January 2019
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 January 2019 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 14th 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.
Potential Community Event
The Council discussed the possibility of holding a large-scale event in the village this summer, perhaps similar to previous events held such as the Queen’s Birthday Street Party or the Jubilee Party.
This would require input from all the groups within the community, but it could be a fun event if enough people want to help. Suggestions so far received have been for a traditional fete, including a flower and veg show, a fancy dress competion, a dog show and events like tug of war.
If you would like to be involved with this, please contact the Chairman, Ian Ventham, on the details above.
Snow Plough Use
Dorset County Council are continuing with their scheme of reimbursing farmers £30 per hour for use of their snow plough to help clear local roads if adverse weather makes them impassable.
If you know anyone with access to a snow plough then they can contact the clerk, Amanda Crocker, for further information.
Open Spaces
For the Wildlife and Environment Group’s January conservation working party a small but energetic band of volunteers cleared an area between the stream and walkway of brambles and other undergrowth and coppiced some trees.
This work is being carried out on a rotational basis to allow more light to reach the woodland floor and for wildflowers to flourish whilst maintaining a mosaic of habitats for a range of birds, mammals and invertebrates to enjoy.
Further conservation work parties are planned for the first Saturdays of February, March and April to carry out more scrub clearance and tree planting works.
Calendars
Calendar sales have been going well and they are still on sale at the Post Office for another couple of weeks.
We are trying to make them available slightly earlier this year, but do require more photographs to be submitted for consideration.
These can be sent in at any time by emailing them to bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk and the selected ones will be chosen later in the year.
Reporting Defects
If anybody notices any defects or problems within the playpark, please inform the clerk or a councillor at the nearest opportunity.
A list of all councillors can be found here (https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk/about-us/councillors/). If there are problems elsewhere in the village, 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
February 2019
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 February 2019 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 14th 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.
Midsummer Bere Fest 2019!
We have now finalised plans to hold a large scale community event between 2 – 8pm on Sunday 30th June at the Recreation Ground, titled Midsummer Bere Fest!
So far, The Stour Valley Band will be playing, Nina Garcia will be entertaining us in the evening, and there will be food and a bar, and, hopefully, with your help, much, much more.
We need all community organisations and businesses to get involved.
Come along to showcase your organisation, recruit more members, to raise money, or to provide some entertainment.
If you would like more information or to register an interest in helping, please contact Ian Ventham on any of the details above.
Dark Lane Footpath
Dark Lane, which is a path that runs up to Black Hill from Shitterton (see the map below) 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 be obtained from Amanda our clerk then returned to her.
If we don't complete this registration before 2026, the right to use this path will be lost for ever.
Community Minibus
We are delighted that, through some help and funding from Dorset County Council, we have just purchased a mini bus, with plans to run this as a community scheme through the NeighbourCar project.
More details will be announced in coming weeks but there are currently plans for both regular, planned trips using the bus and also making it available for hire by local groups.
If you have any interest in using the minibus, please contact Brenda House on stockleyfarmpartners@gmail.com.
Calendars
Final calendar sales have now been tallied and we are delighted that this year's edition made a profit of £195, which was split equally between the Friends of Bere Regis School and the Thomas Williams Trust.
Please get in touch with me directly on bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk to submit any photographs for next years calendar at any point.
Scout Hut Transfer
The final documentation regarding the transfer of the land on which the Scout Hut is situated has now been received.
This means the land has officially been passed from the ownership of Purbeck District Council to the Parish Council and ensures the use of the location by the Scout Group for the long term.
Bryan Benjafield
March 2019
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 March 2019 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 11th 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.
Village Forum
Saturday 27th April from 10am – 2pm sees our annual Village Forum, held in the school hall.
Of course our main topic of this forum will be the Neighbourhood Plan as it reaches it’s final stage, but there will also be displays and discussions on our new community minibus, the excellent ongoing work that our environment group carry out and an explanation of what the future of our village could hold once the Neighbourhood Plan comes to fruition.
