[Updated Tuesday 6 April] – Dorset Council’s Cabinet today discussed the Capital Programme 2021/22 report, which outlines a number of major new projects that need capital funding.
Amongst these projects, which require a total of around £15m, are proposals to spend around £4.3m on stabilising the slopes at Dinah’s Hollow, at Melbury Abbas near Shaftesbury. Dorset Council’s cabinet has approved these plans and agreed the funding.
Geotechnical engineers have assessed Dinah’s Hollow to be at risk of landslips with the potential to cause death to more than one person and closure of one of the main North-South routes through Dorset.
Keeping Dinah’s Hollow open also maintains connections and transport links supporting strong, healthy communities. This transport connection through Dorset is essential for economic growth and the route is vital to the advisory one-way system for HGVs (A350 Northbound/C13 Southbound).
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment at Dorset Council, said:
“I’m pleased that plans are underway to commence this important work to ensure Dinah’s Hollow is safe for road users in the future.
Dorset Council has a duty under the Highways Act to maintain safe passage as far as is reasonably practical. The proposed work at Dinah’s Hollow is prompted by the safety concerns that were raised regarding bank instability and the risk of injury, possibly death, it poses to users of the highway.
The design arrived at is the result of a detailed appraisal of the ground conditions, the ecology and visual environment. The work cannot be undertaken without some compromises and the design has undergone numerous iterations, trimming the extent of the soil nailing to a minimum.
For the most part, the trees along the crest of the slopes have been retained to minimise visual impact on the wider landscape. On the slopes, some of the mature trees will be retained and planting holes created for replacements. The numbers and spacing will, out of necessity, be limited to ensure the soil retention system still functions effectively, but the hollow will not be completely denuded of tree cover.
Overall, the environment within the hollow will see more light allowed to enter. Plants and saplings will be allowed to grow up through the mesh creating a varied habitat that will need to be managed. Ecology will govern the time of year that construction and maintenance operations take place to minimise the impact.
To conclude, the elected members of Dorset Council have difficult decisions to make balancing conflicting demands of social health and well-being, the climate emergency, highway safety and ensuring a sustainable business economy. The decision has not been taken lightly and has been made in the best interests of Dorset as a whole.”
This characterisation of the plans for Dinah’s Hollow is entirely dishonest. The Council knows that the existing arrangements are completely safe and do not require any alteration. The proposals will not improve traffic flow and the threat of any further landslips is no worse, in fact smaller, than has been tolerated for over 30 years. They make no sense on a stand alone basis and the expenditure is not just a misuse of publics funds but a total waste. They constitute the purchase of an excuse by the Council to turn the rest of the C13 through Melbury Abbas into a major A road without notifying residents of their intentions. This announcement fake news being used for political ends
We’re basing our actions on the conclusions drawn by geotechnicians who have stated that this safety work needs to be done in order to protect motorists.