JANUARY 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman:Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk:Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 11th January 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 8th February at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
New Parish Councillor & Another Vacancy
The Council was delighted to co-opt Cathryne Packham to fill one of our vacancies for a Parish Councillor and look forward to her input at upcoming meetings.
We also accepted the resignation of Councillor Andy Watkins and would like to thank Andy for all of his hard work over the last couple of years, particularly for his roles as police and traffic liaison.
This does mean there is a vacancy for one Parish Councillor.
The sort of matters we get involved with are:
New facilities for residents, and particularly for young people
Social provision for older or disabled people
Financial grants to parish organisations
Care of the environment in which we live
Planning and development matters
If you would like to discuss what’s involved on an informal basis please contact Ian Ventham or any of the councillors for a chat.
If you can spare a little of your time on a monthly basis to help the Parish then please contact the clerk, Amanda Crocker, on 01929 472327 to put your name forward.
The closing date is the 2nd February 2018.
Grant to the Sports Club
The Council considered a grant application from Bere Regis Sports Club towards the cost of refurbishing the patio and picnic bench area outside of the club.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of approving the grant and are looking forward to the parish community as a whole benefiting from the improved facilities at the Recreation Ground.
Village Calendars
Cllr Wharf informed the meeting that the sales of the 2018 Bere Regis Calendar had raised a profit of over £535.
The money will be given to the Church to be put towards some final costs relating to the large-scale roof improvements.
The Council would like to offer a huge thank you to the Post Office, Spar, Drax Arms, Hair Visions, Rye Hill Farm Shop and the Pop In Place for their efforts in maximising the sales of the calendars.
We are already working on the 2019 version and would particularly like to include seasonal photos throughout the year, so if you have or take any photographs that you wish to include in this, please just email them to bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk.
Bryan Benjafield
The Village Nature Reserve
Background
Our nature reserve area was designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI ) in 1999.
There are about 1000 such designated sites throughout Dorset and the SNCI designation is given because of their high wildlife value.
The SNCI within our village includes the Souls Moor wet meadow and Bere Stream.
We are very lucky to have such a site running through the village and the wet woodland alongside it.
In order to protect our SNCI for the benefit of not only the wildlife but also the enjoyment of our village community and visitors, in 2012 Souls Moor was purchased by Bere Regis Parish Council from a development company who had previously acquired the land from the Debenham Estate.
The meadow
To maintain the wildlife conservation value of the area management is essential. The nature reserve area of Souls Moor is a very good example of a wet meadow habitat which partially floods in winter and it supports over 100 species of plants. Traditionally the meadow had been grazed but when it was sold for possible development in 2000 the grazing ceased and it became very overgrown. The Parish Council organized for a grazier to keep ponies there and this started in late 2016 and continued throughout most of last year. A pond was dug to give them a permanent water supply and this also provides a still water habitat for dragonflies and other insects. To the west of the grazed meadow a long grass area has been retained which provides a good habitat for grasshoppers, butterflies and other insects.
The stream
In 2015 with the help of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, ‘berms’ (that is added gravel) were created to replace areas that had originally been washed away to create variations in the water flow which benefit fish spawning.
The wildlife group carried out some clearance of overgrown stream vegetation.
The woodland
This ‘wet’ woodland is a fine example of ‘willow carr’ which has a good population of associated species such marsh marigold, purple loostrife and common valerian It has been important to clear areas every year some maintain some open areas
This is particularly the case near the stream as the health of the stream is greatly improved by having more light in places.
The wildlife group volunteers have been hard at work to achieve this in the winter months.
Achievements
The benefits of the grazing in the meadow are now apparent and we have short grass throughout most of the meadow.
The ponies have done a really good job and had to be helped by some cutting of patches of very coarse vegetation which they then grazed the re-growth.
This should give some of the rarer spring flowers that were being smothered by the coarse vegetation a chance.
As many walkers will have seen the meadow is now popular with many birds particularly the buzzard, a kestrel, song thrushes and blackbirds, and it was great to see a flock of fieldfares who will have flown south to avoid the colder weather in the north.
All these birds are taking advantage of the wetter areas which will be rich in worms in flooded patches.
This would have been much less likely if the meadow was left as coarse vegetation.
Along the stream we have as well as the egrets, kingfishers and visiting herons.