Please come along on the day to hear talks on these areas and have a chance to chat to your Parish Councillors.
Midsummer Bere Fest 2019!
Our Midsummer Bere Fest is being held between 2 – 8pm on Sunday 30th June at the Recreation Ground.
So far, The Stour Valley Band will be playing, Nina Garcia will be entertaining us in the evening, and there will be food and a bar, and, hopefully, with your help, much, much more.
We need all community organisations and businesses to get involved.
Come along to showcase your organisation, recruit more members, to raise money, or to provide some entertainment.
If you would like more information or to register an interest in helping, please contact Ian Ventham on any of the details above.
Dark Lane Footpath
We are still looking for evidence of use of the footpath that runs up to Black Hill from Shitterton (alongside Dark Lane) as it 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. look at image above.
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 be obtained from Amanda our clerk then returned to her.
If we don't complete this registration before 2026, the right to use this path will be lost for ever.
Open Spaces
The storms in mid March have blown over several large trees which required urgent action to clear the streamside footpath and avoid damage to the overhead electricity cables in places.
We are very lucky to have our Lengthsman scheme in place to ensure that any fallen or dangerous trees can be swiftly dealt with, and the last few weeks have certainly kept him busy.
The wildlife group have completed their winter clearing work along the streamside walk as the bird nesting season is now upon us. Inevitably this is a continuous requirement to keep open areas for the more interesting plants to flower.
The group work together with our Lengthsman, who removes the arisings.
On Souls Moor, the ponies should be back again in May to do their job of eating back the grass and undergrowth.
Community MiniBus
As previously mentioned, we have now been fortunate enough to secure a minibus through funding and help from Dorset County Council and this will be run alongside the NeighbourCar scheme by Brenda House.
The idea of the minibus is to provide affordable, group transport to local shopping facilities, areas of interest and for use by other community groups.
If you would be interested in hiring the bus for a trip, or suggesting a place that you’d like to see the bus visit, please contact Brenda on stockleyfarmpartners@gmail.com or 01929 417255.
New Councillor Needed
Would you like to influence how our community is run for the benefit of residents, young and old?
Do you think you could act as a ‘voice’ for your fellow residents?
Are you keen to make a difference?
There is a vacancy for a new parish councillor.
To qualify you must be over 18 years and live or work in the parish.
Being a councillor is not just about attending tedious meetings once a month, (there is a bit of that, but we try to keep meetings short and lively).
Each councillor has a particular responsibility, so you might be keeping an eye on the playpark, getting involved in the new community hall project, scrutinising planning applications or liaising with other organisations.
The time needed is geared to what you can give.
We would love to make our council more representative by encouraging women and younger people to put themselves forward.
If you are interested, please contact Ian Ventham, or Bryan Benjafield for a chat.
Bryan Benjafield
April Meeting
The Parish Council met on Thursday 11th April 2019 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 9th 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.
Yellow lines
The Parish Council often receives requests for sections of roads to have yellow lines put down in an attempt to solve a parking or traffic issue. It is worthwhile explaining the process as this is by no means a ‘quick fix’ or easy solution.
To introduce any form of parking control, including yellow lines, a resident will have to submit a request to the Parish Council in the first instance.
This would then become the subject of a consultation in order to identify whether there is general support for the proposal.
If supported, the Parish Council would then submit a request to Highways who would, in turn, consider all the evidence presented and determine whether or not a traffic order would be appropriate.
They would then undertake a period of consultation.
The whole process can take up to two years and would, almost certainly, require the Parish Council to make a contribution towards the costs.
As a result, all road traffic orders are considered very carefully.
Often the easiest and most effective form of solving the problem is for residents to consider where and how they are parking and to show consideration to their neighbours and other residents when they are parking.
Post Office
You may be aware that Janette Woodhouse, the proprietor, has announced that the village post office is likely to close soon.
