A shake-up of Dorset's Local Plan is needed so that it is based on based on sustainability and local needs rather than chasing housing targets.

That's the view of the Leader of Dorset Council Cllr Spencer Flower who is asking the Government to allow a two-year delay on the Local Plan, the county's future development blueprint.

He wants the document to be a pilot for new local plans taking a 'radically different approach'.

Cllr Flower said he had discussed with Housing Secretary Michael Gove and his officials about offering a 'constructive, bold and ambitious alternative' for the way Dorset develops its plan.

He said: "I have been arguing that the current national planning framework is not providing councils with the means to promote sustainable development through their Local Plans but is instead about chasing housing targets.

"I am seeking reform of this framework and proposing that Dorset could be a pilot for a new way of creating Local Plans, based on sustainability and local needs over the next 30 years, that also recognises the ambitions of our Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy."

Cllr Flower added: "From the unprecedented 9,000 responses our public consultation received, many residents share my view that the draft Local Plan chases housing numbers rather than prioritises local needs."

He has asked Mr Gove to allow Dorset to drop the requirement for the council to accept unmet housing need from neighbouring councils and for an extension of two years until April 2026 to give more time for the new Dorset Local Plan to be developed and approved.