Dee for Dorchester

PILE 'EM HIGH

ONCE upon a time the tallest construction around Dorchester was Maiden Castle. The magnificent Iron Age hill fort was mighty long before our county town was even a twinkle in a Roman eye and it is still big.

But Dorchester seems determined to out-do it in terms of height and mass.

Height and mass - qualities that would set councillors tutting as they rejected schemes that would be too tall and too bulky in relation to everything around them.

"We know your game," canny planning committee members of old implied and waited for developers to come back with more suitable offerings.

But development laws and guidelines and even planning fashions and fancies change. Planning committees are now generally known as development control committees. The title has more of a sense of importance about it. Shame, then, that planning is all too often development out-of-control as developers and planning officers, rather than those elected to represent their communities, appear to call the shots.

Take a walk up Maiden Castle on a nice day and look towards Dorchester. What do you see from the most important Iron Age hill fort in Europe? You see Poundbury up on tippy-toe as if in a silly challenge.

In the town there are too many examples of new builds bustin' out all over.

There is no denying that West Dorset District Council's new office building has height and mass. The council - the authority that gave itself permission for the scheme, by the way - is quick to state, repeatedly, that the new offices will be smaller and greener than the rambling old Stratton House it currently uses.

True, no doubt, but Stratton House has class and beauty and leaves towering bulk to the Johnny-come-latelys of Dorchester.

Head into town along Prince of Wales Road and gaze up in astonishment at the Magna Housing construction that has emerged by Culliford Road bridge. Perhaps it grew beanstalk-like from a magic bean carelessly dropped by a passing builder.

The six-storey building will provide 46 affordable homes as part of the Brewery Square development and, heaven knows, affordable homes are needed in Dorchester.

It is just a pity that developers and planners can come up with nothing better than the barrow-boy strategy of pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap. Because planning, unlike fruit and veg, is forever.

DRAMA QUIZ

DORCHESTER Drama is gearing up for its spring production, Dying for a Drink, with a fundraising quiz night on Saturday, 18th February.

The am-dram company rightly has a fine reputation but staging plays is costly so the quiz night sounds like a fun way to drum up some money.

The quiz is at the Colliton Club, which has a fine reputation of its own with its CAMRA award-winning beer, and will include general knowledge and specialist rounds.

Teams can be of Dorchester Drama members and non-members. Contact David Reeve by email on reevefamily4@btinternet.com to enter.

SINBAD

THERE is more drama afoot with Sinbad, a pantomime being presented at the United Church in Dorchester on 23rd to 25th February.

The United Church Pantomime Players promise a brave hero, a beautiful princess, a camel, flying genies and, of course, pirates on the high seas.

Pantos usually take the form of a handful of old favourites and, while Cinderella and the rest have their charm, Sinbad sounds like an exotic novelty among the seasonal entertainments.

Tickets are on sale mornings only at The Gallery at 51 Charles Street, at the rear of the United Church, or call 01305 262462.

ARCHIVES DAY

FIND out more about the fantastic collections at the Dorset History Centre in Dorchester with a day of talks and tours on Saturday, 25th February.

Information and a booking form can be found on the www.dorsetforyou.com website. The day is presented by Dorset Archives Trust, a charitable organisation that supports the centre and its miles of shelves holding precious materials that tell the history of Dorset.