Building on our Green Belt
The report on the Examination in Public of the Draft RSS (Regional Spatial Strategy) for the South West Region was published on Thursday, January 10th. Rather a mouthful !!
In laymens terms you may remember that we have been protesting for a couple of years about a suggestion that Corfe Mullen should be asked to accept 700 new houses, probably down Pardy’s Hill. Last Spring a delegation from the Parish Council went down to Exeter to put our protests to the Panel there. We said that that village was too crowded already. We said our infrastructure was groaning, the schools were full, the Doctor’s surgery groaning, no dentist, the roads were crowded and the A31 stationary most of the summer months. We couldn’t accept any more houses until we addressed these problems.
In addition this land was Green Belt and we expected and wanted it to stay that way. It is pretty, it is home to wild animals, birds and wild flowers, we have little enough green space left and not enough places to walk as it is. We can’t lose any more.
Thursday’s report was the result of all the comments of all the people of the South West. In short, it looks as though the Panel have not listened to a word we said.
They have decided we must accept at least 700 houses, probably more, East Dorset needs to accommodate not just 2,400 but a further 1000 that means 3,400 in the next 20 years. No offers of any improvements at all. No regrets about building on our Green belt, simply move the boundaries they say.
We are very disappointed. However if we feel sore I think Lytchett Matravers and Lytchett Minster feel even worse, they have to have 2,750 houses. The Lytchett’s and Upton will merge into a seamless mass.
We all know we need houses, but do they all have to be on the South Coast ?
We will battle on, but we are running short of weapons.
have your say