The Parish Council, together with our Dorset Councillor, are working closely with our MP and with Janette, and, once we receive clarification regarding various issues raised, we will be in a position to take the matter up with the main Post Office.
In the meantime, we have made contact with customer services at Post Office Ltd and hope we may be able to find a solution.
Minibus
The minibus is now available for hire by village groups and a huge thank you is extended to Goodwin Graphics for making such a wonderful job of sign-writing the minibus free of charge.
If you would like to hire the minibus, please contact Cllr Brenda House on 01929 471255.
Christmas Trees
This initiative, we believe, is unique to Bere Regis and we very much hope to keep it going.
The scheme was originally set up so those properties with external brackets would be able to have a tree which would benefit the whole community.
West Street looks extremely festive when all the trees are lit on the runup to Christmas.
Over time, the scheme has evolved into the Parish Council enabling residents to purchase a 4’ to 5’ tree at cost price.
Until last year, this worked well. However, residents are booking trees without paying up front for them and then not collecting them.
As a result, there were quite a few trees left uncollected last year which meant a cost to the Parish Council.
In order to prevent this from happening this year but to enable the scheme to keep running, no trees will be ordered unless they have been paid for in advance and the request slip has been passed to the Clerk.
The tree order must go in by the end of June.
If you haven’t ordered your tree by then, you will not be able to have one so, please, put your order in NOW.
Parish Council Grants
As many groups know, the Parish Council sets aside a portion of the Precept each year to assist groups within the parish.
Grants are up to a maximum of £500 and application forms are available from the Clerk or on the Parish Council web site (https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.
uk/rules-regulations).
We are about to start a new grant year so, if you belong to a group that is looking to undertake a project that could benefit from such a grant, please do not hesitate to submit an application.
The form is very easy to complete but, please remember, the money can only be used for the benefit of a parish group and not an individual.
Ponies on Souls Moor
With May just around the corner and the ground beginning to dry out, we will be looking to reintroduce the ponies on to the nature reserve area on Souls Moor.
We hope to have the same ponies as last year as they proved to be real favourites.
As in previous years, please do not feed them and if you are in any way uncertain of walking through the field whilst the ponies are in residence, please use the path around the outside
May 2019 Meeting
Bere Regis Parish Council - May Meeting - Thursday 9th May 7pm
This Thursday at 7pm, your Parish Council will be meeting in the Upper Drax Hall for our May Meeting.
This is your opportunity to raise any issues that you would like to be discussed at the meeting.
Matters currently on the agenda for Thursday are:
Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman, and allocation of Group Responsibilities
Neighbourhood Plan Results Review
Village Forum Review
Mid-Summer Bere Fest Plans
Confirmation of Year End Accounts & Standing Orders
Confimation of Risk Assessment
Consider Donation towards the cost of cleaning the War Memorial
Open Spaces Update
Review the Cemetery charges
Community Issues Update (NeighbourCar and Salt & Pepper Lunch Club)
Along with regular issues such as reports from the District and County Councillor, Registering of any defects within the village and planning applications.
This is your opportunity to have a voice and raise any issues which you believe need discussing.
There is a period for public discussion at the very start of the meeting, which by the way is always open to everybody even if you have nothing to say and just want to observe, or if you are unable to attend tonight but have an issue to raise then you are more than welcome to do so via myself, the Clerk (Amanda Crocker) or any other Parish Councillor (List of Current Councillors: https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.
uk/about…/councillors/)
I hope we see some of you on Thursday!
June 2019
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Bryan Benjafield 07969 770890 bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 13th June 2019 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 11th 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.
Traffic on Rye Hill
The council heard from 2 residents who had concerns over the speed and volume of traffic using the C6 road at Rye Hill.
There are clearly some issues with speeding and in parts of the road visibility can be very poor.