Improvements in the variation of the stream have been achieved.
Even sea trout have been seen spawning and there has been a sighting of an eel.
The opening up of glades within the woodland along the footpath has led to a much greater display of both spring and summer flowers. Some piles of brash have been left as cover for hedgehogs and other small mammals.
We hope all villagers are pleased with the added wildlife interest that has been created within our nature reserve.
The wildlife group always needs as much assistance as possible do come along and help us if you can.
Tony Bates
FEBRUARY 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 8th February 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 8th March at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Neighbourhood Plan
Further to the consultation event in November, some changes have been made to the draft version of the Neighbourhood Plan and these will be on display at the New Homes for Purbeck Consultation Event being held at the Scout Hut on Saturday 3rd March between 10am – 4pm.
Please do come along and see the latest version of our plan, and also have a chance to see and discuss the local plan for Purbeck, to understand where we fit into the bigger picture.
All households should also have received a questionnaire about the New Homes for Purbeck consultation and we would urge as many people as possible to complete these questionnaires and give their views on the scheme.
Grant to the School
The Council considered a grant application from Bere Regis Primary School towards the cost of the annual visit of the Life Education van which will be visiting the school shortly.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of approving the grant towards half of the cost of having the van, and hope the children continue to benefit from external services such as these.
NeighbourCar Scheme
The NeighbourCar scheme is still short of drivers, meaning there is a serious risk that this hugely important scheme which helps transport people to vital appointments, shopping trips and similar needs, might not continue.
If you have a car, and some spare time in the week, please contact Brenda House on 01929 471255 or stockleyfarmpartners@gmail.com, so that we can hopefully get some new drivers signed up and maintain this valuable service.
Bryan Benjafield
March 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 8th March at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 12th April at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
New Councillor
We are delighted to welcome Philip Morgan to the Parish Council. Philip has lived in the parish for 3 years, and is a former police officer. He is already involved in parish life as a cook for the Salt and Pepper club, and as a NeighbourCar driver.
Philip will take responsibility on the council for Policing, Traffic and Roads.
“Beast from the East”
The council wants to put on record its very grateful thanks to everyone who contributed to helping with the severe weather conditions we experienced at the beginning of March.
In particular, the many 4x4 drivers and local farmers, Barry Tuck and Kevin Crocker with their tractors, who turned out to help get stranded articulated lorries, vans and cars moving showed huge dedication.
Many of them were out from late evening through to the early hours on Poole Hill and on Rye Hill, clearing the snow with ploughs and towing the stranded vehicles. Early on the Friday morning Tony, the Lengthsman, and a large band of volunteers cleared most of the pavements south of West Street.
Up on Snow Hill Adrian Standfield and others worked hard and long to clear the potentially treacherous steep roads. Janette at the Royal Oak and David at The Old Mill B & B took in motorists stranded overnight.
All in all this was an extraordinary community effort which helped keep local people and strangers safe at a difficult time.
Thank you all.
Emergency Plan
We maintain a simple Emergency Plan for the Parish.
We would like to add a list of volunteer 4x4 and tractor owners who would be prepared to be called out when necessary.
Would anyone who would like to be included on this list please email the clerk with your name, address, email and phone numbers.
Parish Tidy
We are planning another Parish Tidy and litter pick in the near future.
As soon as we have pinned down a suitable date we will let everyone know.
In the meantime, we would be grateful if anyone interested in helping in the planning and on the day would put their names forward to Amanda Crocker, our clerk.
Neighbourhood Plan Update
Negotiations continue with Natural England and with the Drax Estate over the shape and size of the SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space) that has to be provided near new housing development.
We are still hoping to complete the plan and bring it to a referendum this year.
Community Grants
We were pleased to make a grant of £200 to Autumn Leaves to cover the costs of the speakers who come every month to their meetings.
Open Spaces
The recent winter weather has not been kind for the wildlife group.
The February work party had to be postponed for a week, however some clearing was carried out along the streamside walk in the pouring rain!
The cold spell attracted even more birds to Souls Moor.
As well as the buzzard and the kestrel a flock of fieldfares was followed by redwings that had come south. We were also visited by a flock of lapwings, which are now becoming much rarer.
They were attracted by the wet areas within the meadow now that the grass has been close cropped by the ponies.
