Leaving litter around is not just unsightly. It could also endanger lives. That’s the message from Compton Abbas Airfield near Shaftesbury.
Clive Hughes, who owns the family-run airfield, a popular destination for light aircraft, is concerned about the increasing amount of litter being blown onto the runway.
“This is not a whinge,” he explained. “It could cause a major disaster. If a plastic bag or sandwich wrapper gets caught up in the engine compartment of a light aircraft while it’s taxiing, it can block the airflow to the engine. This can result in engine power reduction or complete power failure at the critical phase of flight, namely take-off. A forced landing could then become necessary and if a suitable landing area is not available, it not only endangers the aircraft and its occupants, but possibly those on the ground too. Even more concerning, combustible litter such as plastic or paper could even cause the aircraft to catch fire.”
He added: “Our daily regime is to remove foreign objects from the airfield which are injurious to safety. Since the pandemic, litter has significantly increased. The hedgerows are blighted with discarded fast-food wrappers and plastic bags which are being blown at least 200 metres onto the runway. This is also concerning for wildlife and nearby organically-farmed cattle.”
But Mr Hughes is keen to point out he doesn’t want to stop people coming to the countryside. “The last thing I want is for people to stop enjoying our beautiful surroudings so I’m keen to find a solution to this problem in conjunction with the National Trust.”
He believes that re-siting the rubbish bins in the two car parks atFontmell Down and Spread Eagle Hillto make them more visible would help encourage better use of the bins. The airfield owner is also suggesting a sign be erected to encourage people to take their litter home. He has contacted the National Trust but there has been no agreement reached and an invitation to a site visit declined.
Mr Hughes said: “I’m disappointed in what I regard to be a dismissive response by the National Trust to an issue which is a potential flight safety hazard.”
Dorset councillor Jane Somper has visited the car parks and airfield to assess the situation. She said: “I sympathise with the airfield. I had a thorough walk around there a few weeks ago and found it hard to find the bins in the NT car parks.”
The councillor has spoken to Dorset Council and Melbury Abbas Parish Council to put forward the idea of erecting a litter notice and this is now in discussion.
The National Trust told the digital Blackmore Vale: “Our Countryside team in North Dorset are working incredibly hard to keep Fontmell Down and all of the special places within our care, open, clean and safe – but we need everyone’s help to keep them that way. We are emptying bins as often as we can. We would urge everyone who visits our sites to take their litter home with them. Dropping litter puts extra pressure on our staff and local authorities at a time when resources are stretched.”
I think most Farmers, Growers and Gardeners will be glad to see the back of February . We again seem to have had the extreme of the weather with a very cold spell followed by a very wet spell.
On the farm we managed to carry out a limited amount of ploughing in preparation of sowing our crops. During the cold spell we carried out our regular 60 day interval Bovine TB test with temperatures well below freezing due to the wind chill. Our brave Vets from the Damory Practice survived the four days of testing . The suprising and encouraging result was a clear test meaning that we now need one more clear test in60 days to be able to lift movement restrictions so we can sell cattle to other farmers. A good number of cattle keepers in the South West are beginning to test clear but the question is for how long.
In spite of the covid pandemic on the farm we have remained largely unaffected, which is more than can be said for my wife’s hospitality business which remains shut .Recent announcements have given us some light at the end of the dark tunnel. Let’s hope that the planned dates become a reality especially with the vaccine rollout continuing at a pace.
Looking forward to March and our farming activities, it is generally a very busy month if the weather allows. The planting of our spring barley will be a priority . Applying fertiliser to our winter crops and grass to give them a kick start into growing will also take place . The milking cows will be looking over the gates from their winter accommodation thinking that they can sense the grass is growing and when will they be allowed out again to their green pastures again.
Let,s hope that spring will be soon upon us and put a smile on our faces again with plants and flowers growing to start the food production cycle going again.
