Since the meeting at Woodmead Hall there has been an exchange of emails between The Lyme Regis Society and The National Trust. These are reproduced here and cover our feedback to the meeting and the subsequent followup. In reverse chronological order:
Subject: Inalienability
From: Mann, Helen
Sent: Monday, June 6, 2016 1:20 PM
To: Chris Savory
Just to let you know we have now completed the papers re inalienability. These papers will go forward to SW projects and information board (SWPIB) on the 28th June. If the paper is successful at that board it will then go on to National PIB and then the board of Trustees. This process could take more than 3 months depending on holiday sittings for each of the boards.
I will keep you informed of progress
Helen Mann
General Manager, West and North Dorset
Subject: Re: WARE FARM PROPOSALS
From: Chris Savory
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2016 9:15 AM
To: Mann, Helen
Dear Helen
Many thanks for your note and for our subsequent telephone conversation. While disappointed, I can fully understand the imperatives driving the disposal option. Just to reiterative our remaining concern relates to the design and impact of the proposed property on the site of the redundant farm buildings. We are pleased that you have instructed your architect to look again at the design and very much hope that a design can be created that meets all of the various concerns expressed at our meeting. Maintaining screening will also be important to the solution.
We look forward to hearing of the timescale for securing inalienability of the land outside of the development boundary, and very much hope that an amicable design solution can be found.
Kind regards
Chris
Chairman
Lyme Regis Society
Subject: RE: WARE FARM PROPOSALS
From: Mann, Helen
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2016 8:37 AM
To: Chris Savory
Dear Chris
Many thanks for your email
The National Trust would like to further pursue the disposal of this land and therefore we have instructed our Architect to look again at the design to try and accommodate all of the concerns highlighted below. Unfortunately the architect is about to move office and then have a holiday so the earliest we can look at this is end of June with the likelihood that we will be back in contact Mid July.
We will action the application for declaration of inalienability for the land outside the development boundary and I am seeking confirmation of the timescale for this via Amy and other internal consultants. I will keep you informed of progress.
Thank you for your continued support
Regards
Helen Mann
General Manager, West and North Dorset
Subject: WARE FARM Feedback to the proposals by the National Trust
From: Chris Savory
Sent: 20 May 2016 18:20
To: Mann, Helen
Dear Helen
Very many thanks to both you and Amy for your presentation yesterday, and for answering the various points and questions raised by Society Members. I said I would write to you conveying the views of Society Members, a number of whom are also Ware residents.
The first point to make is relief and thanks that you have dropped the original proposal to dispose of the triangular field and that you will now seek to obtain inalienable status for this land as for all other agricultural land in this holding. We would request that this inalienability be secured as quickly as possible and preferably before any sale of the smaller proposed building plot. Secondly we acknowledge that you have modified the plans for the proposed house on the site of the redundant farm buildings by making a welcome reduction to the footprint, but we still have serious reservations.
Viewed from Ware Lane, the visual impact of the proposed house conveys the sense of a single storey structure, but the height of the roof and large block chimney are not in sympathy with its surroundings and neighbouring properties. This visual impact is even more dramatic viewed from the south elevation, which is where most walkers would view the house.
As you know, during the meeting, the suggestion was put forward that an alternative to selling the site with detailed planning permission for the construction of a house, would be for the National Trust to demolish the farm buildings and incorporate the site into the agricultural holding and seek inalienable status, making the entire holding inalienable. If this could be done in a way that maintained access for the farmer, allowed him to use the site as a sheep pen, while landscaping the whole with suitable walls and trees, this would greatly add to the amenity of the site both for local residents and all those using the footpath close by.
It is recognised that this would incur a cost to the NT, but a reasonable sum could be provided by LRS Members and local residents to meet this cost. This solution would be the most favoured outcome, and the one most closely in line with the expectations that accompanied the fund raising by the LRS in 1987, when it was widely reported that no housing of any sort would be permitted.
If this outcome is not possible and the NT wishes to pursue the current proposal, we would wish to see further significant changes to both reduce the height of the proposed house and omit the proposed chimney. We also would reiterate how important it is to retain as many as possible of the semi-mature oak trees surrounding the site to provide both visual screening and an important natural habitat.
We very much hope that you can accommodate one of these solutions with a strong preference for the demolition and retention option. We also hope that it proves possible to avoid a potentially adversarial position with the NT, which we feel would have serious reputational risks for the NT.
Kind regards
Chris Savory
Chairman
Lyme Regis Society