Sustainable Shaftesbury

ENERGY: Inspiring ‘how to’ film on community energy free at Shaftesbury School

Inspired by lockdown mutual aid initiatives, two artist-activists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn decided to turn their London street into an energy-generating powerhouse to showcase a prototype for a new way of living.

Their hope: To galvanise a wider push towards sustainable alternatives and kickstart a solar-powered energy revolution.

How far they succeeded is brilliantly captured in Power Station, a funny and heart-warming true-life documentary film that gets a free public viewing at Shaftesbury School on Wednesday 11 March.

Directed by the pair, Power Station charts their turbulent journey from pitching the idea to their Walthamstow neighbours – including sleeping on the roof of their house in all weathers – to raising finance and launching a bid for a Christmas number one single.

Both comic and moving, Powell and Edelstyn’s film is not just a vivid testament on how to reduce your energy bills with solar panels by taking your street ‘off grid’, but is also a vibrant portrait of their local neighbourhood and the power of art in changing minds about what is possible.

For a trailer of this wonderful ‘must-see’ 96-mins long film go to:
Power Station on YouTube

To book your place at the film on 11 March see: Book tickets for Power Station film | Shaftesbury School

2 March 2026

CONSERVATION: Tips on how to make your garden butterfly and moth friendly

Dorset-based Butterfly Conservation has introduced a Wild Spaces programme to help restore and enhance habitats for butterflies and moths. And to help gardeners turn their gardens into havens for butterflies and moths they’re offering regular tips online.

Shaftesbury became a ‘butterfly and moth friendly town’ last year to add to the town council’s earlier declaration of Shaftesbury as a ‘nature friendly town’.

For more information go to:
Create a Wild Space
and
Gardening for butterflies: Discover gardening tips

2 March 2026

AWARDS: Congrats to Corsham Town Council for its ‘best climate response’ award

Congratulations from Sustainable Shaftesbury to Corsham Town Council in Wiltshire that last night won the National Association of Local Councils ‘Climate Response of the Year’ award at a glittering House of Lords ceremony in London.

The Climate Response award is won for ‘highlighting innovative projects that show an understanding of climate change and how its impact is being mitigated locally.’

Corsham, between Bath and Chippenham, was one of a number of winners of NALC’s Star Council Awards for 2026. None were from Dorset this year!

Bringing together councillors, clerks, MPs, parliamentarians, academics, national stakeholders and leading ‘opinion formers’, the annual event honours individuals and organisations that have in the judges’ opinion ‘demonstrated exceptional talent, innovation, and dedication in supporting their communities.’

• Corsham is officially entering the race to become the first-ever UK Town of Culture 2028. Inspired by the City of Culture scheme, this is a new competition to show the whole of the UK why you are proud of your town. The winning town will receive £3 million to deliver a cultural programme for local people across 2028. Shaftesbury please note!

25 February 2026

WASTE: Call to join in The Plastic Waste campaign in March

The UK’s Big Plastic Waste campaign is looking for local volunteers to sign up to its Big Plastic Waste investigation for a week in March.

The ‘count your plastic waste’ survey, from 9-15 March, hopes to ‘reveal the true scale of the UK’s plastic problem in order to call for a fair future that’s free from the impacts of the plastics crisis’, say organisers.

To join in the campaign go to: The Big Plastic Count

18 February 2026

Feeding Dorset Partnership aims to ‘make food resilience irresistible’

The Feeding Dorset Partnership (FDP) is inviting registrations to its first Zoom event of the new year with the aim of ‘making food resilience irresistible.’

The event is taking place on Monday 23 February at 7pm.

Presenters include Feeding Dorset Partnership’s Jon Sloper of the Help & Kindness charity, Alex Chambers from Tumbledown, and Sheri Ahmet and Rachel Millson of Edible Bridport.

The Partnership – that is now a member of the UK’s Sustainable Food Places network –  says the purpose of the event is to ‘start the year with stories from people whose food projects have won local hearts and minds to add the Food Map of Dorset.