Looking back to the farm dairy of February 1921 we were thrashing wheat and oats. Work had started preparing the fields for planting crops which is very similar to what we are doing today .The picture probably taken in about 1930, of my Grandfather driving an International harvester 10-20 tractor built around 1927 shows the tractor preparing the soil for planting , a very similar operation to our John Deere working during the end of February this year. An interesting comment in the 1921 diary was that this year was the longest and hottest drought within living memory. The stream dried up in July and started flowing again in January. Let’s hope the weather pattern doesn’t go in 100 year cycles !!
Call me old-fashioned but even with the modern technologies of sat nav and the all-knowing Google, I still make a Tourist Information Centre (TIC) my first port of call when holidaying or even going on a day trip closer to home – of course this was in halcyon, pre-lockdown days.
Local maps, a wealth of knowledge and asking questions of a real person behind the counter who can’t really recommend just one restaurant, but always does. And I’m such a sucker for those tantalising tea towels and souvenir thimbles.
Sadly, such TIC delights in parts of Dorset are in danger of becoming a thing of the past with news that Dorset Council is to stop funding their last three Tourist Information Centres in Dorchester, Sherborne and Wareham. The Council says it cannot afford to continue to fund the centres which cost around £200,000 each year to operate and employ 12 part-time workers.
Shutterstock
Councillor Jill Haynes, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer and Community Services, said: “It’s always a difficult decision to reduce services we have historically provided, especially in the current climate and when jobs are potentially put at risk. However, our financial situation leaves us little choice but to review the provision of all services we’re not legally required to deliver.
“We cannot afford to fund tourism support activity at a local level across communities in Dorset. The Council’s role is to promote Dorset as a destination, so we will continue to develop the Visit Dorset brand to support the visitor economy and promote sustainable tourism as part of our Economic Growth Strategy.”
A recent public consultation by Dorset Council, in which 990 people took part, showed a strong level of support for its TICs and the service offered to residents and visitors alike.
Dorset residents made up 85% of respondents. The consultation revealed that 82% make use of a TIC with nearly 40% visiting more than five times a year.
Councillor Jill Haynes said: “The consultation has demonstrated that TIC services are still considered to be important by local people, visitors and businesses. It’s important that Dorset Council investigates all potential options for how these services could be provided in the future. “
Submitted comments frequently mentioned the importance of encouraging tourism for the local economy, the value of offering a face-to-face service, working with other organisations around sites and having knowledgeable staffing.
Dorset resident, Paul Sugg, who participated in the consultation, wrote: “This seems the wrong time to reduce spending on encouraging tourism to our county. Bizarrely, at the time of greatest strain on the public purse, it is the remainder of 2021 when these services will be required most. Foreign holidays are unlikely to be permitted and the majority of UK nationals will be looking to ‘get away’ to attractive areas of our green and pleasant land. We now have a unique opportunity to showcase our county and persuade people to spend more time here, particularly in low seasons, for years to come.’’
Miranda Tunnicliffe suggested: “Could the TIC’s sell local products and tea and coffee to supplement their income? Leaflets about local events, accommodation and attractions are essential to a positive visitor experience in Dorset. The redevelopment of Weymouth train station could include a TIC office surely. There are masses of empty shops too. I would like to see Visit Dorset employees manning them to get value for money.”
Andrew Patrick felt any savings could be better redeployed: “Tourism is very important to the Dorset economy, but the Council has to consider why the majority of council-tax payers, who live in places with either no TIC , or a locally self-funded TIC, should subsidise TICs in just three places, when those council-tax payers might well prefer potential savings to go toward more vital services – such as child care for example – which are in desperate need of funding across the Council area.’’
This public consultation report was discussed at a recent Place and Resources Overview Committee meeting with discussions around how to continue to support the Visit Dorset website, work with local organisations to find solutions and consider one-off funding to reduce the impact of potential closures on local people.
During this meeting, it was revealed that half of respondents to the TIC consultation were not even aware of the Visit Dorset website.
