Dorset 3rd sector Sustainability and Environment Forum

Report on meeting of

West Dorset Partnership

Dorchester Town Hall, 23 April, 2009

A long meeting (with lunch) that included an enthusiastic presentation from Gary Fooks, the Dorset 2012 Legacy Manager, on the Olympic Legacy – Agent for Change.  I will limit myself here to three items from the main agenda that seem relevant to S & E forum interests.

1.  Regional Spatial Strategy

This will now be ‘adopted’ in June.  That seems to mean ‘publication by central government’ of the final strategy document.  It will then be clear whether the representations made by DCC against some of the demands envisioned in the earlier draft (e.g. major residential expansion of Dorchester) have been accommodated.  (Unlikely.)

2. West Dorset Climate Change Strategy

The revised and final version of this document was presented to the meeting and approved.  It comprises 20 pages of climate change information and identification of key issues in relation to Dorset (an excellent summary), followed by a spreadsheet of Actions & Targets, Prioritisation, and useful details of other related programmes and information sources.  (This will not be published in hard copy but may be accessed from the Dorsetforyou website.)

[Action Plan projects are listed under ten headings, nine of which refer to MITIGATION activities (reducing carbon emissions) and only one to ADAPTATION (reducing local vulnerability to climate change, e.g. floods) – which seems a little unbalanced.  Also, there is very little apparent involvement of agriculture in either mitigation or adaptation activities, a little odd for such a rural District.  My comments on those points received some support and were noted, but Maria Clarke feels that these apparent gaps are at least partly covered by other initiatives.]

Next steps – implementing the strategy.   All WDP partners, and that includes the S&E forum, are asked to endorse the strategy internally and start to implement it.  Actions towards strategy implementation could be eligible for WDP/DSP funding if included the WDP 2009/10 Action Plan.

3. WD Partnership Annual Report and Action Plan

The very long list of their 2008/9 actions submitted by WDP members for inclusion in the Annual Report contains nothing, as far as I can see, from the S&E forum or any of it individual members; but the list is open for further submissions until 15 May.  [Paul: a few lines on progress on the Action Plan aim, ‘Promote and encourage more environmentally sustainable lifestyle choices’, for which DA21 is currently receiving WDP funding would be diplomatically advisable.]

Similarly, there is a long list from other WDP members of planned actions submitted towards the drafting of the 2009/10 Action Plan.  But, again, there is still time, until 15 May.  So, does the S&E forum (as a WDP partner) or any of its constituent members propose any actions in West Dorset within 2009/10 that relate to specific actions and targets within the WSP Action Plan (under such headings as sustainable housing, transport and accessibility, environment, or local prosperity, e.g. green businesses)?  If so, it would be useful now to place them on the WDP Action Plan – because then, later in the year, proposals for specific projects that address those targets can be submitted to WDP for funding support.  

More information on topics 2 & 3 can be obtained from Maria Clarke, Community Planning Officer, West Dorset District Council, on 01305 252305 or at m.clarke@westdorset-dc.gov.uk .   (In my experience, she will usually be positive and helpful.)

Mike Jones