PARISH councillors and members of the public were interested in a presentation made before the recent council meeting. Rob Westerall from the company running the larger gravel extraction site came to talk about future plans.

  • GRAVEL extraction has been a part of life in the area since the 19th century but the large scale operation commenced when the RAF Warmwell aerodrome closed in the 1950s. Since then a large amount of sand and gravel has been extracted and transported throughout the country supplying the building trade.
  • ROB explained that it was very likely that sand taken from the Warmwell site will be helping to build the Olympic stadium in London. He ran through a potted history of extraction and the mistakes which had been made in the past.
  • GEOLOGICAL surveys had meant a drastic reappraisal of the lifespan of the area had been made. Originally it had been thought that a further 15 years operation was likely but this had now reduced to five.
  • THIS drastic drop had implication not only on Warmwell but the mineral extraction plans for the whole county. The operation provides direct employment for approximately 70 employees and there is a knock on to the local economy.
  • INVESTIGATIONS continue into other nearby areas as a source of new supplies but in the meantime the eventual exhaustion and closure of Warmwell has moved a step closer. Councillors were interested to be given details of proposals for the landscaping and restoration of the mined our areas.
  • WHILST discussion are in the early stages an application will shortly be made to replace the numerous planning consents into one covering the site. This will have to include the longer term possibility for the land.
  • REFUSE which had been tipped in some areas will take many years to rot down but because of the proximity to the Empool water table this would not be an option for the rest of the site. It was therefore proposed to look at turning land into heathland and the creation of a large freshwater lake.
  • Parish council chairman Daniel Smy thanked Mr Westerall and looked forward to more detailed proposals in due course.
  • RESIDENTS of the village have made a number of requests to the council to consider the provision of allotments. There is a statutory requirement for this to be considered if a certain number of people call for this facility. This having been reached it will be placed on the agenda for a future meeting.
  • FOLLOWING the controversy earlier in the year concerning the Dorchester district scout football tournament the chairman placed a proposal to the council. Readers may recall the council had decided to charge for use of the playing field which prompted a local resident to step in and pay it on behalf of scouting.
  • COUNCILLOR Smy introduced a resolution to waive the fee for this event for the next five years. He felt that the previous decision had reflected badly on the public perception of the parish council. His motion was carried and it was hoped that this would now be the end of this matter.