FAILINGS OF DORSET’S LOCAL PLAN (Part 2)

8 March 2021

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• The LP appears to be made up of a mishmash of various plans from the previous District Councils, already out-of-date.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 homes but 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 LP, 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. 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.
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. 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 this 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.

Residents of North Dorset still have until 15th March to respond, so please do now!

Rupert Hardy, Chairman, North Dorset CPRE

Citizens Advice Dorset Continues To Support Residents

Editorial team

8 March 2021

Citizens Advice in Dorset has continued to provide free help and support to Dorset residents throughout the pandemic. With offices located in Bridport, Central Dorset, East Dorset and Purbeck , volunteers quickly adapted to no longer offering face to face appointments, to providing phone and digital advice.

Since the start of lockdown on 23^rd March 2020 until the end of January 2021, Citizens Advice across rural Dorset helped over 11,000 people with over 41,000 issues. The type of issues include providing employment, benefits and debt advice, energy and fuel poverty advice, housing, legal, family and relationship advice and much more.

Be Scam Aware!

Since the pandemic started, Citizens Advice Dorset has become aware of new type of scams. With people spending more time at home, scammers have the perfect opportunity to target people in new ways. Here are two examples of scams to look out for and what to do if you feel you’ve been scammed.

Online shopping scams

With only essential shops open, online shopping is on the rise. If shopping online make sure you stay safe and avoid scams. Before purchasing, make sure to do background research into the company and only pay using a credit or debit card or a third party application such as PayPal. Paying using these methods gives you extra protection if something goes wrong, but be careful when putting in your payment details online on any website. Don’t submit if you’re unsure.

Vaccine scams

As the roll out of the coronavirus vaccine continues, Action Fraud are seeing reports of coronavirus vaccine scams. The coronavirus vaccine will only be available via the NHS and is free of charge. They’ve shared things to remember if you’ve received a text claiming to be from the NHS:

The NHS will never ask you for your bank account or card details
The NHS will never ask you for your PIN or banking password
The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine
The NHS will never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as your passport, driving licence or pay slips

Find out more information on coronavirus vaccine scams here.

What to do if you think it’s a scam

If you think something is a scam you should hang up the phone, close the website, or shut the front door. Never feel pressured to make a decision straight away, and don’t give out personal details or money unless you’re certain that you can trust the person. If you’ve been scammed or think you’ve been scammed, our Scams Action service is here to help. More information about scams and how to report them can be found here.

Citizens Advice Dorset provides free, confidential and impartial advice to help people find a way forward, whatever problems they face. Call the Dorset Adviceline on 0800 144 8848 or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk for more information.

Meet Your Local | The Saxon Inn, Child Okeford

Editorial team

7 March 2021

The Saxon Inn is run by husband and wife team Craig & Emma.

How did you end up at The Saxon Inn?

Having both worked in the construction industry for many years whilst based in Sussex we thought it was time for a change. We decided to move house and looked online for a pub, The Saxon ticked all the boxes and we made the move ASAP.

What’s your favourite local place to visit on an afternoon off?

We have our Staffie, Widget, at the pub with us – so whenever we can we walk locally, or up the Saxon Hill Fort. As time, and lockdown, allows we have slowly started to explore the area in our campervan as well.

Tell us about your 2020…

As soon we got the news that lockdown was coming, we knew we had to adapt quickly. We installed a pizza
oven, researched every kind of takeaway container, and adapted the rest of our menu to suit. We tried to keep things interesting and offer something a bit different with pie nights, Chinese, curry, and recently Tex Mex nights which have proved to be a great success. We continued to offer takeaway through all the different lockdowns and tiers, including delivery with the help of some locals to some of our villagers who have been shielding.

What’s been your biggest challenge since taking over – apart from COVID, obviously!

Hitting the ground running with little experience in the pub trade was a big challenge! The experience we did have was somewhat out of date, and we had to learn quickly and in the peak of the summer months. The previous landlords really helped us to settle in and we were very grateful for their help.

What are you most proud of?

We redeveloped the bar area and this was the first part we “put our mark on”. We are both proud of the results and hope everyone else likes it too!

What part of the pub is your absolute favourite?

