti-social behaviour 20,059 45.4 319 48.6 37.8 1.6 Criminal damage & arson 4,289 9.7 100 15.2 8.0 2.3 Violent crime 4,087 9.2 90 13.7 1.1 2.2 Burglary 3321 7.5 39 5.9 6.7 1.2 Other theft 3,928 8.9 36 5.5 12.4 0.9 Vehicle crime 2,839 6.4 32 4.9 3.4 1.1 Shoplifting 2,573 5.8 17 2.6 5.6 0.7 Drugs 581 1.3 8 1.2 9.2 1.4 Public order 624 1.4 7 1.1 1.8 1.1 Bike theft 1,078 2.4 3 0.5 1.7 0.3 Possession of weapon 106 0.2 2 0.3 0.4 1.9 Other crime 187 0.4 2 0.3 2.3 1.1 Robbery 119 0.3 1 0.2 9.1 0.8 Theft from person 428 1.0 1 0.2 0.8 0.2 44,219 100 657 100 100 1.5

Crime and safety issues in ‘hotspot’ housing areas are a significant theme in the new Joint Housing Strategy for Weymouth and Portland and West Dorset. Fortuneswell North on Portland is identified in the Strategy as having “hot-spots” or high risk locations often have significant clusters of RP housing”.121

Dorset County Council’s Vulnerable Localities Index (VLI) is based upon a methodology developed by the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science (University College London). It has identified 17 of Dorset’s top 20 highest VLI scores are located in Weymouth & Portland, including Fortuneswell North.

121 Joint Housing Strategy 2014-19 West Dorset District Council & Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Key Questions and Messages for the Neighbourhood Plan Services  Portland is not self-sufficient in services  Local residents would like to see more services delivered locally and more choice Education  IPACA is seeking additional spaces  More varied further and higher education opportunities on Portland would be welcomed Young Families  Early intervention at a community level is important Young People  Young people’s services are under threat Elderly Care and Wellbeing  The population is ‘ageing’  Old people are staying active for longer  The care needs of the frail elderly are changing  More capacity in local health services is required  Local authority investment will be limited and focussed Crime & Safety  How can we plan so as to help reduce crime and safety issues

Gaps in our Knowledge Services  The potential for community-led delivery and enterprise  The suitability of existing buildings and potential of other buildings and sites

Education  The development plans of the local education institutions

Young Families  Are facilities and services on Portland adequate for current and future needs?

Young People  How well existing facilities and opportunities serve the needs of local people?  What do young people think about exiting facilities and what more do they want?

Elderly Care and Wellbeing  What the service providers and carers think

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Leisure & Recreation

Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence – Lines of Enquiry What leisure facilities and opportunities are there? Are leisure facilities and spaces well used? Leisure Are leisure facilities and spaces fit for purpose? What opportunities are there for sport? Where are they? What are the gaps and un-met demands?

National Planning Policy Framework122 states that “Existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land, including playing fields, should not be built on unless:  an assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space, buildings or land to be surplus to requirements; or  the loss resulting from the proposed development would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location; or  the development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the needs for which clearly outweigh the loss Planning policies should protect and enhance public rights of way and access. Local authorities should seek opportunities to provide better facilities for users, for example by adding links to existing rights of way networks including National Trails. Local communities through local and neighbourhood plans should be able to identify for special protection green areas of particular importance to them. By designating land as Local Green Space local communities will be able to rule out new development other than in very special circumstances.”

Existing Facilities & Opportunities

Portland Recreation Venue Activities Clubs based there Brackenbury Centre Aikido 2nd Portland Scouts Drill Hall Army Cadets Former Library East Street Amateur Boxing Grove Corner Football Portland United Portland Youth FC Masonic Hall (car park) Skatepark Osprey Leisure Centre Badminton Boscawen Lifesaving & Rescue Club Swimming Weymouth Canoe Lifeguards Water Polo Weymouth & Portland Water Polo Club Keep-Fit Weymouth & Portland Octopush Club Scuba Inter Scuba Martial Arts Fathom & Blues C Waves Underwater Explorers Shotline Martial Arts Network UK Tornadoes Weyport Masters Osprey Quay Sailing Chesil Sailability Windsurfing Parasurfing

122 National Planning Policy Framework, DCLG, HM Government, 2012 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Gig rowing Portland YMCA, Reforne Gymnastics Portland Red Triangle Cricket Club Taekwondo, Royal Manor Athletic Club Indoor Football Badminton Disco Cricket Zumba Karate Pilates Circuit Training Yoga Road Running Table Tennis Royal Manor Arts College Athletics 5-a-side football Tennis Korfball St Georges Centre. Reforne Yoga Sea Cadets Keep-fit Tai Chi Martial Arts Victoria Park Outdoor Bowls Portland Victoria Bowling Club Tennis Skate boarding Weston Community Hall 1st Portland Scouts Weston St Playing Fields Football Harlequin & Weston Sports (all ages) Harlequin Wyke Hammers (under 11)

Children’s Play Facilities on Portland123  Church Lane, Avalanche Road, Portland - a small play area suitable for up to 12 year olds  Easton Gardens, Easton Square, Portland - a medium sized play area suitable for up to 12 year olds nearby and close to shops  Portland Bill, Portland - a set of junior swings only within a large open space  Pound Piece, Portland - a very small play area suitable for up to 10 year olds  Reap Lane, Portland - a small play area suitable for up to 8 year olds on large open space  Sweethill, Sweethill Lane, Portland – a medium sized play area suitable for up to 16 year olds on open space  The Grove, Grove Road, Portland - a very large play area suitable for all age groups and includes a fenced ball court and soccer pitches on the adjoining sports field  Victoria Gardens, Fortuneswell, Portland - a small play area in Victoria Gardens, with tennis courts and bowling green, suitable for up to 12 year olds  West Weares, Fortuneswell, Portland - a ball court and set within a large open space overlooking Chesil Cove suitable for up to 14 year olds  Westcliffe, Grangecroft Road, Portland - a small play area suitable for up to 10 year olds

The public leisure and recreation facilities and opportunities on Portland were last fully assessed in 2007124. Much of this assessment is likely to be out of date because of action that has been taken as a response to recommendations, the recent impact of the Olympics, and the provision of new facilities. The 2007 assessment found that Portland’s recreation offer was deficient in a number of ways:

123 From https://www.dorsetforyou.com/parks-and-countryside/play-areas/weymouth-and-portland 124 Open Space, Sport and Recreation Assessment: Final Report, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, 2007 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Portland Recreation Facilities Assessment 2007 Facility/Amenity Summary Assessment Parks and Gardens There are “catchment gaps” at Weston, Southwell, Grove, East Fortuneswell “New provision is required equating to up to two sites of 1ha each.” Semi-Natural There are “catchment gaps” at Fortuneswell, Easton, Weston, Grove, Southwell Greenspaces “New provision is required equating to up to two sites of 0.66ha each of natural and semi natural greenspace.” Amenity Greenspaces “Weston - Investigate increasing site 156 by up to 1 ha to increase its catchment area to fill the gap. North Fortuneswell - Investigate increasing site 170 by up to 1 ha to increase its catchment area to fill the gap.” Provision for Children Fortuneswell - Increase site 43.1 (Victoria Play Area) from a LAP to a NEAP to meet & Young People gap. Allotments, Catchment Gaps at Fortuneswell, Easton, Weston, Southwell Community Gardens Required 70 plots (1.75ha) Beaches “Traffic and/or pedestrian management between Chesil Beach car park and Ham Beach could be improved. Ancillary facilities at Chesil Beach car park are generally in poor/adequate condition.” Sports halls “The quality of 4 badminton courts sports halls on Portland is poor.” Multiuse halls “With the notable exception of Portland Bill, virtually all residents of the Borough live within a 5minute drive time of a village, church or community hall. “ Swimming Pool “All local residents potentially live within a 15 minute drive of a full size, 25m swimming pool available for casual swimming” Fitness facilities “There is an adequate supply of fitness facilities in the Borough.” Squash courts “Three disused, glass back courts (with spectator seating) at Osprey Leisure Centre. A 15minute drive time usually associated with this type of facility indicates that parts of Portland” Indoor tennis “There are no bespoke, indoor tennis courts in Weymouth and Portland.” Indoor bowls “There are limited opportunities (particularly during the winter) for casual play” Football pitches “There is a perception that there are insufficient grass pitches (particularly mini and junior) in Weymouth and Portland.” Cricket pitches “The length of lease available to Portland Red Triangle Cricket Club limits its eligibility for grant aid to improve/develop facilities.” Rugby union pitches No Portland Reference Hockey sites No Portland Reference Outdoor bowling “There is a members’ only, recreational outdoor bowls club and green at HMYOI, greens Portland. There are, however, no bowling greens available for ‘community use’ in Portland” Outdoor tennis courts “Victoria Gardens, 2 courts, condition good” golf course No Portland Reference Athletic facilities No Portland Reference Water sports “Retention of Weymouth and Portland’s ‘competitive’ advantage will require sustained updating (and increasing where necessary/possible) of harbour ‘support’ facilities to meet changes in demand. There is expressed demand for additional moorings in Weymouth and Portland harbours, which could be satisfied by planned marina developments in Weymouth and Portland Harbour. “

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The 2008 Community Plan for the Borough found little to criticise in the provision of sports and recreation facilities in the Borough as a whole. It was much more concerned to increase “participation by people of all ages in sport, play and leisure activities” – and saw the “the 2012 Olympic Sailing events served as a catalyst for improvements in the Borough, bringing in investment, business and creativity, as well as the recognition that this is a special place to be. The Cultural Olympiad put the Borough on the map with the creative industries and the area is now regarded as a centre for creative talent, training and opportunities. The event has enabled us to make sustained improvements to life in the Borough and achieve a change in the cultural image which we can build on long into the future”125

The up-date of the Community Plan took place in the aftermath of the Olympic Games. The up-dated Strategy announced: “We are maximising the opportunities presented by the hosting of the 2012 Olympic & Paralympics Sailing events and Cultural Olympiad to provide a wealth of high-quality outdoor and cultural activities. The Borough is known as a hub for creative and innovative working which has had real benefits for our communities. Aims  To actively seek funding opportunities and secure investment into the Borough  To explore and facilitate new ways of working between agencies and promote examples of best practice for the benefit of the local community  To support and facilitate high-quality outdoor, sporting and cultural activities, building on the excitement and engagement developed through the Cultural Olympiad and 2012 Olympic Sailing & Paralympics Sailing events  Ensure that the full cross-section of our communities have opportunities to engage in cultural and sporting activities in the area”126

Osprey Leisure Centre The Osprey Leisure Centre at Castletown is the main indoor recreation venue on Portland. It is open to all and operates on a pay-and-play basis with no membership requirement. The centre's facilities include a 25 metre swimming pool, 3 squash courts, a fitness suite, dance studio and a main hall accommodating activities such as badminton and 5-a-side football. It is owned and run by a charity, the South Dorset Community Sports Trust Ltd (Charity Reg. 1101711). The need for improvements is recognised by the trustees and several are planned: “Several major projects are planned for the forthcoming year but we have been fortunate to have had some nearly new flooring donated to us as a legacy from the Olympic Games which has enabled the male changing rooms and corridor to be covered whilst we utilised spare tiles to carpet the main thoroughfare and both classrooms giving a much fresher and non military look to the first impression created when arriving at the centre. Mention has already been made of the improvements concentrating on reception, the three gym areas and the spinning room and the next financial year will see the catering facility open, improvements to the female changing area and more unseen work down in the basement plant room to reduce costs to utility expenditure. It is a challenge not only to build reserves but to marry this mission with the need to keep making improvements but we have successfully done so over the last few years and must keep doing so in order to satisfy greater customer expectation. 2013/14 was an excellent year for grant income as not only was the award of £50,000 obtained from Sport England but a developer contribution of approaching KI00,000 was deposited with the Trust to make improvements to the centre for the community in lieu of the land lost when the 'Olympic Village' was built on public open space.”127

125 Your Place, Our Future, The Community Plan for Weymouth & Portland, Weymouth & Portland Partnership, 2008-2016 126 The Community Plan for Weymouth & Portland 2013-2016, Weymouth & Portland Partnership, 2008-2016 127 Report of The Trustees, South Dorset Community Sports Trust Ltd for year ended 31 March 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Recent Investment in Sports and Recreation The main source of recent funding has been the National Lottery. The following local projects have attracted funding over the past five years:

Grant amount Distributing Portland Recipient Project description Grant date (£) body

This is a project by a community organisation in £9,843 28/05/2013 Big Lottery C-Waves Diving Weymouth and Portland. The group will use the Fund funding to purchase scuba diving equipment….

