January 2007 Meeting
At the January meeting the Council was addressed by Mr Mike Grime, the Head of Development and Building Control at Purbeck District Council.
He described the tasks that he and his fellow officers had to undertake to meet the requirements of a variety of Plans from Regional down to Parish.
The number of applications, and the variety dealt with, was impressive.
He explained the reasoning behind the latest additional costs for developments which not everyone will agree with as these costs will, in the case of new developments, be passed on to the purchasers.
There was a very significant attendance by Parishioners at the meeting.
The majority were expressing their concerns about the confirmation of a footpath at Yearlings Bottom.
The gateway has been padlocked thus preventing passage by riders.
A lively discussion followed and suggestions made to attempt to overcome the problem.
Other Parishioners were in attendance to express their concerns about a planning application in North Street.
The matter of the Green Lane from Snowhill down to North Street was discussed.
The County wish to make this into a BOAT (Byeway Open to All Traffic) which would permit its use by four wheel drive vehicles, motor cycles etc.
The Parish Council is opposed to this and are logging an appeal against the Order.
In an endeavour to improve communications throughout the Parish, the Council has created two new sections on the Village Website – www.bereregis.org
One is a volunteering list whereby somebody requiring a job to be done can announce it and then somebody who feels capable and willing, can offer their services.
How it is settled is up to the persons concerned.
The other section deals with aiding people to dispose of unwanted items, rather like a mini Ebay.
The Council is keen that the website is used like a notice board and the intention is for Parish announcements to be made via this site.
Copies will also be posted on the noticeboards.
It is therefore important that as many Parishioners as possible be on the Parish List.
This has now been created and anyone so interested is invited to register their interest.
To register, and therefore receive any news item, please contact Ian Ventham here
The Council has been in Communication with the County Council concerning the ‘Safe Route to School’ and its improvements.
Clearly it has taken a long time and there have been alterations made.
The Council has not always been kept informed of these alterations and thus they have expressed their concerns to the County Council.
The County Council’s response is awaited.
The Parish Plan is about to be launched on the Parish.
In readiness the Parish Council has decided that the best way in which it could implement the actions required in the Plan is to allocate responsibility for various topics to the members of the Council.
In turn, in some of these areas, the Councillors will be trying to set up working parties of interested people in the village to take the ideas forward.
Progress will be reviewed on each topic every two months, as shown in the table below, so do come along to Council meetings on the second
Thursday of each month at 7pm to hear how we are progressing.
The responsibilities we have agreed are:
Topic
Responsible
Review
Housing and Planning
Laurie Fairhurst
Chris Maunder
Roger Duncanson
Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov
Youth & Education
Jayne George
Roger Duncanson
Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov
Medical Facilities
Ian Ventham
Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov
Amenities, Services & Tourism
John Pitts
Tim Maunder
Jackie Macintosh
Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov
Community Hall
Chris Maunder
Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov
Public Transport
Traffic
John Pitts
Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec
Natural & Village Environment
Malcolm Munro
Jackie Macintosh
Tim Maunder
Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec
Employment
Ian Ventham
Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec
Law & Order
Peter Wharf
Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec
Finance
Jim Parsons
Each month
Communications
Jayne George
Each month
Please do not hesitate to contact the relevant councillor if you have a problem or a query, or if you would like to become involved in implementing parts of the Parish Plan.
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday 9th February at 7.00pm in the Drax Hall.
February 2007 Meeting
There was a good attendance of Parishioners at the February meeting.
Most people were interested in the matter of the use of the footpath at Yearlings Bottom by horse riders.
As at the January meeting, the matter was discussed in detail but not totally resolved.
The Council will contact the County Council as it was stated that new evidence is available that supports the riders request for the path to be made available to the riders.
There was concern expressed about the state of the Green Lane leading up from North Street to Snowhill, particularly with regard to the dog pooh.
Currently there is no bin provided in the vicinity but that matter is being addressed and there should soon be a bin into which dog owners can deposit that which their dogs have deposited on the lane.
The District Council is introducing a Dog Control Order which imposes some serious fines if infringed.
The Order will also limit areas where dogs are permitted and where they must be kept on leads.
We are all pleased to live in a virtually crime free area.
However we have the odd period of glass smashing, egg throwing etc.
These are all crimes and ought to be reported to the Police.
If they are not then we can only blame ourselves if we receive little apparent attention from the Police.
