“Home is not a building, home is a feeling,” an old adage certainly, but is it really true?
May we easily chose where we live or does the market dictate much? Certainly we may have links to Portland through family or work, but affordability and supply of the accommodation we seek affects us too. Should we encourage a more flexible outlook in our young people? Is it unreasonable to consider off Island solutions for accommodation of our elderly?
Understanding the economic and demographic issues within our communities is necessary for those who provide public services and infrastructure or for anyone proposing further development. To attain a sustainable future must we understand these issues well enough to have an informed opinion.
How does the heritage of our built environment affect our homes? With much of our housing lying in conservation areas, will we find upkeep of our homes or energy needs too costly in the future? Perhaps there is more potential value in conservation than we first realise or perhaps are we finding limitations that we could address?
Will competing demands for employment land and land dedicated towards protecting our natural environment draw a line under the level of housing that can be achieved? At what point does the Island become full?
Finally with statistics predicting changes of who will live here and the relative age ratios; will there be more demand on a finite housing stock? Will this affect Portland more strongly than other areas of Dorset? What if any, are the alternatives to accepting the pressure of market forces?