Royal Yachting Major Event £175,000 30/01/2012 UK Sport Association

South Dorset Creation of better access and a cafe and gym facilities £50,000 12/01/2012 Sport England Community Sports Trust Ltd

Portland Gig Rowing Get Fit and Rowing £10,000 01/12/2011 Sport England Club

This is a project by a registered company in Portland, £8,960 11/05/2011 Big Lottery Dorset. The group will use funding to provide Fund C-Waves Diving snorkelling sessions to explore the local surroundings…..

South Dorset This charity in Portland, Dorset, will use funding to £7,838 01/03/2011 Big Lottery Community Sports purchase equipment for its leisure centre. This will Fund Trust Ltd increase the number of users at the centre….

Royal Yachting Major Event £175,000 01/03/2011 UK Sport Association

This is a project by a community group in Portland, £1,200 02/11/2010 Big Lottery To Be Free Community Dorset. The group will use the funding to run a Fund Support Group programme of sailing and raft building activities….

This project in Portland, Dorset provides services and £198,858 14/09/2010 Big Lottery Island Community activities for older people. Tutor led exercise and Fund Action fitness classes and activities….

Sail for Gold 2010 Major Event £225,000 29/01/2010 UK Sport

Royal Yachting Major Event £225,000 27/02/2009 UK Sport Association

Weymouth and Chesil Beach Centre redevelopment £582,900 11/12/2008 Heritage Portland Borough Lottery Fund Council

Royal Yachting Major Event £50,000 02/12/2008 UK Sport Association

2008 Sail for Gold Major Event £90,000 08/05/2008 UK Sport Regatta

Weymouth and Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy £63,561 09/01/2008 Sport England Portland Sailing Academy (WPSA)

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Community Consultation 2013 What we have been told about leisure and recreation facilities and opportunities on Portland:  More varied and adventurous play opportunities for children  Parks need better and more facilities  Underhill is under-provided with usable open space  There is a need for more opportunities for teenagers  More green community spaces would be welcomed  Osprey Leisure Centre needs improvements

We also have the benefit of recent work done with the community at Underhill. According to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, Underhill is one of four wards in the Borough (along with Westham, Melcombe Regis and Littlemoor) that fall within the top 20% of the most deprived communities in the country. ‘Working with You’ was set up by the Weymouth & Portland Community Partnership to target “these priority communities within the next Community Plan period. Between January and June 2013, community consultations took place in the four priority wards in order to clarify the priorities for each community to inform the ‘Working with You’ programme. Consultations took the form of drop-in sessions, community lunches, business breakfasts and a school parent’s evening. These events have been taken into account, along with the results of other recent consultations, such as Portland Neighbourhood Plan, ‘Big 4 Littlemoor’ and the Local Plan. This information is being used to develop a partnership action-based programme of work looking at short, medium and longer term targets, the roles of various partners and how projects can be effectively financed.”128

The resultant Underhill Action Plan has identified a number of priorities for action that would improve the leisure and recreation ‘offer’ for younger children and families (TA proposals) and for young people (LE proposals) in particular: “TAFP8. Soft Play  Proposal to establish a Soft Play facility on Portland to increase the local play provision for young children and reduce the need to travel TA5. Life’s An Adventure  3 year programme to encourage greater participation in sports and physical activity in Weymouth & Portland; programme includes climbing, kayaking, sailing, canoeing, windsurfing, cycling, skateboarding and more TA6. Dorset Disability Sports Hubs  Programme to provide an opportunity for ages 14+ to adults who are disabled to have increased opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity HFP2. Toddler Swimming  Due to the depth of Osprey Pool, families have said they would like access to shallow pool to help young children learn to swim and build confidence; explore possibility of using outdoor school pool at IPACA Junior School for community use when weather permits HFP3. Access to Swimming  Affordable/ free taster sessions for children and adults who are unable to swim LE1. Portland United Youth Football Club  Proposal to transfer the asset to the community to enable greater community use  Plans to improve changing facilities at the Club to enable greater community use and better quality local facilities

128 Community Plan for Weymouth & Portland 2013-2016, Weymouth & Portland Community Partnership, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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LEFP1. Community Hub – Junior School & Brackenbury  Proposal to re-use school site as a community hub, to incorporate variety of uses, such as Children’s Centre, Elderly Care Centre, GP Surgery, Health Centre, Library, Bank, Independent Living Centre. LEFP2. Play Spaces  Need for improved play facilities in Victoria Park and other sites in Underhill, e.g. East Weares LEFP5. Osprey Leisure Centre - Development Plan  Work to be commissioned on a Development Plan for the Leisure Centre and identify potential funding streams to enable expansion greater community use; to include feasibility study for soft play facility, climbing wall and changing room refurbishments LEFP7. Portland - Access to nature maps  Project to create improved maps of local paths, nature sites and walks on Portland, and links from Underhill.”129

Standards of Provision The emerging Local Plan recognises the need to ensure that all parts of the Borough have acceptable access to a range of leisure and recreation spaces. Table 6.1 in the pre-submission version of the local plan sets out what are considered to be the “expected standards of community infrastructure provision”130.

Type Main towns (2,500+ Large villages (500+ population) population) Parks, gardens and recreation grounds All areas within 600m of a local park or 1,200m of large park. Outdoor sports provision Provision for football, Provision of adult and junior pitches and tennis court / cricket, rugby, hockey, MUGA within 2km of the neighbourhood centre. bowling and tennis within 2km of the town centre, sufficient to demonstrate a minimum of 2ha hectares per 1,000 population or that local teams are able to play at relevant times. Community venue / Indoor sports halls Community venue/s accessible to all, of a good standard, able to accommodate arts performances, indoor sports and local meetings, and in 600m walking distance of most of the population. Leisure centres Indoor leisure centre with n/a multi-purpose sports hall within 15 minutes drive time of most of the population Swimming pools Swimming pool within 15 n/a minutes drive time of most of the population Young people’s play areas At least one Neighbourhood At least one Local Equipped Areas for Play within 400m Equipped Area for Play and walking distance from the centre. facilities for teenagers, such as a skate park and MUGA, within 1km of the centre. A Local Equipped Area for Play within 600m walking distance of the remaining areas Allotments and community gardens Sufficient provision of sites to meet minimum standard of 0.20 hectares per 1,000 population (or higher where there are waiting lists), located within 1km walking distance of most people’s homes.

129 Working with You, Underhill Action Plan 2013-23, Weymouth & Portland Partnership, 2013 130 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan Pre-submission, WDDC & W&BC, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Natural and semi natural One 20ha natural A natural greenspace of at least 2ha in size within 1km of greenspace greenspace within 2km of the area the town. A natural greenspace of at least 2ha in size within 1km walking distance of most people’s homes

Local Plan Policies The Weymouth & Portland Local Plan addresses the need to retain existing open space and recreational facilities: “Some development on open spaces, such as buildings for changing facilities and clubhouses, may improve the recreational and amenity value of that open space. However proposals that will result in the loss of facilities will normally be resisted. This is because of the value and availability of land in accessible locations in built up areas, which means that open space and facilities can be extremely difficult to replace. For this reason, such facilities should normally be retained, and consideration also given to re-using them to meet other needs for recreation in the wider community. There will be certain circumstances where the retention of such facilities is not the best option. The ongoing viability of a recreational use and changes in types of recreational needs in an area are also important considerations. Marine-based recreational facilities are given the strongest protection due to the limited opportunities for alternative facilities along the coast. Some areas of local green space may also be protected due to their contribution towards a wider green infrastructure network, as outlined in Policy ENV 3.

Policy COM 5. THE RETENTION OF OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES i) Development on, or change of use of open spaces of public value and recreational facilities (including school playing fields), will not be permitted unless: - The development proposed is ancillary to the use of the site and the proposal will either support or improve the recreational and amenity value of the site or does not adversely affect the number, size or quality of playing pitches or their use, or - The proposed development is for an indoor or outdoor sports facility, the provision of which would be of sufficient benefit to the development of sport as to outweigh the detriment caused by the loss of the open spaces and recreational facilities (including school playing fields), or - Alternative and/or suitable replacement outdoor or indoor provision of equal or better recreational quality or value is provided in a location which is suitable to meet any deficiency in provision, and/or better placed and accessible to the surrounding community it serves, and there is a clear community benefit, or - It can be demonstrated that the open space, buildings or land are surplus to requirements and there is no need for alternative open space of public value or recreational uses which could reasonably take place at the site. ii) Existing marine based recreational facilities should be retained”131

As regards new facilities the Local Plan says: “The need for additional recreation facilities is likely to arise through the plan period due to growth in homes and employment. The use and upkeep of some of these facilities, such as sports pitches and harbours, can also lead to a demand for associated buildings and structures, including car parking and maintenance facilities.

Where it is practicable, the councils will encourage these facilities to provide multiple benefits, to make the most efficient use of the land. For example, open spaces can perform a number of functions (recreational,

131 Chap 6 - Community Needs And Infrastructure, W. Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan Pre-submission, WDDC & W&BC, 2013

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126 amenity, wildlife, flood mitigation, food production), and sports centres can be made available for local arts performances or community groups meetings. The provision of new facilities should normally be focused in places where they are most accessible to the population they serve. However some may be dependent on specific factors (such as access to water or the countryside). Development away from settlements will require special justification and may be considered favourably if part of a farm diversification project.

New homes are occupied by people who are likely to use public open space and sports facilities from time to time. The requirement to provide new or improved recreational facilities will apply to most new homes. This will be delivered through Policy COM 1.” (see below).

