Author: stourpaine.info

PR 4223 – C13 – HGVs going one way

C13DCC
HGVs going one way

A possible solution to the problems of HGVs travelling between Blandford and Shaftesbury is being trialled from next week.

Dorset County Council has discussed the issue with local and national haulage companies to try and alleviate the problems caused when two large vehicles try and pass each other along the narrower sections on these roads.

A trial of an unofficial, voluntary HGV one-way system will start on Monday 20 July. HGV, who are taking part, will travel north towards Shaftesbury on the A350 and south towards Blandford on the C13.

Cllr Peter Finney, county council Cabinet member for environment, said:

“This solution will not reduce the number of HGVs using these routes, but it will lessen the likelihood of two HGV’s [sic] travelling in opposite directions trying to pass each other at a pinch point. This causes disruption and delays to all highway users and impacts on local communities.

“This is the first of a number of initiatives to reduce the impact on roads in North Dorset. We will continue to work with local communities to find more solutions.”

The trial will continue until the C13 at Melbury Abbas is closed again when work will start on stabilising Dinah’s Hollow. The road has been closed for over a year due to the risk to road users from the unstable slopes. A date for this work has not been set.

More information about Dinah’s Hollow can be found at www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

Communications Unit, County Hall, Dorchester DT1 1XJ. Tel 01305 224491
www.dorsetforyou.com/news

Stourpaine Gardening Club – 2015 Activities

Gardening Club
Gardening Club

Membership Fees

Annual subscriptions are due and will be £7.50 per person. We have had to increase the membership fee because we are having to use Durweston Village Hall for most of our meetings whilst the new village hall is being built. Could you please give your membership fees and for existing members, your membership cards for updating, to Pete and Jan Palmer at 22 Shaston Road either directly or through another committee member?

Stourpaine Gardening Club – Calendar of Events for 2015
(updated July 2015)

As from September, unless otherwise stated, all events will be held at the new Stourpaine Village Hall starting at 7.30 p.m.

 Details of the events are as follows:

  • Friday 14th August – Cheese and Wine with a quiz and fun with straw at Durweston Hall. Members free, non-members £10, tickets from Jan Palmer
  • Saturday, 12th September– Annual Show starting at 2 p.m. with the potato weigh in.  Chris Lewis and Jan will be this year’s contacts (see posters when they are up for timing)
  • Friday 9th October– a demonstration of trug making given by Carl Sadler
  • Friday 23rd October – a twilight visit to Abbotsbury Gardens – see below for details
  • Friday 13th November– a demonstration of winter hanging baskets and primrose balls given by The Gold Club
  • Friday, 11th December– Christmas social evening, including music by David Andrews

The Annual Stourpaine Show will be held on Saturday 12th September.  Entry schedules will be available Monday 10th August from White Horse stores, Jan Palmer or Chris Lewis at Wyoming, Havelins (left hand bungalow down the gravel track opposite Jean Chandler’s house).

There are lots more classes this year, so read the form carefully so as not to be disappointed.  This year entries will be invited from members, residents of Stourpaine and their families.  Bring your grandchildren to have some fun with Peter Jones, retired Clayesmore teacher.  Between 1.30 – 2.30pm, Peter will help them make “A Vegetable Sculpture” – all material will be supplied.

All adult entries will be 25p per exhibit and forms and fees must be submitted by 7 p.m., 9th September.  External judges are brought in for all classes except the children’s sculpture which will be judged by two committee members.

Also, we are planning a twilight visit to Abbotsbury Illuminated Gardens in October. Tickets will cost £9.20 if paid for in advance.  Anyone wanting further information on this event or to be added to the list please contact Jan (01258 453 470).  Payment must be made before 1st October.  We will be making our own way there as these tickets allow entry during the day as well.  Some of us will be making a day of it.  Anyone who would like to go and doesn’t have transport can speak to any committee member and we will do our utmost to get you a lift.

PR 4207 – C13 Re-opens

C13DCC
The C13 that links Blandford to Shaftesbury via Melbury Abbas will be opened tomorrow (07 July) following final technical checks on traffic control through Dinah’s Hollow.

The road is being temporarily opened under traffic management following a complete closure by Dorset County Council last year after the slopes through the hollow were found to be unstable.

Andrew Martin, the council’s head of highways, said:

“The short-term re-opening of this route will help the county’s roads cope with summer traffic.

“We have reduced the width of the road to keep those in small vehicles safe. There will be shuttle working through this section, managed by traffic lights. There may be some delays if traffic volumes increase.

The county council will continue to work with the local community with the plans that will resolve the long-term stability of the slopes.”

Details of the project can be found at www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

PR 4190 – C13 to re-open

C13DCCThe C13 road that has been closed for over a year will be temporarily reopened at the end of the month with a reduced width and traffic lights.

The C13 that runs through Dinah’s Hollow in Melbury Abbas links Blandford and Shaftesbury. The road has been closed for over a year after a report showed that the slopes beside the road were unstable and a potential hazard to road users.

Last month Dorset County Council’s Cabinet considered a report that looked at the full risk assessment of the impact of the closure on surrounding roads, communities and businesses compared to the safety risk over longer timescales than initially expected to complete the proposed stabilisation works.

