Symondsbury - The Sacrificial Lamb of West Dorset

Published: 28 July 2025

Why are the opinions of local, incumbent tax and community charge payers not given credence when considering major infrastructure projects and their effects on lives and environment?

Why other sites are explored but Symondsbury is favoured by authorities who have no part to play in the local landscape?

Why Higher Authorities are not able to gauge the long term effects of removing assets and compromising individuals’ lives with enforced plans to change such precious community landscapes?

It must be pointed out that this is not a case of NIMBYism but more a case of, ‘another major infrastructure project that needs a home – Symondsbury again!’ The crux is that Symondsbury has shouldered its fair share of ‘wider’ community benefits but is far worse off for its benevolence – albeit always enforced by Higher Authorities.

 

The crux of this introduction is to highlight the following four major projects that have not received support from locals reflected in the decisions to oppose such plans on their behalf by Symondsbury Parish Council , which all failed and have a detrimental impact directly on their lives. Namely, Bridport Household recycling Centre, Foundry Lea Housing Development, Symondsbury Historical Boundary and the Eype Amenity area.

 

Bridport Household Recycling Centre

On 17 January 2014 planning permission was granted for a new Waste Management Centre and Waste Transfer Station. Forty sites were reviewed with seven shortlisted before Broomhills, Symondsbury was selected as the final site. The National Planning Agency (NPA) was involved in this site selection process.  The Parish Council opposed the application with a number of issues but to no avail. The environmental concerns were disregarded despite being in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and less than one mile from the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The Bridport Household Recycling Centre at Broomhills on the A35 opened on Thursday, 1 October 2015. It has proved to be an effective wider community resource but visually is a blight on the landscape, has not merged into the background as originally promised and is still creating issues, recently upsetting service users with a proposed new operating practice with no justification.

 

Foundry Lea Development

The Outline Planning Permission to construct 800 new homes was presented in 2017 for Vearse Farm, Symondsbury (to later be renamed Foundry Lea). Strenuous opposition was mounted for many years and the case eventually required a Judicial opinion after appeal to the Secretary of State. Dorset Council Western & Southern Planning Committee granted approval for the application.   The latest approval appears to state 760 homes with a further 140 homes and a commercial/light industrial area in a later project, one of the largest development sites in the history of West Dorset. Local opponents, including the Parish Council petitioned for the plans to be refused because of its impact on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is believed the development will have a negative impact on a small market town with limited infrastructure to support the influx of over 2,000 new residents, a massive 20% increase in the local population. The reasons for opposition have been well recorded and are myriad but the plan is going ahead and now under development. The project is slow to develop and is lacking in major infrastructure currently but has plans for the future and will be a development site for seven years if on time. There are too many issues regarding such a huge project, to discuss in this report but an ongoing concern for our local parishioners is noise, dirt and dust, smell, air quality, flood and traffic disruption added to lack of a previously restful, serene, rural vista. Some of the elderly residents will have to absorb these dramatic changes at a time of their lives they thought they would be in more tranquil environs. In addition to the negative factors previously described there is another galling issue for Parishioners, they have to pay extra monies for the privilege, as will be explained in the next topic.

 

Symondsbury Historical Boundary

With the advent of such a huge number of new homes and residents contained in the Foundry Lea development, boundary changes were requested to encapsulate the site so it may fall within Bridport Town. Symondsbury Parish Council had to engage in the establishment of new boundaries which were enforced in April 2024. The net effect was for Symondsbury Parish to lose 73 households, and 100 electors. The loss of households and residents mean the income of the Parish Council dropped by 12%. The Parish Council were thus forced to raise the Precept payment (that is the small sum extracted from Community Charges to support local administration authorities, in this case Symondsbury Parish Council) which was not taken lightly. It is worth mentioning that the Precept for Bridport is far higher than Symondsbury currently. If the boundary changes had not taken place, then the Precept increase would not have been as high, thus demonstrating the correlation as indicated at the end of the topic above.

 

Eype Picnic Area

The most recent of infrastructure projects to endure is that of the closure Eype Amenity Area, with public toilets and café. To be replaced with a Traffic Maintenance Depot and Gritting Salt Barn. Another decision taken by higher Authority which is very disappointing to Parishioners and the Council alike. The decision to approve the plan was taken on 17 July 2025 in County Hall Dorchester and the singular lack of understanding of the loss of amenity by the Planning Committee was evident. The minutes of the meeting are in the public domain, as is the presentation of the Application and opposition was virtually nil in Chamber with the Chair of Committee urging the Planning Committee to debate and not simply accept the point of view of the Planning Officers. In the event no local Committee members spoke in opposition and the Planning Committee members, bar one, spoke in favour of the application. The greater good to the efficiency of traffic management using resources in Symondsbury Parish was the key. Claims were made that no other site between Bere Regis and Honiton could match that of our Amenity area.

 

In summary

Symondsbury Parish has provided local and national infrastructure and development projects, despite opposition. Higher Authorities have inflicted their will by the legal means available giving absolutely no quarter in their desire to furnish their requirements. As a direct result of their decision making, Parishioners now have a markedly poorer environment and are out of pocket in the facilitation of these projects. When considering cause and effect’ the Law of the Land should apply and the overriding element of that Law is the requirement for natural justice by fair Means. Symondsbury has borne all the major projects in this part of Dorset over the past decade and has received nothing in return. We have urgently needed projects we cannot afford whilst our Parish is eroded, becoming far more expensive and uglier from an environmental standpoint. This does not reflect the ‘fair play’ but more like abuse of positions and bullying of minors.

It is the wish of Symondsbury Parish Council to highlight these issues to make Parishioners aware we do try and put forward strong, cogent cases to preserve our beautiful part of West Dorset. We are fighting cases against organisations and people who care little in preserving our way of living and the space we live in. We are conscious of development and the need to move forward in communities but feel our contribution has been excessive given our small stature.    We encourage engagement with us in our monthly meeting in the school in Symondsbury. Details can be found on our website.

Cllr Steve Evans, Symondsbury Parish Council

July 2025