Policy - COM 4. NEW OR IMPROVED LOCAL RECREATIONAL FACILITIES “i) Proposals for new or improved open space or recreation facilities will be permitted provided that: - The proposal would be well-located to be accessible to its main catchment population and would not generate significant single purpose trips by private car; and - The proposal would not undermine the commercial viability of nearby community facilities which may be better placed to service the needs of the surrounding community ii) Proposals for recreational facilities away from settlements in the coast or countryside will only be permitted if they require a coastal or countryside location and their scale is in keeping with the surrounding environment. Such proposals must not be intrusive in the landscape or cause unacceptable impacts to local amenity or through increased vehicle movements. iii) Proposals to enhance water sports or marine based recreational provision will be permitted, subject to the protection of any land and maritime nature conservation in the area and potential impact on the existing use of the recreation facility.”132

Policy - COM 1. MAKING SURE NEW DEVELOPMENT MAKES SUITABLE PROVISION FOR COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE “i) Where new development will generate a need for new or improved community infrastructure, and this need is not met through the Community Infrastructure Levy, suitable provision should be made on-site in larger developments or, if not practicable to do so, by means of a financial contribution. The provision should be appropriate to the scale and needs of the development having regard to: - existing facilities in the area, including the quantity and quality of provision - the economic viability and the need for the development - the ongoing maintenance requirements ii) Community infrastructure will be phased to come forward in advance of, or at the same time as, the development when negotiated through planning obligations. When delivered through the Community Infrastructure Levy, such provision will be expected to take place as soon as reasonably practicable after the funds are collected. iii) Contributions will not be sought from new community facilities or affordable housing, with the exception of site-specific measures necessary to make that development acceptable.”133

The Olympic Legacy The reality of the ‘sailing, sporting, arts and cultural legacy’ that was promised for the Borough has, according to the Borough Council’s website, resulted in the following direct benefits for Portland:  “New sailing facilities and improvements to harbours.  Worldwide coverage of the Olympics and Paralympics. This put Weymouth and Portland on the map as the world's leading sailing centre

132 Chapter 6 - Community Needs And Infrastructure, W. Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan Pre-submission, WDDC & W&BC, 2013 133 Chapter 6 - Community Needs And Infrastructure, W. Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan Pre-submission, WDDC & W&BC, 2013 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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 The expansion of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. This makes it an even more attractive place to host elite sailing competitions. The Royal Yachting Association's Sail for Gold contest was held here in June 2013. The academy is also used by the local community, which benefits from having first class facilities on its doorstep  A new sailing school and windsurfing training centre at the academy  A new Royal Yachting Association training centre at Osprey Quay  A new £25 million marina and marine workshops, built partly to serve Olympic preparations and services  Improvements to Weymouth Harbour including new pontoons, marine equipment, new showers and a better harbour reception  Chesil Sailability an RYA sailing group was set up and offers the opportunity to sail for people with disabilities”134

Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy The WPNSA pre-dates the Olympic bid, having started operations in 2000135, but it has undoubtedly benefitted from a successful bid and subsequently very successful Games in 2012. The key facilities available at the National Sailing Academy Osprey Quay, Portland include: “Outside Facilities:  2 dinghy slipways (220m width in total) accessible at all states of the tide  125 pontoon spaces for event mooring, deep water vehicle launching slipway, soft rigging area for windsurfers. Disabled access points on pontoons via personal hoists, 3 fixed cranes for boats up to 4 tonnes  Fully submersible boat hoist for boats up to 16 tonnes/4.5m beam Storage for members for dinghies, keelboats and powerboats Long-term storage and winterisation for yachts and powerboats  Overnight parking for campervans/caravans (with hook up points to electricity) available for those using the WPNSA facilities during events  All facilities are fully accessible to wheelchair users and those with other types of disabilities  Electronically-controlled access gates and extensive CCTV system in operation  Space for corporate entertaining, media centre, marquees etc  Our parking areas provide approximately 700 parking spaces Inside Facilities:  Full disabled services including lifts at both ends of the building, disabled changing/shower rooms and a ramp into the dinghy park  First Aid/Medical Suite  Extensive changing facilities with toilets, showers/changing rooms and a drying room  WPNSA Cafeteria opens every day serving hot and cold snacks and drinks  Meeting rooms of various sizes  1 Boardroom with sea views for up to 15 people  6 small lecture/meeting rooms for up to 20 people  3 large lecture/meeting rooms including the Gym  “Spinnakers” Function Room with a fully-licensed bar and catering facilities. Capacity of up to 150 people

134 www.dorsetforyou.co.uk 135 “When in 1999 in as announced the Royal Naval Air Station on Portland was to be closed, when in 1999 it was announced that the Royal Naval Air Station at Portland was to be closed. A group of local people established a not-for-profit company to take the vision of a national centre of excellence for the sport of sailing forward and with the support of the Royal Navy, the Royal Yachting Association, the South West Regional Development Agency, Sport England and all the local authorities in the area, this idea started to take shape. The Academy started sailing operations on the site in March, 2000.” (http://www.wpnsa.org.uk/history-of-wpnsa/)

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 Event hall with a licensed bar and catering facilities and a capacity of up to 450 people. Can be used for exhibitions or sporting events”

The Wider Leisure Agenda The main focus of this section has been the leisure and recreation needs and opportunities for those that live on Portland. There is however a wider agenda that has been recognised for many years i.e. the leisure and recreation potential of Portland that could serve and attract visitors. Not only are there significant economic benefits that could accrue from exploiting the Island’s potential, the additional leisure and recreation opportunities would also provide for a much more varied and stimulating ‘offer’ and opportunities for local people. The National Sailing Academy is a prime example of this.

The potential for leisure development on Portland was the subject of a major study in 2006. The study included a review of the potential for all of the quarries and other key sites that were deemed ready for redevelopment at the time. Of all the sites that were examined it concluded that the following had the greatest leisure development potential:  “Coombefield Quarry - the quarry interior that offers the greatest potential as the site for a Watersports Hotel with a Thalassopy Spa and associated Water-park. In addition a Jurassic Zoological Garden could be constructed linking directly to the areas heritage.  Kingbarrow Quarry - The site could form part of the Portland Quarry Trail.  Rotor One Site -The site could include a visitor centre dealing with the military history of the Portland especially due to its proximity to the High Angle Battery. Part of the Destination Portland concept is to develop a range of sports facilities that would be a legacy of the London Olympics. Although the ideal location for a 'sports-hub' would be at Osprey Key accessed off of Portland Beach Road however, a site for some of these sports to be undertaken would need to be provided. The Rotor One site could provide this function.”136

The key leisure developments mooted by the 2006 study (largely un-realised) were: “Jurassic Zoological Garden . …. if a site was offered on Portland in exchange for enabling development consents (e.g. residential), a public or voluntary sector led initiative might result. The second possibility is a private sector initiative seeking a site for a dinosaur-themed visitor attraction. For either potential partner to consider Portland it will be necessary to demonstrate that a suitable site, with improved access (and market reach) is available. Hotel Waterpark - there are a number of water park hotel operators in the United States who could be approached. It would be necessary to prepare some form of prospectus describing the site, setting out the market opportunity, etc. With leisure consent in place the site could be marketed as a general leisure development opportunity with instructions to market the site to waterpark hotel operators.”

The Borough Council and Future Provision Fast looming however is the results of a review of the Provision of Sports Facilities in Weymouth and Portland by the Borough Council. A consultation document leading to a new strategy for 2013-18 was published in January 2014. The Borough Council has stated that “the Strategy is needed in order to guide the future management, enhancement, rationalisation or decommissioning of the borough council’s sports facilities. The Strategy should also consider the council’s ‘position’ with regard to the provision of sports facilities for the community, and how it can best help to sustain levels of physical activity in the borough.”137

It does recognise how important sport and recreation are: “there is good evidence that sport and physical activity provide physical and psychological health benefits, contribute to reductions in crime and anti-social behaviour, have economic benefits and play an important role in improving social cohesion.”

136 Destination Portland, Terence O’Rourke Ltd, 2006 137 Sports Facilities Strategy 2013-2018 Consultation Draft, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, Jan 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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It provides statistical evidence to show how sports participation has increased nationally and locally138. “Estimates provided by Sport England from its Active People surveys (based on wards) indicate that the areas with lowest levels of adult participation in sport and active recreation in the Borough are Portland and the wards of Westham East and Westham West. The highest levels of participation can be found in the Preston ward.”

Adult (16+) Participation in Sport (at least once a week) by year Year W & Portland South West England 2005/06 29.4% 33.8% 34.2% 2007/08 40.1% 35.5% 35.8% 2008/09 34.3% 36.3% 35.7% 2009/10 33.8% 35.5% 35.3% 2010/11 31.6% 35.7% 34.8% 2011/12 36.9% 36.2% 36.0% 2012/13 39.5% 35.4% 35.2%

Top 5 Sports in Weymouth & Portland with Regional and England Comparison Sport W & Portland South West England No. (000s) Rate No. (000s) Rate No. (000s) Rate Cycling 6.4 13.0% 428.0 10.0% 3,486.0 8.3% Swimming 5.4 11.0% 546.1 12.7% 4,870.4 11.6% Football 3.4 7.0% 259.1 6.0% 3,018.2 7.2% Athletics 3.0 6.2% 301.7 7.0% 2,915.7 6.9% Gym 2.8 5.7% 367.4 8.6% 4,475.7 10.6%

“The Borough Council has focused much of its community development activities on the four most deprived wards in the borough (Melcombe Regis, Westham, Littlemoor and Underhill). Recent consultation activities in [Underhill] has identified community aspirations and concerns across a range of issues, and those that are most relevant to sport and recreation are Underhill  Access to play and sporting facilities featured highly in the consultations.  Victoria Park in a very poor condition and East Weares (play equipment had been removed without community consultation). Victoria Park is a key community space in the area (particular with new Officer’s Field development and lack of outdoor space); there is a great need for good-quality play equipment, possible water play.  Demand for soft play facility raised – possible at Osprey Sports Centre.  Osprey Sports Centre also keen to develop a climbing wall – highlighted by young people as a facility they’d like in the area.  Osprey Sports Centre is very keen to develop the Centre to meet community needs.  There is a shallow outdoor pool in IPACA Junior School – community would like to be able to access outside of school hours (or at set times). Many families find Osprey Sport Centre pool too deep for their children and have found it’s detrimental to their confidence when learning to swim. Osprey would be happy to help operate as an outreach activity. Potential scope to enclose the pool also. School may also move from that site as part of the future IPACA development. There has been some discussion over establishing the school building as a community service hub (GP, social services, care etc) if building does become available.  Access to affordable swimming for adults and children.”139

138 Sports England data 139 Sports Facilities Strategy 2013-2018 Consultation Draft, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, Jan 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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It is clear that the context for this new strategy is going to be the lack of public investment that will be possible. “The draft priorities for the Borough Council are: Having considered both the range of facilities that the council owns or owns/operates and the maintenance and running costs of these facilities, the following key priorities have been identified by the member working group as part of the development of this Sports Facilities Strategy: a) The future of the Weymouth Swimming Pool building and its likely operating costs beyond 2017. b) The potential to transfer more facilities (e.g. tennis courts, bowls clubs and grass pitches) to community or private management / ownership without on-going council subsidy. The council’s preference should be for a move towards community/club management/ownership of facilities and away from the role of the council as both operator and manager. c) Whether there are opportunities for the better use of areas of The Marsh for either sport or general open/green space or new activities such as a skate park and BMX track. d) Whether the current range of facilities meet the changing needs of the community and cater for newly emerging sporting trends or existing sports clubs looking for new opportunities. e) The potential for the development of improved and shared facilities for watersports clubs on the harbourside.”

The main recommendation of the consultation draft is that: “a) That future decisions regarding the council’s sports facilities should take account of their contribution to improving public health and wellbeing and the need to address health inequalities. b) As a general principle, the council should, wherever possible, actively seek to transfer the management and operation of its sports facilities (as set out in Appendix D) to the voluntary or private sectors in order to reduce the cost to the council and improve community ‘ownership’ of these assets. c) That the council investigates whether its current information base on sports facilities can be used to develop a full Playing Pitch Strategy with the assistance of Sport England – this can help with external funding bids for pitch improvements.”

The Borough Council cites the current transfer of council-owned football pitches at The Grove to the local club is seen as an excellent example of the benefits of passing sports facilities over to community ownership and management. “As the council’s ability to fund the operation and maintenance of its sports facilities diminishes, such transfers would, without on-going council subsidy, be a far more attractive form of management. Clubs and community groups can often access funding programmes not open to statutory authorities and can harness considerable volunteer effort. Community ‘ownership’ of a facility, in the widest sense, may reduce inappropriate use. It is proposed, therefore, that wherever possible the council should look to move its sports facilities into appropriate community management where this can secure long-term benefits for residents.”140

On specific council-owned recreation venues on Portland, the consultation report summarises the facilities and recommendations for future management / operation as follows:

Weymouth & Portland Borough Council-owned Sports Facilities – Council Review 2014141 Cost to Council Site Name Facilities Property Issues or Income Future Options Grove Road sports field 2 adult grass Council currently In the process of being pitches owns freehold. transferred to and 2 mini community ownership. pitches. Club being established as limited company and looking to take on 25-

140 Sports Facilities Strategy 2013-2018 Consultation Draft, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, Jan 2014 141 Sports Facilities Strategy 2013-2018 Consultation Draft, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, Jan 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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30 year lease.