‘The aim is to share ideas about how to listen and how to connect effectively with each other and ask ourselves what is still needed to strengthen Dorset Food Security.’

Anyone is welcome to join online to share their story, news and views. Click to book your place at the Food Resilience Event.

Find out more about the Feeding Dorset Partnership.

11 February

ENERGY: Videos animate Dorset’s ‘Home Habitats’ energy-efficiency campaign

A series of short campaign videos featuring fun quirky animal characters has been produced by Dorset Council to boost its ‘Home Habitats’ campaign and its free online tool Homewise.

Both are aimed at helping residents discover practical ways to make their homes more energy efficient. You can see how the characters bring the message to life in these short campaign videos.

Dorset Council leader Nick Ireland says: ‘Home Habitats also supports our wider ambitions for Dorset: warm, affordable homes, stronger communities, good local jobs, and a healthier natural environment.

‘By cutting energy waste and guiding residents to practical improvements, we’re lowering bills, improving comfort and wellbeing, backing local installers and suppliers, and caring for our countryside and coast for the long term.’

6 February 2026

FOOD: New Dorset podcast on farming, food and nature already a ‘hit’

A new podcast giving Dorset residents a fresh way to connect with life on the land week has already made the top listening lists.

Second Nature: Down in Dorset that had its first airing last week takes listeners behind the farm gate to explore what it really means to farm with nature in today’s countryside.

Co-hosted by Dorset farmer Tim Gelfs and nature podcaster Lizzie McLaughlin, the mini-series tackles big questions around wildlife, soil health, water quality and sustainable food.

The very first episode From Dorset fields to Dorset plates made an impressive start, reaching number 14 in Apple’s Top 200 for Home & Garden.

You can listen now by searching ‘Second Nature: Down in Dorset’ on your favourite podcast platform.

6 February 2026

TRANSPORT: Transforming public and community transport

Ambitious plans to ‘transform public and community transport’ were set out by Dorset Council’s cabinet last week when it explored a range of options for delivering what it called ‘a modern, integrated and community focused transport system’ throughout the county.

Central to the plans is increasing the number of buses and other forms of community transport to reduce rural isolation.

The cabinet said it hopes to see implementation of the plans from April 2027.

For more details and the full background see: Transforming Public and Community Transport

• Dinah’s Hollow update: Dorset Highways is inviting anyone with any comments, questions or feedback on the year-long engineering works at Dinah’s Hollow on the C13 south of Shaftesbury to direct them by email to dinahs.hollow@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.

Despite the challenging weather and some initial issues with diversions, the council said last week that work to ‘stabilise’ the hollow following a number of land slips ‘is progressing well.’ The road is not due to reopen until until the end of 2026.

30 January 2026

TRAVEL: Dorset approves new Active Travel infrastructure plan

Dorset Council last week finally gave the go-head to start building the infrastructure for the Active Travel plan for Dorset initially agreed last September.

The Active Travel Infrastructure Plan (ATIP) sets out the network plans for walking, cycling and wheeling in the county. Wheeling is moving about on anything on wheels that isn’t cycling.

Consisting of a network plan with a prioritised list of improvements, the ATIP forms part of the detailed delivery strategy in support of the emerging Local Transport Plan.

According to Dorset Council ‘infrastructure improvements for walking, cycling and wheeling assists with delivering objectives in the Council Plan including supporting communities for all, assisting with the delivery of the Climate and Ecological Emergency strategy and will also support the emerging Dorset Council travel plan.’

Dorset Council’s Place and Resources Overview Committee had recommended that the Active Travel Infrastructure Plan be approved by Cabinet last September but no reason was given for the delay in approving the plan.

For more details see: Active Travel Infrastructure Plan for Dorset

30 January 2026

ENERGY: Dorset Council launches online tool to help residents save money on heating their homes

Dorset Council has launched Homewise, a free online tool that helps people in Dorset find the best ways to make their homes more energy efficient.