The council discussed the options available to us, ranging from making applications for; Mobile SIDs (Speed Indicator Devices), reduction of the speed to 20mph, moving the 30mph area further out of the village, increased signage of the speed limit and maintaining the verges more frequently.
It was agreed that we would task the Lengthsman with doing what he can to help visibility in the short term, whilst discussing this with Dorset Council to see what we can do on a more permanent basis.
Post Office
The Parish Council reinforced their support of Janette’s attempts to move the Post Office to the Royal Oak and discussed again at the meeting whether there was anything else we could do to help this process.
It was agreed we would investigate any further ways in which we could help keep this vital community facility.
Benches
We are delighted to now have 4 benches situated around the village for people to use whilst out enjoying our fantastic village open spaces. 3 of these have been funded by private donations.
If you wish to make a donation towards any further benches, maybe in memorandum of a loved one, please contact the Clerk, Amanda on bereregispc@gmail.com.
Cemetery Charges
Having increased the charges for the cemetery by 10% last year, following years of no change, it was decided that we would increase them by 3% this year and put a plan in place to review this annually to try and avoid large increases in the future.
Open Spaces
We are delighted to see the return of the 2 ponies to the Nature Reserve at Souls’ Moor and are looking forward to seeing the continued progress and benefits their grazing brings to the wildlife there.
The ponies are regularly monitored and have a constant supply of fresh water. If you are nervous around horses or have dogs that might bother them, we advise walking around the outside of the nature reserve.
If you do have any concerns about the horses, please contact the Clerk.
Communibus
There is now a full summer programme for our new Community Minibus, being run by Councillor House as an extension of the NeighbourCar scheme.
The following trips are now planned:
TUESDAY 4TH JUNE TO BRIDPORT
TUESDAY 18TH JUNE TO HOLME FOR GARDENS
TUESDAY 9TH JULY TO SWANAGE
TUESDAY 23RD JULY TO GOULDS GARDEN CENTRE, WEYMOUTH
TUESDAY 6TH AUGUST TO ROMSEY VIA NEW FOREST
TUESDAY 20TH AUGUST TO OTTERY NURSERIES, EXETER
TUESDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER TO SALISBURY
TUESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER TO HASKINS GARDEN CENTRE, FERNDOWN
All trips leave at 10am and cost £5 per person. Pre-booking is essential by contacting Brenda on 01929 471255
New Councillor Needed
Would you like to influence how our community is run for the benefit of residents, young and old?
Do you think you could act as a ‘voice’ for your fellow residents?
Are you keen to make a difference?
There is a vacancy for a new parish councillor.
To qualify you must be over 18 years and live or work in the parish.
Being a councillor is not just about attending a monthly meeting, (there is a bit of that, but we try to keep meetings short and lively).
Each councillor has a particular responsibility, so you might be keeping an eye on the playpark, getting involved in the new community hall project, scrutinising planning applications or liaising with other organisations.
The time needed is geared to what you can give.
We would love to make our council more representative by encouraging women and younger people to put themselves forward.
If you are interested, please contact Ian Ventham, or Bryan Benjafield for a chat.
Bryan Benjafield
July 2019
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Bryan Benjafield 07969 770890 bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 11th July 2019 at the Drax Hall.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 8th August 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 recent referendum voting to adopt our Neighbourhood plan, we have this month written to all of the landowners of the sites in the plan, asking for their plans and time-scales for beginning the development.
We will continue to monitor this and update parishioners of the progress.
Post Office
We were delighted to read the recent news of the successful application to relocate the Post Office to the Royal Oak and would like to extend our thanks to Janette for her hard work in ensuring the continuation of this valuable local service.
Calendars
The council unanimously voted in favour of having The Ed Kent Trust as our nominated charity to be the recipient of all profits from the sales of the 2020 Bere Regis Calendar.