Victoria Gardens Grass bowling Green managed by Council receives In future, if club ceased Bowling Green green and council but club rental income from to operate, then the and Pavilion pavilion. rents Pavilion from Pavilion. land could be returned council. Council has a to its owner. Council lease on repairs liability. land has expired. The council holds the land from the Crown and the club has the green and pavilion on licence from the council. Victoria Garden 2 tarmac courts Leased from the Minor cost to Council will incur costs Tennis Courts Crown and operated council. in near future if by council. resurfacing works are Free to use. needed. Portland skate park New concrete Council owns Minimal operating No issues – a very Victoria Square skate park. freeholds and cost. successful new facility. manages the site. Free to use.

Key Questions and Messages for the Neighbourhood Plan  The Olympics and new leisure facilities has set a standard for future provision  Are the Olympics and new leisure facilities accessible to fully local people? Should they be?  The number of existing recreation venues is insufficient  The quality of several existing recreation venues is below what is acceptable  There is not enough higher quality sports venues  The loss of Officers Field has deprived the area of an important flat sports and recreation area  More varied and stimulating facilities for children and young people  More disabled- accessible venues for sport and recreation are needed  There is potential to develop existing community buildings and sites for leisure and recreation  Sport and Recreation should be an important facet of local life and wellbeing  The Borough Council is not likely to invest in new facilities

Gaps in our Knowledge  The views and ambitions of local sports clubs  What is the demand for sport and recreation facilities and activities  Do local people want better local facilities or are they prepared to travel  The voluntary and community sector’s interest in developing and managing facilities  Are existing parks and gardens under threat as a result of the public expenditure cuts?

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Arts, Culture & Tourism

Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence – Lines of Enquiry Are spaces provided that enable local culture and art events? Local culture Are there any elements that need to be introduced, improved or retained? and the arts What do local artists do? What are their needs and ambition? What facilities are on offer and how well used are they? Is there a demand for more facilities? Tourism and What improvements and enhancements are needed? Holiday facilities What are the obvious opportunities? How would people of Portland benefit from increased tourism?

Introduction “A strong national economy depends on the strength and vitality of local economies across the country. At its core, regeneration is about concerted action to address the challenges and problems faced by the community of a particular place. It's about widening opportunities, growing the local economy, and improving people's lives. But beyond that high-level definition, it is not for Government to define what regeneration is, what it should look like, or what measures should be used to drive it. That will depend on the place – the local characteristics, challenges and opportunities. Creativity, culture and cultural heritage are essential to making a place unique, and help to define a place and form its character. Each village, town and area has its own distinctive culture and heritage based on its history of development, and the people who live there now and have done so in the past. Equally, creativity is in everyone, although it may be expressed in different ways, and to ignore its role in the community misses a huge opportunity. Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artefacts and intangible attributes of a group or society – the man-made heritage of a place, including churches and monuments. It is for local people, not central Government, to identify which areas need regeneration, define what it should look like, and what measures should be used to drive it. Central Government’s role is strategic and supportive:  reforming and decentralising public services  providing powerful incentives and support for growth  removing barriers that hinder local ambitions, and  providing targeted investment and reform to strengthen the infrastructure for growth and regeneration and to support the most vulnerable”142

Appointment of a Local Creative Practitioner We need to appoint a locally-based creative practitioner to sit on the team developing the plan, seeking their input throughout the process. One of their main roles would be to undertake a cultural audit, which might include: Make a list of built assets that could be used for cultural events and activities such as village halls, churches, museums, galleries, cinemas, schools, libraries, youth centres, listed historical monuments or buildings Make a list of open/shared spaces which could be used for cultural purposes, e.g. village greens, town squares Find out how frequently the built assets and open spaces are used for cultural purposes, and what cultural activities they are used for e.g. amateur dramatics, upholstery classes, life drawing, film screenings, fashion shows, reading groups, sewing/knitting groups, photography clubs. Are the assets under used or is there a demand for them? Are the assets used to capacity and additional (or alternative) facilities are required? Are new technologies or equipment required in order to make better use of existing facilities/assets? List regular cultural events which happen in the area e.g. fairs, markets

142 Regeneration to enable growth’ A toolkit supporting community-led regeneration, Dept of Communities and Local Government, Jan 2012

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Consider how often the built assets and open spaces listed are used for non-cultural purposes If preparing a questionnaire for residents to complete, ensure a question is included about attitudes to culture and heritage in the area. Try to draw some conclusions based on all of the above information about how well culture and heritage is provided for in your area, and are there ways that it could be better provided for? Is culture and heritage valued by all residents or by particular sections of residents more than others? Are particular cultural assets valued by younger people compared to older people, or is it more divided by interest?

Portland’s Pride of Place The Island has a rich cultural, historic and artistic appeal vane which has still to be effectively tapped. This powerful ‘Pride of Place’ is rooted in its history, culture and strategic location. This part of the Neighbourhood Plan looks at how we can make the best use of that ‘Pride of Place’ to improve the quality of life for residents and the ‘Island Experience’ for visitors. With a coherent themed strategy this can be made to work for the Island creating local employment in both the entertainment, tourism and hospitality fields.

A Brief History of Portland143 Portland itself, its trial and tribulations, events, inhabitants and essentially its history provide the backdrop upon which the arts, culture and tourism make their impressions. The Island of Portland is a limestone tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) wide, in the English Channel. Portland is 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A barrier beach over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland is a central part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and land forms. Its name is used for one of the British Sea Areas, and has been exported as the name of North American and Australian towns. Portland stone, famous for its use in British and world architecture, including St Paul's Cathedral and the United Nations Headquarters, continues to be quarried. Portland Harbour, in between Portland and Weymouth, is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. The harbour was made by the building of stone breakwaters between 1848 and 1905. From its inception it was a Royal Navy base, and played prominent roles during the First and Second World Wars; ships of the Royal Navy and NATO countries worked up and exercised in its waters until 1995. The harbour is now a civilian port and popular recreation area, and was used for the 2012 Olympic Games. Portland has been inhabited since at least the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age)—there is archaeological evidence of Mesolithic inhabitants at the Culverwell Mesolithic Site, near Portland Bill, and of inhabitation in ages since. The Romans occupied Portland, reputedly calling it Vindelis. In 1539 King Henry VIII ordered the construction of Portland Castle for defence against attacks by the French; the castle cost £4,964. It is one of the best preserved castles from this period, and is open to the public by the custodians English Heritage. Sir Christopher Wren, the architect and Member of Parliament for nearby Weymouth, used six million tons of white Portland limestone to rebuild destroyed parts of London after the Great Fire of London of 1666. Well- known buildings in the capital, including St Paul's Cathedral and the eastern front of Buckingham Palace feature the stone. After the First World War, a quarry was opened by The Crown Estate to provide stone for the Cenotaph in Whitehall and half a million gravestones for war cemeteries, and after the Second World War hundreds of thousands of gravestones were hewn for the fallen soldiers on the Western Front. Portland cement has nothing to do with Portland; it was named such due to its similar colour to Portland stone when mixed with lime and sand. There have been railways in Portland since the early 19th century. The Merchant's Railway was the earliest—it opened in 1826 (one year after the Stockton and Darlington railway) and ran from the quarries at the north of

143 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Portland

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Tophill to a pier at Castletown, from where the Portland stone was shipped around the country.[10] The last line closed to passengers in 1952, and the final goods train (and two passenger 'specials') ran in April 1965. Coastal flooding has affected Portland's residents and transport for centuries—the only way off the island is along the causeway in the lee of Chesil Beach. At times of extreme floods (about every 10 years) this road link is cut by floods. The low-lying village of Chiswell used to flood on average every 5 years. Portland Harbour was home to the Royal Navy. Portland Harbour was formed (1848–1905) by the construction of breakwaters, but before that the natural anchorage had hosted ships of the Royal Navy for more than 500 years. It was a centre for Admiralty research into asdic submarine detection and underwater weapons from 1917 to 1998; the shore base HMS Serepta was renamed HMS Osprey in 1927. At the start of the First World War, HMS Hood was sunk in the passage between the southern breakwaters to protect the harbour from torpedo and submarine attack. Portland was a major embarkation point for Allied forces on D-Day in 1944. Early helicopters were stationed at Portland in 1946–1948. The heliport was formally commissioned as HMS Osprey, which then became the largest and busiest military helicopter station in Europe. The base was gradually improved with additional landing areas and one of England's shortest runways, at 229 metres (751 ft). The naval base closed after the end of the Cold War in 1995, and the Royal Naval Air Station closed in 1999. There are still two prisons on Portland, HMP The Verne, which until 1949 was a huge Victorian military fortress, and a Young Offenders' Institution (HMYOI) on the Grove cliff-top. This was the original prison built for convicts who quarried stone for the Portland Breakwaters from 1848. Governance - Portland is an ancient Royal Manor, and until the 19th century remained a separate liberty within Dorset for administration purposes. It was an urban district from 1894 to 1974, until the borough of Weymouth and Portland formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. This merged the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis with Portland urban district.

The Arts Arts and culture continue to suffer from diminishing resources and a lack of investment and planning for the future. Guidance has been produced to help those undertaking the neighbourhood planning process to unlock this often hidden asset and make the most of the talents of artists, craftspeople and designers to engage people in looking at the place that they call home in a new way. The Guidance was piloted in Gillingham, Dorset. Key findings from this pilot and workshops were that:  “Culture is integral to the neighbourhood planning process, should be considered at the outset and cuts across transport, housing, education, the whole neighbourhood planning process.  Planning authorities across the country need to use this guidance and local culture needs to be considered as a prerequisite to designing our towns and villages.  There is an economic case for creativity in planning as it supports the arts and creative industries, which make up 0.4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product nationally” 144

The completed document ‘N3 Creativity in Community Led Planning in Dorset’145 is now available. The guide sets out ways of making the most of local resources:  How to work with creative practitioners and where to find them  Carrying out a cultural audit  Making consultation creative to bring on board hard to reach groups like young people

The creative sector in Dorset benefits from a well-recognised and steady output of well qualified individuals in creative media skills, due to the work of Weymouth College backed up by The Media School at Bournemouth University, the only Centre for Excellence in Media Practice in the UK offering courses in Corporate & Marketing Communications, Journalism and Communication, Media Production and Computer Animation.

144 We Made That Reflections Report, Gillingham Neighbourhood Plan, Creative Facilitator, Mar 2013 145 https://www.dorsetforyou.com/media.jsp?mediaid=177084&filetype=pdf Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Portland, the Arts and the Sea It is important that creative practitioners are involved in the planning process. By doing so, they create opportunities in future developments guided by the plan for creative people to enhance new developments. This may be through artworks incorporated into new housing, public spaces being made for performances or any other ways of making our towns more attractive and interesting places to live.

There appears to be a growing community of creative people on Portland, possibly encouraged by a combination of affordable stone built terraced houses, the high speed broadband legacy of The Olympic Games, the sea views, the sunsets and the character of the Isle. Anecdotally Fortuneswell is being called “Affordable Cornwall”.

A recent article in The Financial Times146explains the Blur Groups decision to move its HQ from London to Devon. At the end of the article the decision was partly attributed to a discussion with Bill Draper, a legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist – “I’m giving you the secret of Silicon Valley – We have only one secret here, and it’s the sea. That’s the reason they came and that’s the reason they never left”.

Venues for the Arts is covered in the next section (Culture) as essentially they are the same shared venues that are used by other groups on the Isle. The Royal Manor Theatre is, however, a pure Arts Venue147. 2007 saw the Theatre Company enter its 60th year. They now have a You Tube Channel.148

The Arts on Portland – Feedback A small cultural audit resulted in the following responses to The Arts on Portland. There is merit in commissioning a local person to undertake a much broader cultural audit.

