ACT NOW OR OUR BEAUTIFUL, GREEN SPACE WILL BE GONE FOR GOOD!!

Many residents in Ashley Heath and the surrounding areas now agree that . . .

Constant infilling and backland developments are changing the character of this beautiful area
That the rights of builders are taking precedence over the feelings of local people
That the face of the parish is changing as a result of opportunistic development proposals endorsed by the Planning Authority
That, contrary to the wishes of local residents and the Parish Council, and despite poor public services, flats have been developed in this area
That properties with sizeable gardens are being targeted for replacement by two, three or more new houses
That, despite tree protection orders (TPOs), development has taken precedence over trees on application sites with no-replanting schemes in place

What can YOU do to preserve this beautiful area?

1. Look out for yellow planning notices

These are produced by East Dorset District Council (EDDC) and put up outside any property where a planning proposal has been submitted for approval by the council. There is a deadline for comments and objections so you will need to take action promptly.

2. View the plans

Via the internet:-

Visit www.dorsetforyou.com
Click on Planning Application Search on the righthand side of the screen
Click on East Dorset District Council - planning applications search

Or to go straight to the correct page from here: http://planning.eastdorsetdc.gov.uk/online-applications/

Enter the Reference Number, Postcode or Single Line of the Address of the proposed development

NEW! YOU CAN NOW VIEW PLANS AND TRACK APPLICATIONS!

If you click on the Documents tab you can view documents associated with the proposal, including a copy of the plans.

You can view the plans and the comments of the public and officials involved in the proposal, for example, the Tree Preservation Officer, and your comments can be submitted electronically.

To register to track applications visit http://planning.eastdorsetdc.gov.uk/online-applications/registrationWizard.do?action=start.

In person:-

Plans can be viewed at the Parish Office, at the rear of the Village Hall, Braeside Road, St Leonards.

Office opening hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.

Ring the Parish Clerk - Ann Jacobs - to make sure the plans are still available.

Here are the contact details for the Parish Office at the Village Hall in Braeside Road:-

Mrs Ann Jacobs
Parish Clerk
The Parish Office
St Leonards & St Ives Village Hall
Braeside Road
St Leonards
Ringwood
Hants
BH24 2PJ

Tel: 01425 482727
Fax: 01425 482727
Email: office@stleonardspc.org.uk

Alternatively plans can be viewed at:-

East Dorset District Council Offices
Furzehill
Wimborne
Dorset
BH21 4HN

Tel: 01202 886201
Email: info@eastdorset.gov.uk

Ask for photocopies of the plans and the planning proposal.

3. Make your comments known!!

a) Via the internet:

Submit your comments electronically to EDDC via the internet:

- Go to http://planning.eastdorsetdc.gov.uk/online-applications/
- Enter the Reference Number, Postcode or Single Line of the Address of the proposed development
- Enter details of your comments on the Comments tab
- Also email your comments to the Parish Council at office@stleonardspc.org.uk.

b) In writing:

Write to the relevant Planning Officer, East Dorset District Council Offices, Furzehill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4HN with a copy to the Parish Council, St Leonards & St Ives Village Hall, Braeside Road, St Leonards, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2PJ.

Remember, the Parish Council is an elected body and part of their role is to represent the views of local people

4. Attend Parish Council Planning Committee meetings

Whilst East Dorset District Council is the Local Planning Authority responsible for approving all planning development within the Parish, the Parish Council is a statutory Consultee and is supplied with copies of all full and outline planning applications. Most applications are decided by the Case Officer and the Parish Council is given 21 days to respond to an application.

The Planning Committee meets every THREE WEEKS in the Committee Room of the St Leonards & St Ives Village Hall, Braeside Road, St Leonards, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2PJ.

Its role is to make recommendations directly to East Dorset District Council for their consideration at their District Planning meeting. The Parish Councillors' recommendations try to reflect parishioners' views within the constraints and rules laid down by government planning guidelines.

The public can get involved in a number of ways if they wish to give an opinion on an application. So, if you hear that a development or extension is planned near you, or just spot the yellow sign and want to know more, you could speak in the public forum at the meeting, which is between 7.30 p.m. and 7.40 p.m. Yes, only TEN minutes for ALL members of the public to put their points of view forward, so prepare what you wish to say and make sure you get there on time.

Click here to view minutes of previous Planning Committee meetings.

Click here to see the agenda for the next Planning Committee meeting.