All photos need to be submitted by 31st August, if you wish to submit any photos for consideration for inclusion, please email digital copies in their highest resolution and in landscape orientation to bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk
Volunteer work party for the play park
We will be holding a volunteer work party in the play park in the coming months in order to try and get some of the more niggling, time consuming repairs and improvements carried out.
If you wish to be involved with this, and hopefully further improvement work around the village, please contact Robin Pitcher at robinpitcher@btinternet.com.
Open Spaces
The wildlife group organised a 'bioblitz' - that is a recording event with experts, to identify some of the wildlife that we have on our nature reserve and the edge of Mays Wood around the school.
The records are not completely listed yet but our counts so far are - 14 varieties of butterflies, 20 other types of insects, and 80 plants. These records are being sent to the Dorset Environmental Record Centre and we will put them on the Parish Council website. Thanks to the experts for taking the time to come along and help.
Communibus
We have had a great response to our trips for the community in our new bus, with more trips planned in due course.
If you are interested in hiring the bus as a group, please contact Brenda House on 01929 471255.
Drax Hall
We were delighted that, at their recent village meeting, residents voted unanimously for all proceeds from any future sale of the Drax Hall being used towards the building of a new Community Hall.
We would like to express our thanks to Alison Bennett for chairing a complex meeting.
Bere Fest
The Mid-Summer Bere Fest was a great success at the end of June on the Rec, with 23 organisations taking stalls and a combined total of over £1700 raised on the day.
The Sports Club also graciously gave the Parish Council a donation of £200 from their takings on the day and asked us to donate it to a charity of our choice, which was unanimously chosen as Autumn Leaves to contribute towards their running costs and support their series of speakers each meeting.
We would love to hold an event like this again with a view to expanding it further, but need a team to take this on. If you would like to be involved in the organisation of such an event next year, please contact Ian Ventham on ianrventham@gmail.com.
Roads and Transport
Cllrs Ian Ventham and Peter Wharf, together with the Clerk, Amanda Crocker recently met with Stephen Mepham and Ian Styring of Dorset Highways to discuss the following various issues of concern.
1. Grass cutting throughout the village – The Parish Council is going to look into the possibility of taking over all the grass cutting. At the moment, it is done by various authorities with no co-ordination.
2. Rye Hill speed limits – There have been no reported collisions in this area.
Therefore, there is little chance of a change to the current speed limit of 40mph.
However, the Parish Council is looking into other ways of slowing traffic and will take over the cutting of the verge along certain stretches.
3. Moveable Speed Indication Device (SID) – For areas within the 30mph, the Parish Council is looking into the purchase of SID. The device (and cost) could be shared with other local Parish Councils.
4. Directional signs – Many are now very overgrown and dirty, but Highways will no longer clear or clean them.
The Parish Council is looking to take on this role in house.
Bryan Benjafield
AUGUST 2019
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Bryan Benjafield 07969 770890 bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 8th August 2019 at the Drax Hall. 11 members of the public were present.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 12th 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.
Planning Applications
The parish council considered two planning applications that had attracted public interest, some of whom were in attendance at the council meeting to comment.
The council voted to object to application 6/2019/0273 for the erection of a new dwelling in the beer garden at the Drax Arms on the basis that, contrary to what was stated in the application, the beer garden is still in beneficial use; the Drax Arms has been listed as a community asset in the recently adopted neighbourhood plan; the scale of the proposed dwelling is considered to be out of keeping with the site and surroundings, while; visibility and access to the parking area is considered to be inadequate.
Neighbours and users of the Drax Arms are encouraged to make their own representations to Dorset Council.
The council voted not to object to application 6/2019/0372 at 1 Shitterton.
This application seeks to regularise the existing planning situation, which comprises a mixed-use situation with a dwelling-house with garden, land and commercial.
The parish council were satisfied that these activities have been carried out for a period in excess of 10 years.
If approved by Dorset Council the consent will not allow for any intensification of use.
