Colehill and Uddens gravel extraction proposals withdrawn

Nick King, Conservative Candidate for Mid-Dorset and North Poole has welcomed the withdrawal of proposals for gravel extraction at Cannon Hill in Colehill and Uddens plantations.

The proposals, put forward by the Forestry Commission, would have seen gravel extraction works for a proposed period of up to 25 years taking place on the East Dorset plantations.  The Forestry Commission wrote this week to Dorset County Council formally withdrawing their proposal, after their partner the extraction company Raymond Brown Ltd, withdrew their support for the sites.

Nick King said:“These were completely inappropriate sites.  Both are popular with local people who use them widely for walking and recreation. Cannon Hill in particular runs in to the centre of Colehill.

“The proposals would have seen an enormous increase in the number of heavy lorry movements on the A31 at a time when the Highways Agency has already confirmed they consider the road to be over capacity.”

Nick wrote personally to every home in Wimborne and Colehill last autumn, detailing the proposals and explaining how residents could object and helping them to do so by including a pro forma objection form.  This resulted in the sites attracting over 1,000  objections, the largest number of any of the sites put forward in Dorset.

“I’ve spoken to local people today who are absolutely delighted with the news,” said Nick.

Local residents formed a ‘Save Cannon Hill’ action group to fight the proposals and gathered almost 200 signatures on a petition objecting to the proposals.