In the winter – definitely has to be in front of the fire in the bar area, although its probably the smallest part of the pub it always has the greatest atmosphere. In the summer – you can’t beat sitting out on the terrace in the
sun. When we did the bar refurb we also hid a digital time capsule in the wall. As well as pictures of local people, the area, and the news of the time, one of our regulars, David Pope, did some research into the history for us; ‘The New Inn’ was opened nas a beerhouse between 1861 and 1865 as evidenced by the 1861 census which does not
feature the business and the first licensee, Herbert Chambers, is shown as a rushbasket maker.

The first mention we have found is a newspaper cutting from 1865 referring to a fine on a beerhouse keeper from Child Okeford, Herbert Chambers, for having his house open after 10 o’clock! (legal opening hours for a regulated beerhouse were 4am till 10pm!). According to the census data 1871 – 1911 and 1939 the premises were a ‘beershop’, an off licence and a shop selling sweets. It was situated in the middle of a terrace of three houses.

In 1904 ‘The New Inn’ was sold by the Brewery, Fontmell Magna to J.L.Marsh of Marsh’s Brewery Blandford for £300. In 1930 Robert Hart became the landlord and in 1949 applied for a full public house licence. In 1955 Mary E. Hart (Robert’s wife) is stated in a newspaper article as the Licensee of the New Inn. Robert died in 1958 and Mary in 1965; both buried at St Nicholas Church. Sometime between 1955 and 1965 the pub changed its name to The Saxon Inn.

Which dish is your most popular?

We’ve definitely seen a pivot towards certain foods in lockdown; beer battered haddock and chips, The Saxon Warrior pizza, and of course our burgers have been very popular. What’s next – do you have big plans on the horizon? We had plenty of plans before lockdown for theme nights, beer festivals, and events. Once the future of social distancing and safety become clear we can get back to putting some dates in the diary.

We have a Mother’s Day takeaway brunch planned for the 14th March and a special night to “celebrate” a year in lockdown featuring some special dishes and trying to bring a little bit of fun to what could otherwise be a pretty
cloudy landmark.

Visit the Saxon Inn website here

Beavers are back in Dorset

Editorial team

7 March 2021

After an absence of 400 years, beavers have returned toDorset. Dorset Wildlife Trust’sMarketing and Communications Officer,Alex Hennessy explains why they matter and why this is great newsfor the county.

Female beaver – Dorset Wildlife Trust, James Burland.jpg

When we think of natural solutions to the ecological and climate crises, beavers(Castor fiber)are a‘keystone species’with huge potential to help nature cope and rebuild. They have a unique set of skills, helpingshape our landscape for the better. They and their skills were sadly lost in Britainwhen they were hunted to extinction herefour centuries ago. In the past few years,severalbeaver re-introduction projects have started across Britain and now, for the first time since the16thcentury, beavers are back in Dorset.

Dorset Wildlife Trust welcomed two beavers, an adult male and female, into a specially prepared enclosure in west Dorsetin early February 2021.But what is it about beavers that makes them such a valuableaddition to Dorset’s landscape? Beavers can be described as ‘ecosystem engineers’, whose presence can bring a number of benefitsfor other wildlife andhumans. One of the best-known beaver activities is damming –collecting wood to forma barrier in a riverorstream tocreate a deep pool where they feel safe. Their dams also have benefits beyond beaversecurity, ‘filtering’outsedimentsand debris so that waterdownstream from the dam iscleaner.

Male beaver release 1 – Dorset Wildlife Trust, James Burland.jpg

Resident fish and humans alike benefit fromdamscleaningriverwater, while increased wood debris in streams allows freshwater invertebrates to thrive, which then provide food for fish.Beaver dams also have the potential to reduce flooding by slowing the flow of water during storm events,so that areas downstream are less likely to flood.The Dorset beavers,now settling into their new home,were relocated from Scotland’s wild populationunder licence from NatureScot, while the licence for their introduction to the site in Dorset was granted by Natural England.Baseline monitoring before the beavers’ arrival was carried out by Dorset Wildlife Trust andproject partners University of Exeter and Wessex Water. This included measuring the water levelsand quality at the site, as well asrecording the species already present, and their numbers. University of Exeter’s Professor of Earth Surface Processes, Richard Brazier said: “This will contribute to a growing body of knowledge and understanding across Great Britain of the impact beavers have on landscapes.

