Campaign to Protect Rural England in This Issue • Leading Luminaries Of
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The Dorset Review Campaign to Protect Rural England In this issue • Leading Luminaries of the Design World Gathered at Conference • Deepest Darkest Dorset: In search of the night • District Group Updates • Indulge yourself: Dorset’s Artisan Chocolate Makers Spring 2020 Branch News Issue 114 Contents Chair’s Report Dorset is in change, some changes seen, 2–3 Chair’s Report & Contents others hidden. The onset of spring with 4–5 North Dorset Group the bursting of buds, the flush of the wild flowers, the return of the southern birds 6 Planning and Design all give us that sense of wonderment Conference and awe. Behind the serenity of the 7 Litter Campaigns current lockdown there exists: two new unitary local authorities, a 25 year 8 Poole and Purbeck Group Environment Plan, a Dorset Economic 9 Dorset National Park Plan, an emerging Dorset Local Plan, a – Our Natural Health Service draft Local Industrial Strategy from Dorset “Gorse -ready for the bees” Edge of WestWood Studland 10–11 Deepest Darkest Dorset: Local Enterprise Partnership, a growing In search of the night campaign for a Dorset National Park, the Glover Review, natural capital, the “There is nothing good or bad, but 12 West Dorset Group emergencies of climate, ecology and thinking makes it so” Despite these difficult and uncertain 13 Hedgehogs in Dorset Covid-19 , and more. We live in interesting times. times, we have three opportunities to 14–15 The Sherborne and District rise up to the growing challenges and Society Economic and social opportunities to shape our futures. 16 Dorset Farming Report developments First Dorset 17 The future for renewable We resist change yet it is forever with Widely regarded as a precious rural energy generation in Dorset us. Never restful the pace of change, county, Dorset faces urbanisation especially via innovations, is impacting 18–19 Indulge yourself: Dorset’s imposed by central government through on our lives and our countryside. Artisan Chocolate Makers the process for Local Plans. The two local The traditional assumptions of the planning authorities, Dorset Council, and 20–21 Flooding clear purpose of the countryside are BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and being challenged by economic and 21 Beavers in the Isle of Purbeck Poole) Council are required by central social developments let alone our government to comply with the method 22–23 Rena Gardiner: Little Known understanding of climate change and Dorset Heroine of Printmaking of calculating housing numbers for their ecology. What did Albert Einstein say areas. The central concepts of a five-year 24–25 Minerals and Waste in Dorset about the bees? What has been devalued land supply and the housing delivery as a rural backwater may in fact be far 26 Annual Report & Accounts for test are driving a planning process that more important than it appears not just Year Ending 31st August 2019 threatens designations and rural life as we for the few who live and work in the know it. These concepts are driven in part 27 National Garden Scheme (NGS) countryside but also for the many who by a response to the growing population can value and benefit from experiences 27 Ospreys in Poole Harbour as well as the desire to extend house and understandings beyond their urban ownership and in doing so to address 28 Surge in appreciation for green areas. Our choices now determine not affordability. Currently in parts of Dorset spaces amid lockdown only our futures but also the futures of Protecting Dorset there is an affordability ratio on 14 to others. Campaign to Protect Rural England 29 UK’s first Super – National 1 i.e. 14 times the level of earnings are Nature Reserve created on the We in Dorset CPRE need to do some required to be able to access the local Purbeck Heaths serious thinking and act accordingly – for housing market. However it appears what we have and cherish could so easily 30 CPRE Recent Publications obvious that by building more houses that slip away by inaction, apathy, and in the new houses are more affordable even 31 Dorset CPRE Membership particular limited thinking. cheaper. All the evidence in Dorset shows 32 Contacts Remember Shakespeare’s Hamlet? “Only God can make a tree” Westwood,Studland The contents of this publication are intended as guidance and general interest. It does not constitute legal advice and can be no substitute for considered advice on specific problems. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information printed in this publication, Campaign to Protect Rural England cannot accept liability for errors and omissions. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of CPRE. Front Cover image – Looking west from Swyre Head Purbeck taken by Rupert Hardy. 