October Newsletter
Published: 15 September 2025
The August Parish Council meeting saw the Parish Hall filled as many residents came along to seek clarity and voice concerns following the devastating fire at Holt Heath. Important questions about safety, prevention, and the implications for the local area were raised. The Chairman presented a comprehensive statement on behalf of the Parish Council, addressing many of these and outlining the Council’s current understanding and next steps. The full statement is available to read on our website.
Following discussion, the Parish Council committed to a number of actions aimed at safeguarding the community in the future including arranging a special meeting with the Fire Service, the National Trust, and other key organisations once formal reports on the fire are available.
This meeting will provide an open forum for presenting findings, answering further questions, and planning future preventative measures.
To keep residents informed, we have launched the ‘HOLT Together’ WhatsApp Group for sharing Parish Council information. This complements the existing ‘HOLT Together’ e-news, providing updates, alerts and news relevant to Holt and Furzehill.
The Parish Council continues its commitment to everyday issues affecting the parish and over the summer we secured approval from Dorset Council to deploy Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) on Lodge Road and Smugglers Lane - a direct response to concerns raised by residents about speeding and traffic volumes.
In addition, our Community Speed Watch programme will be extended to Smugglers Lane and we welcome new volunteers who wish to get involved in making our local roads safer for all. Both of these demonstrate the Parish Council’s practical and responsive approach to resident’s concerns and our ongoing partnership with Dorset Council.
Please view the minutes of Parish Council meetings, available online, for more detail, decisions, and future plans.
The Dorset Local Plan Options Consulation closes 13th October 2025
This important document sets out opportunities for meeting the development needs of the Dorset Council area and will help form the Local Plan which will be used when making planning decisions in Dorset. Sites are identified for consideration in Holt and Furzehill. The documents can be found online at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/dorset-is-changing or at County Hall, Dorchester and Dorset Libraries.
The Parish Council formed a working group to look at the document in detail and prepare a draft response for approval at the September meeting. This will be available to view online.
For further information, to volunteer or to join the HOLT Together information groups, please get in touch with the Clerk.
Holt Parish Council next meets 15th October 2025, 7pm in Holt Parish Hall.