The Dorset Review Campaign to Protect Rural England In this issue • Planning Overview • Who Was The Best Local Historian of Dorset? • CPRE’s Green Clean • District Group Updates • Best Dorset Village Shop 2019 Autumn 2019 Branch News Issue 113 CONTENTS CHAIR’S REPORT New strategy and Brand originally instigated to see 2–3 Chair’s Report & Contents how a decline in membership numbers Two years ago at our AGM, the new and its finances could be addressed. 4 West Dorset Group Chief Executive of CPRE, Crispin Truman, The research undertaken, therefore, in informed us about the review of the 5 Best Dorset Village Shop my view was biased towards the non- organisation to be known as the Purpose Competition 2019 member and external issues. I have Project. During the period since then a been a critic of the consultation process 5 82nd AGM new strategy for the organisation has within CPRE relating to the project and been developed to take it to the 100th 6–7 Who was the best local I won’t go into all of the reasons why anniversary of its foundation in 2026, historian of Dorset? here. I contend that there are 4 types together with new branding and ways of of individuals/organisations who are 8 Purbeck and Poole Group working. Brief details of this were sent of interest to us; potential members, to all members a few months ago by existing members, volunteers and those 9 East Dorset Report Crispin. The key elements are as follows: we wish to influence. I am uncertain 9 Dorset bus operator teams up that the views of existing members and with Litter-free Purbeck volunteers across the organisation have 10–11 North Dorset Group been adequately sought. We have been, since our inception in 1926, a lobbying 11 National Garden Scheme (NGS) organisation, with particular expertise in planning. This is a key reason why 12–13 The South Dorset Ridgeway we have been able to talk with the 14 The Sherborne and District influencers (for example Government Society ministers) and get them to listen. Without this it is doubtful that we would 15 Farm visit to Sherborne Castle have had the Town and County Planning Farm Act 1947, The National Parks, The 16–17 Minerals and Waste in Dorset AONBs, The Green Belts and would have even worse planning regulations (NPPF) 18–19 A National Park for Dorset than we have now. If you want to study the strategy and 20 CPRE’s Green Clean My personal concern, therefore, is make you own minds up about its likely that in order to attract new members we 21 Trees our National Treasure effect please visit www.cpre.org.uk where lose our unique selling proposition as you will find it in detail. Please feel free upholders of the English countryside and 22 Leaving a Legacy to let me have your views when you rural areas, i.e. its Protector, which has 22 Our Waste, Our Resources: A have done so. Your Trustees, members been enshrined in our name since 1926. Strategy for England of the Countryside Forum (CF) and the I find the strategy rather vague and for local groups will decide how the National me quite ‘wishy washy’. We seem to be 23 Dorset CPRE Membership Strategy will be implemented across in danger of viewing the countryside as the two Councils and locally. Indeed, 24 Contacts a place for town and city dwellers to see the Sherborne and District Society, has as their playground and I fear that we already appointed a subcommittee to are trying to be all things to all people develop its own strategic plan and I am and therefore maybe attractive to none. sure other groups will do likewise For me the strapline to the new brand The new strategy is then allied to a ‘The Countryside Charity’ sums this up. I new brand identity: hope I am wrong and that we will attract a greater number of people who share Protecting Dorset the vision of a ‘Beautiful and thriving Campaign to Protect Rural England countryside that enriches all our lives’ The contents of this publication are intended and will fight to protect, enhance and as guidance and general interest. It does not promote it as many of us have over the constitute legal advice and can be no substitute years. for considered advice on specific problems. I would like to indicate to you Although every effort has been made to ensure some personal thoughts which don’t the accuracy of the information printed in this Climate Change publication, Campaign to Protect necessarily represent the views of all You will see that responding to the Rural England cannot accept the Trustees and Countryside Forum climate change emergency is a cross- liability for errors and omissions. members. Organisations need to review cutting theme when implementing the The views expressed in this their policies and practices on a regular publication are not necessarily CPRE National Strategy. To this end those of CPRE. basis. No organisation can remain static four Task and Finish groups have been in an ever-changing world. However, that Front Cover image – Friesian herd going meeting to look at: Transport, Land use- back for milking at Hilton, North Dorset, taken organisation has to ensure that it doesn’t farming and forestry, Building/Planning by Rupert Hardy at the same time do potential harm and Energy. We expect the results to to its existence. The CPRE project was 2 DORSET Campaign to Protect Rural England – Protecting Dorset be set out in a policy document by the the 300,000 houses per annum national Collaborations and end of the year. Clearly many of the target which continues to be government issues within the four categories overlap. policy. We have the continuing saga of Influencing Existing greenfield land can be associated the wrong type of houses being built in Sandra Brown and I recently met with with all categories but its use could be the wrong places whilst still not meeting the Manager of the Dorset AONB, Tom more sustainable in one of them. E.g. the needs of some of the local population. Munro and it has been agreed to meet in the recent report from the Climate Indeed another report ‘Building more on a regular basis ongoing. We have Change Committee it appears that if one new homes WON’T solve Britain’s housing also requested a seat on the Partnership wishes to reduce carbon then planting crisis’ has just been published which Board for the AONB and are awaiting the trees on land is better than using the queries whether we need this large outcome of that request. same land for installation of solar panels number of houses anyway and is there a I had a meeting with Andrew Potter, – but then that impacts on renewable housing shortage at all (this view seems CEO of Hastoe Housing, one of the key energy targets. Such issues were noted also to be supported by the Bank of players in the affordable rural housing by Tristram Hunt, leading historian and England). Ian Mulheirn, chief economist market and it was agreed that it would journalist, in his short history of CPRE of Renewing the Centre at the Tony Blair be useful to meet periodically to share which was published to coincide with our Institute for Global Change, says there views on the rural housing scene. As a 80th anniversary in 2006. I quote: ‘After isn’t one. Official figures show that since result of this meeting Dr Guy Dickenson Decades of dissimulation and dithering, 1996 English housing stock has grown and I were invited to the official opening planners and politicians are at last by 168,000 per year, while household of one of their housing projects in waking up to the significance of climate numbers have increased by 147,000. We Powerstock. At that meeting we were change. House building, road building, have a surplus of 1.1 million homes now, able to network with: Baroness Bakewell sprawl and airports are great drivers of he estimates. Amended figures suggest (Chair of the Community Land Trusts increasing ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions that England needs only 160,000 homes network), Lord Best (Rural Housing which are causing global warming. a year, not the 300,000 which remains expert), several Hastoe Board Members The message which CPRE has been the government target. including Andrew Wiseman a solicitor honing since the days Abercrombie and who specialised in environmental and Chamberlain is now more important than Local Plans planning law. On the political front I have had a ever. Sustainable development and co- Locally we are awaiting further couple of meetings during the past 6 ordinated strategy designed to limit the indications of when discussions will start months with Sir Oliver Letwin on CPRE impact of the urban foot print, must be on the composite local plan for Dorset related matters. Also, the Branch was the basis for future planning policy. Yet Council and a probable one also for BCP asked to send a representative to a some technologies which, according to council. In order to prepare for these round table discussion organised by their proponents, are strongly associated consultations we are undertaking some the Liberal Democrats prospective with sustainable development can in research into the real housing need in parliamentary candidate, Edward themselves pose challenges to a body Dorset and will report back to you in Morello, on Rural matters. Including trying to conserve the countryside – due course on the findings. In addition myself only the Director of the Country onshore wind farms are perhaps the most we are holding meetings to try to get Land Owners Association for the SW obvious example’.