The ponies will return later in the spring.
The wildlife work party has now sown more wildflowers close to the school entrance but in a more extended area. We hope this will provide a great show of colour as it did last year.
With the help of Dorset County Council countryside service, we are now planning to sow poppies on the roundabout at the bottom of Poole Hill which should create a good show in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
Ian Ventham
April 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 12th April 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 10th May at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Community Hall
During recent meetings of the Community Hall working parties, it had been agreed to move the project forward with a smaller Project Team, which was then endorsed by the full Parish Council.
This team will continue with the work that’s going on behind the scenes to bring the idea of a new Community Hall to fruition and will report back to the Parish Council and to the community as a whole as plans progress.
WWI Centenary Commemorations
The Scouts have kindly offered to build some ‘Silent Soldier’ memorials, similar to those being set up in other towns and villages across the country to pay respects to those soldiers who returned home from the First World War, in this the 100 year anniversary of the end of the war.
These will be on display around the village in due course.
Community Buses
Whilst we have our fantastic NeighbourCar scheme running in Bere Regis, there are also some community transport schemes which are available to residents to book for trips to specific locations.
For those not aware, the services available are:
PlusBus – This runs on a Thursday, going to Blandford and back at a cost of £5.
Spaces must be booked in advance and they will collect and drop off on your doorstep.
To book simply call 01258 287980 between 9.30 – 2.30 Monday to Friday.
Nordcat / Wareham Hopper – This bus runs 3 trips per week to Poole and Wareham. You do have to register with them first which is a one-off £5 and then the trips are £5-6 each, or free if you have a bus pass.
Tuesday – Bere Regis to Poole leaving approx. 9.45am and getting around 2 ½ hours in Poole.
Wednesday – Bere Regis to Tower Park leaving approx. 9.45am and getting around 2 hours in Tower Park
Thursday Bere Regis to Wareham leaving approx. 9.45am and getting around 1 ½ hours in Wareham.
Nordcat also run regular trips to larger towns and cities further afield and once you are registered they will send you a list of upcoming trips. To register with them or book any trips call Helen or Jennifer on 01258 472164.
Open Spaces
Souls Moor - the ponies will be returning soon, once the field has dried out.
The wildlife group have now completed the winter clearing work along the streamside walkway.
The group have also sown wild flower seeds outside the school entrance and we are hoping for a colourful display again this year.
In addition, at our request, DCC Countryside Service Team are sowing poppies on the roundabout at the bottom of Poole Hill, which will provide an attractive site for traffic passing by and will be very appropriate considering the WWI commemorations.
The working party meets on the first Saturday of every month.
Play Park Inspection
The Play Park recently underwent its annual inspection and we are delighted to say that the park passed with just a few minor improvements that the lengthsman needs to make.
The Zip Wire has also now been fixed and is back in use!
Dorset Dogs
On Wednesday 2nd May between 7.30 -11am, Dorset Dogs will be holding a pop-up event outside the school for the morning.
The idea of the event is to educate dog walkers, pupils and parents who pass, on the responsibility of walking your dog and cleaning up after it. We hope this will have a positive impact on the amount of dog mess that does get left around the village.
Come and pick up your free doggy goody bag and find out about Dorset Dogs.
Bryan Benjafield
May 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 10th May 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 14th June at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Chairman’s Report
Our aim as a parish council is to ensure that Bere Regis is a safe, clean and well-run community for all our residents.
The year 2017/2018 has been as busy as ever for the Parish Council and our clerk.
All our regular matters such as scrutinising planning applications, regularly inspecting the Play Park, the Lengthsman’s work of keeping the parish clean and tidy and the cemetery well mown and maintained, running the NeighbourCar Scheme and the Salt and Pepper Club have continued, whilst we have also taken on various new tasks and projects.
As frustratingly as ever, we have spent many hours trying to finalise the Neighbourhood Plan.
We have been in negotiations with Natural England and the Drax Estate.
Though supported by Purbeck District Council, we have found it difficult to cope with the changing demands of consultees such as Highways England and Wessex Water, and trying to deal with central government’s need for greater housing numbers.
Nonetheless,
I think we are close to finalising the plan and hope to commit to a final consultation shortly on 105 houses on 5 sites around the village.
The need for a new Community Hall has been high on our agenda, too.