Sturminster Newton’s Councillor Carole Jones raised her concerns that the Visit Dorset website should be more seamless. “It needs tightening up so that visitors to the website are taken easily to sections on an area of Dorset where they can find everything – where to stay, where to eat, where to visit.”
Councillor Sherry Jesperson, representing Hill Forts and Upper Tarrants, voiced concerns that rural tourism industries such as farm glamping need to be more engaged. “We need to market tourism opportunities beyond the ‘coastal smile’. This should be a priority for Visit Dorset.”
Councillor Jill Haynes told the meeting that the website, which receives 2.6 million visits a year, is likely to be revised: “We have 15 million social media hits a year and 85,000 followers yet I was surprised at the amount of people who took part in the consultation who weren’t aware of Visit Dorset. I’ve already been involved with meetings with town councils to discuss how we can encourage them to promote their areas and are keen for more networking across tourist attractions to happen.”
The reorganisation of the TICS was passed and will begin at the end of April in conjunction with the finish of the financial year. Weymouth Councillor Ryan Hope, objecting to the plan, voiced concerns that Dorset Tourism had been hit hard during the pandemic and this timing was not good. “With Covid restrictions being lifted and staycations set to be the popular holiday option this year, Dorset will be a favourite destination. Our TICs answer questions and give support for the whole of Dorset and our tourism industry needs all the help it can get.”
Public consultation respondent Ian Stuart believes Dorset Council will regret their decision. “The elimination of the Tourist Information Centres is absurd. Dorset Council will live to regret it. At such a time tourism, and tourists, need more help than ever. Dorset Council – whose very existence depends upon the tax payer – is doing a radical disservice to the beautiful area they represent and we all live in.”
TICS in DORSET – how many are left and where are they? There are five other TICs in Dorset Blandford, Bridport, Shaftesbury, Swanage and Wimborne are run by other organisations, such as Town and Parish Councils. Some areas in Dorset no longer have a TIC at all, such as Weymouth and Lyme Regis. Evidence shows that it is mostly local people who visit TICs. Around 30 million people visit Dorset annually, with approximately 93,000 people visiting one of the three TICs during 2019/20.
A £7m project hailed as game-changing and with the potential to close the rural/urban digital divide for farming and rural communities has been unveiled for Dorset.
The Small Robot Company (SRC), a British agritech start-up for sustainable farming, is to partner with Wessex Internet, Telint and Dorset Council in the 5G RuralDorset project.
The project will develop and prove a blueprint for rural-optimised 5G connectivity, with the world’s first 5G-ready agri-robot for arable farms.
The Small Robot Company is building a 5G-enabled version of its ‘Tom’ robot.
The resulting 5G blueprint will enable rapid deployment of 5G to rural areas.
The partners say it could boost rural investment, create skilled jobs and improve prosperity.
The project will develop an affordable, reliable and interoperable 5G network that is custom-designed for farmers and the particular challenges of rural connectivity.
It will look to explore how 5G and its roll out might be able to provide a step-change in the industry.
The project is part-funded, to the tune of £4.5m, by the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport as part of its 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme.
The 5G robotics trial aims to demonstrate a revolution in farming, increasing productivity, yields and biodiversity while simultaneously reducing environmental impact.
Importantly, it also looks to improve soil health and reduce emissions, helping farmers meet the UK agriculture target of Net Zero by 2040.
Farm Robot
Alongside the work with SRC, Wessex Internet is working with other future industry players to trial uses of 5G connectivity in agriculture.
The aim is to deliver high/mid bandwidth 5G solutions and breakthrough innovation within agriculture.
Anticipated benefits include empowering farmers with cost-effective, interoperable agritech; and more localised and efficient supply chains, linking local needs with local produce to improve food security, reduce waste and provide higher-value local produce.
Hector Gibson Fleming, Managing Director of Wessex Internet, said: “Our work taking full-fibre broadband to farms, homes and businesses in rural communities has shown us how great connectivity can transform countryside communities.