New Councillor
We were delighted to welcome Moira Mathers to fill the vacant councillor’s position and look forward to her input at future meetings. We also welcomed Amy Yeats who was invited to chair a division of the Environment Group Working Party focusing on the conservation areas around the village, and work closely with the Parish Council.
Slip Road Fix
Thanks to the application of considerable pressure from the Parish Council, Councillor Wharf and residents through the Dorset
For You platform, we were pleased that the Highways Agency recently carried out a temporary fix on the slip road going out of the Village to the Puddletown Bypass, ahead of planned resurfacing there in the Autumn.
Problems on our roads and rights of way can be reported online at: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-
highways-maintenance/roads-highways-
and-maintenance.aspx?folderIds=5543,6301
Volunteer work party for the play park
We will be holding a volunteer work party in the play park on Saturday 22nd September, in order to try and get some of the more niggling, time consuming repairs and improvements carried out.
If you wish to be involved with this, and hopefully further improvement work around the village, please contact Robin Pitcher at robinpitcher@btinternet.com.
Old School
We have just learned that the Old School has been temporarily leased by Dorset Council to a charity called PMG pending decisions about its longer-term redevelopment plans.
Communibus
We have had a great response to our trips for the community in our new bus, with more trips planned in due course.
There are currently still 3 places remaining on the trip to Haskins Garden Centre on 24th September, leaving Bere Regis at 10am.
To book a space please contact Brenda House on 01929 471255.
Village Tidy
Our next Village Tidy will be held on Saturday 12th October.
We will be looking to work on areas around the village most in need of improvement and hopefully have a list of volunteers who we can allocate to certain areas.
If you wish to be involved with the Village Tidy, please contact Cathryne Packham on cathrynep@outlook.com.
Closer to the time we will announce further details of timings and areas being worked on and people will be able to just turn up on the day to help out for as much or little time as they have.
Bryan Benjafield
September 2019
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Bryan Benjafield 07969 770890 bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 12th September 2019 at the Drax Hall. 6 members of the public were present.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 10th 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.
Allotments
The land on which the allotments are situated, opposite the Royal Oak is currently up for sale as part of a larger sell-off of land by the Drax Estate. In order to try and ensure the continued use of these allotments by residents, and to hopefully improve the process for those wanting to rent one, the Parish Council have recently submitted a bid to buy the land.
We will keep you posted on any future developments.
Recreation Ground
We were happy to support the Sports Club in their efforts to purchase the part of the recreation ground which is also up for sale, and will continue to do anything we can to help their bid and ensure this vital part of the community facilities retains its current use.
North Street Gate Consultation
The Parish Clerk recently carried out a consultation with residents of North Street and the Townsend Business Park and houses, in order to get feedback on the possibility of moving the gate which is currently at the edge of the Sports Club car park, further down to the junction with the last house in Townsend and the road to the Shell Garage.
The reasons behind this are to hopefully improve the safety of the residents in those houses at Townsend, who have offered to pay some of the costs for moving the gate themselves.
The consultation had a mixed response but we will continue to consider all options, take further traffic engineering advice and ensure that opinions from all those involved are taken into account.
Community Assets
In the light of recent events at the Sports Field, the Council discussed the possibility of adding some of the local businesses and amenities on to the Community Asset Register.
This would ensure that in the hopefully unlikely event that any of these businesses could no longer continue, the Community would have an option to make an offer to purchase and continue to run them.
The clerk is looking into the registration process and checking what type of assets can be registered.
Donation from Mid-Summer Bere Fest
The Council generously received a generous donation of £50 from one of the stall holders at The Mid-Summer Bere Fest and were asked to choose which local organisation to grant it to.
We unanimously decided to award it to the Carers Group, run tirelessly by Mechelle who organises events and meetings for local carers to help them continue the fantastic support they provide.
Environment Group Reorganisation
We have now split our Environment Group into 2 smaller groups, to help give better focus to specific areas.