We know that the Drax Hall is not fit for purpose and we are working very closely with the Drax Hall trustees to find a solution.
We do have a preferred site on Souls Moor, just off Southbrook by the new school drive.
Unfortunately getting permission for this site is bound up with finalising the Neighbourhood Plan, but we are still moving ahead on those matters that can be pursued now.
We held an open Forum on 11 November 2017 about both the Neighbourhood Plan and the new hall.
160 people attended, and the overwhelming majority were in favour of what we were proposing.
The Open Spaces working group have been out on the streamside area near Elder Rd many times in the past year clearing the undergrowth to allow wild flowers to flourish and putting up the bird boxes made by Scouts.
They have carried out wild flower seeding near the school and on Poole Hill roundabout.
The horses were so successful in grazing Souls Moor that they will be back again soon to help the wildlife flourish on the nature reserve.
I would like to pay tribute and say thank you to all those community minded residents who turned out in early March in the snow and icy conditions to clear pavements and keep traffic moving.
They did us proud!
Each year we are able to make small grants to community organisations.
During the past year the following benefitted:
Autumn Leaves, Bere Regis School, Bere Regis Sports Club, and the Flower Festival. A total of £1,275 was granted.
Distgen, who operate the wind turbine at Rogers Hill farm, made a generous donation last year of £10,423.19 to the Parish.
We have earmarked this for the preparatory costs involved in planning the new community hall.
Each year we are asked to nominate a local resident who stands out for volunteering their time and efforts to help our local community as our nominee at the Purbeck Volunteer of the Year awards.
Our nomination this year was Philip Ventham for his tireless work over numerous years with the Scout Group in Bere Regis.
If you know anybody who you would like to nominate this year, please contact the clerk, Amanda Crocker on the details above.
Finally, I would like to give thanks to each of the parish councillors for the voluntary time and effort they put in to keeping our parish safe and well run.
Each councillor has particular responsibilities, whether it be for our environment, planning consents, footpaths and rights of way, community liaison, neighbourhood planning, transport or emergency planning, and each gives willingly of his or her time, experience and skills.
Our clerk, Amanda Crocker, whose difficult task it is to make sure we obey local government rules and regulations regularly goes the extra mile to support us and she deserves our warm thanks as well.
Re-Elections and Responsibilities
The council were delighted when both our Chair and Vice-Chair, Ian Ventham and Robin Pitcher, chose to stand for their positions again and both were unanimously re-elected for another year.
Some minor changes to the list of councillors responsibilities were also made to accommodate our newer councillors in the various working parties we have.
Neighbourhood Plan
We are pleased to announce that the draft copy of our Neighbourhood Plan has now been submitted to Purbeck District Council for their initial thoughts and feedback, and we hope to be putting this out to public consultation in the coming month, with a referendum on adopting the plan pencilled in for Spring 2019.
We will continue to update you on the developments both at the monthly meetings and on the Parish Council website.
Community Buses
There was some great response to the post last month about the Community Transport schemes available, so for those not aware, the services available are:
PlusBus – This runs on a Thursday, going to Blandford and back at a cost of £5.
Spaces must be booked in advance and they will collect and drop off on your doorstep.
To book simply call 01258 287980 between 9.30 – 2.30 Monday to Friday.
Nordcat / Wareham Hopper – This bus runs 3 trips per week to Poole and Wareham.
You do have to register with them first which is a one-off £5 and then the trips are £5-6 each, or free if you have a bus pass.
Tuesday – Bere Regis to Poole leaving approx. 9.45am and getting around 2 ½ hours in Poole.
Wednesday – Bere Regis to Tower Park leaving approx. 9.45am and getting around 2 hours in Tower Park
Thursday Bere Regis to Wareham leaving approx. 9.45am and getting around 1 ½ hours in Wareham.
Nordcat also run regular trips to larger towns and cities further afield and once you are registered they will send you a list of upcoming trips. To register with them or book any trips call Helen or Jennifer on 01258 472164.
Open Spaces
Now that summer is nearly with us the conservation work parties are over.
We are pleased with the effect that the pony grazing last year has had on Souls Moor.
The lower part of the meadow which partly floods in winter already has a more diverse range of native plants in flower.
Two Ponies are now back again and over several years it is hoped that plant diversity will improve.
