West Dorset District Council has decided to have a fifth attempt at developing Charles Street.  This is the latest news in the long-running saga which began back in the 1970’s!  It has already cost taxpayers several millions and there is nothing to show for it, except a state-of-the-art Council HQ!  For this latest proposal WDDC […]

The District Council has failed again to get any affordable housing for a key central site in Dorchester. News has just been released that there will be no affordable housing at all – not even one flat! – at the old Prison site in North Square.  This is a major failure for the District Council […]

In spite of both my best efforts and those of Crossways Parish Council, WDDC’s Planning Committee this afternoon approved plans to build 95 new houses on land by Frome Valley Road.  This is in spite of Crossways already getting 500 houses to the south of Warmwell Road and possibly up to 600 by Moreton.  District […]

Lib Dem Councillors have been at the forefront of the campaign to build more affordable housing across West Dorset.  We have campaigned hard to get a target set in the new Local Plan that 35% of all new housing should be affordable. It is therefore deeply disappointing that the developers of the Old Prison have […]

This afternoon the Conservative-run District Council ignored the objections of local residents, the Parish Council and myself and gave approval for 49 new houses and 8 light industrial units to be built next to Oaklands Park. Objectors made the point that this site is outside Crossways’ defined development boundary and so should be protected from […]

Plans for a slurry lagoon the size of an Olympic swimming pool at Summer Farm, Crossways – only a few metres from the village – were re-submitted last year. I am doing everything I can to oppose this planning application as it is too close to the village.  There is a real concern about powerful […]

So far this summer we’ve seen planning applications for new slurry lagoons on sites near Broadmayne and Puddletown and then Crossways.  In each case I have felt the proposed site is too close to nearby houses and not enough account has been taken of the smell and odours that could be generated.  In addition these […]

Last year we succeeded in getting plans to build over 1,000 new houses at Crossways cut down to less than 500.  Unfortunately, West Dorset District Council are now looking again at their housing numbers after critical comments from an Independent Planning Inspector.  I am determined that there shouldn’t be any change to last year’s decision […]

I am strongly supporting calls for a full Planning Development Brief to be put together for the Prison site.  This is an important site for the town due to its heritage and its prominent location and I don’t want to see a development solely aimed at making someone rich!  The site needs to be developed […]

Did you know that West Dorset District Council has been trying to develop Charles Street for shopping since 1973?  It seems amazing that it’s taken so long.  However, at last I feel we might be getting there.  Waitrose and M&S have both signed up for stores at least twice as large as their current premises.  Unfortunately […]