The Wildlife Conservation Group will consist of Amy Yeats, Councillor Tony Bates and Mike Gee, with a new Parish Amenity Group formed, consisting of Councillors Robin Pitcher and Laurie Fairhurst, to focus more on the Park, Rights of Way and Street Furniture around the village, and to provide support to the Lengthsman.
We always welcome more volunteers though, so if you wish to be involved with either of these groups, please contact the Clerk, Amanda Crocker, for further information.
Purchase of Speed Indicator Devices (SID)
Recently we have been discussing the option of purchasing a portable Speed Indicator Device in order to try and reduce the speed of vehicles in certain areas around the village.
In order to do so, we need to have some traffic surveys carried out by Dorset Council, who will shortly be fitting survey strips at various points around the village.
Once these have been carried out we hope to move forward and purchase a SID.
Communibus
We have had a great response to our trips for the community in our new bus, with more trips planned in due course.
There are currently still 3 places remaining on the trip to Haskins Garden Centre on 24th September, leaving Bere Regis at 10am.
To book a space please contact Brenda House on 01929 471255.
Village Tidy
Our next Village Tidy will be held on Saturday 12th October.
We will be looking to work on areas around the village most in need of improvement and hopefully have a list of volunteers who we can allocate to certain areas.
If you wish to be involved with the Village Tidy, please contact Cathryne Packham on cathrynep@outlook.com or simply turn up and join us at the central car park at 10am, for as little or as much time as you can spare.
The tidy will be followed by complimentary light refreshments at The Drax Arms.
Please turn out if you can to keep our village clean and tidy.
October 2019
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Bryan Benjafield 07969 770890 bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites: www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 10th October 2019 at the Drax Hall.
4 members of the public were present.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 14th 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.
New Head Teacher
The Council heard from Rachael Brown, who took over as Head Teacher of Bere Regis Primary School this summer and explained some of the ideas she had for the school and areas she felt the council could assist.
It was agreed that we would hold regular meetings with Mrs Brown and the Council are keen to work together and help in any way we can.
Village Tidy
Unfortunately the planned Village Tidy on October 12th was cancelled due to the poor weather, but thank you to the small band of people who did turn up regardless.
We will look to arrange another tidy in the spring, but in the meantime we would appreciate help from villagers clearing gutters and weeds from the kerbside in front of their property over the next few days when the weather clears.
Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday is on 10th November and there will be the annual parade leaving the Scout Hut at about 1030, followed by the Remembrance Service at the Memorial then in Church.
All are welcome to join the parade and service.
We have also recently approved the purchase of large Poppies to go onto the lampposts around the village and are hoping to be able to inscribe them with the names of those who died in both World Wars.
Phone Box
It was agreed at the meeting that we would make an application to BT to purchase the phone box on Rye Hill as they are in the process of selling many of the underused kiosks.
Various uses were discussed, with a favourable one being to house a defibrillator, although other uses such as book exchanges were suggested.
If you have any suggested uses for the phone box once it’s been purchased, please contact the clerk on bereregispc@gmail.com with any ideas.
NeighbourCar
Our NeighbourCar scheme, run by Councillor Brenda House provides a vital service for those in the community who cannot drive and need to get to doctors and hospital appointments, shopping trips or even visiting family and friends.
However without more drivers the scheme will struggle to continue.
If you can spare any time during the day, have your own car and would like to help keep this vital service going, please contact Brenda on 01929 471255.
Wildlife Group
The group met to look at actions required on the nature reserve.
Recent advice had been given by Dorset Wildlife Trust rivers and wetlands officer.
This included much praise for the condition of the stream.
The ‘berms’ that were added to the stream 4 years ago have now developed into areas of aquatic vegetation which are important as they create the right breeding ground for trout and other fish.
This also provides cover for the endangered water vole which have been seen recently.
Several large hazels along the stream were identified that will need to be coppiced to reduce shading.