You may ask – why do you have pony grazing there as they eat all the flowers?
Grazing is essential to reduce the coarse grasses and other plants so that the smaller plants can thrive.
The ponies are very friendly but please remember do not feed them as they will then approach walkers for food.
At our request the Dorset Countryside Rangers have now seeded part of the roundabout at the bottom of Poole Hill on the A35 with poppies which we hope will provide a colourful display in this 100th anniversary of the end of the 1st World War
Christmas Trees
You will shortly receive an order form for Christmas Trees for this year which can be ordered from the clerk, Amanda Crocker.
The price of a tree is remaining at £10 again and if you didn’t receive a form simply contact Amanda before the end of June to place your order.
Planning Applications
Every month there are a handful of planning applications which get passed through for our opinions on their way to the planning boards at either Purbeck District or Dorset County Council.
More often than not these are discussed by the planning working group and then their recommendations get brought to the full council for approval, with the majority having no issues or reasons for objections.
This month, we received two such applications which the working group felt were better discussed at full council.
These were; an application for the installation of two slurry stores at Higher Stockley Farm and an application for two dwellings on land off Tower Hill. Both had some grounds for objection and the Parish Council recommendations were passed to the PDC and Dorset County planning officers for their consideration.
If you ever have a planning application going through the system then you are welcome to come along to the meeting and discuss it in the period of public participation at the start and indeed stay and listen to the comments on it during the full meeting.
Bryan Benjafield
June 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 14th June 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 12th July at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Neighbourhood Plan
We have now begun the 6 week period for Public Consultation on the final draft version of our Neighbourhood Plan.
The consultation event on the 23rd June was well attended and anybody who didn’t manage to get along to the event but wants to see a copy of the draft plan and complete a questionnaire with their views, can do so by contacting the Clerk, Amanda Crocker, on the details above, or by visting the Parish Council website at:
https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.
uk/projects/neighbourhood-plan/.
Once the 6 week public consultation has finished, we will make any minor changes to the Plan as required before it’s then submitted to Purbeck District Council for their approval.
This is all leading up to a Parish Referendum on accepting the Neighbourhood Plan which will hopefully take place in May 2019, to coincide with Local Elections for the new Unitary Authority.
Village Walkabout
It was decided at our meeting that we would recommence our annual village walkabout, at the start of our August meeting on Thursday 9th August.
The walkabout will see the Council walk a route around the village at the start of the meeting, which we will publicise after the July meeting, making sure that councillors are familiar with all areas which regularly come up for discussion, and giving any members of the public who can’t get along to the Drax Hall on a Thursday evening, the chance to stop and raise any issues if they wish.
The walk will then be followed by the regular meeting at the Drax Hall.
Open Spaces
The nature walk on 16th June was successful in identifying some very rare and important historical trees throughout the Parish, including boundary oaks which are a part of our heritage.
Further surveys are planned to be carried out so that a comprehensive list of such trees can be put together.
There will be more nature walks and events by the Wildlife group in the coming months, which will be publicised on Facebook and in the Parish Magazine, along with the regular working parties held on the first Saturday of each month.
Christmas Trees
Order forms have now gone out for you to order your Christmas Tree for this year.
The forms need to be returned as soon as possible to the clerk, Amanda Crocker.
The price of a tree is remaining at £10 again and if you didn’t receive a form simply contact Amanda before the end of July to place your order.
Village Tidy
It was also decided to hold another village tidy, in September or October this year, giving the whole village the opportunity to come together to sweep, clean, weed and improve the paths, and communal areas around the village.
Details will follow over the next month with the date to be confirmed.
Bryan Benjafield
JULY 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.com
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 12th July 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 9th August at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm with a village walkaround, with a view to getting back to the Drax Hall to start the meeting properly at 8pm ish.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to
take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Councillors' Walkabout
Next month our meeting on Thursday 9th August will take the form of a walkabout around some of the sites proposed for development in the Neighbourhood Plan.
The aim is to give residents a chance to talk to us about, and comment on, the proposals.
We will leave the Drax Hall at 7pm, walk up North Street towards the Shell Garage, turn left up the bridleway to Snow Hill, then to Barrow Hill, via Butt Lane and Back Lane to the old allotment site, then down to West St and back to the Drax Hall along West Street and North Street.