The Cabinet decided to temporarily open the road with a traffic management solution to reduce the risk of a car being engulfed if a slippage happens. Placing continuous lines of barriers either side of the centreline and directing a single lane of traffic down the centre of the road, controlled by traffic lights will move vehicles away from the bottom of the slopes.

Cllr Peter Finney, Cabinet member for environment, said:

“This will help to alleviate the pressure on the county’s roads during the busy summer months and to reduce the wear and tear of the surrounding small roads and local rat runs.”

The county council’s highways team will continue with negotiations and consultation to ensure a long-term solution for the stabilisation of the slopes can be realised.

More information can be found on www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow.

Wimborne and Ferndown Singers – A Concert for Peace

WimFernSingersWimborne and Ferndown Singers are a ladies choir singing in 3 parts- Soprano, Second Soprano and Altos.

They sing at concerts for local charities and entertain at residential homes and local churches.

Wimborne and Ferndown Singers will present A Concert for Peace in The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, Stourpaine on Friday 10th July 2015 at 7.30pm. The choir will be conducted by Theresa Ford McGowan. The programme will include Brahms Lullaby, Morning has Broken -an arrangement by John Rutter, Inscription of Hope by Z. Randall Stroope and some Songs from the Trenches among other choral arrangements.The evening will also feature recitations and various vocal and instrumental solo performances. Refreshments will be served in the interval. Free entrance, retiring collection to the victims of the Earthquake in Nepal.

Withdrawal of Durweston & Blandford School Bus Service

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN POSTPONED FOLLOWING THE DECISION BY DORSET COUNTY COUNCIL TO RE-VISIT THE DECISION AND FOR THE APPEALS COMMITTEE TO WALK THE ROUTES PROPOSED

WE WILL LET YOU KNOW THE OUTCOME IN DUE COURSE

                                                                                                                                                                     

WITHDRAWAL OF DURWESTON & BLANDFORD SCHOOL BUS

      UPDATE – FEB 2015

QUOTE FROM ED DENHAM, SCHOOL PLACES SUFFICIENCY MANAGER

“The Children’s and Adult Services Appeal Panel currently view the route as being safe    and thus if there is an issue on a particular day because of flooding or standing water on part of the route, the responsibility remains with the parent to get their child to school through alternative routes or using their own car or vehicle.”

PLEASE JOIN OUR WALK INTO SCHOOL ON SATURDAY 21ST FEBRUARY AND WE WILL WALK OUR “ALTERNATIVE” WALK ALONG THE A350

Download the Poster

 

Stourpaine Community Speedwatch

CSWIn response to numerous residents’ complaints about the speed of some vehicles travelling along the A350 through the centre of the village, a community speedwatch scheme has been established in Stourpaine. A team of police trained volunteers will be running the scheme, so these volunteers will be seen on a regular basis monitoring vehicles as they pass through the village on the A350.

The speedwatch scheme is intended to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding and to encourage drivers to reduce their speed when driving through the village. As residents know, many people in the village, including children, cross the busy A350 every day and risk injury due to the excessive speeds of some irresponsible drivers.

If you have any questions or need any further information about the Stourpaine Community Speedwatch scheme please call Joanna Gardiner on 488455 or email her at joanna@gardiner-research.fsnet.co.uk

PR 4076 – Solution to Dinah’s Hollow

Engineers from Dorset County Council have unveiled the solution to stabilise the slopes in Dinah’s Hollow, near Melbury Abbas.

C13The C13, between Blandford and Shaftesbury has been closed since April after a report showed that the slopes beside the road were unstable and a potential hazard to road users.

A combination of soil nailing, mesh work and low level concrete panels will be used to stabilise the soil to prevent slippage, protect the slopes and allow the road to be reopened.

The consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff, considered a number of possible solutions including regrading the slopes, bio-engineering and high retaining walls. The final solution will use proven technology and allow as much as possible of the ancient holloway’s character to be retained.

Timescales for this work are being finalised, but a number of statutory processes may delay the start of the work. These include approvals for works to trees protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and Environmental impact assessments.

There will be a period of vegetation clearance and removal of some trees to allow access to the banks for installation of stabilisation measures. To reduce the disturbance to birds and other animals this cannot be done between March and August. It is hoped that a number of trees at the top of the slope will be retained.

Cllr Peter Finney, Cabinet member for environment and economy, said:

“Getting the timing right is going to be very tricky. Our discussions are still on going with various third parties to resolve any final issues. As soon as these negotiations are successfully completed the operation plan can be put in place, then there will be clarity with the timescales. Until that point is reached no definite dates can be finalised.

“Teams will continue surveying and repairing roads affected by the closure, but a longer term solution to reducing the impact on surrounding routes is being worked on.”

For more details of the solution and the engineers reports visit www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

Communications Unit, County Hall, Dorchester DT1 1XJ. Tel 01305 224491
www.dorsetforyou.com/news

Published
Categorised as Environment Tagged

Horse Riders Beware

logo_bhs_blacklogoNot the happiest first entry of the New Year:

“a rider parked at Okeford Hill. When they returned to their trailer, they were unaware that whilst out riding, someone had put broken glass in with the shavings, in the trailer. The resulting injuries are too horrific to detail. The horse after stepping on the glass, reacted as you would expect but given the confines of a trailer, injured itself extensively. It is luck that the owner was not also seriously harmed. Please be aware and check your trailers before loading your horse, if it has been unattended. The police have been notified. “