“But connectivity across farms remains a massive issue.
“Exciting technological developments in agriculture have the potential to transform farming, but are held back by poor connectivity and mobile coverage.
“We hope the 5G networks we’re building across a number of Dorset farms, and the exciting 5G applications we’re trialling, such as Small Robot Company’s agri-robots, will be a shining example of what the future can look like.”
Ben Scott-Robinson, CEO and Co-founder, Small Robot Company, said: “This 5G blueprint could be a catalyst for rural economies – with our robots demonstrating the potential for 5G to transform agricultural productivity.
“Connectivity is not a luxury.
“It’s a utility and vital to economic performance.
“5G technological development within agriculture is vital post-Brexit.
“One of the biggest obstacles facing UK farmers in adopting new technologies is poor connectivity around the farm.
“This 5G blueprint will pave the way for growth in the rural economy – and alongside it greatly-improved quality of life.”
Farm Robot
The project will build a 5G ecosystem within the agriculture/aquaculture industry.
Wessex Internet will trial uses of 5G connectivity in agriculture, looking to establish sustainable business models that can be rapidly commercialised.
5G robotics could completely revolutionise the way the UK farms and bring enormous benefits to the environment.
Rural-optimised 5G connectivity also allows for the potential to reduce the cost of operating robots – which is already significantly less than conventional farm machinery.
It is anticipated that 5G robotics will enable real time capabilities such as the ability to quickly identify pests like slugs and immediately take action; and enabling farmers to act faster to exploit the UK’s dry weather windows.
Reducing the use of pesticides by improved precision mapping and weeding without the use of herbicides will improve biodiversity and soil health.
It will also provide farmers with live operational information such as soil moisture and crop emergence.
Seamless and real-time data and systems integration will also break down vertical silos, eliminating manual data transfer, reducing costs and greatly improving decision making.
The trials will be the first to demonstrate wide-scale autonomy of robotic farming operation, including the development of the UK’s first ‘5G-ready’ agri-robot.
Wessex Internet will be delivering three farm 5G networks on the back of its existing 2,100km full-fibre network as part of the 5G RuralDorset trials.
As a company with a farming background, the rural connectivity provider will be aiming to experiment with a 5G network which is fit for the industry – testing the technical and commercial viability of 5G deployment models in rural areas.
Farm Robot
The trials with the Small Robot Company robots will be taking place at the Ranston Farm 5G trial site.
SRC is building a 5G-enabled Tom monitoring robot, Kennel and Robot Handler App.
In addition, the project scope includes a 5G-enabled Dick non-chemical weeding robot.
SRC will test this capability in Dorset from October 2021 to March 2022, writing a report on the resulting outcomes and benefits for its Farming-as-a-Service robotics model.
Mike Donnachie, Farm Manager at Ranston Farms, said having precise and accurate data to hand would help him make instant decisions while Cllr Peter Wharf Dorset Council’s Deputy Leader, said : “It is our hope that in making farming operations more sustainable through partnership with the Small Robot Company, we can revolutionise not only the productivity of agricultural operations but also reduce its impact on the environment through novel uses of monitoring and weed control.
“In doing so we will make agriculture part of Dorset for generations to come.”
Matt Warman, Digital Infrastructure Minister, said: “As we level up rural communities, we’re proud to be backing 5G RuralDorset and the many innovative projects it’s involved with – from intelligent buoys to 5G seaweed farms.
“This has huge potential to close the divide between rural and urban areas and transform agriculture as we build back better and greener for a more prosperous future.”
It’s a crime that often goes unnoticed and unreported. Domestic abuse is on the increase and those in violent relationships have been affected severely by the three lockdowns.
Police recorded over a quarter of a million domestic abuse offences during the first lockdown between March and June 2020 – 7% up on the same period in 2019. Dorset Police reported a 17% increase across the county during the same period. The nationwide rise compelled Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at the start of the second lockdown, to urge victims to “flee from harm.”