Created by Energy Saving Trust, Homewise uses expert data tailored to give residents what it claims is clear and trustworthy advice.

To use the service just enter your postcode and answer a few quick questions to get a personalised action plan showing which upgrades, like insulation, LED lighting or solar panels, could make your home easier and cheaper to heat.

For more tips, advice, and support on saving energy at home, go to Home Energy Advice on the Dorset Council website.

26 January 2026

Help us save moths too, pleads Butterfly Conservation Society

The Dorset-based Butterfly Conservation Society (BCS) has today added to its earller plea for councils to declare themselves ‘butterfly friendly’ by now asking for residents to help councils create ‘moon meadows’ to help save moths.

Moon meadows are green spaces free from light pollution.

This follows ‘alarming’ new research* using Met Office data that has found that the number of nocturnal insects such as moths has declined, with areas with more artificial light at night showing lower numbers of insects overall.

It’s the latest in a wave of new research showing the impacts of light pollution and urbanisation on our declining moth populations, said BCS.

The society, famously championed by TV environmentalist Chris Packham, said moths are important indicators of the health of our environment and need help to share their warning signs that things are going wrong.

Claiming lighting is not often part of local biodiversity plans, and sometimes completely out of the control of those working to enhance green spaces, BCS urges local residents to persuade local councils to create ‘Moon Meadows’ to fix this.

It suggests using their Moon Meadow template to ask councils whether their Biodiversity Plan includes tackling the threat of light pollution to save moths.

*the new research using Met Office data.

26 January 2026

Half world’s CO2 emissions come from 32 fossil fuel companies

More alarming news, this time on fossil fuels, also came out last week with a new Carbon Majors report claiming that half the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions came from just 32 fossil fuel companies in 2024.

Of the top 20 emitters, 17 were state-owned by countries – including Saudi Arabia, Russia, China and the UAE – that opposed the total phasing-out of fossil fuels at December’s COP30 UN climate summit in Brazil.

The top five investor-owned companies were ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhillips and BP, which together were responsible for 5.5 percent of the total emissions in that year.

The Carbon Majors database tracks the world’s largest oil, gas, coal and cement producers and calculates the carbon emissions from each entity’s production.

While global clean energy investment now nearly doubles that of fossil fuels, total CO2 emissions continue to rise. Last year, fossil fuel CO2 emissions reached a record high, topping 38 billion metric tons.

23 January 2026

Succession of ‘wake up call’ reports landed last week

A succession of ‘wake up’ calls-to-action reports out this last week have again highlighted the increasing seriousness of the climate and nature crisis by pointing out the danger to the UK from food and water shortages.

First came an uncompromising UK government intelligence report – using military intelligence techniques to examine the biodiversity crisis unfolding worldwide – that found the UK is particularly vulnerable to food supply risk because it is heavily reliant on global markets for food and fertiliser.

Identifying what it called ‘cascading risks’ linked to ecosystem degradation from increases in conflict, migration and fierce competition for resources. the analysis highlighted six ecosystem regions critical to UK interests that are ‘on a pathway to collapse.’ These are the Amazon, Congo, and Boreal forests, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia’s coral reefs.

The second report, by the UN, highlighted the risks to geopolitical stability posed by increasingly severe global water shortages. According to the report, the world has already entered an era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ from overuse, pollution and climate change harming billions of people.

An accompanying analysis by The Guardian newspaper showed that half of the world’s 100 biggest cities are experiencing high or extremely high levels of water stress, meaning demand is close to exceeding available supplies.

Better news, however, came from the EU that has announced that renewable energy has overtaken fossil fuels in the region’s power generation for the first time.

Solar and wind power generated 30 per cent of the EU’s electricity last year, an annual review by the independent think tank Ember reported, while power plants fuelled by coal, oil and gas generated 29 per cent.

The shift was largely driven by solar growth, which generated a record 13 per cent of the EU’s power, rising to 20 per cent in five countries.