Please check dates of meetings by visiting www.stleonardspc.org.uk or by telephoning Mrs Ann Jacobs, Parish Clerk on 01425 482727 or check the Parish notice boards which are sited at the Doctors' Surgery; One Stop shop; the Post Office; the A31 end of Boundary Lane; Oaktree Caravan Park; Hurn Road and the Village Hall.

Note: The Parish Council web site contains lots of useful information including dates of future, and minutes of past, meetings; when the Parish Council office is open; etc.

5. Get your neighbours involved

Many residents in our area are elderly and may not have access to the internet or see the planning notices posted outside properties or they may have recently moved to the area and not be aware of the upsurge in new development proposals. However, they may have strong views about preserving this area and may wish to write to the Council and object to a development. The more letters of objection, the more East Dorset District Council will listen to our concerns.

If local residents join together, and make their voices heard,
we can stop insensitive, high-density development

This is borne out by the following FACT

In July 2010 twenty-five out of twenty-eight residents (a whopping 89%) in two cul-de-sacs in Ashley Heath formally opposed a proposal to build a 3-bedroom bungalow within the garden of a neighbouring property.

The application was eventually withdrawn so, by working together, local residents can make a difference.

There were also many local, angry residents at the Parish Council meeting in Braeside Road on Wednesday 25 August 2010 who are clearly fed up with builders and developers building unsuitable properties in the area that are too big for the plots on which they sit, that overlook nearby, single-storey buildings, that have had the garden cleared of beautiful trees and shrubbery, that take no account of the loss of habitat for wildlife, flooding and drainage problems in the area or of increased traffic and the resulting problems with parking on, and travelling along, our local roads.

Central government stops "garden grabbing"

9 June 2010: The Minister of State for Decentralisation says "No" to "garden grabbing"
(building in gardens)

On 9 June 2010, The Rt Hon Greg Clark, MP, Minister of State for Decentralisation, made a ministerial statement with regard to Previously Developed Land and Density and announced the reissue of Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 3.

Mr Clark's statement was as follows:-

"I am today implementing the commitments made in the Coalition Agreement to decentralise the planning system by giving Local Authorities the freedom to prevent overdevelopment of neighbourhoods and 'garden grabbing'.

The impact of the old policy approach, set out in Planning Policy Statement 3, is that the combination of a national target for brownfield land, alongside the definition of a national target for brownfield land, has meant local authorities feeling forced into granting planning permission for unwanted development on garden land - simply to maintain the brownfield target.

To bring an end to these detrimental effects, we are today therefore removing gardens from the definition of previously developed land in Planning Policy Statement 3.

We are also removing the requirement upon local authorities to have regard to the national minimum density for housing set out in paragraph 47 of PPS3. This policy has resulted in local authorities not having enough flexibility to set density ranges that suit the local needs in their areas - particularly for family houses.

I am today re-issuing Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3) with the following changes:-

the definition of previously developed land in Annex B now excludes private residential gardens
the national indicative minimum density of 30 dwellings per hectare is deleted from paragraph 47

Together these changes put power back in the hands of local authorities and communities to take the decisions that are best for them, and decide for themselves the best locations and types of development in their areas.

This reissued policy document sets out the Secretary of State's policy on previously developed land and housing density. Local Planning Authorities and the Planning Inspectorate are expected to have regard to the policy in preparing development plans and, where relevant, to take it into account as material consideration when determining planning applications.

Copies have been placed in the library of the House."

What is a brownfield site?

The Government's town planning policies, especially those relating to NEW housing development, focus on re-using land that has been "previously developed", often referred to as "brownfield", returning this land and redundant buildings to economic use is more complex than developing on former agricultural of "greenfield" sites.

What is a greenfield site?

Basically, a site that falls outside the "brownfield" description above.

What local and national policies are in place to protect our area from insensitive developments?

Both national and local Planning Policies support our views and they are as follows:-

Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 1 - para 17
PPS3 - para 16
PPS3 - Annex B
DES8, HODEV1 and HODEV2 of the East Dorset Local Plan

Would you like to join the SOS Action Group?

To join the SOS Action Group, or voice your concerns about developments in the area, please email Trish Ward, at the address below.

Email: trish@saveourspace.co.uk

Or, alternatively, telephone:

01425 476344

I look forward to hearing from you!

Trish Ward
SOS Action Group Co-Ordinator
Ashley Heath

Updated 7 April 2011