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) states there has been an increase in demand for victim services during the coronavirus pandemic. As lockdown measures eased helplines in particular felt the pressure. The ONS suggests a probable increase in the severity of abuse and a lack of support mechanisms, such as the opportunity to escape the abusive home or to attend counselling.
However, the pandemic has been useful in helping bring this terrible topic into the spotlight and to highlight the need for more funding. Indeed, there is some good news for domestic abuse victims and their children living in Dorset: they are to receive more support through £1.4million of extra government funding.
The much-needed funding will help victims and their children access life-saving support and flee their abusers. This will include advocacy, counselling and therapy in safe locations such as refuges or specialist safe houses.
Dorset Council has secured £651,000 and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council will receive £750,000.
For David Sidwick, Conservative candidate to be next Police and Crime Commissioner in Dorset, the subject of domestic violence is a matter close to his heart. He said: “Having had a close family experience of domestic abuse, I know the pain and trauma it can cause. “
Mr Sidwick shared with the digital Blackmore Vale Magazine: “Somebody I know well was in an abusive relationship for a number of years. This consisted of coercive and controlling behaviour eventually leading to physical violence. This person endured interrogation of every aspect of her life – car mileage checked, phone bill scrutinised, even her workplace called to check she’d gone to work!”
He added: “And this was just the tip of the iceberg – being grilled if she was late back from shopping, possessive and controlling behaviour that forced her to pay all the bills so she was left with no money of her own. Thankfully, she eventually broke free with the help of a police domestic violence team.
David Sidwick continued: “I am pleased Dorset I getting £1.4 million. Having spoken to charities and residents across Dorset, I feel even more could be done to increase victim support and reduce offending. This behaviour destroys self-esteem and engenders shame of being a victim.”
Tonia Redvers, Quality and Operations Director for YOU, who deliver You First, the commissioned domestic abuse service in Dorset, told the digital Blackmore Vale: ‘We appreciate all funds that are allocated to Dorset to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse and their children. It’s very early days and we don’t yet know how the increased funding for Dorset will be allocated.
“We have seen an increase in referrals since the pandemic started. Not only have our team been amazing, but also we’ve received wonderful support from Dorset Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner which has enabled us to add staff to our initial contact team and to grow our counselling support for people in Dorset.’’
She added: “We look forward to working with Dorset Council to ensure these funds make a difference to people experiencing domestic abuse in Dorset.”
Dorset PCC David Sidwick
ASK FOR ANI In January 2021 the government launched the ‘Ask for ANI’ code word scheme, which provides victims of domestic abuse access to immediate help from the police or other support services from their local pharmacy.
The Ask for ANI scheme allows those at risk or suffering from abuse to discreetly signal that they need help and access support. By asking for ANI in places like Boots, which have signed up for the scheme, a trained pharmacy worker will offer a private space where they can establish if the victim needs to speak to the police or would like help to access support services such as a national or local domestic abuse helpline.
What could happen to your estate if you die without a valid Will in place?
If you die without a valid Will then a set of rules called the ‘Intestacy’ rules determine how the estate will be distributed between blood relatives.
In limited circumstances, the rules of intestacy can suit the family of the deceased. However, there are a lot of circumstances whereby the intestacy rules are not suitable.
If you are not in a civil partnership or married then a ‘partner’ does not receive any of your estate. And if your estate is worth £270,000 or less your spouse or civil partner will receive everything – leaving nothing for children from a previous relationship. Your estate may even pass to unknown family members.
The intestacy rules also ignore the distribution of any personal items and charities that the deceased may have supported. Without a Will you haven’t appointed executors to administer your estate which can also cause more work and delay.
What are the risks of using a DIY Wills kit or an unregulated service?
You shouldn’t use an unregulated service to manage one of the most important documents you’ll need. People are often tempted by low fees (but do. always watch out for hidden costs). If Solicitors fees are your concern there are schemes that we can utilise to assist with the cost of a Will.