Wind-turbines accounted for 17 per cent of EU power, dropping slightly from last year but remaining in second-place overall. Coal reached a record low, contributing below 10 per cent, mostly in Germany and Poland.

23 January 2026

NEB briefing now available to watch online

The full video presentation of the keynote National Emergency Briefing (NEB), held at Westminster Central Hall in London on the 27 November, is now available online at The National Emergency Briefing.

Eight leading experts, introduced by Chris Packham and chaired by Professor Mike Berners-Lee, gave a concise, high-level and unfiltered briefing on the entire interconnected crisis – including threats to food supply, health, and national security dubbed ‘one of the most important and significant briefings on the climate crisis to be held in Britain.’

They also set out how investing in genuine emergency action will make us better off.

The invitation-only audience of over 1200 included politicians and influential figures from business, culture, faith, sport, and the media. The event was supported by a wide range of institutions including the National Trust, RSPB, Church of England, Exeter University, the Royal Meteorological Society, Royal Society of Biology, and National Education Union.

The National Emergency Briefing

19 January 2026

UK slipping further behind in meeting climate targets to restore nature – OEP

Today’s report by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) again warns that the government is likely to miss its legally binding targets to improve the natural environment in England and restore nature.

This latest assessment follows the OEP’s review of January 2025 that found that ‘progress towards improving the environment has slowed with government still largely off track in achieving its legal environmental commitments.’

The latest report, published on 13 January, concludes: ‘The Government remains off track to meet its environmental commitments and its actions now will determine whether or not key targets for biodiversity and the protection of land and sea by 2030 will be met.’

The role of the independent OEP, set up in November 2021 under the Environment Act 2021, is to protect and improve the environment by holding government and other public authorities to account.

For more details of the latest assessment see Progress in improving the natural environment in England 2024/2025

14 January 2026

One to watch out for…

The Climate Change Committee’s independent assessment of UK climate risk is due to report in the next few weeks as the UK’s Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA4).

This is an updated independent assessment led by the Met Office and due to be delivered by June 2026 on the risks from climate change and the potential for adaptation to address them.

14 January 2026

Meet some of the best nature writers at Shaftesbury Book Festival

Shaftesbury Book Festival – a festival of the best nature writing from Britain and abroad – attracts a worldwide audience to come face-to-face with internationally known authors here in Shaftesbury.

This year it’s on from 20-22 March at various venues in the town on the theme of ‘Reading the Land’. For more info see Shaftesbury Book Festival.

14 January 2026

FOOD: Feeding Dorset Partnership joins UK food network

The Feeding Dorset Partnership (FDP) has joined the UK network Sustainable Food Places. It means the Dorset partnership now has access to a national network of people, groups, and organisations working to feed everyone in Britain sustainably.

FDP includes not only people growing, making and selling food but also those who offer training in skills to grow and cook food or run projects offering affordable and emergency food when it’s needed. It’s also for those who advocate and work for more sustainable growing practices and urgent responses to the climate emergency, who promote a better understanding of nutrition and health through diet, and those who run networks to support people in these different areas of work.

For more on the Feeding Dorset Partnership see Feeding Dorset Partnership.

For more national background see the National Emergency Briefing on Food Security

9 January 2026

Poll finds politicians underestimate the level of public support for climate action

A recent BBC poll has found that the great majority of politicians of all parties completely or largely underestimate the concern that most people in the UK have for the lack of action to deal with climate change and the escalating loss of nature and biodiversity.

While there are differences between the parties about how much MPs believe voters care about climate change, the public generally shows significantly more support for climate action and the UK’s net-zero target than most politicians appear to understand or realise.

For those who want to follow more about environmental politics in the UK see What are the prospects for environmental politics in 2026?

8 January 2026

Douglas Adams warned us 35 years ago

A little known book by one of Dorset’s most famous authors with links to Shaftesbury has been highlighted by the BBC this week for its stark warnings about the threats facing the planet from manmade climate change and nature loss.

