Dorset Council are currently conducting a Community Governance Review (CGR) which, among other things, is looking at whether any changes are required to parish boundaries.
They have issued a draft proposal to transfer the area shaded in red on the map below from Colehill parish to Holt parish. This covers all land north of Burt’s Hill, including Furzehill, Grange, Dog Dean, Deans Grove and the Horns Inn.
You can read full details on page 22 of their draft recommendations. If you’d like to provide feedback directly to Dorset Council on this proposal, you can do so via the CGR page on their website until midnight on 23rd May.
Our thanks to residents who have provided comments directly to us, to help us determine our own position. You can read the comments submitted here. These have been used to help us formulate our response to Dorset Council. at the Extraordinary Council meeting which was held on 20th May at 7:15pm.
Our Response to Dorset Council
We agree it would be preferable for the two parts of Furzehill to be united in one parish, to improve community identity. However we oppose the recommendation as worded, as the area proposed to be moved to Holt would come very close to the heart of Colehill, and include one of just two pubs currently within the parish.
We submit instead an alternative proposal, which still achieves the aim of uniting Furzehill but draws the boundary in a more sensible position.
Alternative Proposal:
We suggest an alternative proposal, very similar to the recommendation but moving the boundary to Dog Dean rather Long Lane.
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- This will still allow the two parts of Furzehill to be united in a single parish, and the change will only impact on c. 13 residential addresses which are closer to the centre of Colehill than Furzehill.
- It would allow the Horns Inn to remain within Colehill. This is one of only two pubs currently within the parish, and our most central, being just 600m from our middle school, our church our war memorial.
- It would allow Dumpton School to remain within the parish, a school with which Colehill Parish Council has had a close relationship over many years. Dumpton School are actively engaged in the community, and supported the parish council during the pandemic.
- It retains Colehill’s green corridor to the north, and maintains the urban/rural balance for the parish.
The attached map shows shaded in pink the area Dorset Council have proposed be transferred to Holt, the red line showing our alternative boundary we propose on Dog Dean.
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