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June 2023 June 2023

May Parish Council Meeting FROM THE AFFPUDDLE CHURCHWARDEN

Retrospective Application Southover Farm – Slurry Lagoon
Mowing round the edges
The meeting welcomed Planning Officer Eren Balkier to talk about the
retrospective planning application for Southover Farm – Slurry Lagoon. I like mowing round the edges. Well actually, I strim round the edges and mow the
main areas. I have to mow the church yard quite often because many folk who
Whilst the Parish Council has objected to the Application, the Planning Officer is have volunteered to mow that week, have suffered from a dislocated something
minded to recommend the Application with conditions. Based on this or other, or taken up a holiday cottage vacancy which has suddenly become
information, the Parish Council put together its thoughts concerning meaningful available, or even fallen to the
conditions, although it will continue to press for a refusal to the application. dreaded covid. I have to bring

Several Parishioners who live near the proposed site were present and they made my own strimmer because the
their views know to the Planner as did the Parish Council. The Planning Officer church has a couple of mowers
took careful note of what was said and outlined his own thinking about but no strimmer. I will suggest we
conditions. get one because strimming round
the grave stones reveals the
The Application is due to be heard at the June Planning Committee Hearing. In names on the stones. Don’t tell
advance of this the Planning Officers recommendation will be available on the anyone but I actually have
Dorset Council Planning Portal. To search for the Application, the reference conversations with the residents of
number is P/FUL/2022/04629. the graves whilst I am tidying.
But there are some folk who are far more knowledgeable than me about plants
Traffic Survey along the B3390 in Affpuddle and wild flowers. Some of them suggest we should leave the church yard
It was agreed to commission a Traffic Survey in Affpuddle by Dorset Council. The unmown. I love to see the wild flowers in the spring, but I also love to see the
objective is to acquire some baseline information about traffic movements along neatly cut grass (not Wimbledon finish, but under control).
this stretch of road in advance of expected large-scale planning applications for If I was buried in our church yard, I would appreciate if the church yard was
gravel extraction and other house-building development. The information may “being looked after”. I was mowing area 2 last week when I was overcome by a
help to shape the response of the Parish Council when these plans come forward. lack of blood to the brain. I had to collapse onto the grass but fortunately I was
brought a glass of water and recovered very quickly. But it made me think …
Parish Council Elections where is my plot going to be? When someone in the village passes away, I am
asked to mark the burial location so the grave digger knows where to dig. I have
The Chairman and Vice-Chairman were elected for the new civic year. Sue taken much effort lately to prepare a wooden cross and engrave the name of
Jones was elected Chairman and David Neudegg was elected as Vice- the recently deceased and then to plant this cross in the appropriate place. A
Chairman. Both votes were unanimous. few months after the burial/interment the cross will be replaced with a beautifully
The meeting sought to elect members to take on specific areas of responsibility engraved stone – round which I can strim.
for the following posts: So, if you would like future generations to look after your grave, then please call
Flood Warden: Post remains vacant me and volunteer to support the tradition of maintaining our graveyard
Rights of Way: Emily Hall generation by generation.
Highways: Sue Jones Mike Menzies
Planning: David Neudegg
Church Warden, Lay Worship Leader, St Laurence Church, Affpuddle
Contact details for all the Parish Councillors can be found in the Parish Magazine michael.menzies@talk21.com
and on the Community Website.

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