WEST DORSET: Furious members of two campaign groups in Bridport who have submitted public petitions against items in the proposed West Dorset Local Plan have been told their petitions will not be heard by West Dorset District Council.

Protestors want both development on car parks and a major development on Vearse Farm discussed before they are finally included in the new local plan.

Cllr Ros Kayes, who has been involved with both petitions, said: "This is an absolute dereliction of the democratic process. Members of the public worked really hard to get those signatures – more than 2000 in the case of the petition against building on Bridport car parks and almost 2000 for the petition against building 760 houses in Vearse farm.

“What is objectionable about this is the information about the car parks was added at a late stage in the plan and without proper consultation. So residents did not get a proper chance to make their feelings known, either before the examination of the plan or during it.

Protestors were told, in an email from the council’s chief executive that although petitions with more than 1,000 signatures were normally brought to full council for discussion, there are exceptions.

These include petitions applying to a planning application or on a matter where there is already an existing right of appeal.

Matt Prosser, Chief Executive of West Dorset District Council, said: “We wish to thank the Advearse group for the submission of their recent petition.

“Hearings held by an independent Government Planning Inspector into the Local Plan for West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland recently finished. During this process, the Inspector received written evidence and heard the direct submissions of the objectors, including submissions presented by the Advearse group.

“Therefore, the petition will not be discussed by the Full Council as the matter is one that has already been able to go through a separate investigation process through the public examination into the whole plan.

“There will be a final opportunity for the public to comment on any proposed modifications to the plan before the Inspector issues his final report and the plan is formally adopted.”