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November 2020 November 2020

LOCKDOWN STORIES there is no real alternative to gas central heating at the moment. It may take
some time for the grant to come through and I hope to give more information on
this early next year

Over the Hill November 2020
Missed Bins
It is very difficult to believe that I am now in my eightieth year and that the world
has changed so much since my childhood. I am thinking environmentally in There has been a series of vehicle
particular. For example, changes in weather, plant and animal life, crop yields, breakdowns and blocked streets
diets and of course medicine and health matters. which have prevented the lorries
from getting through. Residents
One of the dramatic plant can report a missed bin
changes that I can relate to is that
of the common, spring violet (viola https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/
odorata), which has appeared in bins-recycling-and-litter/report-a-
the cracks in the concrete path b i n - p r o b l e m / m i s s e d - b i n -
and steps near our front door, collection.aspx
where they have been emerging in
qui te vi gor ou s clumps. I They can also access this from the
deliberately left them because I Dorset Council homepage by
thought they were something clicking on Bins, Recycling & Litter
special and indeed they were. > Report a Bin Problem > Report a Missed Collection. Once you have opened the
Now flowers are emerging and form to report the missed collection, and entered your address, the form will alert
they are those of the above violet you to any service disruptions in their area. This will also show when you can
species and this is the middle of October practically. expect a recollection. If it's not a widespread problem (just a single bin missed in
error) then you will need to complete the form and at the end it will give an
Since writing the above, I have looked up this species in my Clapham Tutin and indication as to when the team aim to get the bin emptied (usually within 5
Warburg’s Flora of the British Isles, where it does say that this species does indeed working days).
flower in the autumn. I certainly didn’t know that and I have been aware of this

flower for some seventy five years. Of course in my childhood it was not illegal to
pick wild flowers and we took great pleasure in taking bunches of different Dorset County Hospital Car Park
flowers home to my mother and grandmother.
Just to show that we do override our Officers’ recommendations sometimes!
Today many of the sites, where these wild flowers grew have been taken over for
‘intensive agriculture’, horticulture, forestry as well as for building more housing, Multi-storey car park plans at Dorset Council Hospital have been approved
factories and leisure facilities. With a hugely increased population both in the against the recommendations of planning officers - to the delight of clinicians and
British Isles and the world in general, there is a great need for more land to MPs.
produce foodstuff and drinks. This has resulted not only in natural habitats being Councillors unanimously voted to approve plans to build the car park as part of a
reduced or in some places completely altered, making it impossible for specific £62.5 million government investment to expand key services at the hospital under
plants and animals, which have always lived there to be annihilated. the National Health Infrastructure plan. The multi-storey car park forms part of
wider plans to expand the emergency department and Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Mankind has not only completely wrecked certain habitats but it has caused
another huge environmental factor, namely climate change. This year, 2020 has as well as establishing an Integrated Care Hub. Planning bosses had advised
members of Dorset Council’s Area Planning Committee to refuse the car park due
seen many climate records beaten, from very dry hot weather causing huge
forest fires throughout the world and in our case woodland fires locally in to its 'size, positioning and massing'.
Wareham forest, which have caused the death of many plants and animals, But following a lengthy debate about whether the social and economic benefits
some of which were already very sparse. We, the people of this earth must be of the expansion 'clearly and significantly outweighed the visual and landscape
aware of what our actions can create or destroy.

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