‘The Last Chance to See‘ by Douglas Adams, best known as the author of the international bestseller ‘The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy’, cautioned that the world is on track for mass extinction of the kind not seen for 250 million years.

It was published in 1990 but it was picked out this week (6 Jan) by BBC’s climate editor Justine Rowlatt who commented: ‘Thirty-five years on from the book’s publication, and we haven’t made much progress.

‘There are now an astonishing 172,620 species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) famous “red list” of endangered species. Of those, 48,646 are threatened with extinction.’

He quoted Tanya Steele, chief executive of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK (whose adviser Lucy Young is also an adviser to SuSAC), as warning: ‘We’re the first generation that really knows that we’re destroying the world. But we’re also the last that can do anything about it.

‘We often focus on the loss of individual species but the crisis runs much deeper. Entire habitats – and the ecosystems they support – are disappearing. Those ecosystems contain vast numbers of species, many of which we barely know exist.’

One measure of the scale of the damage comes from WWF’s Living Planet Index, which has tracked the state of global wildlife since 1970. Its latest report shows that, on average, wildlife populations declined by 73% between 1970 and 2020 – a figure Steele describes as ‘a dreadful warning bell.’

Adams died tragically young at 49 in 2001 but his younger half-brother James Thrift became a well known longtime resident of Shaftesbury and is a trustee of The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy Foundation.

Douglas Adams’ eye view on conservation:

Douglas Adams had an offbeat way of explaining why we humans so often fail to take the natural world seriously. As he put it during a 2001 lecture, shortly before his death: “Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, ‘This is an interesting world I find myself in – an interesting hole I find myself in. Fits me rather neatly, doesn’t it? […] Must have been made to have me in it!’”

As the sun rises and the air warms, the puddle shrinks. But it remains convinced the world – its hole – was designed specifically for it, even as it finally disappears altogether.

Adams believed we behave much like that puddle, comfortably assuming the world was made with us in mind. But he warned this was a dangerous delusion and that unless we recognise that human civilization depends on biodiversity ‘we will continue to destroy it in the way we’ve been destroying it, because we think we can do no harm’.

8 January 2026

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: Invitations out to new Dorset summit on recycling waste

Anyone interested in promoting a circular economy in Dorset by reducing waste is being invited to a brand new event taking place in Dorchester next week.

The first Litter Free Dorset Summit 2026 – on Wednesday 14th January at the Shire Hall Museum in central Dorchester – is aimed at ‘bringing together environmentalists, local authorities, community groups and organisations to share ideas and skills, make new connections, and find real solutions to the environmental challenges we face.’

The donation only day-long event, organised by Dorset Climate Action Network, includes a range of expert speakers and interactive workshops to ‘explore implementing circular economy solutions in Dorset.’

If you are interested in attending, you can book your tickets via Eventbrite where there are also details of the speakers, how to get there, parking information and timings. For information on the venue see Shire Hall Museum.

6 January 2026

Shaftesbury is one of Dorset’s top ‘climate active’ town councils

Following in the footsteps of Exmouth Town Council – voted star council climate responder of the year by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) – Shaftesbury has now been named one of the top town councils in Dorset for its response to the climate and nature crisis.

Dorset Climate Action Network has listed it in the top four in Dorset with Bridport, Weymouth and Dorchester Town Councils, along with Green and Healthy Frome in Somerset.

More details on the award to Exmouth Town Council are at: Exmouth Town Council wins a NALC Star Council Award for Climate Response of the Year

How local councils across Britain are responding to the climate and nature crisis

18 December 2025

Dorset cabinet approves publication of county’s first Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Dorset Council’s cabinet this week (9 Dec) approved its eagerly-awaited Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for publication ‘recognising its role as a statutory framework for nature recovery across the county.’

Cabinet also agreed to integrate the LNRS into relevant council policies and decision-making, including planning, land management, climate adaptation, and public health and support the ongoing delivery of the LNRS.

