Minutes of the Parish council meeting 24.11.25

Corscombe, Halstock and District Parish Council
Draft Minutes for the Parish Council meeting
7.30pm on 24th November 2025
Meeting was held at Halstock Village Hall.

Councillors present: Richard James (RJ), Garry Arnold (GA), Helen Sherwood (HS), Richard Fry (RF), Mark Caddick (MC), David Hallett (DH) and John-White Hamilton (JWH)
10 members of the public
The meeting was chaired by Cllr. James

1. To receive and accept apologies and declarations of interest.
   Apologies from Cllr. R. Hallett, Cllr. Clarke, Cllr. Prior, Cllr. Lovegrove and Dorset Cllr. Kippax
   No declarations of Interest.
2. To approve the draft minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on the 29th of September 2025 (A)
   Note change to Dorset Councillor section.
   Proposed Cllr. Caddick, seconded Cllr. Sherwood. Approved 7/7
3. To discuss matters arising from the minutes not covered in this Agenda.
   None
   Public period for comments on issues on the agenda
   Concern was raised by Mrs Barrowcliff, representing several residents, over the Knapp Farm development regarding;
   • The Lost Shoe café regarding lack of planning permission and food safety certification.
   • Concern over effect of glamping huts on the area which is in a National Landscapes (AONB) area
   and would have an effect on utilities such as water pressure and concerns over waste drainage
   • Concerns over increased light pollution
   • Concerns over hard standing area, lorries parked and increase of traffic to the site.
   Mr Westlake spoke for Knapp Farm and commented on the points made.
   • Planning notice was in view and up for the designated time although poor weather meant they were not always clear but were replaced several times.
   • The traffic concern relates mainly to horse lorries. They have had a traffic survey done and are awaiting the report. There was a need to increase the size of the hard standing as the original farm was small. Having showed a person from planning around the site they were informed they would need planning for the hardstanding. Retrospective planning is being submitted along with that required for the Café. The Lost shoe Café is awaiting a food safety inspection and review. Café is a great resource for our village and is well used.
   • Increase of traffic is mainly horse lorries, they hold a clinic 4-6 x per year. It is staggered throughout the day.
   • The Yurts currently on site were part of a glamping trial for a year to see if it was economic – they were told they were permitted a pilot scheme before having to apply for Planning Permission which they have now done. Drainage has been covered in the submitted planning application. Nitrates have been offset with mitigation i.e. trees planted etc
   • They have done a lot of work on the farm since they purchased it, they have replanted the original orchard and put back hedge rows.

Concern was raised by a member of the public Mr. Fitzpatrick over planning issues in general.
A concern that the councillors were not undertaking rigorous enough scrutiny of planning applications prior to making a decision. It was pointed out that the Parish Council comments have no special weighting over those of other residents. Councillors do undertake rigorous investigations before making a decision, councillors make their own decision. A response based on the majority of responses and comments is then sent to Dorset Council by the Clerk. The depth of response given is dependent on the nature of the planning application. The Parish Council is proactive regarding planning and seeks to raise enforcement issues with Dorset Council when necessary.
Notification of planning – this is not down to the Parish Council but comes from Dorset Council which requires properties effected by planning to post a notice on the property with planning details.
However, notification of planning is given on the Parish Council website front page posts.

A point of order was raised over the time members of the public were speaking to. This is limited to up to 5 minutes per speaker. Total time for public period should be 15 minutes.

