Susan Jefferies

The District Council have just published the new Housing Options for East Dorset and Christchurch.

Corfe Mullen gets 250 houses, all built on land around Lockyers and the Recreation Ground. At the last minute, Dorset County Council have offered up the Lockyers School site provided the school is rebuilt on one of the fields beside the Rec, ie north of Wimborne Road. All along they had been saying no, saying that they couldn’t afford to rebuild the school, so I wonder where the momey will come from now?

The allotments are also in the Plan.

All this is dependent on
Rebuilding the sschool first
Relocating and establishing the allotments before moving them and
Finding 4 – 6 hectares of additional recreational land, probably sports pitches, somewhere else, preferably in the South and West of the village.

Comments on a postcard please !!

On Thursday Dorset County Council agreed, at the EOC Meeting, that Candy’s Lane was not a good site for Gypsies and Travellers. I have been fighting alongside the residents since October and to our relief Dorset County Council agrees with every one of our arguements and has decided not to support the site.

This is victory on Round One !!

Round Two is the Cabinet meeting on February 1st.

The real battle still goes on. We need the support of all the residents, who still need to write letters to Dorchester DT1 1XJ before February 10th.

Then we need to ensure that East Dorset Dstrict Council agrees with our objections at the Consultation later on this year.

Victory yes !! But we haven’t yet won the War

We need everyone to put in (valid) comments re the Gypsy and Traveller site proposed in Candy’s Lane before the end of the consultation which is February 10th.

Please go to www.clra.me.uk for lots more information.

A leaflet will be going out over the next couple of weeks to every household in Corfe Mullen. If you can help us to deliver it please get in touch.

Comments need to go to
Gypsy and Traveller Consultation
County Hall
Colliton Park
Dorchester DT1 1 XJ

Well that was quite a year, wasn’t it? It was a good one too! Nationally our President Tim Farron, lists the best bits.

I know, I know, after the referendum and the horrible results in May you’d be forgiven for believing we were sinking faster than Blackburn Rovers however some things went right too.

This year we, the LibDems did some amazing things, things we have wanted to do for years but never had the power to actually get done.

For one, we put an end to the horrific practice of locking up innocent kids behind bars for months on end in immigration removal centres.

But that was just one of many ways Liberal Democrats in the Coalition put our principles into practice this year.

We took nearly a million of the poorest workers out of paying tax altogether and gave a £200 tax cut not to the rich but to 23m working people.

We gave children extra support to stop them falling behind in school.

We gave pensioners the first meaningful rise in the state pension since Thatcher abolished the earnings link.

Nick Clegg stood up to defend human rights after the riots and for Europe against the Tory right-wingers.

We stood up for the NHS and forced real change.

Would all of that have happened if we let the Tories run the country on their own? I hardly need to answer that.

So I’m proud of our year and I hope you are too.

Next year will be hard too. We need to carry on doing difficult things and we need to work with our traditional opponents to clear up Labour’s mess and put the country back on track. As Nick said at conference, it’s not easy, but it is right.

Locally too be have achieved a lot, and have more to do. Much clearing is going on our local Heathland to improve fire protection which we have worked hard to get. Our big battle next year will be to protect our Green Belt and ensure that any development we do have is where we local residents want it to be.

A Very Happy Christmas to you all.

Anyone interested in Local History is appalled at the thought that there might be development over the site of the Roman Road and the Roman Fort in Corfe Mullen.

The Roman Road zigzags across the field that has been suggested for Gypsy and Traveller Site, it zigzags across the field to avoid a springand the wet ground around it. The spring is still there

Field on the farm in candy's Lane

We are working away behind the scenes gathering all the relevant information to comment to the Consultation on the Travellers Sites.

We have talked to officers at East Dorset District Council and also the Gypsy and Traveller Liaison, and County Farms in Dorchester.

I do hope that all residnets concerned will also be making their own comments. Please get a form from the Library or the Parish office if you can’t get one online.

Look on www.clra.me.uk where we have all the facts and links listed.

We were well represented too with DWT, at their Gala Concert with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra last night, and we also fielded a team at the Quiz in Lytchett Matravers.

An excellent LibDem Christmas dinner last night in the Holme Bush, they get better every year ! Super company, a great lively bunch and the Holme Bush did us proud as they always do, lovely atmosphere and excellent food. Now I really must start Christmas preparations !

I have just seen a FABULOUS production of the Wizard of Oz at the Lighthouse in Poole by Corfe Hills School. Really colourful and fun, and they obviously have such fun putting it on too. Full house tonight but there may still be a few tickets left for the last night, tomorrow, Saturday if you haven’t seen it yet.

We have had several meetings to discuss issues around this suggestion. We are surprised that Corfe Mullen is still included in the proposal. We have learned that several sites in East Dorset have already beed discounted for reasons similar to our concerns. We hope that we too can join the ‘withdrawn’ team.