Please look out for us and don't hesitate to come and have a chat.
Neighbourhood Plan
We were very pleased that around 150 people attended the consultation event held at Bere Regis School on 23rd June and that many more had looked at the plan online.
Disappointingly, though, very few people have filled in our response form.
We do need your feedback, even if it is only to say you are happy with what we are proposing.
If you haven't done so, please go to https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.
uk/projects/neighbourhood-plan/ and complete the response form.
AUGUST
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 9th August 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 13th September at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Councillors' Walkabout
We started our meeting with our annual walkabout around, taking in some of the sites proposed for development in the Neighbourhood Plan.
Thank you for those who turned up along the route to ask us questions and chat to us.
Neighbourhood Plan
Thank you to all of those who took time to respond to the Neighbourhood Plan Consultation.
The responses are being read through as we speak to make any necessary final adjustments before submitting the plan for review by Purbeck District Council.
This will then go out for a second public consultation in September.
Benches
The council have decided to install some benches along the footpath south of the stream.
These will be made from recycled materials and will hopefully provide some welcome resting points along the path.
If you would be interested in creating a lasting memorial for a loved one, there will be the opportunity to make a donation towards the benches and have a plaque fitted on there, please contact the clerk, Amanda Crocker, for further details.
Planning
Purbeck District Council’s planning committee will be meeting on Wednesday 29th August to discuss planning application 6/2018/0217 Land at Barrow Hill - to erect 2 dwellings to the east of Butt Lane, improve existing point of access and track off Barrow Hill. Members of the public are welcome to attend and listen to the Committee.
Should you wish to speak at the meeting, you must register your intention to do so with PDC at least 3 days beforehand.
Village Calendars
We will again be producing a batch of Calendars for 2019 featuring photos from around the village.
It was decided by the council that proceeds from the sale of these calendars this year will be split equally between the Friends of Bere Regis School and The Williams Trust.
If you have any photographs that you would like to submit for consideration in the calendar then please contact myself (Bryan Benjafield) on bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk with your photographs.
Open Spaces
Despite some concerns that the ponies in the field at Souls’ Moor were either hungry, thirsty and/or too hot in the past month, we would just like to reassure all residents that there is an abundance of natural food within the field, the pond which was dug last year still had 2 feet of water in it even during the hottest part of the month, and the ponies are an outdoor breed used to conditions like this although they can still obtain some shade down by the tree in the North-Eastern corner of the field.
On other positive notes there have also been many dragonflies spotted around the pond, together with other wildlife which is attracted to the field as a result of grazing animals.
The efforts to smarten the Poole Hill roundabout are on-going and, although the dry weather prevented the recently planted poppy seeds from germinating, additional seeds have been sown this month and the weeds removed.
It is hoped that we may get some flowers come through in the Autumn.
Buses
A complaint has been received recently from the operators of the 187 bus service.
Due to cars being parked on both sides of the road in front of the hairdressers, the bus was unable to get through and was delayed whilst the vehicles' owners were tracked down and asked to move.
As far as we are aware, this is the first such incident since the white line was put in along the northern edge of West Street.
We would urge all residents to park considerately along West Street and try not to park opposite other cars at the narrow points.
Please remember, not only do we not want to lose the few buses we have, but the road is also used by lorries and agricultural vehicles, some of which are quite large.
Bryan Benjafield
SEPTEMBER
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitche r472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 13th September 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 11th October at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Neighbourhood Plan
Following the recent consultation and a review by PDC, we have made further changes and improvements to the wording of the plan in response to comments received.
We have also updated the Frequently Asked Questions.
Both are on the Neighbourhood Plan section of the Parish Council website, and you can view them here: https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.
uk/projects/neighbourhood-plan/.
Lengthsman
The contract for our very successful Lengthsman Scheme is coming up for renewal and we are about to advertise for applicants. please look out for the advert on facebook and in the village noticeboards or contact the Clerk, Amanda Crocker, for further details.
Closing date for all applications will be 31st October.
Village Tidy
We are holding our annual Village Tidy on Saturday 13th October between 10am – 12pm.
If you would like to help to work with your neighbours to tidy up an area around the village, please meet at the Central Car park at 10am, or contact Councillors Packham or Morgan (https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.
co.uk/about-us/councillors/ ) for further information.