Male beaver release 2 – Dorset Wildlife Trust, James Burland.jpg

Beavers have been present on the planet for 40 million years or so, so they’re a highly adapted species and know how to manage water resources. We could really learn a lot from them.”Regular monitoring and scientific investigation into how the beavers are changing their surroundings will help us to do just that –learn from one of nature’s great engineering species, right here in Dorset. To find out more about Dorset’sbeavers and the plan for the future of the project, visit http://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/BeaverProject.

In the Studio with Clare Shepherd

Editorial team

7 March 2021

“The love of all things was upon me, and a softness to them all, and a sense of having something even such as they had.”
― R.D. Blackmore, Lorna Doone

On their third birthday Clare’s twin sister was given a set of handkerchiefs embroidered with the days of the week, whereas she was given a paint box: so it was recognised from those early times that painting would be her passion. Her Mother still lives in Taunton, close to Exmoor where Clare was brought up: it is the landscape of RD Blackmore’s Lorna Doone (Doone Valley is around five miles from Lynton). The Exmoor landscape features in many of her paintings. “I knew I had an attachment to the shapes, feelings and colours of Exmoor. Painting is the vehicle for that attachment.”

At the age of eight, she determined that she was going to live in a house with “grass right up to the front door.” Her dream came true: she now lives in a secluded cottage on the edge of the Cranborne Chase. At the bottom of the garden is Clare’s studio – her busy, cosy and inviting moss-green ‘Shed’, where cream muslin curtains drape the doorway and her grandmother’s threadbare sofa sits waiting. When her husband suggested they try for a third child, Clare said it was on the condition that she could have her own studio and spend eight hours every weekend there! This was described by John Peel in a BBC Radio Interview with her as her ‘Faustian Pact’ – whereby a person trades something of supreme moral or spiritual importance for some worldly or material benefit. Her teacher husband has been true to his word and has always shared in the rearing of their three children and all the household tasks, which enables her to have time to paint.

Clare studied at the Slade School of Fine Art where she was the Slade Prizewinner for her graduating year. On undertaking a PGCE at Exeter she met her husband and then moved to Blandford. However, “The four years at the Slade was misplaced for me. Despite the accolades, I didn’t know what I wanted. It has taken me the next forty five years to get to grips with what I want.” And that is Exmoor, which still remains her muse: “We don’t live there but restraint seems to be the key. When we are there I draw and draw and draw: my sketches and notebooks are filled with memories. It’s such a distinct landscape – I’m interested in the near relating to the far, and I will often use birds to depict this as in Listening to Larks above Simonsbath and Kestrel on a Headwind above The Barle. I love the process of using the paint and moving it around until I get the feeling I am looking for.”

In her early twenties Clare lived in Israel for a year, learned Hebrew and worked in a kibbutz. Later, in 2000, there were charity cycle rides through Israel and into Jordan: Bike Tracks through the Sand is one of the results. She fell in love with the country (I Stood on That Rock and Saw Myself) and made further regular visits, often taking one or other of her children. She made many Jordanian friends, making it possible to learn about the conflict in the Middle East at first hand. A monumental painting entitled Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline, with modern echoes of The Last Supper was her response to the political situation of the time, the feeling that there was a lack of understanding in the West. The title refers to the thousand mile long crude oil pipeline which runs from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Sea. Built to diversify the global oil supply, it has caused conflict between the United States and ex-Soviet allies who sought to reduce every aspect of Russian influence throughout the region. Clare is pleased that the painting was purchased by the National University of Ireland in Galway for their Political Science Faculty: it now hangs on the wall there.

With both their sons now living abroad, one in Japan and one in Hong Kong, Clare has also enjoyed visiting, exploring and painting those varied landscapes. “You don’t know a country until you see the countryside, so we always hire bicycles to explore.” Fragmenting the Waterhole, Carp Pool, Kyoto and Sai Kung, Hong Kong are some of the wonderful images from these travels. However, now the strong dynamics of travel, politics and religion no longer invade her work; she has left behind worries of the outside world to concentrate on images of her beloved Exmoor – and her teaching.

