As you may be aware, the Parish Council is currently undertaking a review of the Neighbourhood Plan which was adopted in June 2019.

Part of this review has involved discussions with Dorset Council and the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), following regular concerns raised by parishioners in respect of flooding. Whilst there are many anecdotal records of flooding, we have been asked to provide proof of such incidents.

To this end, we would like to know if you have experienced flooding, either rainwater or foul water/sewage; when, what happened (water ingress to your house/garage/garden), property damage, do you have any photographic evidence.

If a sufficient case can be built up, the LLFA may undertake a more detailed survey of the village, and this could lead to Wessex Water having to improve the existing system.

Please record any incidents you are aware of, no matter how minor. These can be reported using the form below, via email to the Clerk or by downloading the Flooding in Bere Regis letter and posting your comments and evidence in the black letterbox by the shop.

Dorset Council have released a press release for the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan, which can be found here.

Bere Regis Parish Council is delighted that our community has voted decisively in favour of adopting our Neighbourhood Plan. 447 votes were cast in favour and 92 against, with a turnout of 40.19% of the eligible voters.

We very much hope the landowners and developers will get on with applying for consents and building the new homes as rapidly as possible, so as to keep disruption to a minimum.

We look forward to working with residents on the new facilities that the new plan will make possible.

On Thursday 2nd May, 2019, all residents of the Parish will be asked to cast their vote for the Neighbourhood Plan. The Poll will take the form of one question to which you will need to answer a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The question will be:-

Do you want Dorset Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Bere Regis to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?

The Parish Council and many residents of the parish have been working on the Plan for over 6 years now. We very much hope you will answer ‘Yes’ to this question.

The full notice of Poll can be found here: BRNP-notice-of-poll

Having started the plan back in November 2012, it has finally been completed and the full plan can be found; Bere Regis NPlan April 2019

We would like to thank all those who have helped produce this document over the years – to everyone who was involved in the initial working groups, to all those who attended consultations and responded to questionnaires. Without all your help this would not have been possible.

We would like to remind everyone that the final phase before the plan becomes a legally binding document is the referendum. This will take place on Thursday 2nd May and we would urge to vote in favour of the plan. Copies of the plan will be available at the Village Forum on Saturday 27th April at the School Hall.

The Public Consultation period has now passed and we are very grateful to all those who took the time to complete the questionnaire. The queries raised have all been reviewed and many of you raised the same issues. These issues have now been drawn together and, we hope, answered in an update of the Frequently Asked Questions which can be found by clicking: FAQs – June – 2018 consultation.

The Plan has also been amended to take into account some of the points raised and it has now been forwarded to Purbeck District Council who will begin their statutory 6 week consultation period during the coming week. This will give everyone another chance to comment should they wish to do so.

The final version of the Neighbourhood Plan can be found here:
Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan Final Version (September 2018)

The Supporting Evidence shown below is provided in conjunction with the final version of the Neighbourhood Plan. It has been updated in line with the changes made to the Neighbourhood Plan, following the consultation period in June 2018.

Other useful links

National Planning Policy Framework
www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework

Purbeck Local Plan Part 1 (PLP1)
www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/local-plan/part-1/purbeck

Strategic Housing Market Assessment
www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/Strategic-housing-market-assessment-in-Dorset

This Supporting Evidence has now been superseded. Please see the Main Neighbourhood Plan Page for the latest documents and updates.

We have now begun the 6 week period for Public Consultation on the final draft version of our Neighbourhood Plan. The final draft plan can be found below:

• Neighbourhood Plan Consultation Doc 21.06.18
• Sustainability Appraisal
• Sustainability Appraisal Non-Technical Summary
• Habitats Regulations Assessment
• Equalities Impact Assessment

Our consultation event is being held on Saturday, 23rd June where you can come along and see paper copies of the final draft plan and discuss this with councillors. A questionnaire will be available to complete on the day. Alternatively it can be completed online here:

• June 2018 Consultation Questionnaire

Once the 6 week public consultation has finished, we will make any minor changes to the Plan as required before it’s then submitted to Purbeck District Council for their approval. This is all leading up to a Parish Referendum on accepting the Neighbourhood Plan which will hopefully take place in May 2019, to coincide with Local Elections for the new Unitary Authority.

Supporting Evidence for Neighbourhood Plan (June 2018)

The Supporting Evidence shown below is provided in conjunction with the latest draft Neighbourhood Plan. It has been updated in line with the changes made to the Neighbourhood Plan, originally published in November/December 2017.

Other useful links

National Planning Policy Framework
www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework

Purbeck Local Plan Part 1 (PLP1)
www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/local-plan/part-1/purbeck

Strategic Housing Market Assessment
www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/Strategic-housing-market-assessment-in-Dorset

Bere Regis Parish Council
Supporting Evidence for Neighbourhood Plan (December 2017)

This Supporting Evidence has now been superseded. Please see the Main Neighbourhood Plan Page for the latest documents and updates.

The Supporting Evidence shown below is provided in conjunction with the draft Neighbourhood Plan

Other useful links

National Planning Policy Framework
www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework

Purbeck Local Plan Part 1 (PLP1)
www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/local-plan/part-1/purbeck

Strategic Housing Market Assessment
www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/Strategic-housing-market-assessment-in-Dorset

This Draft Neighbourhood Plan on this page has now been superseded. Please see the Main Neighbourhood Plan Page for the latest documents and updates.

Saturday 11th November saw 160 people attending the consultation meeting in the School Hall. Ian Ventham first gave a presentation about the key points of the plan, followed by a question and answer session. The full presentation can be viewed by clicking: Presentation 11.11.17 

Parishioners then had the opportunity to look at various plans and engage with the parish councillors about some of the detail.

Inevitably, most interest was focused on the development sites and the number and mix of housing in the proposals. Generally, most parishioners appeared to be reasonably content with the proposals, sometimes with understandable concerns about the impact of construction traffic and increased traffic movements that any new development will bring. Some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and the respective responses can be found here: FAQs

Copies of the draft plan, which outlines the 5 sites being proposed for about 105 new houses, can be found here: Bere Regis NPlan DRAFT 

The next steps are for the Plan to be formally examined, then we hope to hold a final consultation and a referendum in the Spring of 2018.

All previous updates, and further information can be found on the main Neighbourhood Plan page.