Once we have finished, The Drax Arms have very kindly offered to put on a complimentary bowl of soup for all helpers.
Remembrance
There will be 3 events held this year to commemorate Remembrance Sunday on 11th November.
Firstly in the morning is the annual parade, leaving the Scout Hut and followed by the Remembrance Service at the Church.
Then, that evening, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, we will be lighting the Parish Beacon on Soul’s Moor, followed by our bell-ringers sounding a celebratory peal at the Church.
There will be refreshments at the Scout Hut afterwards.
Open Spaces
The Open Spaces Working Parties are beginning again from October. They meet on the first Saturday of each month at 10am, by Souls’ Bridge.
If you would like to help them in any way, just turn up on the 6th October and if you have any suitable tools then you’re welcome to bring those along too.
Reporting Defects
Dorset For You has a great tool on their website (https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/
roads-highways-maintenance/roads-highways-and-maintenance.aspx?folderIds=5543,6301) for the reporting of any defects such as potholes, flooding, overgrown hedges, verges etc, broken lights and much more.
Whilst the Parish Council will always endeavour to assist in areas we can, most problems which occur around the village are the responsibility of either the landowner, or in the case of roads, Dorset Highways, and reporting these issues online will always get the quickest response.
Bryan Benjafield
October 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 11th October 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 8th November at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Neighbourhood Plan
Finally, progress!
You will all know that, somewhat tediously, we have been writing about the Neighbourhood Plan for many years now.
Well, it’s finally coming to fruition!
At the beginning of the month we sent our final version to Purbeck District Council for their part in the process leading to a parish-wide referendum next May.
Over the coming months we will endeavour to tell you what the various elements of the plan will mean for all of us as residents.
Both the plan itself and some Frequently Asked Questions are on the Neighbourhood Plan section of the Parish Council website, and you can view them here: https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.
uk/projects/neighbourhood-plan/.
Village Tidy
We held our Village Tidy on Saturday 14th October.
It was not well attended, but a gallant band of perhaps 25 people worked hard and cleared some of the gutters of weeds and debris, cleaned road signs, and the Scout Group once again cleared litter along the stream and the wooded area between the Scout Hut and Shitterton Bridge.
A very big thank you to everyone who turned out, and to the Drax Arms for the delicious soup and other refreshments put on for us at the end of the morning.
Remembrance
There will be 3 events this year to commemorate Remembrance Sunday on 11th November.
Firstly in the morning will be the annual parade, leaving the Scout Hut at about 1030, followed by the Remembrance Service at the Memorial then in Church.
At 7.00pm that evening, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, as part of the nationwide activity, we will be lighting the Parish Beacon on Soul’s Moor
At about 7.05pm our bell-ringers will be sounding a celebratory peal at the Church as part of a national peal.
There will be refreshments at the Scout Hut afterwards.
Open Spaces
The Open Spaces Working Party will be meeting at 10am on Saturday 3rd November at Souls Bridge to do some more work in our village nature reserve which this month will be improving the stream edges around and opposite the drain outlet just east of the streamside board walk .
If you would like to help, please turn up in suitable dress and wellies and make yourself known to Mike Gee or Tony Bates. Garden shears and loppers will be useful if you have them.
Play Park
Two new ‘springers’ have ordered and will shortly be installed in the Play Park as part of our on-going maintenance and repair programme.
Reporting Defects
Dorset For You has a great tool on their website (https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/roads-highways-and-maintenance.aspx?folderIds=5543,6301) for the reporting of any defects such as potholes, flooding, overgrown hedges, verges etc, broken lights and much more.
Whilst the Parish Council will always endeavour to assist in areas we can, many of the problems such as potholes or overgrown hedges which occur around the village are the responsibility of either the landowner, or in the case of roads, Dorset Highways, and reporting these issues online will always get the quickest response.
Bryan Benjafield
November 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 8th November 2018 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 13th December at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Neighbourhood Plan
Progress continues on this and we are are currently approaching the end of Purbeck District Council’s consultation period. We are still on course for holding the referendum on the Plan in the Spring of 2019.
Over the coming months, articles explaining specific areas of the Plan in more depth, will be published separately in the Parish Magazine.
You can also view all documents on the Parish Council Website here: https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.
uk/projects/neighbourhood-plan/.