The Council is most concerned and asks all Parishioners to report these so called minor incidents to the Police.
Among the many surveys that are going about at present is one concerning Housing in the Parish.
The District Council is conducting a survey with the intention of finding out the present state of Housing Needs.
It is vital that those Parishioners who have received the document make every effort to complete and return them.
These forms are addressed to households and it is of great importance that family members who are currently living away, but who are known to be desirous of returning to their home village in the future, are included.
It is only by successful surveys that the real picture of Housing Needs can be established and then can be planned for in the future.
Following on from that the County Council, through the District Council, is asking for suggestions of suitable sites for future developments.
They are seeking ideas from the owners of land and developers, and from people who may know of the odd site where it is possible to put a house.
The Council meets at the Drax Hall on the second Thursday of each month at 7.00pm.
All Parishioners are most welcome to attend.
There is a period of Public Participation at the start of each meeting when any Parishioner may draw attention to any matter that concerns them.
The next meeting is on Thursday 8th March.
March 2007 Meeting
Before the March meeting commenced the Council had a presentation of the proposed new Dog Control Orders by a member of the Enviromental Department of Purbeck District Council.
He stated that there are two aspects to be considered the areas where dogs are forbidden and areas where it is an offence to permit a dog to leave its ‘calling card’.
The Orders are yet to be finalised but the areas where dogs are to be forbidden are likely to include the Childrens Play Parks, the Sports Field and the Cemetery.
Areas where it will be an offence to permit a dog to foul will include footpaths outside the village streets.
All of these areas are to be indicated by notices.
It is unlikely that bins for dog pooh will be able to be placed strategically on these pathways as the PDC are responsible for emptying them.
Thus dog owners will need to be prepared to pick up the faeces and take them home or to the nearest bin. The penalty for permitting this offence is a fine of eighty pounds.
The March meeting each year of the Council is also the Annual Parish Meeting when the proceedings of the previous year are reviewed and all members of the Parish are invited to attend and air their concerns. This year there were half a dozen parishioners in attendance who expressed concerns about the footpaths and bridleways.
A copy of the Chairman’s report is shown below this report.
The actual March meeting commenced with a presentation of Certificates of Merit to Peter Larder and Peter White in recognition of their willing contribution to keeping the streets free of rubbish.
Both have voluntarily undertaken this task for a number of years and are a shining example to us all.
Without their contribution our streets would be strewn with litter that is carelessly thrown down.
An item that had been carried forward from the previous year was the roundabout at the bottom of Poole Hill.
It was over a year ago that the then Chairman met with the DCC engineers on the roundabout to discuss possible improvements.
The idea was to have it sponsored by a commercial organisation that could see it as a valuable advertisement but at the same time present it more tidily.
Sadly no progress has been made but a now new effort is being made and it is to be hoped that a more presentable roundabout will result.
The Parish Plan, of which copies of the summary will be delivered to all houses in the Parish shortly, was discussed.
As reported previously the Plan has been divided up into sections and Councillors have been allocated specific sections and are to present a report every two months on progress.
This month was the turn of the Housing Section.
It was reported that the latest requirement figure for Affordable Housing in the Parish is for sixty two units which is considerably more than the twenty four as stated in the Parish Plan.
Two schemes to provide a small number of houses are in being, one in North Street at Griffins Yard which has been granted Planning Approval; the other on the site of the Children’s Play Park which is in a very early stage of discussion.
The major concern at this stage is trying to re-locate the Children’s Play Park for which a Public Consultation will be undertaken.
The Medical Facilities Section of the Plan were discussed but apart from recognising the problems of trying to find a new location for the Surgery there was little to report at present.
The Communications Section was reported on and it is proposed to make more use of the Village Website www.berergis.org to spread the news.
It is suggested that the Parish Magazine be available for viewing on this site.
Following on from the success of the Village Tidy last Autumn, a Spring/Summer tidy is being programmed. Watch out for details.
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday 10th April at 7.00pm in the Drax Hall.
AGM
The last year has been very busy for the Parish Council, and I have selected just a few of the matters considered for my report.
Firstly it is interesting to note that we now have a fully elected Council. All eleven Councillors were nominated and stood as candidates in the Council elections last year.
Parish Plan
One of the highlights has been the completion of the Parish Plan, in which several Councillors participated. T
he Plan was formally adopted by the Council in November and the work to implement as many as possible of the recommended action items starts this very evening.