DIY Will kits do not provide you with the personal guidance that you need to make sure that your Will is clear and deals with all eventualities. Solicitors are experienced in dealing with all circumstances and can therefore tailor your Will specifically to your own needs. They are also trained on the legal intricacies that will determine the best way of distributing your estate regarding inheritance tax planning.
Solicitors also have insurance so that if Will instructions are not interpreted correctly then beneficiaries have some recompense. Unregulated services and DIY kit companies do not have such assurances.
Is it important for everyone, no matter their age, to consider making or updating their Will?
Everyone should have a Will and keep it updated: we do not know what may happen today, tomorrow. Making or updating a Will ensures your wishes are clear and comprehensive, giving you piece of mind.
After kindly mentioning my previous column in the opening lines of his February contribution, Andy Palmer noted that when his family moved the 20 miles from Stalbridge to Weymouth in 1973, he discovered a different dialect.
Down on the sophisticated south coast, familiar phrases like ‘Where be you to?’ bain’t yeard at all.
Strangely, if Andy had instead moved the best part of 3,000 miles to the north coast of Newfoundland, he’d have heard something much closer to the vernacular of his Stalbridge roots.
In remoter parts of Canada’s most easterly province, the Dorset dialect survives in better shape that than it does in its native county.
The only known picture of a swanskin garment dates from 1712 and shows a Newfoundland fishing station. The person far right is wearing a swanskin ‘habit’, as it was described 300 years ago
This was brought home to me in 1997 following the second of my two visits to Newfoundland.
‘Arrh, ’tis very beautiful down drew ’ere, you,’ I heard one person say in Twillingate.
A week later I was back in Blighty having lunch in the Red Rose at Sturminster Newton and overheard a couple of locals at another table.
At that moment I realised the people I’d met in Twillingate spoke not just with a Dorset accent but a Blackmore Vale one. It was that specific.
The reason is simple. Twillingate and several other fishing communities were founded by Sturminster merchants in the early 1800s after the bottom dropped out of the swanskin trade.
The manufacture of swanskin – a coarse, wool-based cloth that has nothing to do with swans except in its colour – was a major Blackmore Vale industry for 250 years or so.
The cloth was hammered out at a water-powered fulling mill adjoining Sturminster’s corn mill and as many as 1,200 people were employed in the trade.
Most of the finished cloth was carted to Poole and shipped to Newfoundland, where it protected fishermen from the harsher North Atlantic climate.
When competition from the industrialising North and Midlands brought about the collapse of the swanskin trade, Sturminster merchants filled the economic void by founding new fishing communities and sending their employees to Newfoundland to man them.
The economic migrants took many things with them including their customs, their surnames – and their accents.
Twillingate’s remoteness ensured that these things were preserved.
Two hundred years later, 92 per cent of the ancestors of present-day Twillingate folk are reckoned to have been from Dorset, about half of those from the Blackmore Vale.
Roger Guttridge gets a Twillingate welcome in 1997
During that same 1997 visit, I whiled away a good hour reading the Twillingate phone book.
It read like the register at Sturminster Primary School in the 1950s. Most of the old North Dorset names were represented.
After I gave a talk about the connections between Wessex and Canada’s most easterly province, an audience member told me: ‘Until I heard your talk, I thought that Newfoundland was the only place in the world that didn’t recognise the word “me”.’
The man explained: ‘Old Newfoundlanders don’t say, “Are you coming with me?” They say, “Are you coming wi’ I?” Now I realise where that comes from.’
The man hailed from a community called Hermitage, which was probably founded by migrants from Hermitage, near Sherborne.
At a Twillingate hamlet called Hart’s Cove, I was introduced to Jack Troake, who asked if I’d like to ‘stand on a little piece of old England’.
