POSITIVE changes which have come out of the coronavirus pandemic should be encouraged to continue – according to Dorchester councillor Molly Rennie.

She has asked that the area’s Local Plan, currently being revised, should include items such as travelling less by car and buying local.

“Quite quickly so much has changed…and now we are talking about buying local, people are travelling less, local communities are setting up huge support groups, shops that were not selling certain things have changed.

“I am wondering if we could encapsulate some of that,” she told an online meeting of Dorchester Town Council on Monday evening.

Town Clerk Adrian Stuart said that, in dialogue with Dorset Council, there was a willingness to take onboard some of the lessons which had been learnt since the outbreak.

“Hopefully it will influence their thinking on the Local Plan and it will be interesting to see how they respond to that,” he said.

Cllr Les Fry, who sits on the Dorset Council panel working on the Local Plan, said he would bring the item for discussion at its next meeting.