Preserving the West Dorset AONB

Came View

The West Dorset CPRE Group has supported residents in Dorchester opposing proposals for thousands of extra homes in the county town. CPRE President Sir Andrew Motion and the Thomas Hardy and William Barnes Societies backed the campaign after more than a thousand homes were proposed for land between Thomas Hardy’s Max Gate home and the Rectory of Dorset Parson-Poet William Barnes. Dorset CPRE Director Trevor Bevins helped the campaigners by delivering more than 400 leaflets to homes in the area letting them know what was being  suggested. The campaign also included a petition and a lobby of a district council exhibition. West Dorset District Council declined calls to hold a special residents meeting to discuss the plans. On 14th May, a late u-turn by council officers looks set to see plans to build hundreds of homes on the edge of Dorchester put on hold.

Solar ‘park’ at Rampisham

The solar ‘park’ at Rampisham is on the site of the former BBC World Service transmitting station. This is a massive scheme – on 200 acres with 163,000 panels. In the Dorset Echo article 'Masts the past in solar farm future for Rampisham'  The current application for a massive solar ‘park’ at Rampisham, on the former BBC transmitter site, has exercised a number of members. Amongst the worries are the damage caused by spraying weedkiller on grassland which has remained largely undisturbed since the 1940s and the visual intrusion if panels are allowed beyond a certain level of the south-facing slopes. The ‘farm’ could generate 40MW of power. We have submitted our reservations about the application given that the site is in the AONB, although we accept that its use has, for many years, meant that the site is, effectively, a brownfield site. We have also complained to West Dorset District Council that work started on the demolition of some of the towers, together with the building of posts for the panels, even before the date for comments on the scheme had closed. Council officers tell us they were aware and are taking action in conjunction with others. Read Dorset CPRE’s response to application PA 1/D/12/001664 Rampisham 40 MW Solar Park.

West Dorset Wind Farm

Following the recent revelations regarding the Milborne wind farm, an action group, Tolpuddle Against Industrial Turbines (TAINT), has been established by members of Tolpuddle, Southover and Affpuddle. Trevor Bevins and Richard Nicholls have  attended meetings about the scheme. The planning application for the nine turbines (West Dorset Wind Farm) is now available to view on Dorset for You website. This application is currently undetermined and deadline for comments was 15 March 2013. For more details visit the TAINT website. Dorset CPRE is in favour of renewable energy – provided it is not unacceptably damaging to the landscape or the amenity of local people. We believe that this application does not meet these requirements.

Minutes of West Dorset Group AGM 2013

The West Dorset Group objected to the development plans at Golden Cap beauty spot.

Plan for a development at a West Dorset beauty spot have been approved despite strong opposition. The scheme for the Golden Cap caravan park includes a restaurant, indoor swimming pool, wildlife pond, laundry and static lodge style caravan