Remembrance
Two separate events commemorating the 100 Year Anniversary of the end of WWI were held on Sunday 11th November and we had a great turnout to both.
The annual parade to the Church took place in the morning, followed by the Church service and wreath laying.
We were very pleased to welcome the Deputy Lord Lieutenant Mrs Sarah Irwin as our guest this year.
In the evening our Beacon was lit at 7.05pm as part of the National Beacon Lighting Ceremony and accompanied by the church bells ringing, and then this was followed by refreshments at the Scout Hut.
Christmas Trees
The Christmas trees have been ordered and will be delivered during the first week of December.
We will notify everyone via Facebook as soon as they are available for collection.
There will also be some extras available for people who didn’t manage to pre-order one, on a first-come, first-served basis.
School Grant
We were delighted to approve a grant application from Bere Regis School for £375 to cover half the cost of the Life Education Van.
This provides a valuable resource for the school, informing and educating their students in a variety of ways.
Open Spaces
The wildlife and Environment Group had a successful work party on Saturday 3rd November.
Working with the lengthsman, the area adjacent to the road water drain into the stream close to the seat on the streamside walk at the beginning of the boardwalk has been built up to a level area and the vegetation on the south side of the stream cleared.
This will provide a more attractive view across Souls Moor to the school and the new pond.
Winter Management Plan
We have recently reviewed and updated our winter maintenance plan, making sure we are ready for any eventualities if we get a spell of adverse weather over the winter.
We are currently ensuring all grit bins are full and ready to be used.
If there is a spell of snow or heavy ice, these can be used to make the paths more accessible.
We would encourage all residents to try and clear the areas near to their house and particularly help any elderly or vulnerable neighbours if possible.
Bryan Benjafield
December 2018
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman Robin Pitcher 472151 robinpitcher@btinternet.co.uk
Parish Clerk Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 13th December 2018 at the Sports Club.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 10th January at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Neighbourhood Plan
We are hopefully nearing the end of the 6 year plus process, which has been putting together our Neighbourhood Plan. The plan has gone through Purbeck District Council’s consultation and is now with an independent examiner, who checks it from a neutral point of view and makes sure that everything in there is correct and viable, and then it will go out to the public again for a final consultation before the whole village gets a chance to vote on it in a referendum in May.
Dark Lane Footpath
Dark Lane, which is a path that runs up to Black Hill from Shitterton (see the map at the bottom) is not formally recorded as a right of way on the definitive map of rights of way in Dorset which can be found at https://explorer.geowessex.com.
To make it a right of way, and to ensure the right to use it is not lost we need to gather evidence that it has been used without any hindrance from 1949 up to today.
If you have regularly used this path in the last 20 years, we would urge you to complete an evidence form which can obtained from Amanda our clerk then returned her.
If we don't complete this registration before 2026, the right to use this path will be lost for ever.
Open Spaces
At the last work party, the wildlife group volunteers planted several tree saplings outside the school.
These were supplied as part of the 'Queen's Commonwealth canopy project'.
They came to us via our MP and the Woodland Trust.
This project is an initiative which was presented at the last Commonwealth Conference to encourage all commonwealth countries to join in a world wide tree planting programme and we are pleased to be a small part of this.
The work party also worked with the lengthsman to tidy up fallen willows near Souls Moor bridge.
We are always looking for more members for our work party, and meet on the first Saturday of each month at the land near the Scout Hut.
Play Park Maintenance
We are please to report that we recently purchased 2 new springers for the under-5’s area of the play park, which have now been installed by the lenghtsman.
This is part of our regular maintenance and improvement work carried out in the play park.
Land swap from Purbeck District Council
In preparation for the upcoming change to a unitary authority and the disappearance of Purbeck District Council, there has been a process of town and parish councils taking over ownership of areas of land within their regions.
We were delighted to take over the ownership of the main village car park and the area of grass where Shitterton meets West Street and this will mean that these can be more easily maintained by the Parish Council.
Reporting Defects
Dorset For You has a great tool on their website (https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk for the reporting of any defects such as potholes, flooding, overgrown hedges, verges etc, broken lights and much more. Whilst the Parish Council will always endeavour to assist in areas we can, most problems which occur around the village are the responsibility of either the landowner, or in the case of roads, Dorset Highways, and reporting these issues online will always get the quickest response.