Introduced by council leader and cabinet member for climate, performance and safeguarding at Dorset Council, Cllr Nick Ireland, the cabinet said it ‘acknowledged and thanked the contributions from stakeholders, including BCP Council, Natural England, community groups, farmers, landowners and residents, in shaping the strategy through the development and consultation phase.’

It added its reason for the decision is to ‘ensure Dorset Council complies with DEFRA requirements under the Environment Act 2021 by adopting and integrating the Local Nature Recovery Strategy as a statutory framework. This approach supported the reversal of biodiversity decline, strengthen climate resilience, and guide sustainable land use across the county.’

Links to the relevant documents:

Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy   PDF 306 KB

Additional documents:

Appendix 1 Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy Dec 2025 , item 8.  PDF 59 MB

Appendix 3 Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy December 2025 , item 8.  PDF 86 KB

Appendix 4 Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy EqIA – , item 8.  PDF 170 KB

12 December 2025

Public invited to comment on the draft Shaftesbury Neighbourhood Plan

Dorset Council is inviting anyone who lives, works or runs a business in Shaftesbury to submit comments on the revised draft Shaftesbury Neighbourhood Plan. The plan is now out for public consultation until Friday 30 January 2026.

Shaftesbury Town Council has been reviewing its Neighbourhood Plan and has now submitted a revised version for examination. This comes four and a half years after the original Shaftesbury Neighbourhood Plan was adopted.

The plan has been reviewed by local people, and agreed by the town council, who feel confident that the updated plan continues to reflect the hopes and views of the local community.

Neighbourhood plans were introduced in the Localism Act 2011 and aim to give residents more say in the future use of land and buildings in their area. For example, the plan can say where new homes, shops or offices might be built, or where important green spaces might be protected. Neighbourhood plans, like all planning documents, benefit from being reviewed from time to time to ensure they are still relevant and continue to meet local needs.

If the neighbourhood plan review is approved following examination, it will be used to make decisions on planning applications.

Dorset Council is required to consult on the plan review before the examination can take place.

People who live, work or run a business in Shaftesbury have until Friday 30 January 2026 to submit comments regarding the revised neighbourhood plan. The plan and any comments received to the consultation will then be passed on to an independent examiner to consider.

Cllr Shane Bartlett, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:

“It takes a tremendous amount of work to create a Neighbourhood Plan. It takes even more commitment to review a neighbourhood plan once the first one is adopted. I congratulate all involved for their ongoing hard work.“Neighbourhood plans give local communities a real say in how their area should change over time. I would therefore encourage anyone with an interest in the future development of Shaftesbury to view the proposed changes to the neighbourhood plan and submit any feedback they may have.”

The plan can be viewed online

The website can also be used for submitting comments.

Copies of the draft neighbourhood plan will also be available for public inspection at Shaftesbury library during opening hours (telephone: 01747 852256).

Anyone commenting on the plan should let the council know if they wish to be kept informed of the progress of the revised Shaftesbury Neighbourhood Plan.

Shaftesbury Neighbourhood Plan PDF

12 December 2025

Government publishes vital new Environmental Improvement Plan

The Government’s long-awaited latest plan to improve the natural environment and everyone’s enjoyment of it has now been published and SuSAC will be studying its implications for the local area in the new year.

Through 10 goals to restore nature, the new Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) – launched on 1 December through the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) – sets out how the goals will be delivered by government and what it calls its ‘delivery partners’, including landowners, farmers, businesses, communities and individuals.

The 10 goals are:
• Restore nature
• Air
• Water
• Chemicals and pesticides
• Waste
• Resources
• Climate change
• Reducing environmental hazards
• Biosecurity
• Access to nature

The EIP is not a consultation document but ecology and environmental groups are now being encouraged to say what they think of it and SuSAC will be examining it in more detail for the town council in the new year.

