Dorset 3rd sector Sustainability and Environment Forum

 Report on meeting of

West Dorset Partnership

Magna Housing, Hollands House, Dorchester, 2 July, 2009

 

 

A busy meeting.  Main points of potential interest to S&E forum members:-

 

1.  WDP Annual Report 2008/09 and Action Plan 2009/10

The Annual Report was approved by the meeting and is available on www.dorsetforyou.com/commumityplan/west

The Action Plan 2009/10 was also approved.  The DSP has allocated WDP £52,500 this year.  It is agreed that each of the five Local Area Partnerships in the District will be allocated £2500, leaving £40,000 to implement the Action Plan.  The deadline for funding bids for project actions (within the scope of the Plan) is 30 October.  Plan aims most relevant to S&E members are -

 : Housing:  support initiatives to achieve urban exception sites.

 : Transport & Accessibility:  support WDP transport subgroup plans to improve community and public transport in the district.

 : Our Environment:  support the implementation of the recently finalised WDP Climate Change Strategy (5pp.)

 

[This last point is obviously a key area, but the only direct references to S&E members, in fact just to DA21, in the Strategy, are under ‘other key organisations’ as partners for

            - Create examples of best practice (lead partner, WDP)

            - Provide useful information, for local residents (lead partner, WDP)

Both of these are high priority projects, to which DA21 and other S&E organisations might aim to contribute.  I am not sure how this might be done.  Independent bids would not seem to be a good approach.   Those with ideas or queries should probably ask Maria Clarke.]

 

            Copies of both the WDP Action Plan and Climate Change Strategy are almost certainly accessible on Dorsetforyou, but I do not know the precise links.  Otherwise, try:

   Maria Clarke, Community Planning Officer, WDDC, on 01305 252305 or m.clarke@westdorset-dc.gov.uk

 

2.  Review of WD Community Plan

The District’s Community Plan (currently 2006-2010) is being updated.  This will be quite a long process:

- At present, the Community Planning Officer (MC) is ‘accepting evidence’ from partnership members (which includes S&E, so feel free) until 31 July.

- An article in WDDC Community Link Newsletter (July) asks for ‘issues’ to be sent to the CPO by 25 September.

- The Community Plan will be a major topic at the WDP Annual Assembly in October.

- Meanwhile, eight workshops are being held on various dimensions of the plan.  (Paul McKintosh & I attended the fifth such workshop, on ‘Environment’, on 3 July.  Remaining workshops are on ‘Prospects’, ‘Communities and the voluntary sector’, and ‘Culture & Leisure’, on 13, 14 and 23 July.  Anyone wishing to attend, apply to Maria Clarke.)

   Finalisation, following public consultation, is not expected before mid-2010.

 

3.  WD Partnership Annual Assembly

This will probably be on Monday 26 October.  The outline agenda is:

    Morning session:  Community Plan review.

    Afternoon:  Launch of Climate Change Strategy at the new Centre for Sustainable Construction, Poundbury (do S&E members know about this?), including displays and a visit to Poundbury community orchard and allotments.

 

4.  Regional Spatial Strategy (see my report of 23 April meeting of WDP)

Central Government is delaying on this.  New date for ‘adoption’ not known.

 

5.  Sustainable Communities Act  (see my reports of  WDP meetings, 11 Dec. & 5 Feb.)

The Act of Parliament, 2007, requires the Secretary of State to invite local authorities to make proposals which they consider would promote the sustainability of a local area (including requests to change policy, legislate or transfer assets from one body to another).

 

On behalf of WDDC, the WD partnership met, in a special session, on 1 June, to vet about 12 proposals put forward by organisations and individuals.  Five of these were supported and have now been sent on to WDDC for forwarding to the Local Government Association, which is coordinating this enterprise.  They included:

 - a request for legislation to require all manufacturers/retailers of sat-nav systems to delink all roads that are inaccessible or inappropriate to different size vehicles (likely to get support from many rural local authorities);

 - re codes for sustainable housing, update mandatory minimum requirement placed on the developer to Level 4****.

 

6.  Next WD Partnership  Meeting (24 September).

Topics on the agenda will include:

  - Sustainable communities Act update  

  - Review of West Dorset Community Plan

  - Transport Reserve Allocation (?)

S&E members wanting to transmit comments on any of these, please forward them to me a few days before the event (at jonesodowd@aol.com)

 

Mike Jones

5 July 09

 

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