| The Char Valley Village Communities Action Plans 2003 |
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for Whitchurch Canonicorum, Wootton Fitzpaine and Stanton St. Gabriel Parishes |
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| Action Plans for Issues affecting all Three Parishes |
| 2. Planning and employment issues Planning policies relating to extensions to existing properties should be carefully looked at; some extensions have been as big again as the original property. The size of the houses in the area is getting steadily larger, but even the smallest cottage is now outside the price range of local young people. If every small dwelling is bought with a view to enlargement, the housing stock will become available only for those from outside this area with larger incomes than can be earned here. Extensions should be sympathetic to the surroundings and the original property and follow the guidelines set out by the Local Plan Review. There have been a large number of conversions of redundant buildings to holiday accommodation in the last few years. We feel that saturation point for this type of conversion has now been reached. Visitors to the area are out and about in their cars far more when on holiday than local residents would be, and this causes problems in our narrow lanes. There is also pressure on drainage systems with a noticeable rise in watercourse pollution in the summer months. The move to holiday letting throughout the year is not a problem except that the pressure on the environment is now spread over a longer period. Income from Tourism is an important sector of the economy in our parishes. A large number of businesses including farms and smallholdings have a tourist enterprise as part of their income and the relatively large number of service trades in building and gardening are supporting the maintenance of holiday accommodation. Another important sector is Care for the Elderly. Many people choose to retire to this lovely area, but need help with gardens and housekeeping. There are also nursing homes, residential homes and Care in the Community services. Both the above sectors require a number of fit young people to work in them and at present there is an increasing shortage of carers due to the fact that young people are priced out of the housing market. People working in these sectors cannot afford to buy a house and there are few to rent, as it is more profitable to let to holidaymakers. Any further development of Tourism, Care for the Elderly and other services in our area, as well as local agricultural work will need the provision of social housing in our parishes. There are difficulties for elderly property owners who live in high Council Tax banded homes in paying for the maintenance of their houses when faced with high Council Tax increases and reduced personal incomes on small pensions. Residents are concerned to see that any further development of tourism is sensibly planned and would prefer the natural environment as a tourist attraction, which brings implications for maintenance of rights of way and also for the education of visitors on the Countryside Code and farming practices. Our Community Survey shows that many existing businesses are considering expansion or diversification plans. Given the need for diverse local employment, we would not like to see policy restrictions that could inhibit opportunities for community development. However, given the AONB status, new businesses or workshops should be in existing buildings wherever possible and it is recognised that many existing small businesses or self employed people do need storage or small workshop facilities. Caravan sites are usually easier to screen on high level ground than on the slopes or valley bottoms where one can look down from above. The survey shows that local people think that more effective screening needs to be implemented. The Local Plan policy to allow no further expansion or provision of sites within the Heritage Coast is endorsed, but the majority of residents do not want to see any more permanent caravan sites in our area at all. However we do feel that existing caravan sites should be allowed some latitude for expansion if they produce a sensible five-year plan for reorganising the site incorporating a full landscaping scheme which will substantially improve the visual amenity of the site. Large new agricultural buildings pose an even greater problem within the AONB, and yet farm incomes are fragile and the economies of scale are constantly promoted. Better enforcement of landscaping conditions is needed and planning applications should be accompanied by a reassessment of the whole farmyard drainage scheme whenever an enlargement is proposed. “Foul drainage to existing system” is not good enough in an area where many streams are polluted and the existing systems overloaded. All existing “rights to discharge” must be re-examined. It is essential to keep our last Village Shops and Post Offices. Over 200 people rely on the services of The Post Office Stores at Morcombelake; Charmouth Post Office and shops are also vital to our area. A way needs to be found to keep these facilities, which will be more difficult with the move to pay pensions directly to banks. In an area with minimal public transport and a large retired population, many people rely on receiving their allowances in cash at the Post Office. |
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ACTION PLAN AIMS:
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| To see that planning rules as laid down in the Local
Plan are adhered to and that our beautiful area and the quality of life
of its inhabitants and countryside is maintained. To see that a wide range of appropriate small businesses are fostered alongside the agriculture and tourist industries in order to provide a variety of employment for our existing communities. Actions on planning within the AONB • Put forward the Parish views to the Local Plan Review and to West
Dorset District Council Planning Department and to District Councillors.
(2002/2003) A list of current and recent planning applications
from within our parishes can be viewed on the Char Valley Parish Council
website at www.charvalleypc.co.uk. West Dorset District Council website
www.westdorset-dc.gov.uk
has all area planning applications and the decisions of the Planning Officers
or Planning Committees. |
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