Environmental Improvement Plan PDF

11 December 2025

Cabinet adopts important management plans for both Dorset’s National Landscapes

Dorset Council’s cabinet has adopted the latest management plans for both the Dorset and Cranborne Chase National Landscape areas – formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The Cranborne Chase NL area is particularly important for Shaftesbury because it surrounds the town along its eastern and northern boundary. As the area straddles the Dorset/Wiltshire boundary the plan is a joint partnership plan between Dorset and Wiltshire councils.

The cabinet said its decision, on 9 December, was made ‘to ensure that the statutory responsibilities in relation to the National Landscapes were met.’

It said: ‘Section 89 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 required the council to, ‘prepare and publish a Management Plan which formulates [their] policy for the management of the AONB and for carrying out of their functions in relation to it.

‘Adoption of the management plans prepared by each National Landscape, for and on behalf of the local authorities that fall within the protected areas, helped to fulfil this part of the requirement.’

Links to relevant documents:
Dorset National Landscape Management Plan 2026-31 PDF 297 KB

Additional documents:
Appendix 1 Draft Strategy PDF 3 MB
Appendix 2 Accessible Table of Impacts and Table of Recommendations , PDF 90 KB
Appendix 3 2025-11 EqIA Dorset NL Mgt Plan review PDF 360 KB

Adoption of the Cranborne Chase National Landscape Management Plan PDF 407 KB

Additional documents:
Appendix 2 Cranborne Chase National Landscape Partnership Plan. PDF 1 MB

9 December 2025

For older posts go to Sustainable Shaftesbury Archived News

Sustainable Shaftesbury Advisory Committee (SuSAC) is a formal committee of Shaftesbury Town Council that operates through a series of working groups. It meets monthly and its meetings are open to the general public.

Upcoming meeting dates, along with the minutes from past meetings are available on the Sustainable Shaftesbury Advisory Committee (SuSAC) page.

SuSAC Terms of Reference

SuSAC working groups

The working groups are now reviewing their relevant parts of the Sustainable Shaftesbury Action Plan 2024-2031. Please contact the named leads c/o Shaftesbury Town Hall if you have your own suggestions for improvements. (Nov 2025).

Biodiversity/Nature Friendly Town/Orchard Town: Amber Harrison (co-lead), Jen Hirsch (co-lead), Lucy Young, Mike Cummings, Bernard Ede, Joe Hashman, Sue Clifford, Angela King, Gideon King, John Nelson, Christina Strickland,  Richard Thomas

Green Wheel sub-group: Sue Clifford (co-lead), Angela King (co-lead), Mike Cummings, Bernard Ede, John Nelson, Christina Strickland, Richard Thomas, Lucy Young

Circular economy: In partnership with Shaftesbury & District Chamber of Commerce.

Clean air & dark skies: Vacant

Food: Lucy Young (lead)

Energy & retrofitting: Jennifer Morisetti (lead), Richard Thomas

Health & wellbeing: Vacant

Local transport & footpaths: John Nelson (lead), Joe Hashman (Shaftesbury Rights of Way volunteer warden)

Planning: Mike Cummings (lead), Bernard Ede, Chris Maude, Richard Thomas

Waste & recycling: Vacant

Water (rivers, streams and ponds): Mike Cummings (lead), John Nelson

Community worksheds: Cllr Lester Dibben (lead)

All working group leads welcome input from anyone in the community with an interest in the subject who would like to help develop ideas and make positive things happen. Contact is c/o the Town Hall office@shaftesbury-tc.gov.uk

Partners of Sustainable Shaftesbury: Butterfly Conservation, Cranborne Chase National Landscape, Dorset Wildlife Trust, National Trust in Dorset, Dorset CPRE, Dorset Climate Action Network, Great Big Dorset Hedge Project, Hilltop Litter Pickers, Planet Shaftesbury, Shaftesbury Arts & Culture Advisory Committee, Shaftesbury Home Grown, Shaftesbury Neighbourhood Plan Advisory Committee, Shaftesbury Tree Group.