How to Object – Dorset Natural Heritage Initiative

You can compose your own letter or fill in the form on the Planning Portal using the reference P/FUL/2025/06865. If you would like some guidance, we have identified five areas which matter most to local residents. We encourage you to compose your own objection. However, as promised, we’ve also drafted some sample letters which you can view on our Downloads page (or at the bottom of this page).

THEME	DESCRIPTION
Protect Our Town’s Character	This letter focuses on the loss of local identity, heritage and countryside.
Defend Our Green Spaces	Focuses on the destruction of natural habitats and the loss of biodiversity in a legally protected landscape.
Protect Services and Infrastructure	Argues that local infrastructure and the road network can’t support more residents.
Prevent Flooding and Water Damage	Emphasises the risks to floodplains, drainage and sewage management.
Demand Responsible Development	Challenges the need for ‘enabling development’ as the focus for work on the building.

Send the letter

On the Planning Portal*: using the reference P/FUL/2025/06865 – click through to the application and complete the form using the orange link at the bottom right hand corner of the main details. There is a 1000 character maximum allowed in this form.

By post: to Dorset Council Planning Office, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester DT1 1XJ quoting reference P/FUL/2025/06865. Please remember to include your name and address. Comments received without a name and address will not be considered, nor will comments without a surname.

Deadline for submissions

All letters must be received by 11 January 2026
Every single message adds weight to our community’s objection.

Why your letter matters

Every letter Dorset Council receives – whether a handwritten note, a typed letter or form submission – is collated and shared with each Councillor on the Planning Committee, to inform them of residents’ views before they reach a decision. Everyone can send a letter in, including teenagers and more than one person at the same address. The volume of objections from residents shows the scale of local concern — and can directly influence the outcome.

Invalid objections

There are several issues that Dorset Council won’t consider as relevant objections including the following: the effect on the value of properties, a breach of restrictive covenants and personal property rights, the level of profit a developer might make, developers’ motives, record or reputation, speculation over future use and personal circumstances of the applicant.

Dorset Council guidelines for commenting on and application can be found at https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/guide-to-commenting-on-planning-applications

*Note on portal objections

There is a 1000 character limit to the box on the council portal where you can add your objection. Our pre-written letters of objection in our downloads section (and below) are kept to this length and can simply be cut and pasted into the portal.

If you wish to edit the letters, or you wish to write your own (which we encourage wherever possible), and you exceed the 1000 character count you can add an attachment.

Some people have reported issues when adding certain types of document (particularly Pages documents) as the council site does not accept them. The best way to add your document is to save it as a pdf and upload.

PLANNING APPLICATION: P/FUL/2025/06865

The proposed development does not meet the needs of our local community nor the vision of Dorset Council in the West Dorset Local Plan. The Council’s stated vision for Beaminster in 2031 is to:

retain its historic character and respect the beauty of the countryside whilst developing on a small scale, to meet local needs for housing, employment and community facilities
improve accessibility to facilities and continue its role as a local service centre

How the proposed development contravenes the Local Plan:

the historic character will be destroyed by the new roads and housing
it will not respect the beauty of surrounding countryside as development is not on a small scale
it will not meet local needs for housing as it offers zero affordable or social housing
no public benefit as Parnham will be a private residence and hotel with no community facilities
no improved accessibility as local infrastructure will be overloaded.

PLANNING APPLICATION: P/FUL/2025/06865

Please register my objection to this planning application.

The 25 acres sit within a legally protected National Landscape (previously AONB). The proposed houses will be in a sensitive protected rural landscape of national significance and cause permanent harm to the landscape’s character.
The site identified for housing is not included within the West Dorset Local Plan development area. Housing must be located where it supports existing settlement and is not isolated.
Millground meadow is a protected habitat, contributing to biodiversity and providing a valuable amenity for local residents and visitors.
Building a £2 million bridge across the River Brit will destroy the rural character and the habitat of the thriving wildlife in the area.

The application does not meet the needs of the local community and the development would be to the detriment of the historic character, amenity and beauty of the surrounding countryside.

PLANNING APPLICATION: P/FUL/2025/06865

As a concerned local resident I would like to register my objection in response to the planning application reference P/FUL/2025/06865.

I would like to object for the following reasons:

The local sewage network is unable to cope with the existing volume of sewage operations. An additional 82 houses will only add to the issues.
Access to the site is from a fast main road which will create a dangerous pinch point as more traffic will be using the entrance to Parnham Park.
There is no pedestrian access to Beaminster as there is no pavement and fast-moving traffic on the A3066.
The local GP surgeries and pharmacy are already overloaded and struggling to cope with demand.

The application therefore does not meet the needs of the local community and the development of a housing estate would add to the local issues of over-stretched facilities faced by Beaminster and Netherbury.

PLANNING APPLICATION: P/FUL/2025/06865

Please register my objection in response to this planning application. I object for the following reasons:

There are real concerns about water pollution impact. Spillover incidents, deliberate and accidental, already impact the river downstream regularly
Safeguards for the proposed ‘settlement tanks’ are inadequate and don’t address the fact that the local sewage network is already failing, requiring frequent tanker pumping operations.
Building houses on the floodplain of the Millground meadow is detrimental to the local protected rural landscape of national significance.
The application documents show that there is a medium to high risk of flooding in parts of the area. The incomplete groundwater checks have been extended as they do not include a wet winter.

The application does not meet the needs of the local community. The development of a housing estate would add pressure on our already failing sewage system.

PLANNING APPLICATION: P/FUL/2025/06865

Please register my objection to this planning application.

Under normal planning rules, a housing estate of this scale in a Protected National Landscape area would be refused. Parnham’s plans rely on an Enabling Development, selling land for housing to pay for repairs to a private house.

The National Planning Policy Framework states that councils must weigh public benefits of restoration against public harm from departing from planning policies
The 80+ new houses would realise less than half the funds needed for the listed house repairs. The scale of the development is greater than can be justified by any benefits from a partial conservation of the ruins
Dorset Council’s policy requires affordable housing for new estates and there is none in the application

The plan brings no local community benefit. Building a housing estate would be to the detriment of the historic character and beauty of the surrounding countryside.