On Souls Moor some of the more vigorous growth that had not been dealt with by the ponies needs cutting back.
We were delighted to have help from the scouts with this.
The ponies will now go back to their home for the winter months.
Councillors Responsibilities
We have recently reorganised some of the responsibilities that councillors have inside of the many working parties and sub committees within the Council.
These consist of the following groups, all of whom meet on a regular basis and then report back to the full council; Parish Amenities & Rights of Way, Wildlife Conservation, Planning & Housing, Community Liaison, Policing, Traffic & Roads, Finance and Public Relations, as well as having representatives on the committees of the Thomas Williams Educational Foundation, Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils and the New Community Hall Project Team.
There are always opportunities for additional people to work with the council in these groups on a voluntary basis, so if you would like to assist in any areas, please contact Amanda Crocker on bereregispc@gmail.com.
Winter Road and Path Contingency
With summer behind us and the weather worsening, we have checked that all of the grit bins around the village are full in the eventuality of any adverse weather.
If we do get any snow or ice, please do all you can to ensure that any neighbours you have who may be less able than yourself are safe and clear any communal or public paths if possible, it will be much appreciated.
Bryan Benjafield
November 2019
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Ian Ventham 471480 ianrventham@gmail.com
Vice Chairman: Bryan Benjafield 07969 770890 bryan@cheapprintingdorset.co.uk
Parish Clerk: Amanda Crocker 472327 bereregispc@gmail.com
Websites:
www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 14th November 2019 at the Drax Hall. 4 members of the public were present.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 9th January at the Drax Hall, starting at 7pm.
Please note there will be no December meeting due to the Drax Hall being used as the polling station for the General Election.
All parishioners are very welcome to attend and to take the opportunity to raise any matters or concerns at the start of the meeting.
Dorset Plan
Dorset Councillor, Peter Wharf, gave a presentation covering the Dorset Council's 'Dorset Plan', explaining how the newly formed Council intend reshaping, rebuilding and improving the services and facilities they provide over the coming years.
Cllr Wharf is happy to give the same presentation to any groups or organisations within his Ward who wish to learn more about the workings of the new Dorset Council.
Rowlands Wait
The Council are aware of a change of ownership at Rowlands Wait Campsite and have heard concerns about potential changes from local residents.
We have invited the new owner to come to a Parish Council meeting in the New Year and discuss his plans for the site, and will publicise this when a date is agreed.
Remembrance Sunday
The Annual Remembrance Ceremony was very well attended on Sunday 10th November following the usual procession through the village.
We were pleased with the feedback regarding the lamppost poppies.
Each has been inscribed with the name of a resident from Bere Regis who gave their life during the wars.
A request was made that further poppies should be placed on other lampposts in the village and along Rye Hill and this is something the Parish Council will look at in future years.
Speed Indicator Device
It was agreed at the meeting the Council would purchase a Speed Indicator Device after the recent traffic survey (for which the results can be viewed on the Parish Council website) gave approval for it to be used in 2 locations in the village, on Rye Hill and at the Western end of West Street for traffic leaving the village.
This will be ordered and installed in the coming weeks and we hope will have a positive impact on the number of cars exceeding the speed limit through the village.
NeighbourCar
Our NeighbourCar scheme, run by Councillor Brenda House provides a vital service for those in the community who cannot drive and need to get to doctors and hospital appointments, shopping trips or even visiting family and friends.
However without more drivers the scheme will struggle to continue.
If you can spare any time during the day, have your own car and would like to help keep this vital service going, please contact Brenda on 01929 471255.
Winter Road and Path Contingency
With summer behind us and the weather worsening, we have checked that all of the grit bins around the village are full in the eventuality of any adverse weather.
If we do get any snow or ice, please do all you can to ensure that any neighbours you have who may be less able than yourself are safe and clear any communal or public paths if possible, it will be much appreciated.
Bryan Benjafield