Bere Regis Parish Council has submitted a revised neighbourhood plan for examination.i The plan includes planning policies that will help to make decisions on planning applications in the parish.
The public are invited to review and comment on the plan between 8 June 2026 and 20 July 2026.ii An independent examiner will then consider the draft plan and the submitted comments.
You can view the draft plan and respond to the consultation online at consultation.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
The Parish Council met on Thursday 14th May 2026 in the Village Hall. Six members of the public were present, together with Tim Hoskinson and Steve Clark from Wyatt Homes. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
The May meeting is split into two parts. The first being the Annual Parish Meeting at which the Chair gives their review of the past twelve months, and this is then followed by an open forum. A full copy of the Chair’s review is available on the Parish Council website. No points were raised in the open forum session.
The second part of the meeting is the Annual Parish Council meeting. This is largely taken up with the review of Statutory requirements and the agreement of the accounts for the previous year. Councillors are also elected to their roles for the coming year and the Chair is elected. Once this is done, the business of the Parish Council can be conducted as normal.
Councillors
Cllr Jon Park was elected to the Chair for a third term by a unanimous vote. He then informed the meeting that Cllr Simon Walker had decided to step down from the Parish Council. Special thanks were extended to Simon for the hard work and dedication he has given to the Parish Council and community during his time in office and we wish him well for the future.
We were very pleased to welcome a new Councillor, Ben Howard, to the Council. At 24 years old, he is the youngest person on the Council and will bring a fresh look at the work we do and, hopefully, enable us to content with the young people of the parish.
With so many new councillors, it was felt that the role of Vice Chair and membership of the various committees should be held over until the June meeting. This will allow Councillors time to think about how they see their role in the coming year progressing and where best they feel their individual talents can be used.
Grants Given
A grant of £800 has been agreed for the Bere Regis School. This is to go towards the installation of a Reading Corridor. Rachael Brown, Head Teacher of Bere Regis School was welcomed to the meeting and was able to explain the need for such a facility. During the recent work to the Village Hall roof, whilst the scaffolding was in place, we took the opportunity to check the area and found that the dormer window needed to be repaired. This was going to cost £800 and the Parish Council agreed to cover £400 of the cost.
Play Area
Cllr Hazell reported that a small group of about 8 volunteers had come forward to help move the project forward. He expressed considerable thanks to Alison Bennett and her team for their enthusiasm for the project and offer to help raise funds. Hopefully, progress can now begin and this valuable resource.
New Community Hall
The Chair raised concern regarding the number of rumours circulating regarding this project. He stressed that, if anyone has any questions or queries relating to the current situation, they are free to contact either the Clerk or himself for a full, current explanation. As things stand at the moment, there are still two potential sites for the hall; one on land owned by the Parish Council and one on land owned by Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT). Discussions are ongoing with DWT but are proving to be very slow and, until something concrete is known, no action will be taken with regard to the land occupied by the Scout Hut. It should be stressed that the Scout lease runs until 2031 so there is still plenty of time before a decision is made either way. Any updates will be published as normal.
Wyatt Homes sites
We were pleased to welcome Tim Hoskinson and Steve Clark from Wyatt Homes to aid the discussion on the proposed development of the Back Land and North Street sites. Since the original application was received in September 2024, Wyatt Homes have continued producing various reports required by Dorset Council and various other statutory bodies. The latest iteration involves the affordable housing element and the viability of the site with the 40% requirement in place. Following considerable discussions with Dorset Council, the number of affordable houses has been reduced to 7 or 10%. This will be made up from 3 shared ownership properties and 4 rented, via a housing association. Although the loss of affordable housing is disappointing, the need for a viable site is understood and the Parish Council voted 8 in favour and 1 against accepting the new proposal.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 11th June 2026 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council. A full copy of the minutes is available on the Parish Council website.
Amanda Crocker, Clerk
The next meeting of the Bere Regis Parish Council is on Thursday, 14th May, 2026 in the Drax Hall, North Street.
This is Annual Parish Council meeting and it is preceded by the Annual Parish Meeting at which there are two agenda items only:
The Annual meeting of the Parish Council takes place immediately after the Annual Parish Meeting.
Matters currently on the agenda are:
– Election of Chair, and Vice-chair
– To consider the co-option of a Parish Councillor
– To confirm roles for Councillors
– To agree the Annual Governance Statement for the year ended 31st March 2026
– To  review and accept and number of key Parish Council documents
– To agree an additional grant for the Bere Regis Village Hall of £400 towards repairs to the dormer window
– To agree the grant request from Bere Regis School for £800 towards a reading corridor
Parishioners may also wish to note that the significant planning application for 67 houses on Back Lane and North Street is on the agenda again this month.
