The rain has finally rained.
And I’m neither a farmer, an equestrian, nor a gardener (I always point out to visitors oooh-ing over our garden that it’s entirely down to Courtenay. I just enjoy the fruits of his labour, offer occasional weeding services and have sporadic opinions, usually met with a raised eyebrow. So personally, I’m just sad that such a glorious few months have finally come to an end. How suddenly our brown, parched landscape is green again (which, according to Lucy Procter this month, comes with its own set of problems).
I’m already mourning the end of al fresco breakfasts and Picky Bits dinners – and the fact the sun won’t set after 8pm again until April 2026. But we’ve been busy. This month’s issue is a packed one – including two deep dives into Dorset’s newly launched Local Plan consultation. I know, I can feel your eyes glazing over already. But this one matters. It’s the blueprint for how Dorset looks, lives and grows for the next couple of decades – and we’ve got just eight weeks to shape it. I’ve spoken to former North Dorset planning chief Sherry Jespersen, and the CPRE have weighed in too. Both are sharp, experienced and very clear-eyed about what’s at stake. If you’ve got thoughts about housing, infrastructure or just keeping Dorset looking like Dorset, now’s the time to speak up.
This week, an Australian photographer stumbled across his great-grandfather’s photography work in our history section – his own father had died young, so he knows little of his family story – he’s thrilled to learn photography has run in the family for more than a century.
Elsewhere this month, we’re going deep – literally – into Dorset’s past. A Saxon burial dig in Iwerne Minster has revealed some extraordinary finds, and we were lucky enough to get private access (yes, there are photos). It’s a good one.
So – pop the kettle on. Or better yet, pour a glass of something cold.
Summer may be gone, but I refuse to start talking about pumpkins just yet.
The number of houses ain’t it
So the government wants Dorset to build 50,000 new houses over the next 17 years – but who are they really for? We already have roughly 450 homes per 1,000 people, which is in line with the OECD average. The number of homes per capita has actually increased, yet house prices have tripled since the year 2000.
Maybe – just maybe – the problem isn’t how many houses we build, but who they’re built for.
Second homes and speculative development are driving prices far beyond the reach of local wages. More building won’t fix that.
Until we tackle ownership, affordability and the misuse of housing stock, Dorset risks sacrificing more of its countryside for absolutely no gain to the people who live and work here.
Name and address supplied
It is beyond ridiculous that we’re still relying on big developers to solve the country’s housing crisis – including the so-called “affordable” and social housing quotas (affordable for who, exactly?).
These are private businesses. Their profits depend on keeping prices high. Why on earth would they suddenly flood the market with genuinely affordable homes and bring down the value of their own product? It’s bloody obvious they won’t – no matter how many targets the government throws at them.
The current system isn’t broken. It’s doing exactly what it’s designed to do: make money for developers. And Dorset Council nodding along with plans to build 50,000 new houses under this model is either naïve or wilfully blind.
We don’t need more empty promises in shiny brochures. We need proper public housing, built for need – not profit.
Eric G, Blandford
If Dorset Council is serious about helping young people stay in the county, it’s time to stop pretending that big developers will solve the housing crisis. They won’t – because their business model relies on keeping prices high.
Instead, let’s look at three practical alternatives that could actually work:
Community Land Trusts (CLTs) keep land in local ownership and build truly affordable homes that remain affordable forever. CLTs already work – why are we not doing more?
Self-build plots for locals using pod housing: Allocate small plots specifically for young local people to build simple pod-style homes – low-cost, sustainable, and requiring no traditional footings. It’s a perfect first step onto the housing ladder, without the inflated price tag.
Old school parish or council-owned rental homes: The old ‘council house’ system. Properly managed social housing, with rents tied to local incomes, not market rates.
None of this is radical. What is radical is expecting Dorset’s young people to compete with second-home buyers or wealthy retirees, and still afford to stay in the towns they grew up in.
Anna J, Shillingstone
On Trump
Andrew Livingston’s August column paints a romantic picture of American farming, but the reality is far bleaker. US farmers are battling crippling input costs, tariffs, poor mental health provision and market volatility. Some are literally burning crops because they can’t afford to harvest or store them.
Trump may have said something sympathetic – for once – but let’s not pretend the American system is working. It’s brutal.
R. Green, Shaftesbury
While Andrew’s article struck a chord with many, it’s important not to gloss over Trump’s wider record on agriculture. This is the same man who dismissed climate change, walked away from environmental protections and pushed trade deals that would flood the UK with cheap, low-welfare, high-additive US meat. Our farmers don’t need sympathy from Trump – they need protection from exactly the policies he champions.
Chris R, Fontmell Magna
On why North Dorset needs a technical college
(The BV, Aug 25)
Your article on the urgent need for a technical college in North Dorset struch a chord – and judging by the online discussion, I’m far from alone. As well as the basic trades, we mustn’t forget the importance of land-based industries in this area. They’re a major part of North Dorset’s economy, yet accessing further education in those subjects is often prohibitively expensive. Travel to existing colleges like Kingston Maurward costs over £1,000 a year – assuming there’s even IS a bus.
Our roads run east–west, and our colleges are north–south. There’s a gaping educational void in North Dorset, and our teenagers are paying the price. Not everyone has a car, and not every young person is academic. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have access to skilled training.
A local technical college isn’t a luxury – it’s basic infrastructure. The growing population in this part of the county deserves more than just housing estates.
Owen P, Gillingham
Take a Hike
We’ve just returned from a two-week family holiday in Dorset. While the grandchildren loved the beach, I must confess – Bournemouth in a heatwave was our idea of hell. We abandoned them to their parents, and headed inland to escape. By sheer luck, we stumbled across your Hell Lane walk online: we followed it, loved it, and quickly found ourselves working through more of your walks library. What a revelation! We explored places we’d never have found on our own – timeless green lanes, ancient woodlands, hidden villages, hillforts and proper quiet countryside.
It felt like we’d finally discovered Hardy’s Wessex.
Thank you for helping us see a whole new side of Dorset – we’re already planning next year’s return.
John & Margaret P., Bedfordshire
Dear driver…
To the tourist (I’ll be generous and presume they weren’t local) in the shiny SUV who met a tractor hauling a full trailer of barley and sat there flashing your lights, flapping your hands and looking generally baffled as to why others were getting shouty – welcome to Dorset! Local tip: the 20-tonne vehicle doing the actual harvesting does not reverse for your tour of pretty thatched cottages.
Emma G, Fontmell Magna
Happy Birthday Us!
We received so many lovely messages congratulating us on our fifth anniversary – it seemed silly to publish them all, so we’ll just say a big THANK YOU. And leave you with this merry missive from a one-time columnist of ours, who, happily, hasn’t entirely vanished from my inbox:
Here is a mag held in the greatest of stead.
‘cos It delivers each month with maximum cred.
Fully five years in being,
And still worth the seeing…
What can we say but “full steam ahead!”
Mike C, Bourton
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