Under normal conditions, Clare runs several classes in Blandford with numerous students who have been with her for many years. During lockdown, online sessions have been offered but the one-to-one contact is lacking. “I love my teaching and I’m missing the buzz of the classroom. Online classes are not the same without the interactive contact. When I am in a class I can very quickly go up to a student, immediately see what they are trying to do and how I can help them achieve that result. I have faith that all my students have something in them and I have expectations that they will find it. It has nothing to do with whether their painting is good or not, it is entirely about the process of just doing it. When my students come to me, they all worry about what the final viewer will think about their work. But I tell them to forget about that until the final presentation. Many classes can equip you with a technique to paint in a certain way but I don’t do that. We look at things and determine how to respond; I will provide ideas of what medium could be used but it is entirely the student’s choice and their response to what they are looking at. A further step is when you become expressive. It is good to be expressive but I like clarity as well. A combination of clarity and expression.”

Students’ work is published on Clare’s art class website and contact details can be found here for those interested: https://clareshep.wixsite.com/weeklyartclass. When we finally emerge from lockdown Clare was due to exhibit in London this coming May but she’s not sure if that will take place. An exhibition on Exmoor in September has now been delayed for a year, which she is happy about because it provides more time to portray her beloved Exmoor landscape before the exhibition.

http://www.clareshepherd.com
Instagram @clareshepherdfineart

Eat Festival Castle Cary

Editorial team

6 March 2021

Eat Festivals are back! (subject to current restrictions of course) Covid secure.

Saturday 1st of May enjoy a food and drink ‘Super Market’ at Castle Cary in the town centre from 10am to 4pm. Free entry for everyone, loads of local producers to enjoy. Check out www.eatfestivals.org See you there!

The Bus Stop Club

Editorial team

6 March 2021

The Bus Stop Club is a local charity located in the Turbary Resource Centre, at the edge of Ferndown.

They are a befriending charity, seeking to support parents and families from the East Dorset area and beyond. Their small core staff team are very blessed to have a number of loyal volunteers who work alongside them.

Susan Sutherland who is the Project Manager for the charity shared with us how the charity has had to adapt during lockdown whilst still focusing on it’s main goals :-

Since the first lockdown last year we have had to change some of our activities, but our Centre remains open every day Mon to Fri 9-11am for essential groceries – we also have donations of fresh food available on Tuesday mornings.

We are very grateful for food donations from customers that we collect weekly from our local Sainsbury’s store. We are also part of the Fare Share (Tesco) and Neighbourly (Lidl) food donation schemes. Currently we are delivering groceries on Fridays to a number of individuals and families in need. We are currently delivering craft packs on Wednesdays to local families with younger school children, thanks to financial support from Cash 4 Kids.

We are supported financially by local trusts, foundations, community chest grants, churches and individuals – we are very thankful for all the support we have received, particularly during periods of lockdown since March 2020.

Our main project is the East Dorset CAP Debt Centre, also covering Ringwood and Bearwood. CAP stands for Christians Against Poverty, a national charity based in Bradford with hundreds of Centres all over the UK. Their services are free to those in unmanageable debt.

Since starting our East Dorset CAP Centre we have seen 26 individuals go debt free. We currently have vacancies for new clients, so if you or someone you know needs support, just phone the CAP freephone number: 0800 328 0006.

CAP Head Office will be glad to speak to you and explain how CAP can start you on your journey out of debt. There are also local CAP Centres in Poole and Bournemouth.

Since September 2020 we have been offering individual MOAT coaching sessions to those who want to manage their anxiety better, and to learn some strategies for processing historical trauma. MOAT Coaching is available to adults at a cost of £20 registration fee. We currently have spaces, so if you are interested please get in contact. Those who have completed the programme have all found it very helpful.

You can contact Susan to discuss MOAT Coaching or any other aspect of The Bus Stop Club :-

Susan Sutherland, Project Manager

W: www.thebusstopclub.co.uk

e: [email protected]

m: 07866 692528.

Meet the Hairy-Footed Flower Bee

Editorial team

6 March 2021

Spring has arrived, and very soon Hairy-footed flower bees (Anthophora plumipes) will be on the wing. Hairy-footed flower bees are just one of around 250 solitary bee species that live and breed in the UK, and they are every bit as delightful as their name suggests. I am expecting to see them again any day now. They are my harbingers of spring.

The male Hairy Footed Flower Bee – a delightfully busy little bee that will not sting!