Are spaces available that enable local culture and arts events? As a fairly recent comer to Portland149, the following are my thoughts and findings over the past 2 years.  As an artist/teacher, I have searched for a close-by facility providing artists’ studios and rooms for classes.  Venues often fall short on several levels. They have a large open space, with poor heating & lighting facilities and a lack of appropriate furniture or equipment.

As a facilities provider: I am getting feedback that teaching space for small groups is in short supply e.g. for arts classed etc.  I had a classroom saved for art classes for 18 months. I kitted the room with almost everything a teacher may need to take a class such as 10 easels (portable so that the group could take the class outside and make the most of Portland) 10 stalls to go with the easels, all the brushes, daisy wheels etc. Drawing equipment - the list goes on. I did this as I too heard that there was not enough affordable space available to teach art. I figured if I provide all the equipment and a suitable class room any artist can walk in and take a class without having to invest in equipment. I advertised and tried to find artist that wished to teach. I have one group of the older generation that did hire the classroom for the summer but the room was too cold so they moved across to the small hall in the church (they have central heating). I had one or two more artist attempt to start classes but their attendance numbers were too low and they gave up. I never charged for the hire of the classroom, (had their classes taken off then I would have started to charge the £8.50 per hour to cover bills etc.) You would think this is the best recipe to get a class of the ground, no fees, all equipment provided. Car parking on site.  I think they mostly fell down because they didn't advertise enough. I would consult with the artist, try to give advice on getting the message out there but they never did, thus the class would fail. I now

146 “Blur brings a Silicon Valley blueprint to green Devon” by Sally Davies 147 http://www.rmtcportland.co.uk/intro.htm 148 http://www.youtube.com/user/royalmanortheatre/videos 149 D Pigg, Mar 2014 Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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believe they never took my advice to make flyers to distribute to homes and businesses, visit schools and advertise in local papers simply because they didn't have the money to invest to pay for advertising. Seems like we are going around in circles doesn't it?  Portland has many spaces to teach, Jacksons/Whitestones, church halls, school buildings again the list is endless. Maybe a questionnaire to ask why the artist think there is no space to teach, have they tried? Really looked? Or is it really down to numbers of pupils that are low making the classes not sustainable? If an art class was booked and clearly marketed and then it failed I would suggest that there simply is no need for the classes but as I have not seen this put into practice I have to assume their is a need from both the artists and the community but their is a shortfall in communications.

Are there any elements that need to be introduced, improved or retained? I feel there is a need (in Underhill particularly) for a facility providing a good exhibition space with display screens and good lighting, and studio rooms for arts and crafts and even a shop or shops. A development such as this will provide a focus for Portland artists, and giving them not only the space to work, an exhibition area and an outlet, but also an attraction to tourist and the general public.

A reasonable range of artistic, cultural and activity groups exist, with many of these offering opportunities for distinct groups. Together with a broadening of the cultural range the creation of more intergenerational and mixed gender groups would be beneficial in generating more community capitol.

What do local artists do? What are there needs and ambitions?  Local artists including schools, produce a wide range of quality work that unfortunately often lacks good exposure or recognition.  Better management of promotion, feedback and encouragement is required.  The Brackenbury centre is now a mixture of sport and art and community events. They have recently introduced a pottery/classroom. The Potter has picked up commissions from a couple of local restaurants and an established Potter from Upwey is passing on some students in the Spring. It is difficult, if not impossible for single people, starting up in the arts to get grants to help establish their studio.  If more buildings that are sat empty and deteriorating could be handed over to artists at an initial peppercorn rent then more artists would be able to make an income from their work and encourage more people to get involved and have a go.

Is there a demand for more facilities?  Portland already offers the potential for numerous leisure related activities. Whilst these could be expanded, it may be more prudent to better manage, improve and enhance those which already exist.

What improvements and enhancements are needed?  Fortuneswell was obviously a thriving community at one time, with a variety of small shops. Perhaps we should encourage more shop keepers which would be advantageous to local people as well as the influx of tourists we have each summer. I think it was a shame we could not accommodate Portland Pride in larger accommodation.  One of the things I have found with Portland is its uniqueness - it doesn't have everything, but it is a quiet, interesting place to live with a long history.  We have to be careful that it's unique "weirdness" is not shattered by any large housing development or tourist attraction. Hitting the balance is going to be a challenge.  Current leisure facilities would benefit from a review of the supporting structures i.e. public transport, access, parking, toilets, catering and information etc.  Generally, leisure assets could be improved by a co-ordinated management of the existing amenities and the essential accompanying structures.

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What are the obvious opportunities? A wide leisure potential exists in both the voluntary and commercial development associated with Sailing, Climbing, Diving, Walking, Bird watching, Fishing plus the numerous other environmental studies and activities that are possible on Portland.

Portland could own it's very own "Portland's Arts Weeks" Based on the same format as "Purbeck Arts Week" and "Dorset's Art Week (DAW). We have enough artists and venues/eateries and B&B's to make it work. We could run it in the opposite year to Dorset Arts Week (as they exhibit every other year, 2014), advertise during "DAW" to capture the art trail lovers and bring them back the following year.

The process of "DAW" Each artist in Dorset that wishes to participate opens their studios to the public or use a public space like "Jackson Gallery"; they each pay into the pot to be put in the "DAW" directory and on all the advertising etc. The event is advertised nationally not just in surrounding areas and as "DAW" have been going for some time there is a lot of following from all over the country. The longer it runs the more popular it becomes. Just like bside yearly events, becoming more and more popular.  'Free events' are also a big people puller, in today’s climate if a family are on holiday here and they see a poster for what looks like a free fun day they will go to it. Once on the Island the families will use the shops and eateries.  There are rumours that a holiday park might be coming to Portland. I think it would have many positive results. It would provide many jobs for school/college leavers as most parks employ the younger generation to give the place a younger feel plus they are cheaper to employ. It would also bring work to the older people, bar work / entertainment / cleaners / photographers, many, many jobs. It would bring tourists that would explore the island more than if they were driving across to visit the lighthouse. Of course this would mean them spending money in shops etc. bringing money to the island.

How would people from Portland benefit from increased tourism  Increased tourism would bring some additional low paid and unskilled work opportunities, together with increased traffic and parking problems.  A well-managed and appropriate tourism initiative could be used to improve the environmental and the spin-off social amenities.  It is not apparent that current administration and policy would generate positive benefits.

Culture The Arts and Tourism are self-explanatory but what do we mean by Culture? CULTURE is about EXPRESSION CULTURE is about PLACE and TRADITION CULTURE is about INVOLVEMENT< PARTICIPATION and ASSOCIATION The Portland Neighbourhood Plan supports all of these cultural influences.

Culture offers local people and visitors the chance to explore and express the distinctiveness and diversity of the Isle. There is a wide programme of festivals, many of them community led. Local food and drink products are celebrated in The Portland Pride shops, as well as those of designers and makers contribute to the distinctive character of the Isle.

Cultural activity brings the world to every corner of Portland - from theatres to community halls and from the streets to the cliff-tops and quarries. Portland enjoys sites and places of national and international stature as well as holding many secrets for the resident and visitor alike to explore i.e. Portland Quarry Nature park. These include the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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Culture has Great Potential Culture has great potential to bring communities together and plays an essential role in improving places and lives. Taking children to the local pantomime, playing for the local football team, finding out about your family history - these are some of the things that make life richer.

Through the Neighbourhood Plan we want to achieve: A thriving, competitive economy that delivers better quality employment for people on Portland A sustainable infrastructure which provides improved access to cultural and leisure opportunities Safeguarding, understanding and enjoying Portland's environment with planning for the future Improved well-being with increased opportunities for people to enjoy and achieve within safe and thriving communities

Culture Makes a Difference Portland’s Arts and Culture build on the local traditions, history and local distinctiveness in land and seascapes. In the Dorset County Council Citizens Panel Survey of April 2009:  78% agreed that access to cultural activities helps to make Dorset a better place to live  77% agreed that engagement in cultural activities contributes to an improved quality of life

Portland has a celebrated literary heritage. Thomas Hardy called Portland the Island of Slingers in his novels; the Island was the main setting of The Well-Beloved (1897), and was featured in The Trumpet-Major (1880).[76] The cottage that now houses Portland Museum was the inspiration for the heroine's house in The Well-Beloved. Portlanders were expert stone-throwers in the defence of their land, and Hardy's Island of Slingers is heavily based on Portland. Hardy named Portland the Gibraltar of the North, with reference to its similarities with Gibraltar; its physical geography, isolation, comparatively mild climate, and Underhill's winding streets.

Creativity in Community Led Planning in Dorset N3: (Nature/Network/Neighbourhood) is a new Dorset Design and Heritage Forum initiative in collaboration with the Environment Theme Group for Dorset. The Aims of N3 are to address areas of concern that affect both the built and natural environment in Dorset, and particularly in locations where there are issues concerning future sustainability and the conservation of the environment. It will address these through a common belief that a creative approach to public space can provide a valuable arena for exploration of these issues. N3 aims to create a long term legacy with the creation of innovative art and design in public places throughout the whole of Dorset that:  Stimulates a greater sense of local ownership of Dorset's built and natural environment  Supports neighbourhood activism to improve public places and spaces for the benefit of all  Demonstrates the value of cross-sector collaboration - public, private and civic sectors - for public art projects

Culture on the Isle At a community level Portland has an excellent website in www.portlanders.co.uk ‘a web site about Portlanders, for Portlanders, by Portlanders that is widely used by community groups and residents for dissemination of information.

The monthly free newssheet, Free Portland News, is widely read and reaches every property.150

There are an abundance of venues on the Isle, covered under the Communities and Social Facilities Topic Area. These are so well used by the community that they are regularly booked, essentially squeezing out the opportunities for ad hoc meetings. Accessibility and parking is always a problem on the Isle. Modern,

150 http://www.freeportlandnews.net/home.html Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

139 accessible facilities with parking, disabled access, a good kitchen, toilets and good heating will always be in demand. IPACA may well provide an opportunity to satisfy some of this need. A flavour of the cultural strength of the Island can be gained from this incomplete table of groups, compiled by Island Community Action, that are active on the Isle:

Portland Community Groups 2013 Children’s Groups 67+ Community Groups 12+ Educational 15+ Faith Groups 14+ Health and Fitness 40+ Heritage and Natural History 15+ Music, Film etc 12+ Social 25+ Sport 14+ Support Groups 10+ Venues 13+

Food and Drink Food and drink are important to both residents and visitors. The mixed social character of Portland means that there is a wide variety of food and drink outlets on the Isle. For the more discerning resident and visitor we now have a ‘string of pearls’ to entice people onto the Island – from the Crab House, Taste, Blue Fish, Cove, Quiddles, Jackson Gallery, Whitestones to the Lobster Pot at Portland Bill.

Tourism The Tourism sector in Weymouth and Portland provides substantial economic and cultural benefits to the local economy and has been a key driver in the borough's economic success. However, there is a need to upgrade its tourism status for the domestic and overseas markets as well as diversify into new visitor market segments. Improvement of the quality and range of the overall tourism offer have started to become more apparent as new visitors are attracted to Dorset due to the uplift stimulated by the increased publicity of the 2012 Games, the World Heritage Coast, Jurassic Coast’, joint marketing activity with partners and a quality drive by the private sector. This increase of awareness and visits to the area is growing after the 2012 Games. In order to make this a sustainable growth It will be vital to establish a robust marketing plan along with an improvement in the total visitor experience.

A considerable amount of work has been done by both the public and private sectors across Dorset to establish a new tourism body, Destination Dorset, which aims to become the leading tourism delivery organisation in the future. The development of a strategic marketing plan will inform the marketing direction of Weymouth and Portland and be linked to the delivery mechanisms through Destination Dorset. The development of the Dorset tourism product will be aimed at stimulating an ‘all year-round’ offer for the region.

It is important that Portland, the home of Olympics 2012, is seen to gain from the work of Destination Dorset. The strategies set-out in this Neighbourhood Plan are designed to ensure that this is the case.

