DT11 Forum Community Partnership

Meetings

As you may remember, DT11 are in the process of drawing up their Community Action Plan as part of the MCTI process. There are three main strands we are considering: the economy, the community and the environment. The timings for the completion of the plan have changed because of external factors which means that we have had to effectively accelerate the process. 

We held our first environment meeting last Tuesday which focused on the following issues:

1. Sustainable communities
2. Transport options
3. Waste management
4. Alternative energy
5. Local produce
6. Green environment 

It was reasonably well attended and some interesting ideas emerged. Our next step will be to have a display and consultation exercise in the Shambles in Blandford

Our follow-up community meeting was held on Thursday. The aim of the meeting was to concentrate on the objectives for the plan and the evidence we had or needed to obtain to support those objectives. We had four main areas to consider:

1. Community issues
2. Education and training
3. Young people
4. The elderly and health

Once again, we were really encouraged by the response – between 30 to 40 people attended as well as the local press. Some focus groups, covering Sports and Open Spaces, have already been set up. There will be others to follow… 

I also went to a meeting about Transition Towns in Dorchester on Wednesday which I think is of particular interest to us. We were addressed by Ben Brangwyn who is from Totnes which is a Transition Town. He explained that oil production is reaching its peak and thereafter, although oil will always be available, it will become increasingly expensive and difficult to obtain. The combination of the difficulties posed by managing the decline from Peak Oil and Climate Change means that we need "to think globally and act locally"(the Transition Network). This ‘transition' involves local communities becoming more self-sufficient whilst reducing their carbon footprint. Already "Communities across the UK are organising themselves to look practically at how they can support one another to produce their food locally, generate clean energy locally, travel less, waste less, develop stronger local identities and have more fun!"(the Community Action on Climate Change in Dorset Workshop Invitation).

We were aware, that whilst we were completing the VDS, that we were unable to address the community's concerns about the environment. Given that we have now completed the VDS, we should now be considering how we are going to meet the challenges set out in our Action Plan and also how to move it forward; becoming a Transition Village would enable us to do this. At the very least, we should now give Tim our wholehearted support and set up an Environment Group.

Carrie Lewis