West Parley Parish Council
We have just been made aware of emergency gas works and temporary lights on the B3073 Ham Lane west of the garden centre. DCC have asked SGN to ensure the temporary lights are manually controlled at peak times. At this early stage, it is not known how long the lights are likely to remain in place.
Recent articles in both the Echo and Stour and Avon magazine reported details of plans for a major local investment in roads, new business premises at the Airport and local housing. These plans are based on a press release by the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). A map printed with these articles seems to show a new road going through Church Lane from New Road to Christchurch Road, mentions around 350 new homes being built at Parley and says all this will be done in 4 years. This has raised concerns with residents.
There is no mention that these are projects are already within the local Core Strategy and are not new projects. The map is inaccurate and misrepresents the existing proposals for link roads close to Parley Cross that will run well to the west of Church Lane.
The local housing plans are not finalised and are unlikely to be delivered in the short term.
West Parley has a local Hero in Andrew Sill. The Young Community Hero Award was presented to Andrew Sill from Ferndown Upper School. He was nominated by the school for his role with Ferndown Leisure Centre as their Ambassador for Disabled Activities. Within this role he promotes sporting activities for all types of disability, networks with schools, informing them of any new projects, pilot schemes or activities, works as an instructor for walking football, arranges friendly matches and attends meetings to promote sports for the disabled. Andrew has cerebral palsy which has meant that he has to modify activities in order to play the sports he loves, but that doesn't stop him from trying. . . local magazine report and photo.
East Dorset District Council is consulting on the possibility of making a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in West Parley Amenity Area. The consultation period begins on 5 February 2016 and ends on 18 March 2016. The consultation questionnaire can be completed on the Dorset for You website
Important documents to see are the draft order, the PSPO plan, and the questionnaire.
Dorset County Council have informed us that they have approved the use of temporary traffic lights on the A348 Ringwood Road north of Longham double-mini roundabouts to allow for Jetting and CCTV of highway drainage for a Section 278 application. The times of the work have been pushed back slightly and are as follows: 10pm Saturday 6 Feb to 6am Sunday 7 Feb, 10pm Sunday 7 Feb to 4am Monday 8 Feb.
For info - "jetting and CCTV" of the drainage is to effectively clear out the drains and inspect them with cameras. They don't expect any significant disruption as a result of this work. For more information see Dorset for You website - http://www.dorsetforyou.com/TravelDorset
The B3073 Chapel Gate roundabout signalisation project is programmed to start in September 2016, subject to planning permission, also the Hurn roundabout will be moved later as part of Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership's £40million bid to improve the roads around Bournemouth Airport, full details of the B3073 Chapel Gate roundabout signalisation
New electoral boundaries for Dorset County Council have been approved by Parliament after an independent review. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England published its final recommendations for changes to the county's electoral divisions last September following an eight-week public consultation. The new boundaries have now been made law by an order of Parliament and will come into effect at the next county council elections in May 2017.
The changes mean Dorset voters will elect 46 county councillors - one more than at present.
Dorset will be divided into 40 county council areas called divisions, a reduction from the current 42. Six of these divisions – Bridport, Dorchester, Ferndown, Gillingham, Verwood and West Moors – will each be represented by two councillors. Two-councillor divisions have around twice the average number of voters and mean people can be represented fairly, without splitting communities in two. The other 34 divisions will each be represented by an individual county councillor.
Cllr Robert Gould, the Leader of the county council, said: "We are grateful to everyone who took the time to give their views during the boundary review. By taking part they have helped to make sure that local people are represented fairly and in a way that reflects the changing make-up of our communities."
As well as representing local people from their own divisions, county councillors have a shared responsibility for council services provided to the 418,000 Dorset residents and a total budget of £613m. More information about the role of county councillors and how to become one can be found at www.dorsetforyou.com/beingacouncillor
Reviews of electoral boundaries are done periodically to make sure that the number of voters represented by each councillor is roughly the same. The last review of Dorset County Council's boundaries was in 2004. Full details of the Dorset boundary changes, including maps, and the Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2016
A planning application has been submitted by Matchams Karting Ltd to relocate their operation to Bournemouth Sports Club. The application can be viewed on Dorset For You website under the Christchurch Borough Council Planning and the reference number is 8/15/0508
Whilst the site is in Green Belt, a development of this nature complies with planning regulations requiring developments to be for sports activities and not to restrict the openness of the area. However, things like the repetitive noise and an increase in traffic could be cause for concern.
Please see today's Bournemouth Echo article on the proposal
Deadline for comment is 8th February.