Latest News

16 October 2025
Highways Updates

New Road Speed Reduction Summer Consultation Delayed
The anticipated consultation for the proposed speed reduction to 30mph along New Road has sadly been delayed due to resources being pulled to an urgent project. However, Dorset Council is currently working on the details for the works on New Road from Parley Cross up to its junction with Ringwood Road. Dorset Council is aiming to share the Primary Consultation with Cllrs, Parish & Town Councils and Dorset Police by mid-November.

The consultation will include a proposed change to the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph for the full length of New Road from Ensbury Bridge up to the junction with Ringwood Road and the section of Christchurch Road between Dudsbury Golf Club to just west of Church Lane.

Once the consultation is live, we will publicise how residents can comment on the proposals.

Parley Cross junction
Dorset Council is continuing to modify the way the signals operate to ensure they are at working at their optimum. The SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) part of the signal system only came online on 18 August 2025, but should improve the situation at busy times, perhaps with additional adjustment. On the 15/16th September, Dorset Council had the MOVA validation which should improve flows off peak.

Dorset Council is open to the consideration of a yellow box junction IF there are still incidents of vehicles queuing across the junction after all the above has bedded in.

Survey cables across roads within the parish
The current equipment is for a private contractor, with a licence to place them cables on the highway but they do not have to tell Dorset Council the purpose.

16 October 2025
Car Park, Access Lane improvements, Community Hub latest

Car Park Improvements
In response to reports of antisocial behaviour in the car park, 4 speed ramps were installed to slow vehicles. Unfortunately groups had been gathering in the evenings to drive at speed and use the car park for drifting and doing 'donuts' around the lamp posts. This caused a degree of disurbance for nearby residents & caused damage to the car park. The positioning of the ramps, also acted as a deterrent to stop this activity.

We have now further enhanced the car park with the installation of metal protectors for the lamp posts, along with rubber blocks between the centre car parking spaces.

We hope that this makes the car park safer for all users, be they in vehicles, on foot or cycling. This is particularly important in preparation for the opening of the West Parley Community Hub next month, when there will be an increase of usage and associated vehicle movements.

Access Lane Improvements
Did you know that we own the lane situated between the recreation ground and Parley Close? This lane provides pedestrian access to the side of the recreation ground; and a handful of properties have a legal right of access across the lane. There is signage in place stating no parking; no fly tipping and no unauthorised use. However, in recent months, there has been increased unauthorised use of this private lane, both in terms of parked unroadworthy vehicles; cutting back of vegetation and depositing of waste.

Council has included the lane in the grass cutting schedule; has removed some shrubbery which was used to hide commercial waste, and most recently has installed bollards to restrict vehicle access to the lane. We plan to further enhance the lane with planting and a review of the road surface.

What a difference a few weeks make!
The roof has been signed off; the electrics are almost complete; the new fire alarm is installed; the kitchen is in the process of being installed; most walls now painted a fresh white; works are well underway on both sets of toilets and the ceiling tiles are ready to be put back in.

Very exciting is that Parley Pre-School has moved back in & waved goodbye to the marquee. We look forward to sharing pictures of their extended facility, along with the happy staff & children.

The Veolia Environmental Trust

#TheLCF

Westmade Ltd

6 October 2025
FOR SALE - website item

We are selling the large marquee which acted as a temporary home for Parley Pre-School & other user groups, during the refurbishment works.

Please see Facebook Marketplace for details.

6 October 2025
Polite Notice: Playing Fields Works

We are thrilled that the replacement artificial cricket wicket is being installed on Tuesday 7th - Wednesday 8th October. This will be a great benefit for Parley Cricket Club's ongoing success.

During the works we politely ask residents to stay clear of the area.

2 October 2025
Ditch Works at Stock's Farm

We would like to say thank you to our neighbours at Stock's Farm for undertaking significant work to restore the profiles of the ditches across their land.

In Autumn 2024, the Parish Council undertook similar works on our ditches around the playing fields; however the onward flow was restricted. We are hopeful that these combined works will have a positive effect on making the playing fields drier for residents and users to enjoy.

29 September 2025
Community Hub Refurbishment Update

Following a few weeks of lower activity, the project is now really starting to come together.

Over the last couple of weeks, the scaffolding has come down. The roof is on and most importantly it's watertight! One rooflight was altered to allow fresh air into the building, which delayed installation timings slightly but is a welcome addition. The solar panels are installed. The floors have been laid, levelled and include ramps to provide accessibility throughout. The flooring has been ordered and installation scheduled for late October. The small kitchen area had 1 doorway half closed to create a serving hatch to the adjacent function room. Electrics, alarms and cctv are all being installed and enhanced. There's still lots to do, but the end is in sight.

We would like to thank all of the affiliated users groups for their flexibility during the refurbishment and we hope that you are all looking forward to using the updated facility. Thanks also go to Parley Pre-school and the wonderful children who have shown resilience in the challenging weather conditions this summer. The marquee worked well in the dry however an additional temporary building was required due to the extended refurbishment programme. But the countdown is on to them having access once more to the building; which will provide increased facilities in the form of an art & sensory room; along with increased capacity.

We are already receiving regular requests to book the facility and if you are interested, please do email us with details of the activity; frequency; numbers; other requirements etc.

We will be hosting an official re-opening of the Hub in November and we would really like to display photographs of the building over the decades. If anyone has any, please do get in touch.

