The East Dorset Group is presently without a Chairman or Secretary.  In the absence of these two officers, Richard Heaslip is “holding the fort” and submits this report.

East Dorset – threat to Green Belt?

The Dorset Campaign to Protect Rural England is calling on East Dorset District Council to change the way it shapes its proposed planning strategy. CPRE fears the existing

process could see more building on Green Belt land.

We would like the district council to take on board recent Government thinking from the Localism Bill and allow planning policy to be driven by local communities at grass root

level. In particular it would like the district council to foster parish councils who would like to embrace the concept of Neighbourhood Plans to do so.

The council published a district-wide draft planning policy document on 17 January 2012 which has further housing in Green Belt areas as one of its core points – yet, we understand, there was no widespread consultation on this with all East Dorset

District Councillors, nor parish councils. CPRE is also concerned that a meeting in March, when this socalled ‘options plan’ was discussed with a view to it being put

out for consultation, was declared an ‘extraordinary meeting’ of the council at which local residents may attend, but not speak.

“CPRE argues that if this remains the case, the process is hardly in the spirit of the Government’s Big Society and declared aims of improving openness and consultation in

local government,” said Dorset CPRE Director, Trevor Bevins. There are further concerns about the way the authority has managed a meeting of the council’s policy committee in

Ferndown on February 1, which severely limited the ability of local people to make their representations on Green Belt building and other issues.

The threat to the Green Belt in South East Dorset has now crystallised, with the approval by the District Council on 5 March the "Christchurch and East Dorset Core Strategy Pre-Submission Consultation". This innocent sounding document contains a threat to South

East Dorset’s Green Belt as substantial as that posed by the last Government’s unlamented Regional Spatial Strategy. Namely, 2230 houses are planned for building in new estates in the green belt at Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Verwood, Ferndown and West Parley. The public consultation lasting from 2 April to 25 June.

The Dorset Branch of CPRE will be playing a full part in opposing these unnecessary invasions of the green belt. It is important that all CPRE members make their voices heard on this issue. It is expected that following the consultation period and further approval by the District Council the building plans will go to an independent Planning Enquiry in mid 2013.

If you would like to help, please get in touch with Richard Heaslip 01202 594982 rgheaslip@hotmail.com.