Reports from Dorset Council Councillor and Police Liaison
A report from Dorset Cllr. Kippax was read out.
Headline items which are topical for Dorset, (not specific to the Ward)
Local Plan
• Thank you to all residents who commented on the Local Plan, including the Transport Plan. In excess of 10,000 responses were received. A revised draft will be prepared and there are already significant changes required, for example, numerous “speculative” sites for building identified in the draft plan have been withdrawn. This process of refinement will continue.
• Budget for 2026/27 – The process of setting the budget for the next financial year is now underway.
• Developing the economy in Dorset – Some residents and Parish Councillors will have seen the announcement about setting up the Innovation Park (previously the Business Park at Winfrith) as an independent body. The objective is to provide more skilled employment and therefore encourage younger people to remain or return to Dorset for their careers.
• Sales of surplus housing – The Cabinet meeting on 11th November considered the sale of property surplus to the requirements of Dorset Council. The properties collectively have an estimated value of £47 million. The money from sales would be allocated to the provision of more affordable and low-cost housing.
• Age Friendly Dorset – At the most recent meeting of the Full Council Dorset signed up to be an Age Friendly Community, it is essentially about setting out principles of good practice in meeting the needs of older people and creating a platform for discussion about how best to address, adapt and adopt measures to achieve ethe best possible integration and create communities where older people can thrive. Please see the article Dorset becomes the 100th Age-friendly Community – Dorset Council

No report from Police liaison officer.

4. To note the statement of expenditure to date and bank reconciliation (B) and to approve the schedule of payments since the last meeting. (C)
   Scheduled payments since 21.9.25 Gross £3188.6, Net £2923.12
   Expenditure to date and bank reconciliation – Proposed Cllr. James, seconded Cllr. Arnold Approved 7/7
   Scheduled payments – Correction made to expenditure listed under ‘salt bin refill’
   Proposed Cllr. James, seconded Cllr. Arnold Approved 7/7
5. To approve the 2026-2027 Budget and Precept (D)
   a) Resolution to approve the draft 2026-2027 budget
   Proposed Cllr. Caddick, seconded Cllr. Arnold Approved 7/7
   b) Resolution that the end year earmarked reserves be as shown.
   Proposed Cllr. Caddick, seconded Cllr. Arnold Approved 7/7
   c) Resolution that the precept for 2026/2027 be set at £21,000
   Proposed Cllr. Caddick, seconded Cllr. Arnold Approved 7/7
   Action: Clerk to send Dorset Council our precept request for £21,000
6. Savings account for the Parish Council – update (Verbal) TS
   It was agreed at the last Parish Council meeting on the 29.9.25 that the Clerk would open a Unity Trust Bank Savings AC access 30 day. On further investigation it was found that the initial sum needed to open the account was beyond that which the council wished to deposit. As such it was agreed that the Clerk would open a Unity Trust Bank Instant access Savings AC, which had no minimum initial deposit requirement.
   Action: Clerk to open Savings account.
7. Parish Council email address – update (Verbal) TS
   Migration of the Gmail email account will take place on the 23rd of December.
   For at least 12 months any emails going into the Gmail account will be migrated across to the .go.uk account.
   There are limitations over the practical length of the .gov.uk email address which needed to be looked into. It was agreed that the Clerk would approve a suitable address name in conjunction with Cloudy IT.
   Approved 7/7
8. To note/receive a maintenance update for the playground and outdoor gym (Verbal) TS/RH
   The activity trail has been removed. There are no other issues noted. At some point next year, the field fence may need work.
9. Highways and Rights of Way updates (verbal) TS
   9.1 Fingerpost and signs update
   • Fingerposts repairs are now being tracked. Work is due to start on the post at Higher Halstock Leigh early next year. The fingerposts at the green in Halstock and the Fox Inn in Corscombe have now been renovated.
   • Halstock road sign is still waiting to be made and located. They have several delays in the sign shop.
   • Beware Horse signs Adams Green – no response from highways since the request raised in July.
   • Concern was raised that some of the painted signs on the road in Halstock are very worn and need repainting. The council will report this to Highways but also ask that residents also raise any concerns as the more that issues are reported the greater the chance they will be acted on.
   9.2 Road Closure concerns
   Still a major issue which effects residents and business.
   9.3 20mph Speed zone
   This has been looked at and considered by both Speed Watch and the Parish Council and a decision to not look into this issue further was made. As it was felt the implementation of road calming measures would case major issues for farmers, residents and business.
   9.4 Noticeboard – replacement of noticeboard near the Fox Inn Corscombe – update (Verbal)
   As agreed at the last PC meeting in September 29.9.25 the Clerk was asked to look at purchasing a Greenbarnes Aluminium noticeboard. There was an issue that the board need to be locked to close it and we would need to purchase an additional pin board as the magnetic board was not considered suitable.
   This puts the cost up to £700 pre vat .
   It was agreed to increase the amount approved for the noticeboard to £700
   Proposed Cllr. Caddick, seconded Cllr. Arnold Approved 7/7