In March 2014 the Visit Dorset Tourism Partnership, managed by the district and borough councils in rural Dorset, is promoting Dorset as part of a major marketing campaign in partnership with Visit England and approximately 50 other destinations around England to boost domestic tourism in 2014.

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Tourism and the Local Plan As part of the Local Plan consultation a small group of people, largely made up of Portlanders, looked at a paradigm shift for tourism recognising the quality of what we have to offer and building on this for the next 15 year. In pure planning terms the outcomes were:  Existing planning reflects a shadow of the opportunity but is flexible enough to be refreshed and developed. We need to recognise the strengths of local plan but upgrade it quickly to benefit from 2012 Olympic showcase.  Zoning of the Tourism Offer to build on real existing tourism opportunity:  Portland is a world class outdoor activity centre that needs recognising in planning terms regarding development  Weymouth is the nearest and best traditional family seaside resort to London and has direct train access  The Dorset Countryside, incorporating the Jurassic Coast, Hardy Country and The South West Coastal Path.  Easy planning wins creating real jobs and a service quality offer. Transport access good but needs better coordination and integration (hub). Weymouth is the sunniest place in Britain (se below) and will increasing benefit from global warming as we move towards a hotel based Mediterranean style, car free offer of using public transport and bus tours to enjoy the locality.  Weymouth and Portland is one of the sunniest climate in the United Kingdom. Portland averaged 1798.9 hours of sunshine annually between 1981 and 2010, which is 41% of the maximum possible, and 34% above the United Kingdom average of 1339.7 hours. December is the cloudiest month (59.7 hours of sunshine), October and November the joint wettest (81.6 millimetres (3.2 in) of rain) and July is the sunniest and driest month (236.9 hours of sunshine, 35.1 millimetres (1.4 in) of rain). Sunshine totals in all months are well above the United Kingdom average, and monthly rainfall totals throughout the year are less than the UK average, particularly in summer. The average annual rainfall of 667.9 millimetres (26.3 in) is well below the UK average of 1,125 millimetres (44.3 in).

Without a paradigm shift we will continue to look at small scale development opportunities, step by step progress, and miss the bigger opportunities that are there.

Portland’s Destination Attractions On Portland there are not enough attraction projects to get people off the ‘perimeter road’. The following is a list of projects at various stages of inception and development that are linked to quarry sites, some of which are visitor attractor and support projects:  Caravan and Leisure Park at Coombefield Quarry. This is at the detailed planning stage.  MINACK Project (Cf Cornwall) Outdoor theatre provision. This is at outline design stage. The Minack Theatre is the most famous cliff side open-air theatre in Britain, possibly in the world; from above it looks as though some wandering Greeks, two thousand years ago, had carved a theatre into the granite cliffs of Porthcurno, Cornwall. In fact, it was just under eighty years ago that there was nothing there except a sloping gully of gorse and heather and below that, the sea of the Atlantic Ocean.  Durdle Pier was used to ship Christopher Wrens Stone to London. There is still a lot of evidence on the ground of those times.  MEMO is an educational charity dedicated to building a beautiful monument to species going extinct worldwide, together with a biodiversity education centre. Conceived as a continuous spiral of stone, it will be lined with the carved images of all 850 species to have perished since the dodo in the 17th century. - Full planning permission was granted in February 2012 following the unanimous vote of the local Planning Committee. Now raising funds. Details are in the Section looking at Economic Development.  Jurassica is a big project competing with MEMO. It has many similarities to the Eden Project in Cornwall but focussing on the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Jurassic Coast. Jurassica will bring to life the extraordinary scientific and cultural heritage of a coastline that is not only extraordinarily

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beautiful, but about which it may be fairly said was the birthplace of modern science. It is proposed to build a spectacular subterranean geological centre in a quarry on the Island of on Portland, a roughly circular pit around 100 metres across and 35 metres deep. The pit will be covered with a unique, lightweight, spider-web-like translucent roof that will be almost invisible from outside. The renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, whose work includes the Shard in London, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Pompidou Centre in Paris, has produced a series of preliminary design sketches for the spectacular structure. Details are in the Section looking at Economic Development.  Military Heritage – Portland castle, High Angle Battery, Verne Prison (Jailhouse Café), Submarine Pens, Bunkers, Underground Hospital, SBS Training Ground, Air traffic Control Building, Mulberry Harbour, Torpedoes, Military Cemetery etc and ALL CLOSE TOGETHER! Perfect ‘guided’ walk-off destination for Cruise ship passengers.  Quarrying Heritage – Portland Stone and Quarry Trust with stone carving courses; Dorset Wildlife Trust looking after King Barrow and Tout Quarry; Tout Quarry Sculpture Park etc  The Jurassic Railway – this 'Destination Portland' narrow gauge railway project will link Portland Port, Easton and Osprey Quay with the Network Rail main line at Weymouth. It will utilise around 75% of the former rail route including the Rodwell Trail, which will be maintained and enhanced. (Unlikely to get permission to access Portland through Special Area of Conservation (SCA) of old railway line / causeway.  South West Coastal Path – Completion of the ‘missing link’ through Portland Port.

Community Consultation 2013 What we have been told about tourism on Portland:  We must exploit the Island’s natural potential  Tourism infrastructure needs improving  Green and sustainable tourism should be the objective  Portland needs an identity distinct from Weymouth  Adventure opportunities for young and old

Outdoor Sport and Recreation as Tourism Portland has outstanding outdoor sporting attractions whose quality ranges from World Class to National Class.  World Class - Sailing and wind Surfing / kite surfing  National Class – Rock Climbing, Bouldering, Bird Watching, Fishing, Diving, Mountain Biking (in the quarries) and walking  Jurassic Coast and SSSIs by the bucketful

In 2000, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy was built in Osprey Quay in Underhill as a centre for sailing in the United Kingdom. Weymouth and Portland's waters were credited by the Royal Yachting Association as the best in Northern Europe. Portland regularly hosts local, national and international sailing events in its waters. In 2005, the WPNSA was selected to host sailing events at the 2012 Olympic Games. A new 600-berth marina and an extension with more on-site facilities were built.

Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour are used for other water sports — the reliable wind is favourable for wind and kite-surfing. Chesil Beach and Portland Harbour are used regularly for angling, diving to shipwrecks, snorkelling, canoeing, and swimming.

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The limestone cliffs and quarries are used for rock climbing; Portland has areas for bouldering and deep water soloing, however sport climbing with bolt protection is the most common style.

Since June 2003 the South West Coast Path National Trail has included 21.3 kilometres (13.2 mi) of coastal walking around the Island of Portland, including following the A354 Portland Beach Road twice.

Accidents in Portland's quarries led to a fear of the word rabbit. Rabbits have long been associated with bad luck on Portland; use of the name is still taboo. The origin of this superstition is obscure (there is no record of it before the 1920s) but it is believed to derive from quarry workers; they would see rabbits emerging from their burrows immediately before a rock fall and blame them for increasing the risk of dangerous, sometimes deadly, landslides. If a rabbit was seen in a quarry, the workers would pack up and go home for the day, until the safety of the area had been assured. Local fishermen too would refuse to go to sea if the word was mentioned.

Tourism – The Bigger Picture In March 2014 the Visit Dorset Tourism Partnership, managed by the district and borough councils in rural Dorset, promoted Dorset as part of a major marketing campaign in partnership with ‘Visit England’ and approximately 50 other destinations around England to boost domestic tourism in 2014.

Visit Dorset is taking part in three marketing campaigns covering the key themes of ‘Coastal Escapes’, ‘English Seaside’ and ‘Outdoor Activities’ throughout March and April to promote short breaks in some of England’s most iconic destinations.

The campaign is part of the £41.9 million three-year project called ‘Growing Tourism Locally’ which is funded in part by the government’s Regional Growth Fund with contributions from Visit England and destination partners from around the country.

This marketing strategy has an excellent fit with the Tourism Paradigm that was developed in support of the W&PBC Local Plan. The proposed strategy is illustrated in the mind-map at fig.14.

Figure 14:

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The Weymouth and Portland Local Plan The Weymouth and Portland Local Plan provides the framework upon the Portland Neighbourhood Plan is built. To aid the consultation process the relevant abstracts from the Local Plan are cited below.

“TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND FACILITIES There are many different tourist attractions within the plan area, including places like Weymouth Sea Life Centre, Abbotsbury Swannery, the fossil museum in Lyme Regis, the many harbours and beaches, and the historic towns and villages such as Sherborne and Cerne Abbas. The coast and countryside with its landscape and nature designations and extensive public rights of way network are attractions in their own right. Some developments attract huge numbers of visitors annually, appealing to national and international markets. Some, such as arts and cultural tourism, help widen the appeal of the area beyond the traditional tourist season. These types of development will be encouraged and supported. In addition to attractions and facilities, widening the appeal of the plan area beyond the traditional tourist season will also require the provision of appropriate accommodation. However, accommodation is not included in definition of attractions and facilities, and is dealt with by Policies ECON6 and ECON7. Tourism development should be as sustainable as possible in transport terms. Town centres, followed by adjoining sites, are the preferred location for major new attractions compatible with urban areas, as they provide greater opportunity for more people to access these locations other than by car. In turn, the tourist attractions can help to support the economy of the town centres. Outside the towns, the preference is for development to be located within or close to a settlement, as this is likely to provide more local benefits and be more accessible by means other than the car. But some tourist attractions, by their nature, will not lend themselves to a town or village location. Such a choice may be determined by a functional need, such as a visitor centre for a specific site. In considering such proposals, the benefits of the tourism development will be weighed up against any disadvantages arising from its location. In these cases it is recognised that there may be limited opportunities to make the development accessible by sustainable modes of transport or to reduce the number or proportion of visits made by car, and although the transport impacts will be taken into account, access by public transport is unlikely to be a determining factor. The information required in support of applications is likely to vary greatly depending on the nature of the proposal, its scale and location. Proposals for major attractions and attractions located in less accessible locations should normally include information on: - The nature of the visits expected to the development, how many they will be, how long and when they will occur, what seasonal fluctuation is likely and the extent to which there may be synergy with other activities in the locality - The longer term viability of the enterprise, levels of spend and the amount of money expected to be drawn into the local economy, and likely impact on the vitality and viability of nearby town or local centres.