This Plan is a perfect example of democracy in action as the content comes from local residents and represents the agenda for the Council for some time to come.
We are all greatly indebted to Mr. Jon Cleave and his many volunteers for the preparation of the Plan, which has proved to be a heavy task .
Printed copies will be available soon, with abbreviated versions being delivered to every house.
Boardwalk and new bridge
As we all know, the old boardwalk was badly vandalised and as a result had to be removed by the owners, Purbeck District Council, to avoid the risk of accidents.
Somewhat ironically, the vandalism revealed that the sub-structure had rotted in many places, and needed to be replaced anyway.
So, strangely, the vandals did us all a favour!
Several Councillors are working with PDC on a project to replace the boardwalk and erect a new bridge over the stream , with a path across Souls Moor joining up with the Safer route to School.
It is anticipated that the work will be completed in April or May.
Housing
There has been considerable discussion in recent months over the Purbeck District Council draft Local Development Framework.
In accordance with the Parish Plan which revealed strong opposition to large-scale development in the village, the Parish Council submitted a strongly worded objection to some of the issues raised in the draft document.
This was supported by some 90 letters of objection from residents.
The Council is, however, fully aware that there is an urgent need for affordable homes in the village and has this under active consideration.
We are , in accordance with a request from PDC, trying to identify areas of land which might be suitable for small- scale development.
Safer Route to School.
This has been the most frustrating matter for the Council, and ,I am sure, for the School.
There have been so many delays and broken promises by the County Council and even now, the work is not complete.
As a result the Council lodged a formal and lengthy complaint with the CC.
It is hoped that as a result County matters in and around the village, will be dealt with more expeditiously in the future.
A further survey to determine whether a Zebra crossing can be provided by the school, will take place in April/May.
Vandalism Etc
As we all know we have been plagued with vandalism, graffiti etc over recent months.
This has included damage to equipment in the play park which could have resulted in serious injury to young children, foul graffiti on the youth shelter, benches thrown into the stream, broken windows and more recently eggs thrown at houses.
There are many theories on why these criminal acts are carried out but no one seems to know how to deal with them.
We are hoping to build a closer relationship with the police which we hope will help solve the problem.
I want to quote from the Dorset Echo last November---
“Someone knows who is responsible for this vandalism—this is the case for all such incidents—and should make that information available to the authorities.”
Village Tidy
I want to finish my report on a happier note—the Village Tidy day organised by Councillor Ian Ventham last October.
Some 70 people were out on the streets picking up rubbish, weeds etc—some 8 tons of it.
We ended our work with a very pleasant social at the Drax Arms.
April 2007 Meeting
The Council, at its April meeting, was informed that County Council Officers had been to look at the pathway leading up to Black Hill from the cemetery and had agreed that it was in need of improvements. Quite when anything will happen was not stated but it is good to know that this popular way is being considered for improvements.
The Poole Hill roundabout continues to be the subject of meetings.
For some long while the Council has tried to get improvements together with the County Council.
The County are keen that such roundabouts are 'adopted' by commercial undertakings who would, in return for advertising, undertake the maintenance of suitable floral arrangements.
Parishioners will recall how originally this roundabout had a block surface and when removed the weeds moved in.
Since then, and particularly this year, there is a fine crop of daisies.
It is understood that the next meeting is to try to move towards its adoption.
The Council continues to battle on with the C6 and the traffic problems.
It is hoped that the improvements by the school, leading to the completion of the Safe Route to School, will soon be resolved.
However there is concern about the variety of traffic using this busy road by the school, particularly at times when the pupils are either entering or leaving the premises.
The Council is meeting with the Army authorities to limit the tracked vehicle movements in relation to school times.
The Council remind Parishioners that the Village Website is a source of good information.
Parishioners who are prepared to undertake small tasks are asked to put this information on the site. Likewise any Parishioner requiring assistance with a small task is also asked to put their request on the site.
The aim is to try to match one with the other.
Following on from last year's successful village clear up operation there is to be another similar event on Sunday 27th May - the May Bank Holiday.
The aim is to tackle specific areas this time.
If any Parishioner has any particular area that they feel should be tackled then they are requested to let Councillor Munro know.
He would also like to be advised of any volunteers willing to help out for a couple of hours on that day.