Upton RSS Action Group
FINAL UPDATE BEFORE THE RESULT
The RSS public consultation closed on 24th October, so this is the last Update from the Upton RSS Action Group (URAG).
URAG formed following the public meeting on 9th August at Upton Community Centre. The purpose was to promote a strong response to the Government's proposed increases in housing targets in the local area, and in particular the addition of 2750 new homes at Lytchett Minster.
This started with a well-attended public meeting at Upton Community Centre on 27th August and was followed up with two demonstrations at Upton Cross, signs, posters, contributions to The Clarion and newspaper articles - all helping to raise awareness. We also sent emails to local businesses and community groups. We tackled some large local companies on the issue and two of them (totalling over 3000 employees) agreed to publicise the RSS, and how to respond to the public consultation, on their intranet sites. Additionally URAG contributed a version of the Response Form that went to most residents in the rest of Purbeck.
URAG developed a response form tailored to oppose the key issues for
Similar activities have been repeated in various other action groups across SE Dorset (including LMAG and CALM at Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers respectively), accompanied by a lot of hard campaigning on this issue by many people including Annette Brooke MP, Terry Stewart of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, Cllr Nick King, Cllr Paul Johns, Cllr Fred Drane and others. Our group has strenuously maintained a non-political stance, and the spirit of co-operation between the two main parties in our area has been very refreshing! We would particularly like to thank Paul Johns for drumming up much local support and being a persistent help to our group. We would also like to thank Lytchett Minster and Upton Town Council for use of their offices and website and for covering printing costs, The Clarion for carrying out the printing on our behalf, LUCA for use of the Community Centre and Gwyneth Brooks of Dorset Community Action for helping out with laminates.
However our greatest debt of thanks must go to the hundred of you who helped to distribute the response forms and those 2145 of you that supported us and signed in opposition to the RSS.
There is also one more thing that we can do to register another valuable protest against the 2750 homes, and that is to "sign" the online No 10 Downing Street petition on the Prime Minster's website which closes on the 4th December. The site is at: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/DorsetGreenBelt/
Finally, we now await the decision of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP. On that note we thought it worth sharing some encouraging words she penned in the Introduction to the recent Government White Paper entitled "Communities in Control: real people, real power". She said:
"Our Government is committed to greater democracy, devolution and control for communities. We want to see stronger local councils, more co-operatives and social enterprises, more people becoming active in their communities as volunteers, advocates and elected representatives. We want to see public services and public servants in tune with, and accountable to, the people they serve. Democracy is not about a cross in a box every five years, but a way of life. It should flow around us like oxygen."
Looks like we've got nothing to worry about then!
Upton RSS Action Group -
(If you want to see what impact this development has on the local area please click on map).