ECON 5. TOURISM ATTRACTIONS AND FACILITIES i)Proposals for new, or extensions to, tourism attractions and facilities will be encouraged and supported, particularly where they would: - enhance an existing attraction or facility; or - provide wider environmental benefits, such as helping maintain an historic building; or - provide wider community benefits, such a new recreational facility that will be used by the local community as well as visitors; or - increase the quality and diversity of the tourism offer in the local area and benefit the local economy ii) Development should, where possible and practicable, be located within or close to established settlements, or make use of existing or replacement buildings. iii) Major tourism attractions should preferably be located within the towns and will be expected to provide adequate visitor facilities, such as parking and toilets, rather than relying on community facilities in the area. The retention of tourism attractions is covered under the general policy on the protection of other employment sites, and as such other alternative employment uses may be permitted. However in some situations a tourist attraction or facility will be of such importance to the economy that it should be retained for tourism uses – Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

144 such sites have been identified at Lodmoor and Bowleaze Cove, and site specific policies for these have been included within the Weymouth chapter. HOUS 6. BUILT TOURIST ACCOMMODATION The tourism sector needs good quality built tourist accommodation, to cater for the range of visitors and reflecting their needs, so as to continue to be vibrant and competitive. For purposes of this plan built tourist accommodation refers to permanent tourist accommodation such as hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs and holiday lets (residential homes restricted to holiday use). It excludes more temporary and mobile units such as caravans (even though these may remain in situ for many years) and second homes. Where built tourist accommodation is permitted in a location where open market housing would normally be refused, the Councils will restrict its occupancy to ensure it remains in use as tourist accommodation. The most appropriate locations for large new hotels and guest houses are within the town centres, as tourist attractions are concentrated in these locations and public transport provision is greater. However visitors also come to enjoy the many attractive rural areas and coastline, and smaller-scale serviced accommodation and self-catering accommodation will also be appropriate within other settlements (listed in Section 3.5) for those businesses targeting tourists who are seeking such an experience. Permanent built tourist accommodation is likely to be occupied all year round. If allowed in locations away from existing settlements this could lead to a significant level of development in the open countryside, weakening patterns of sustainable development. There may be cases where built holiday accommodation may be justified in a more rural location, for example through the conversion of existing buildings. In addition to new built development, tourist accommodation from the change of use of existing buildings will increase the stock and variety of accommodation the area has to offer and can bring back into use buildings that may otherwise be left vacant, help maintain historic buildings and have a positive impact on the surrounding area. It would also be unduly restrictive to limit the extension of existing accommodation in the countryside. In order to support existing businesses, the expansion of built tourist accommodation and sites will be allowed to improve the quality of the accommodation on offer and the appearance of the site, provided that there is no significant harm. The information required in support of applications is likely to vary greatly depending on the nature of the proposal, its scale and location. Proposals for accommodation in less accessible locations should normally include information on the long term viability of the enterprise, a clear justification of why such a location is needed and the benefits to the local economy. As a town centre use, hotels should also comply with policy ECON4. Where the impact of a new out of centre hotel would undermine the viability and contribution of more central hotels, or prejudice the potential to secure further hotel development on a more central site, development should be refused. Tourist accommodation provides critical support to tourist attractions and facilities, and contributes to the economy through its support of retail, food and drink and travel services. It is therefore it is important to ensure that the loss of stock is carefully considered, particularly with regard to the hotels and larger guesthouses in the area (as a guide this means those that have at least 6 guest bedrooms). However it is also important to recognise that changes in the market will mean that some types of built tourist accommodation may become less attractive to visitors, and if the offer cannot be improved, falling profits would result in poorly maintained and ultimately failing accommodation, neither of which is a desirable outcome. As such a flexible approach will be needed in assessing to what extent the loss of such facilities should be resisted. Applicants will be required to demonstrate that real effort has been made to retain the tourist accommodation. Evidence submitted should typically include: Reasons why there is no longer a market for the premises in its tourist function Details of how the property has been marketed, the length of time that the marketing was active and any changes during this period, the asking price, the level of interest generated and any offers received. In the case of a reduction in size, the economic impact on the ongoing viability of the business

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ECON 6. BUILT TOURIST ACCOMMODATION New built tourist accommodation will be supported: - Within an established settlement of more than 200 population - Through the re-use of an existing building - Through the replacement, intensification or extension of existing premises where the expansion would improve the quality and appearance of the accommodation and site Larger hotel/guesthouse developments should be located within the town centre. Proposals that would result in the permanent loss or reduction in size of hotels and larger guesthouses will be resisted unless it can be demonstrated that their tourist function is no longer viable and there is no market for the business as a going concern.

CARAVAN AND CAMPING SITES Caravan and camping sites are key components of the area’s stock of self-catering tourist accommodation. The Councils will support appropriate improvements in the quality of accommodation on offer and proposals that enable existing sites to extend the visitor season. Caravan and camping sites - For purposes of this plan caravan and camping sites are those which primarily provide accommodation in temporary and mobile units such as static caravans, pitches for touring caravans, tents or yurts. Where a site is permitted in a location where open market housing would normally be refused, the Councils will restrict its occupancy to ensure it remains in use as tourist accommodation. Proposals for new caravan and camping sites where possible should be well located in relation to existing facilities. However there will be circumstances where a more flexible approach is appropriate. Some larger sites are relatively self-contained with on-site facilities, which can also be used by the local community. New sites and facilities may be provided as part of a farm diversification project, provided they are in keeping with the rural character and make an on going contribution to the business that is diversifying. However, sites in more rural locations tend to increase traffic on the nearby rural roads and impact on the general amenity and character of the countryside. Some sites, especially the larger coastal ones, can be visually intrusive in the landscape. In considering proposals for caravan and camping sites in isolated or sensitive locations these impacts must all be taken into account, weighing up the benefits of development against any disadvantages arising from the location. It is unlikely that new sites will be able to be accommodated within the Heritage Coast area without harming the landscape character, so such proposals are only likely to be permitted in very exceptional circumstances. There is some demand from site operators for enhanced facilities, especially on the larger holiday parks, for example to provide better entertainment and indoor facilities on site so as to encourage use through a longer season. By improving facilities in this way, existing sites can attract visitors for a longer part of the year, providing a greater economic benefit to the area. However such improvements often involve a greater amount of built development, the visual impact of which needs to be carefully assessed, particularly in coastal areas and other landscapes with an open character. A site operator may wish to change the use of a site, either wholly or in part, from touring accommodation to static accommodation. This could have a greater impact on the local landscape. The Councils also wish to retain a balance of different types of accommodation to appeal to a wide range of visitors. Applicants will therefore be required to demonstrate that development of this type will not significantly reduce the range of tourist accommodation available. Caravans may vary in appearance. Consideration should be given to the materials and colours of development as this can greatly reduce the visual impact. Schemes to replace existing static caravans with units that would improve the appearance or quality of the accommodation will be looked upon favourably. Internal reorganisation to reduce the visual impact of existing sites and improve their attractiveness to visitors will be encouraged. In some cases such improvements can only be achieved by an increase in the overall site area, if existing pitch numbers are not to be reduced. Where such a situation occurs, proposals will be given careful consideration and the increase in site size balanced against any benefits that could be achieved in appearance.

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ECON 7. CARAVAN AND CAMPING SITES I. New caravan and camping sites should be well located in relation to existing facilities or make appropriate provision for facilities on site. Farm diversification projects (for agricultural and other land- based rural businesses) for new caravan and camping sites will be supported, provided they are in keeping with the rural character and the development makes an on going contribution to the business that is diversifying II. Proposals for the expansion, intensification or reorganisation of existing sites must clearly demonstrate that development forms part of a long term management plan to improve the quality and appearance of the accommodation and. III. All development (including the change of use from touring to static units) must not, individually or cumulatively, have a significant adverse impact on the distinctive characteristics of the areas landscape, heritage or built environment. Proposals in the Heritage Coast are unlikely to be supported. IV. Development must include an appropriate landscape scheme and provision for its ongoing maintenance.

Portland Tourism and Visitor Management Strategy (Working Draft Feb 2013) A Visitor Management Strategy plays an essential role in protecting the ecological sustainability of protected areas, providing funding and business opportunities, and enabling visitors to obtain worthwhile experiences from their visit.

The policy and strategy are intended to assist the Portland Community Partnership, together with the Town, Borough and County Councils together with other relevant stakeholders to better manage the economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism and minimise adverse visitor impacts.

Strategic Theme 1 – Visitor Brand & Product Awareness Brand Awareness is the extent to which a brand is recognised by potential customers, and is correctly associated with a particular product, or in this case Portland as a destination of choice. Brand awareness plays a major role in a consumer’s destination decisions; a high recognition of Portland through constant advertisements and associations coaxes the person to make a decision in favour of a Portland visit.

The Portland Brand needs to be defined and marketed in consistent way, building associations of Portland with national class outdoor activities, heritage and culture. Portland can therefore be promoted as a clean nature- based brand. These associations lend themselves to spring and autumn visits, complementing the summer attractions of Weymouth. The importance of reducing seasonality is an important objective and some actions relate to raising awareness and visits away from the main season.

Objective Actions Confirm and agree  Conduct an assessment of current brands being used by stakeholders the brand identity  Engage with stakeholders to agree overall brand for the Island. which reflects the  Introduce low cost interim measures if appropriate. Promote existing Island’s ‘Offer’ resources whilst strategy is being progressed e.g. Visitor Map, Walking and Cycling Map Spread the use of  Produce a stakeholders ‘marketing kit’ that includes logo, banners, the Portland brand type, font, colour scheme and overall design of the brand identity Publish, promote and deliver brand kit to stakeholders Raise local residents’ awareness of brand product. Exploit  Strengthen tourism performance across the whole of Portland by opportunities for maximising marketing links with Weymouth and West Dorset supporting the  Ensure strong presence of the Portland in marketing of Dorset wider brand through areas and generic products national and local  Develop and deliver a promotional campaign linked to the Island’s brand designations  Establish and promote low season offers linked to niche markets the

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Island can compete for e.g. national/world class outdoor activities Develop the  Develop and maintain the annual events programme and establish an Portland product Outdoor Festival that aims to attract new visitors to the Island, (offer) to increase generates new publicity and stakeholder engagement awareness of the  Aim to establish future cultural events on the Island linked to the Island and generate potential legacy opportunities from hosting the London 2012 Olympics an increase in  Maintain an effective network of visitor information centres across the visitors Island and that are linked with other centres in Dorset and the sub region by providing effective orientation material Establish a strategically based Island Tourist and Information Centre presence which can appeal to both inbound and outbound traffic – with associated parking availability.  Run pilots joint venue ticketing and visitor conservation contribution schemes  Increase local awareness and understanding of tourism issues and its contribution to communities, improved services and jobs. Ensure that tourism related events, locations and venues are also accessible to the local community  Develop an ‘Engagement Programme’ with key stakeholders to maintain dialogue between tourism enterprises, landowners, communities, investors and planners Through working with stakeholders, land owners the local authority and other partners encourage appropriate new and existing tourism uses in existing and former quarries. Build on existing strategies e.g. Portland Quarries Nature Park  Encourage the development of opportunities for investment in well sited new accommodation to meet a range of markets focused on Portland’s attributes

Strategic Theme 2 – Consistent Service Quality In the highly competitive tourism industry, the quality of the visitor experience is the key to success. It’s what sets Portland apart and it provides a rewarding experience that will last in the minds of our visitors long after they leave.

Experiences are a combination of place, infrastructure, services and interpretation. Together they can deliver a true visitor experience when they match the needs of the visitor and reflect the quality service tourism brand. The whole experience - place, infrastructure, services and interpretation - is greater than the sum of its parts. To maximise the experience then, it’s necessary to maximise all these layers.

A quality visitor experience is what visitors are increasingly wanting - and they're willing to pay for it. It’s not enough to have great natural areas; visitors are more interested in the experiences that are overlaid on it. Island Rangers, bus drivers, receptionists, waiters and housekeepers are all central to the quality of the visitor experience. Every interaction is an opportunity to add value – to help create memories and impressions that last long after the visitors have gone home.

We have an opportunity to make Portland a service excellence experience for our visitors. Through training, mentoring and a buy-in of everyone involved in making a Portland Visitor Experience a truly memorable one we can make Portland a destination of choice. During the quiet winter quarter service quality training can be provided on the Island. Through making Portland a ‘Living Wage’ economy we can all benefit from increased visitor spend.