Solitary bees have different life-cycles and nesting behaviour to bumblebees and honeybees. Instead of living in colonies, each adult solitary bee female creates her own nest, laying individual eggs inside separate cells, which she has already provided with sufficient pollen for the larvae to feed on when they hatch out. Some solitary bees dig nests beneath the ground, whilst others use pre-existing cavities such as beetle holes, plant stems, man-made ‘bee hotels’, or old stone, brick, and cob walls. Those species that nest inside old walls, are often referred to as ‘masonry bees’.

There is such a wall at the bottom of Stoney Path in Shaftesbury, known locally (for good reason) as The Bee Wall. You wouldn’t know it during the colder months, but by the end of March this old stone wall will be buzzing with activity, as its resident population of Hairy-footed flower bees emerge from their long winter sleep to mate, and begin their life-cycles all over again.

Female Hairy-footed flower bee flying from flower to flower of the common or wild comfrey flower

The Hairy-footed flower bee males emerge first. Ginger coloured and quite furry, they resemble tiny bumblebees, but if you look closely you will see that their legs are feathered. It is the male’s feathery legs that give this bee its common name. The females are completely black, apart from the bristly pollen collecting hairs on their back legs, which are yellow/orange. Both sexes have high pitched buzzes and behave quite frenetically as they dart back and forth amongst clumps of their favourite flowers, which include: Lungwort, Dwarf Comfrey, Wallflowers, Primrose and Rosemary. The other distinguishing feature that helps identify Hairy-footed flower bees is their long pointed proboscis, and the way they hover above flowers to collect nectar.If you have any of the aforementioned flowers in your garden, you stand an exceedingly good chance of seeing these bees – which, by the way, are very gentle and will not sting.

If not, you still have plenty of time to get to a garden centre and purchase some! “If you plant them they will come”

by Brigit Strawbridge
http://beestrawbridge.blogspot.com
Twitter: @B_Strawbridge

Easygoing Okeford Hill quietly special circular | 5.8 miles | Dorset Walks

Editorial team

5 March 2021

Every month in the BV Magazine we publish a walk in the beautiful Dorset countryside under the heading ‘Take a hike’. Not always in the heart of the Blackmore Vale perhaps, but always within reach for a day’s walk.

What is unique about these walks is the fact that we have created and then walked them all ourselves! We always aim to create interesting, unpopulated routes with as little road use as possible and of course as many beautiful views as we can squeeze in.

You can always see the routes we take and follow them yourself via the Outdoor Active App – see all our routes here. – Click on contents tab.

We usually aim for between 10 – 15 miles, although due to many requests and to keep everyone happy we have now added some shorter routes between 5 – 10 miles in length.

Above all, we hope you enjoy reading about the walks that we do and enjoying the pictures of course, but if you are taking them on yourself, we would love to receive your feedback on how you found the individual route and any suggestions you might have. Oh and of course we would love to receive your pictures to share as well!

To follow this route using the Outdooractive App, please find the route here.

Easygoing Okeford Hill quietly special circular

We’re back out walking again (huzzah!), though still on limited mileage – seven miles is Courtenay’s knee’s limit, it appears. Okeford Hill has been our go-to local walk in this lockdown: our usual routes have been ankle-deep in mud, and the top of the hill has been better ground than most for he-with-a-duff-knee. Thank goodness there is an end to the tightest restrictions in sight, and our horizons will slowly broaden again shortly. Get in touch – [email protected] – if you’d like to request routes in certain areas, or of particular lengths.

Link to the full route (free to download) on the outdoor Active here: We use the (we think great value) premium paid for subscription (under £2 per month) to gain access to all the full OS maps, however the free version of the app is still excellent.

One of our favourite local short afternoon strolls – the main routes on Okeford Hill get very busy on a weekend afternoon, but this easy circular route soon leaves them behind to explore the quietly peaceful and ancient parts of the forest. Starting at the parking on top of Okeford Hill, there are many paths to choose from – take the one we have outlined and you’ll eventually be rewarded by the carved tree trunk before you plunge deeper into the wood on the narrow path, then emerge into the broader brighter tracks later on.

Beautiful carved dead tree sits at the top of the path down into HillCombe Coppice

View as you leave Blandford forest looking across to Winterborne Stickland

As you turn right off the main track from Shepherds Corner farm, the going can get a bit sticky in wet weather. As you enter back into Blandford forest, the sticky mud turns into ankle deep puddles for a fairly large stretch, navigate with care!

The early spring sunshine makes such a difference to the forest atmosphere, beautiful.

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