These items are in addition to regular items such as approval of previous minutes, finance review, reports from our Dorset Councillors and our Clerk, recording of any defects or rights of way issues within the village etc.
The Parish Council met on Thursday 9th April 2026 in the Village Hall. Six members of the public were present, together Daisy Meadowcroft from Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT). Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
Joint events with DWT
Daisy Meadowcroft, Ranger for Dorset Wildlife Trust at Wild Woodbury, put forward the idea of DWT working more collaboratively with the parish and, perhaps, opening the site for parish events. If anyone has an event they are looking to put on in the coming year and are considering possible venues, perhaps it could be done with the help of DWT. If anyone has any ideas, please contact Daisy.
New Parish Councillor
We were very pleased to welcome Dominic Bishop back onto the Council after stepping down in December 2018. This leaves one remaining vacancy. If anyone would like to put their name forward, please contact the Clerk.
Sewer Issues
Wessex Water have confirmed that they will be carrying out essential repairs of the sewers in Bere Regis after their investigations of the condition of the sewer network revealed a number of faults. Their statement is below:
Relining and sealing sewers in this way helps protect the environment, preventing foul water escaping and groundwater entering sewers, which can lead to flooding or storm overflows automatically discharging into rivers or the sea if the system becomes overwhelmed.
You can read more about the work we’re carrying out to protect the environment at wessexwater.co.uk/overflows
This work will be carried out between Monday 11 May and Friday 22 May 2026, using ‘no-dig’ techniques, which are quicker and less intrusive than replacing the pipe in a conventional manner.
• Monday 11 – Friday 15 May 2026 – A road closure will be in place on Southbrook, at the junction with Elder Road between 8pm and 6am each day.
• Monday 18 – Friday 22 May 2026 – Three-way traffic lights will be in operation on Southbrook, at the junction leading to Egdon Close. Access will be maintained for residents, although it may be delayed at times and our on-site team will work with customers with regard to any specific access requirements.
There may be some noise disruption while this work, some of which will be completed at night, is carried out but every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum.
Water and sewerage services can be used as normal unless we advise otherwise.
We will shortly be writing to local customers to advise them about this work.
— end of Wessex Water statement
Grants Given
A grant of £2,175 was made to the Village Hall in order to be able to undertake essential roof repairs. A grant of £500 was paid to the Bere Regis School for the purchase of non-fiction books.
Citizens Advice Bus
CA will be bringing their Advice Bus to the central car park on Friday 24th April, 1st May and 8th May. No appointment is needed and there will be advisers on board to help with a range of issues including benefits, debt and money, employment, energy, water schemes, family, housing, legal and more. The bus will be on site from 1pm to 3pm on each of the Fridays listed.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 14th May 2026 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. The Annual Parish Meeting will be held before the start of the Annual Parish Council Meeting. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council.
The Parish Council met on Thursday 12th March 2026 in the Village Hall. Five members of the public were present, together with Dorset Councillor Laura Beddow. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
An updated Bere Regis Community Bus schedule of trips is now available.
Please note that booking (and payment) for the Mamma Mia trip at the end of July, is required before the 4th April to ensure that the Bournemouth Pavilion tickets can be booked at the group discount rate negotiated by Kim.
There will be a drop in session on Saturday 7th March 2026 at the Drax Hall, North Street, from 10am to 2pm.
You are welcome to come along and raise any points relating to the recent neighbourhood plan review consultation and the play park update.
Refreshments will be available.
The Lengthsman Scheme has now been running for 14 years and has proved to be very successful. As part of the Parish Council’s due diligence, the role is now being re-advertised. A PDF copy of this page is available here.
We are looking to enter into a contract with a self-employed person, with detailed knowledge of the parish and village in order to undertake a wide range of work, to maintain a good standard of cleanliness, tidiness and safety in and around the Parish.
The duties carried out will supplement the work already being dealt with by Dorset Council and include the maintenance of the sites and equipment owned by the Parish Council.
You will need to provide your own transport and all the tools and machinery necessary to carry out the tasks. You will need to be qualified to operate a chain saw, administer weed killing chemicals safely and to hold Public Liability Insurance with a minimum of £10mill. You will also need to have a Waste Carriers Licence and Street Work Certificate. Copies of all certificates will need to be held by the Parish Council and should be replaced as each certificate is renewed. If you intend employing staff to carry out any of the tasks, the Parish Council will require a copy of your Employers Liability Certificate.
An ability to work with the minimum of supervision, to a high standard and in a flexible and adaptable way is important.
The contract will be for a minimum of 30 hours per week.
INTERESTED? Please contact the Parish Clerk, Amanda Crocker by e-mail at clerk@bereregisparishcouncil.gov.uk to register your interest and to receive a full job description. Closing date for applications will be Saturday 28th February 2026.
Also available as a PDF to print here.