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Objective Actions Improve the quality of  Promote a Tourism Quality Pledge to stakeholders the Offer  Foster participation in quality assurance schemes for accommodation, attractions, retail and boats  Promote and expand a Quality Charter Develop a quality  Work with enterprises to improve local knowledge, ‘welcome’ to visitor welcome and customer service. Consider use of customers existing resources e.g. Jurassic Coast  Encourage upgrading and investment in the hire fleet and land-based accommodation and services  Ensure access to relevant skills training and service quality enhancement for existing and future staff and appropriate support for new business ventures.  Support and widen role of schemes such as the Volunteer Rangers and Youth Volunteer Rangers which encourages entry level awareness and training. Establish an equality  Develop an equality assessment scheme to encourage scheme recognising the stakeholders to improve services and facilities for visitors requirements of and residents with special needs or who are hard to visitors and residents reach with special needs

Strategic Theme 3 – Sustainable Tourism Sustainable tourism is defined by The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) as: ‘Leading to the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support systems’. Rather than a type of product, sustainable tourism is an ethos that underpins all tourism activities and is integral to all aspects of tourism development and management and not just an add-on. Tourism will be managed on Portland in a way that will:  Protect the coastal and marine environment including its unique natural and heritage assets  Support visitor safety and enjoyment whilst ensuring a balance between the needs of tourists and the preservation of existing and evolving community values.  Minimise adverse visitor impacts on the social, economic and physical environment  Add economic, social and environmental benefits to the community

There will also be economic, environmental and social benefits:  Economic through a reduction in energy use, water use or waste production will both reduce costs and gain market leverage by reducing their impact on the planet.  Environmental reinforces Portland’s nature-based brand and natural visitor experiences.  Social through local jobs for local people with a visitor experience enriched (or diminished) by engagement with the local community

Objective Actions Embed sustainable  Protect landscapes, amenity and biodiversity from intrusive principles and development by working with the local authorities, Local Enterprise priorities in the Partnership, Local Nature Partnership ,the community, voluntary development of sector and land owners tourism and other  Monitor and maintain appropriate zoning and management for business development different forms of access and recreation on the Island  Ensure all visitors have access to appropriate information on responsible access and activities  Strengthen engagement of everyone in sustainability management Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

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 Establish an initiative for visitor support for conservation

Promote  To provide visitors with a wide range of opportunities to environmental and experience, enjoy and understand the special natural environment

sustainability and heritage of the Portland messages to visitors  Develop an integrated interpretation strategy, which allows for and residents optimum and layered use of resources.  Review and update the range of information and interpretation material and media, including new mobile IT options.  Further develop and promote opportunities for walking and cycling as well as other outdoor activities.

 Support the restoration, interpretation, linking and promotion of a

range of heritage themes and sites  Support education, infrastructure investment and enforcement measures to manage impacts and use localism opportunities to support any required policy changes.

Implementation and Monitoring There needs to be a single body that leads Portland’s tourism industry to jointly deliver marketing and development programs that drive benefits from domestic and international tourism. It would take overall responsibility for seeing that the strategy is implemented and for coordinating action. This is particularly important as it is a complex area, cutting across many administrative boundaries.

To effectively fulfil this role, the single body will support Portland’s tourism agency by:  Creating a new knowledge and understanding for industry and stakeholders through tourism research, analysis and insights  Identify the barriers to Portland tourism and taking effective, consistent action with those who can make a difference  Establish, articulate and maintain the Portland tourism brand and brand values through supporting creative and innovative marketing  Achieve alignment of Portland’s tourism product, experiences and infrastructure to match market expectations of the clean nature-based brand

The value of having a partnership body to fulfil this role in destinations is increasingly recognised in the UK. This should bring together all the main public and private stakeholder interests in tourism in the area. The European Charter also requires that there should be a ‘permanent forum or equivalent arrangement established between the protected area authority, local municipalities, conservation and community organisations and representatives of the tourism industry’.

Dorset Local Nature Partnership Local Nature Partnerships originate from the Government's Natural Environment White Paper 2011, ‘The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature’. In the paper the Government recognised the importance of partnership work in delivering positive environmental change at a local level. The aim of the resulting LNPs is to work within their local area, creating positive change through strategic, integrated management of the natural environment.

LNPs involve a broad range of stakeholders who are able to work with and influence decision makers, ensuring that the value of the natural environment is embedded in the local decision making process.

The Purpose of LNPs according to Defra is to:  Drive positive change in the local natural environment, taking a strategic view of the challenges and opportunities involved and identifying ways to manage it as a system for the benefit of nature, people and the economy.

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 Contribute to achieving the Government’s national environmental objectives locally, including the identification of local ecological networks, alongside addressing local priorities.  Become local champions influencing decision-making relating to the natural environment and its value to social and economic outcomes, in particular, through working closely with local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and Health and Well-being Boards.

The Island of Portland is at the heart of the Jurassic Coast, England’s only natural World Heritage Site. The Island is the home to many Sites of Specific Scientific interest (SSSIs), some of which are internationally important for their wildlife, and many other designated and protected areas such as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or Ramsar sites. Many of the quarries are SSSIs.

The World Heritage classification covers and extensive area of land from the sea to the top of the cliffs with the SAC taking in the short coastal grasses along the cliff tops as well as the area between the road and the sea on the Causeway link to Portland. The Jurassic Coast accreditation also borders the cliff tops. The Dorset Coast Forum is a strategic coastal partnership, which looks at the long-term broad scale issues facing the Dorset coast and its inshore waters. The South West Coast Path Association and Ramblers also have strong influence on what happens along the national trail. The Portland Conservation Forum is starting to meet again.

The Island is well provided with a network of rights of way but no bridleways. The growth in mountain biking and horse riding leisure activities is therefore, theoretically, illegal on the Island as they have no right of passage. The Rights of Way network also poses a problem for development as re-routing or accommodation of these rights of way will be important considerations. A Legacy Trail, with information 'way points', links all the best sites, nature reserves and interpretation centre together making sure you don't miss out. The whole Trail (about 20km) goes from Littlemoor through to Portland Bill.

The very strong environmental protections on Portland give the new Local Nature Partnerships an important role in deciding the future land use on Portland. The LNPs have been set-up to counter the economic development drive of the Local Enterprise Partnerships. Given the importance of the LNP to Portland’s future it is worrying to note that there is no representation for Portland on the Dorset LNP Board

The Dorset Wildlife Trust151 The Dorset Wildlife Trust Summer 2013 Article explaining the LNP claims that the seaside, beaches and coast is the most frequently listed reason for visiting Dorset, and 62% of tourist visits are motivated by coast, scenery or countryside. They go on to say that it is estimated that the environmental goods and services sector contributes £173 million and 3,500 jobs to the local economy (just over 1% of the total). However, when you start to look at other parts of the economy which depend on a high quality environment, a more realistic picture of the contribution that nature plays in economic outcomes is seen.

For example, one of Dorset’s economic strengths is its tourism industry, but those crucial tourist visits are heavily dependent on the natural environment. 80% of Dorset tourists surveyed in 2009 took part in coast or countryside walking during their stay and 47% in wildlife or natural history activities. Further afield, a recent study for the South Downs National Park found that visitors spend an estimated £464 million a year, supporting an estimated 8,200 jobs.

Natural Environment Plan During the Olympics, Weymouth and Portland’s natural environment was promoted through a partnership branding of ‘Natural’ Weymouth and Portland– ‘Look for the Natural flag; connecting people with nature.’ The Natural Weymouth and Portland Partnership was formed to get the most out of the amazing natural

151 http://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/hres/Natural%20backup%20DWT%20article%20_%20July% Portland Neighbourhood Plan Evidence Report April 2014

151 environment on offer. The partnership still meets chaired by The Dorset Wildlife Trust. A Weymouth and Portland ‘Natural Environment Plan’ is being prepared under that partnership.

Portland Tourist Information Centre Portland is to get its own Tourist information Centre in April 2014. This will be based at, and managed by the Portland Heights Hotel. The current debate is over the name – The Council are promoting Weymouth and Portland TIC but the Island would prefer Portland TIC. The location is excellent as there is free public parking and the site is the first port of call for many who visit the Isle.

Key Questions and Messages for the Neighbourhood Plan  Creativity, culture and cultural heritage are essential to making a place unique, and help to define a place and form its character  Coast and country walking is a major tourist activity and attractor  Art and Culture could provide an economic development opportunity as part of the mix  There appears to be a growing community of creative people on Portland  Public venues often fall short on several levels  We have to be careful that it's unique "weirdness" is not shattered by any large housing development or tourist attraction. Hitting the balance is going to be a challenge  On Portland there are not enough attractions and projects to get people off the ‘perimeter road’  Portland has outstanding outdoor sporting attractions whose quality ranges from World Class to National Class.  The Portland Brand needs to be defined and marketed in consistent way  A quality visitor experience is what visitors are increasingly wanting - and they're willing to pay for it

Gaps in our Knowledge  Portland Pride shop has closed – allegedly due to lack of LOCAL support – what does this tell us?  The implications of the Local Nature Partnership’s policy for Portland  Weymouth and Portland’s Tourism Strategy, how it relates to Portland (and West Dorset)

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Appendix A The Evidence Base for the Portland Neighbourhood Plan comprises the many reports, documents, leaflets and websites we have consulted and extracted from in preparing this report. Included are the following:

Report/Paper Author/Publisher Year A review of future housing requirements for West Dorset DC and K Woodhead 2013 Weymouth & Portland BC Affordable Housing Provision and Developer Contributions in Dorset, Three Dragons 2010 Final Report Ageing Well in Dorset Dorset CC 2009 Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Local Transport Plan 2011-2026 Bournemouth BC, Dorset CC, Poole BC 2011 Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Renewable Energy Strategy to 2020 Dorset Energy Group 2013 Changing Impacts for the South West SW Changing Climate Impacts Partnership 2012 Community Plan for Weymouth & Portland 2013-2016 Weymouth & Portland Community Partnership 2013 Conservation Area Appraisals Weymouth & Portland BC 2008 Destination Portland Terence O’Rourke Ltd 2006 Dorchester/Weymouth Housing Market Area 2011 Strategic Housing JG Consulting & CBA 2011 Market Assessment Update Dorset Survey of Housing Need and Demand Fordham Research 2008 Dorset Survey of Housing Need and Demand, Up-date JG Consulting for Weymouth and Portland BC 2011 Dorset Viability Study Overview Report Three Dragons 2010 Draft Destination Portland Report Terence O’Rourke Ltd 2006 Extra Care Housing Strategy 2014-2021 Dorset CC 2014 Habitats Regulation Assessment for the Local Plan West Dorset DC & Weymouth & Portland BC 2012 Housing Strategy for England DCLG 2011 Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Dorset 2013 – 2016 Dorset Health & Wellbeing Board 2013 Joint Housing Strategy 2014-19 West Dorset DC & Weymouth and Portland BC 2014 Jurassic Coast Management Plan 2009-14 World Heritage Site Steering Group 2009 Landscape Character Assessment Weymouth & Portland BC 2013 Maintaining Independence, Extra Care Housing Strategy 2014 – 2021 Dorset CC 2014 Managing Coastal Change: Coastal Risk Planning Guidance West Dorset DC & Weymouth and Portland BC 2014 Minerals Strategy Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Joint report of Minerals Planning Authorities 2014 Neighbourhood Planning Roadmap Locality 2013 Open Space, Sport and Recreation Assessment: Final Report Weymouth & Portland BC 2007 Pathways to Independence Dorset CC 2013 Planning Register 2009-13 Weymouth & Portland BC , 2013 Portland Vision Terence O’Rourke 2008 Practice Profiles Network of Public Health Observatories 2013 Preliminary Economic Summary Paper Portland Port Sandie Wilson, Portland Harbour Authority 2014 Pre-submission Draft Minerals Core Strategy Dorset CC 2012 Regeneration to enable growth’ A toolkit supporting community-led Dept of Communities and Local Government 2012 regeneration Remarkable Dorset, Dorset, Strategic Economic Plan Dorset Local Economic Partnership 2014 Report of The Trustees South Dorset Community Sports Trust Ltd 2013 Report to the Portland Harbour Consortium Drivers Jonas 1994 School Report Ofsted 2011 School Report Ofsted 2014 Shoreline Management Plan – Technically Feasible Assessment Halcrow 2010 Sports Facilities Strategy 2013-2018 Consultation Draft Weymouth & Portland BC 2014 State of Dorset 2013 Dorset CC 2013 Understanding Place Historic Area Assessments: Principles and English Heritage 2010 Practice We Made That - Reflections Report Creative Facilitator, Gillingham Neighbourhood Plan 2013 West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland Local Plan amended West Dorset DC & Weymouth & Portland BC 2013 Weymouth & Portland SHLAA Weymouth & Portland BC 2013 Weymouth & Portland Transport Study Buro Happold for Dorset CC 2011 Your Place, Our Future, Community Plan for Weymouth and Portland Weymouth & Portland Partnership 2008 2008-2016

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