Roger Whittingham will set up the noticeboard and feels the existing posts would be usable. An external latch will be fitted to the board to allow residents access.
Action: Clerk to order noticeboard and arrange placement.

9.5 Rights of Way representative (Verbal) DC
Deferred to the next Parish Council meeting 26th January 2026
9.6 Off road Motorbike use of Ford Lane (Verbal) TS
A resident has raised concerns regarding off road motorbikes using Ford Lane that passes the Corscombe Church and down to Ford Cottage. Unfortunately, highways enforcement issues do not fall within the Parish Council remit to control or directly act on.
As Ford Lane is a Green road, they would have a right to travel up Ford Lane so this would be difficult to stop. As the motorbikes are not returning by the same route then they would be using a byway that they are not legally able to do so.

Action: – Clerk to contact the resident and provide help in directing the resident to the suitable Dorset Council departments and to link in with the police liaison officer.

“The legal off-road trails (Green roads) you can ride are lanes marked as byways open to all traffic (BOATs), Unclassified Country Roads (UCRs) and Unsealed, Unclassified County Roads (UUCRs). A BOAT is marked as a line of green crosses on the OS maps. A UCR or UUCR is a road without an A, B, or C road classification.”

9.7 Dog poo bins (verbal)
This issue has been looked at several times previously and is no longer covered by Dorset Council as a service. It would be down to public volunteers to empty any such bins, or the Parish Council would have to pay a fee of £6.35 a month to have the bins emptied. However, a case was made that there may be a need for a dog poo bin at the Fox Inn if agreeable to the owners.
Action: – Cllr. James to speak to the proprietors of the Fox Inn to assess interest.

Concern was also raised about cars parking on payments in Halstock.
Action : Cllr. Sherwood will raise this with the police liaison.

10. To consider and note planning applications and decisions. (E) TS
    10.1 Knapp Farm concerns (Verbal)
    See note under Period for Public Comment.
    10.2 Planning notifications (Verbal)
    See note under Period for Public Comment.
    Action: Clerk will look to post planning application numbers and closing dates on WhatsApp and Facebook so residents can comment if they wish. The Clerk will also post guidance regarding planning responses and clarify the role of the council.
    10.3 Enforcement update (Verbal) TS/RJ
    Concern was raised by residents and followed up by the Parish Council regarding a new access off the road opposite Buttercup Cottage.
    The advice given by Dorset Council Highways is that as the road is a classified C road, they will need planning permission. Generally you might need planning permission if you are constructing a driveway on your property or if you live in:
    • an A, B or C class road
    • a conservation area
    • a property with multiple occupancy
    • a listed building

Action : Clerk to talk to the resident of Buttercup Cottage and let them know the advice we
have received and encourage them to contact Dorset Council planning.

11. To receive and note training update (Verbal) TS
    The Clerk will be attending an online nalc course – The Art of Communication: Navigating tough decisions on the 26th of November.
12. Roman villa site maintenance – update TS
    The area has now been cut.

Note Cllr. John-White Hamilton left the meeting.

13. Correspondence to be discussed and noted. (Verbal) TS
    None
14. Bus service Update (Verbal) HL
    Deferred to the next Parish Council meeting 26th January 2026
15. Climate and Ecology emergency action to be noted
    None
16. To consider urgent matters to report from members and items for the next meeting.
    None
    The meeting closed at 9.15pm
    Date of next Parish Council meeting will be the 26th of January 2026 Corscombe Village Hall.
    Clerk to the Council: Tessa Safadi, Tel: 07595598995 Email: chparishclerk@gmail.com