A TEMPORARY car park could be brought into use for the village hall at Chideock for the first time.

An application has been lodged with Dorset Council for permission to use a site north west of Collins Court, off the Main Street.  It asks for temporary permission for use as a car park with fencing, lighting and a gate.

The application says that the parking would be for exclusive use of people using the hall and, if agreed, will see a new gate installed and fencing to separate the car park from the rest of the field, with low level LED lighting added for safety reasons. The field already has a dropped kerb access.

Access to and from the proposed car park would be between Willens Cottage and the Betchworth House car park.

Existing parking for the hall is limited – according to the application, with users having to park on the A35 alongside the hall, which can obstruct traffic, or on North Road some 200 metres away and then having to walk on the road which, in part, does not have a footpath. It also means having to cross the main road. The other alternative is the village car park at Fosse Orchard, 300 metres away, where parking is limited and also results in crossing the main road.

The proposed temporary car park, if approved, will use part of a field offered on a 20-year lease by its owner Mr Howard Coates of Chideock Manor. The site is only 100 metres from the hall and could provide room for more than 30 vehicles and has the advantage of a continuous pavement and with no need to cross the A35.