Timeline

Welcome to the second Black Eight Newsletter.

• Yarlington Manor Farm

Further to the site meeting in September we sent a detailed letter of objection to all interested parties, including planners.  Although the proposal still remains at a pre-planning stage, our intention is to make everyone, particularly those making any decisions about the plans, aware of the unwarranted nature of the proposals. 

We believe there is no overwhelming agricultural business requirement for the new farm and are in consultation with experts to provide evidence to support our case. 

• Lily Farm, Shepton Montague

This planning proposal from Emily Estate has been rejected by Shepton Montague Parish Council on grounds regarding flood prevention, but opposition this development is more wide-ranging.

Heritage groups are opposing the development of the farm which includes the Grade 2 listed farmhouse. 

The CPRE has written to object on the grounds of Local Plan Policy EP5: Farm Diversification which states that any diversification of farm business would require ‘delicate management’.  It is the CRPE’s view (and ours) that developing Lily farm as a concentrated group of holiday lets contravenes the requirement for delicate management of buildings in a small village such as Shepton Montague.

Why is opposition to Lily Farm important? 

The development of holiday lets appears to be an increasing element in Emily Estate’s plans.  Building holiday lets reduces the number of residential properties for locals and the inevitable diminution of villages and rural life in the communities surrounding The Newt.

If Lily Farm can be blocked, it will increase the chances of stopping the re-development of Yarlington Manor and the building of the New Manor Farm on Black Eight Acres. 

• Co-ordination between Parish Councils

At a meeting of Pitcombe Parish Council on 14^th November, agreement was reached on greater co-operation and sharing of information between the Parish Councils of Pitcombe, Shepton Montague and North Cadbury with regard to planning applications from Emily Estate. 

This is a welcome development as planning applications in one parish often have a great effect on neighbouring parishes.  The bridge above Avalon Farm is a prime example.  Although it is in the parish of Pitcombe, the bridge is most impactful on the residents of Galhampton.

• Community Liasion Officer & Village Steward

The Newt has advertised for the above positions to improve communication with local groups.  We hope that this will prove to be a positive step towards engagement with the community and we will work to ensure that there is genuine co-operation, with the good health of local rural life at its core.

With The Newt’s PR machine continuing to produce reams of manicured words and pictures to paint their self-congratulatory vision of a bucolic heaven on earth, it is important that we remain committed to getting the message out that a lot of this development is having a negative effect on local life and is not as sustainable and regenerative as they would have its readers believe.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year

From all of us at Black Eight

A lot of effort has been put into writing the letter below which has been sent to Koos Bekker, the Planning Council members and the Parish Council. Please have a look.
(click here or on the letter below to open the full version and the detailed appendix is here)

The following letter has been sent to our MP, Sarah Dyke.
(click on the letter to open the full version)

Have a look at the habitat and wildlife survey of Sleight Lane Copse and the surrounding area.

The following letter was sent to the Planners on 4th October 2023 with 122 signatories.

We now have a mailing list that anyone can sign up to for news and updates. Please sign up here.

My name is Louis Critchley, I’m twenty years old and I have lived in this village {Yarlington} since I was born.

I’d like to preface this by making it clear that I don’t intend on using this platform as a soapbox to preach against “the evils of advancement”. In fact, quite the contrary; as someone from the next generation, I can appreciate more than anyone how important it is for the world around us to be constantly developing – if it weren’t for such a thing, we’d still believe that the sun revolves around the earth and birds transform into frogs for the winter season.

However, I cannot help but look upon some of the Newt’s future plans for development and feel a deep concern for what might be lost in the process. That being, while it may sound dramatic, the soul of Somerset. I mean this not in a spiritual, nor a metaphysical sense. Rather, it is something that can be found in every house, person and story in this place.

I fondly recall walking through the fields by our house with my father, traversing various routes that we had laid out ourselves. A particular landmark of note was a tall tree atop a hill adjacent to us. It was called “The Dragon Tree”. You wouldn’t find it on any map or signpost; it was a name exclusive to us yet, nonetheless, was of immense value. I mention this particular anecdote to show that everything here, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, has a story. I speak not only for myself; I’m certain that everyone in this room can think of at least one place that’s uniquely special to them, a place that no one told you was special, but simply was.

It’s upon returning during the breaks from Drama School that I realise what a privilege it is to be able to say this, and how many places in the urban landscape seem to have a need to dictate what is “special” to us. I think of a particular theme park near my place of study called “Adventure Island”. This name, unfortunately, is tragically misleading, the only ‘adventure’ to be found there being a rickety old merry go round and a used crack pipe in the kiddie pool. This is not to say by any means that the Newt is, or will, provide this kind of experience. I’ve actually enjoyed quite a few of the installations you’ve had to offer. However, the more you expand, the more so-called ‘empty space’ you fill up, the less room there will be for places like The Dragon Tree to exist. In the last year, I’ve had to avoid these places, including the tree, out of fear of being reprimanded by Newt staff. What was once an expression of the ultimate freedom of the countryside has suddenly become something that feels prohibited and wrong.

But it’s not just the places that are being affected (although I must ask, do you really need another farm in this area?), but also the community. Such wonderful events, such as the Yarlington Fringe which was hugely successful this year, or the fortnightly pub quizzes, were not brought about by a corporate need to attract more visitors, but by individuals who wanted to give back to the community and deliver something magical.

This is how the soul of Somerset is kept alive. This village was not made special because somebody put up a sign saying it was. It was made special by us, the people. So I implore you, in whatever future plans you make, to keep this in mind. Work with us, not against us. I hope that when my hair is grey and thin, and my teeth are yellow and crooked, that the family I raise here will still be able to explore as I once did and create many of their own special stories.

Emily Estates have now marked out the Proposed New Farm Site with posts. On Thursday 7th September @ 6.00 – 7.30 pm we are invited to visit the site should we wish to do so. Emily Estate staff will be on the site to explain each of the building’s as well as talk about the landscaping and answer any other questions. The different buildings will be roped so it will be easier to see the size and location of each.
To make access easier for some, a tractor tour trailer that holds 22 people will travel to and from from the Stag’s Head pub car park . The last trailer will leave the pub car park at 7.00pm. People are also invited to walk should they wish to do so.

Have a look at the video that was presented in the meeting at Galhampton Village Hall on 4th June 2023.