I accepted the invitation and he led me to a spot of ground that sported a healthy crop of grass and weeds, in contrast to the rocky, less fertile terrain all around.
Jack picked up a handful of soil from a freshly dug area and ran it through his fingers.
It was best quality dirt – rich, dark soil that reminded me of my own garden at home in Dorset.
‘Slade and Duder had big fishing premises here at Hart’s Cove,’ said Jack, referring to the days when the Poole-Newfoundland cod trade was at its height.
Roger’s picture of Jack Troake sifting Dorset soil, as printed in the Downhomer
‘The sailing schooners left Poole empty and needed ballast.’
That ballast consisted of best Dorset topsoil, which on arrival at Hart’s Cove was tipped on a certain spot to form a fertile garden.
‘They grew vegetables in it – it was good for carrots and spuds,’ he said. (Yes, he really did say ‘spuds’.)
‘People also used to go there to dig for worms for fishing.’
The freshly dug patch indicated that they still did – and I’d wager that these worms, like the human inhabitants, have Dorset ancestors.
When I told this story to my mother following my return, she said: ‘I went to school with Troakes at Blandford.’
Another local surname, then. I fancy I’ve also heard the surname ‘Hart’ in Stur at some point.
Jack Troake’s story was one of dozens relating to the Dorset-Newfoundland connection that I uncovered during the nine years that I wrote a column for the province’s leading monthly magazine, The Downhomer.
The Downhomer’s founder Ron Young came from Twillingate and is probably descended from Dorset namesakes.
• Talks are underway to restore Sturminster Newton’s 200-year-old link with Twillingate by launching some kind of twinning arrangement between the communities.
You only have a few more days to give your views to Dorset Council on Dorset’s Local Plan. It is SO important you do take a look – and if you don’t have the heart to decipher the 2,000 pages of the full plan, then Rupert hardy, chair of the North Dorset CPRE has broken it into manageable chunks for us, with the biggest issues highlighted. Reading his article will only be a few minutes of your time, and if any of the below rings alarm bells (and it probably will) then you only have until the 15th to make your voice heard:
Last month we wrote about the failings of Dorset Council’s (DC) draft Local Plan (LP) and its consultation process, but we could have said more on the Plan itself which is so very important, deciding the future development of Dorset until 2038. We will do now:
The LP appears to be made up of a mishmash of various plans from the previous District Councils, already out-of-date.It offers no strategic options. It consists of c.2,000 pages of unmanageable documents, which most residents will not read. Recent caveats may have been inserted into the Plan, but clearly the impact of Covid, with its profound consequences for retailing and the hospitality, has not been factored in. The Council’s excuse is that they are under pressure from government but other councils are taking a more measured and consultative approach.
The government’s housing requirement for Dorset is 30,000 new homesbut DC officers have conceded that they are actually preparing for more with a housing supply figure of 39,000 homes, to allow for unmet need from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) and the New Forest, although it has not been requested yet. Last year Dorset CPRE commissioned an independent report that heavily criticised the government’s Standard Housing Method (SHM). The government did state though in December 2020 that the SHM is a starting point for assessing housing need, not a target in plan making. There are plenty of examples of other local authorities, where adopted LP numbers are lower than the government’s SHM. Given the number of constraints facing Dorset, such as the Green Belt and the protected Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, why are DC proposing such a major increase over the last adopted Local Plans?
North Dorset’s problems emanate from the allocation of 1,800 houses to the Gillingham Southern Extension in the old North Dorset’s Local Plan, with none having been built yet. As a result of the loss of 5 year land supply, much speculative development has landed elsewhere. Residents here now face thousands more homes being built over their beautiful countryside.
“DC have targeted Stalbridge in particular with a housing allocation of 610 more homes. Yet it offers no useful public transport, no doctor’s surgery, no secondary school, few retail or employment options and narrow constricted roads.“
Rupert Hardy, Chairman, North Dorset CPRE
One other option being offered is to build yet more homes in Gillingham. The Peacemarsh proposal might deliver 600 units too, despite poor infrastructure and serious flooding risk, hence the name.