The Veolia Environmental Trust

#TheLCF

Westmade Ltd

25 September 2025
All Saints’ & St. Mark’s churches invite applications for the post of Parish Administrator

Parish Of West Parley

The Parochial Church Council of All Saints’ & St. Mark’s churches invite applications for the post of Parish Administrator

This is a new post offered on a part-time basis, initially 8 hours per week at £14 per hour. The primary tasks will be to

  • Establish an office and efficient administrative system for the running of the churches
  • Assist the Rector and other church officers in the administrative aspect of their roles
  • Manage the church website and lead on digital promotion and communications

For further information or full job description and application form contact the Rector, The Revd. Charles Booth charles.booth2@btinternet.com 01202 873561

The closing date for applications is 13th October

15 September 2025
Report parking issues to Dorset Council online

Did you know that you can report parking issues to Dorset Council online?

Follow the link Parking problems - Dorset Council and 'start now'. Choose the location on the map and then select 'Highway Obstruction' and 'obstruction in the road (vehicle)'. Complete the rest of the online form and click submit. Issues will then be investigated.

11 September 2025
Funding the West Parley Community Hub Refurbishment

The refurbishment is well underway, and we hope you are enjoying seeing the updates on progress so far. This is a substantial project for a parish council to undertake, and we wanted to share with you how it is being funded. Behind the scenes, West Parley Parish Council has worked hard on behalf of residents to develop the project without burdening the parish with financial borrowing.

We began our financial planning for the refurbishment by looking at funding received to support infrastructure around new housing developments. Since April 2018, local town and parish councils receive a proportion of the Community Infrastructure Levies (CIL) which are raised by Dorset Council through planning developments of more than 9 dwellings. We have allocated West Parley's share of these funds, £131,000, to the Community Hub project, which will benefit local people.

Once we knew the development of the land east of New Road was certain to proceed, we successfully negotiated the inclusion of Section 106 monies within the planning application at a late stage in the process. The total for this was £130,000. Originally, we were due to receive payment once 50% of each of the two phases of the development were occupied, which may be some years in the future and would have delayed the refurbishment. Therefore, we are very pleased that both Dorset Council and Bellway Homes looked favourably on our request to forward fund the full £130,000 to support the Community Hub project now.

Finally, around £100,000 of funding has been raised through successful grant applications to Dorset Council and The Veolia Environmental Trust, and we are grateful for a donation of £30,000 towards the installation of solar panels, offered by Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd. This renewable energy source should reduce the running costs of the building.

We are proud of the hard work and dedication that has helped bring our vision for West Parley Community Hub to life, and would like to offer our sincere thanks to all our funding partners for their support with this project. We continue to challenge ourselves to source additional funding streams to ensure the future sustainability of the Community Hub.

We are excited to launch this fantastic facility for residents, clubs and local businesses very soon, and look forward to offering a warm welcome to all at the official opening ceremony.

8 September 2025
Parley Crossroads, latest update

The Parish Council and your Dorset councillor (cllr Andrew Parry), have continued to push for yellow box junctions at both the main crossroads and the junction on Christchurch Road with Elizabeth Way. We have received the following update from Dorset Council, on imminent adjustments to the light sequencing.

Dorset Council are continuing to modify the way the signals operate to ensure they are at their optimum. The SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) part of the signal system only came online on 18 August 2025, which should improve the situation at busy times, but may need fine tuning. If they don't see an improvement with stacking and driver behaviour, the final option would be to put in the yellow box markings.

The school holidays are now at an end and traffic volumes are reverting to normal, so we would welcome your feedback over the coming weeks.

8 September 2025
Heritage Open Day at All Saints Church, Saturday 13th September

Have you visited the lovely All Saints Church in West Parley? Why not come along on Saturday 13th September to visit this beautiful church on the banks of the river Stour? Refreshments are being served between 10am and 1pm, parking on Church Lane, not to be missed!

1 September 2025
Parley Pre School grant funding secured

We are proud to have been able to offer Parley Pre-School a home, within the West Parley Community Hub, for the past two years. They have worked hard to secure grant funding from Dorset Council's Expansion Plan and the Talbot Trust. Alongside the major refurbishment by West Parley Parish Council, the pre-school are using their funding to make significant improvements & also repair areas that have been previously damaged by water leaking through the roof and to upgrade the electrics in their part of the building. These changes will hugely benefit the children who attend the Pre-school; whilst keeping the Charity's purpose of offering high quality early years education at an affordable price. These improvements will mean that the pre-school will be able to offer additional places to local families; who will benefit from the increase in spaces for 30 hours funded for low income, working parents and 15 funded hours for all 3-4 year olds. This is a huge benefit to parents in the local community.

19 August 2025
Have your Say : Big Decisions require a Big Response!

Dorset Council Local Plan Options consultation 2025 - 18 August to 13 October 2025

This consultation document sets out opportunities for meeting the development needs of the Dorset Council area. It will help form the Dorset Council Local Plan which will be used when making planning decisions in Dorset. The Local Plan will be Dorset Council’s response to the Government’s commitment to addressing the shortage of housing, to enable economic growth and deliver essential infrastructure to enable this growth. It will also set out how planning decisions will seek to conserve and enhance the environment, including measures to address climate change. Dorset Council are seeking feedback on the identified opportunities to help them prepare for the next round of the local plan production.

Alongside the Dorset Council Local Plan Options Consultation 2025 and its Appendices A-D (Appendix A – Opportunity Sites for Housing; Appendix B – Opportunity Sites for Employment; Appendix C – Opportunity Sites for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople; and Appendix D – Opportunity areas for renewable energy) the Council has published a Habitats Regulation Assessment, a Sustainability Appraisal and a number of background papers and evidence reports.

These documents can be found online and at County Hall, Dorchester during normal opening hours. The options consultation document (though not the appendices) will also be available in Dorset libraries.

The consultation document and opportunity sites can be viewed on the Dorset Council online consultation portal, where you can also make your comments. Their preferred method is for you to provide a response through the online survey. This will significantly speed up the analysis of comments. If you’re not able to submit your response online you can respond in writing using the council’s response form, including your name and address. They are not able to accept anonymous responses.