7.50 Identification of Milborne Port as a Rural Centre will enable the settlement to grow and expand its identified role by allowing for additional employment growth, the provision of additional retail premises and modest housing growth all of which will encourage greater self-containment.

7.51 To enable the settlement to grow and continue to expand its identified role 100 dwellings are proposed beyond existing commitments (199 dwellings) reflecting a scale of growth commensurate with Bruton and Martock. Additional employment and retail opportunities should be exploited to strengthen the service function of the settlement and additional employment land is required to be developed to 2026 in order to broaden the range of opportunities and to provide greater self-containment.

7.52 There is virtually no existing supply of employment land in Milborne Port, yet the settlement will see an additional 299 homes minimum over the plan period, therefore to promote self-contained growth and cater for this additional housing it is suggested that 2 hectares of employment land be delivered through the Core Strategy. As this is not strategically significant this should be delivered through the Development Management process. Delivery should be monitored and reviewed through the next ELR.

7.53 Proposals for retail development should similarly be considered through the Development Management process.