2 DORSET the books that we read”. Physical and social distancing may limit the ability to meet others yet we have the internet and virtual meetings. Worthy reads To use reading as a form of growing our knowledge and understanding of the countryside here are some worthy reads: “My heart leaps up when I behold” Agglestone Rock,Studland 1 “The Well Gardened Mind” Sue Stuart Smith that new builds do not directly lead to and the countryside are clear directions 2 “The Future We Choose” Christian lower prices. Assertion of more building as for Dorset CPRE and its area Groups to Figueres equalling improved affordability is false. travel. Aligning our activities with these 3 “Losing Eden-Why Our Minds Need the themes will enable Dorset CPRE to engage Wild” Lucy Stone Dorset Housing Needs with others and in so doing promoting 4 “Greenery” Tim Dee Report our causes. Something for the chairs of 5 “The Grassling” Elizabeth-Jane Burnett Dorset CPRE will be circulating a report the area groups, the countryside forum 6 “Braiding Sweet Grass” Robin Wall we commissioned from Opinion Research and the trustees to think about in the Kimmerer Services that shows that the two unitary immediate future? 7 “Wanderland – A Search for Magic in planning authorities are basing their National CPRE has the opportunity to the Landscape” Jini Reddy developing Local Plans on excessively high step up to the triple challenges of the numbers of houses. This fact requires emergencies in climate change, ecology Time to learn a poem widespread circulation and action. Dorset, and Covid-19. Leadership is context Poets say that learning their poems by its rural nature, and its designations driven. It is not the same as power. It is heart enhances their meaning and reflects deserve far better than what we are likely not the same as management. It relies the true intent of the poet. With this in to be given. on positive dialogue, influence and trust. mind let’s use this difficult time to learn a The current context is calling out for clear poem. Some thoughts: national and local leadership in respect of Leisure by William Henry Davies “What the countryside. We all have opportunities Is the conventional approach to is life if, full of care, We have no time to to develop and demonstrate leadership. growing the economy of Dorset by new stand and stare” There is a particular opening now for infrastructure especially more and faster The Rainbow by William Wordsworth CPRE to engage with young people. Young roads the most suited approach given “My heart leaps up when I behold, A people have shown their concerns and climate change concerns? rainbow in the Sky” interests in the environment and the Does the road from Dorchester to And for the devoted readers another countryside in many ways. In the year Sherborne need 5G masts or rewilding? one of his poems “Tintern Abbey”. that celebrates the 250th anniversary of Should the decision on where to build The messages and meanings in these William Wordsworth it is appropriate to new communities largely rest with the poems are even more relevant now remember that “the child is the father of landowners bringing forward potential than ever. I urge you to read and even the man”. sites? remember them as you think about When are both Dorset Council, and BCP Dorset. Finally as Socrates said “the Council going to address the issues of the Third (and most important?) Unexamined Life is not worth living” right numbers of houses, the right places – Reflection Stay safe and well. for these houses, and the right tenures for During this time of lockdown we can the proposed houses? make use of the fact that “we are the When and how are these councils going product of the people that we meet and PeterChair Bowyer of Trustees to produce Local Plans based upon the needs and aspirations of local residents rather than on centrally driven targets? “Afternoon Tea” Harmony Farm Fields Studland What is to be the nature of the Dorset Countryside in the future? Who decides what and when? Is there a need to temper and rein in the market place? Second the CPRE National Strategic Plan 2020-26 This is a step change for CPRE. The four themes of 1 Promoting Rural Life, 2 Empowering Communities, 3 Growing our capacity and 4 Connecting People DORSET 3 North Dorset Group Speculative Developers Still Active Ever since July 2017 when North Dorset District Council (NDDC) admitted that its housing land had fallen well below the government required five years supply, a spate of speculative schemes have been launched by housing developers. However these proposals have diminished in number over the last year or so, and there was some relief last autumn when Dorset Council (DC) announced that the critical five years housing land supply had improved with supply rising from 3.3 to 4.0 years in the year to March 2019.