Rolling downland at Pimperne threatened by Wyatt Homes development and included in Local Plan
It is not easy navigating through the many documents, as the Plan covers much, such as transport, employment, the environment etc and not just housing. Most of the focus on housing is on the towns where more development is proposed. However if you live in a village, you can identify what Tier your village is placed in the Settlement Hierarchy, as this will determine the degree and type of development that might be expected.
“Even if there appear to be no allocations in your parish, watch out as there only 26,000 homes allocated formally in the Plan.”
Rupert Hardy, Chairman, North Dorset CPRE
Neighbourhood Plan Housing Requirements are shown in Appendix 2, but the Plan says clearly these are minimum figures! Small and medium-sized housing sites are shown in App.3, while new or extensions of existing Gypsy and Traveller sites are in App.4. It is curious that two thirds of the these happen to be in North Dorset in Marnhull, King’s Stag, Gillingham, Thornicombe, Enmore Green and Shaftesbury.
One extraordinary feature of Dorset’s Local Plan is its bold reliance on a DC forecast of 21,000 new full-time jobs being created over the twenty years to 2038. Yet there is no chapter on economic strategy to justify this.
Insufficient consideration has been given to whether the Plan is compatible with DC’s declared climate emergency. There is much comment on the “need to enable better public transport services, promote active travel and reduce car dependency”. Besides wishful thinking that residents will walk and cycle more, there appears to be no strategy for improving public transport.
There are serious omissions in the Wind Development Opportunities Report. DC say the potential locations shown could deliver 400 Gwh of renewable energy but there is no consideration of landscape restraints, so the target is risible. Overall we would like to see much greater focus on roof-mounted solar panels as a means to generate more renewable energy.
Why has Blandford, the former administrative seat of North Dorset, been relegated to the South Eastern Functional Area? Is this a ploy for Blandford and surrounding villages to be set up as a dormitory town for BCP, and to support their need for housing? Local parish councils and the town are united in opposing this.
They are sadly long gone, but Gillingham’s old mill buildings once provided the town with a gloriously historic centrepiece.
They were attractive enough to catch the eye of the great John Constable, who painted the mill while staying at Gillingham Vicarage with his friend Archdeacon John Fisher.
Town Mills c1900. The recently closed silk mill is left of centre adjoining the rebuilt corn mill (far right). Far left is the house that included the indentured girls’ dormitory with silk workrooms rooms on the ground floor. Picture from Gillingham: The Making of a Dorset Town, by John Porter
The silk mill, built by Stephen Hannam in 1769 adjoining his corn mill, provides one of Gillingham’s most interesting historical stories.
For many decades, beginning in the 1780s, the Hannams added girl power to water power to aid their silk throwing business.
Surviving apprenticeship documents reveal that girls aged nine to 18 were recruited from London workhouses to ‘learn the art and mystery of a silk throwster’.
A similar view from a slightly different angle
Under the terms of the indentures, the girls were required to serve the mill until marriage or the age of 21.
Most probably did marry locally and will be among the ancestors of some North Dorset people today.
For their part the Hannams were required to provide the girls with ‘double apparel of all sorts, good, and new … one suit for holy days and another for working days’.
The girls were accommodated on the upper floors of an east-facing Georgian house a few yards away, with the ground floor used for washing and drying the silk.
Barnaby Mill retirement flats from a similar angle in 2021 with the surviving mill manager’s house (far right)
This house later became Brickell’s printworks until it was demolished in 1924.
The silk mill, which shared a mill wheel with its grist-grinding neighbour, closed in 1895.
G B Matthews and Co continued as millers until 1965, after which the vacant mill buildings fell into disrepair and were eventually destroyed by fire in 1981.
A decade later the Barnaby Mill retirement flats were built on the site next to the old mill manager’s cottage – the only survivor of the original mill complex.
