Page 59 - br-june-2022
P. 59

June 2022                                                                           June 2022

                                       each  concluded  their  presentations  by
                                                                                            Chairman’s Report 2022
                                       creating  hand-tied  bouquets  which  they
                                       handed out to members of their audience.  I          Having  completed  my  first  year  as  Chair  of  the  Parish  Council,  I’m  wondering
                                       was  lucky  enough  to  receive  one,  and  our      what happened to the quiet year I was promised.
                                       secretary,  Sheila  had  another.    These
                                       attracted  many  appreciative  and  envious          The year began with the AGM in May, which was the last meeting to be held by
                                       comments  as  we  carried  them  around  with        Zoom. Thankfully, Ian was kind enough to stay in the Chair for this, so that I didn’t
                                       us.                                                  have to contend with Zoom for my first meeting. With the switch from delegated
                                                                                            powers in June, we were unable to hold a meeting until face-to-face meetings
                                       At 4.30pm we boarded our coach again for             could begin again in July – albeit with social distancing.
                                       our driver, Lance, to take us home.  Everyone
                                       agreed what a truly wonderful day they had                                                       Events began in earnest in July.
                                       had, and that they would not have missed it                                                      We welcomed Glo Curtis on to
                                       for anything.                                                                                    the  Parish  Council.  We  were
                                                                                                                                        informed  that  Dorset  Wildlife
                                                                  Diana Holman                                                          Trust  were  considering  the
                                                                                                                                        purchase  of  Court  Farm  and
                                                                                                                                        170  hectares  of  surrounding
                                                                                                                                        land,  and  the  Parish  Council
                                                                                                                                        were  asked  to  consider  the
                                                                                                                                        management of the allotments
                                                                                                                                        should   that   purchase   go
                                                                                                                                        ahead.  They  also  raised  the
                                                                                                                                        possibility  of  an  alternative site
                                                                                                                                        for  the  new  community  hall.
                                                                                            Discussions began regarding the organisation of events for the Queen’s Platinum
                                                                                            Jubilee in June 2022, and proposals relating to the Cemetery Garden continued,
                                                                                            with  a  very  much  appreciated  grant  of  £2,200  from  the  Nisa  shop  helping  to
                                                                                            move things along.
                                                                                            Having  been  unable  to  hold  a
                                                                                            meeting  in  June,  it  was  agreed  a
                                                                                            meeting  would  be  held  in  August
                                                                                            rather  than  have  the  usual  summer
                                                                                            break. Much of the time was taken up
                                                                                            with  discussion  on  the  Tower  Hill
                                                                                            proposal, but work on the Elder Road
                                                                                            footpath  upgrade  was  also
                                                                                            confirmed.
                                                                                            In  September,  a  review  of  the
                                                                                            Neighbourhood  Plan  began.  The  Plan  has  been  in  place  since  June  2019  and
                                                                                            following issues raised during subsequent planning applications it was felt that the
                                                                                            detail within the Plan needed to be expanded upon to strengthen the wording of
                                                                                            the  planning  policies  in  order  to  remove  any  ambiguity  and  to  fully  guide
                                                                                            developers and decision-makers. Regular review of the plan also ensures that it is


                                        58                                                                                       23
   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64