Following their move to Bournemouth in the 19^th century Miss Georgina Charlotte Talbot and Miss Mary Anne Talbot bought an estate which included six farms, 16 cottages, seven almshouses, a school and a church.

The estate was to become the Talbot Village Trust, and the gradual sale of the farms over the years has enabled £1 million a year to be given to deserving causes.

However, controversy now rages as the trust has submitted a planning application to BCP Council to change the status of the farm to a Heathland Support Area.

Under the Poole Local Plan, Talbot Village Trust can only allow development on this land once it is an HSA. If this is granted it would be a precursor to ambitions for Nuffield Health to build a hospital on the land.

Kerry Batcock, who launched a petition against the plans – which has received thousands of signatures – said: “The Nuffield Health hospital plan also contains a four-storey car park, and involves more than 1,700 staff. This would impact not only this area but increase pollution and congestion on nearby roads. There are three primary schools in this area which benefit from this space, and whose pupils travel to and from schools along the farm and heathland and along Wallisdown Road which is right by Bournemouth University and already suffers from a great deal of congestion.”

Hundreds of objections have been received by BCP’s planning office.

In 2010, a Preserve Talbot Heath Facebook Group was set up to help campaign against a previous planning application to build houses on Highmoor Farm culminating in 2012 with the then Secretary of State rejecting the application.

Nick Dobbs, a naturalist and volunteer licensed herpetologist who has been conducting detailed surveys of Talbot Heath since 2014 is administrator for the Facebook group. He said: “One doesn’t need to be an ecologist or Natural England to realise it will be impossible to mitigate against 1,780 workers commuting daily to Highmoor Farm. Not only will we losing the wonderful pastoral scenes of the last working farm in Poole – Highmoor Farm – it will also spell disaster for Talbot Heath, one of BCP Council’s flagship SSSI nature reserves brimming with rare and protected wildlife. The potential footfall is 10 times what Talbot Heath experiences daily today.”

He added that, to date, 89 bird species (many red listed), 26 butterfly species, 21 dragonfly/damselfly species, eight bat species and five of the six native reptile species have been recorded in the environs of Highmoor Farm and Talbot Heath. Talbot Heath is a Special Site of Scientific Interest as is designated for four keystone species – Dartford Warbler, nightjar, sand lizard and smooth snake.

Talbot Village Trust issued a statement at the beginning of February, which reads:

“Land owned by The Talbot Village Trust is proposed for new economic development in the adopted Poole Local Plan 2018 (at Policy PP21) and has also been identified as a key site within the emerging BCP Local Plan for important economic development at a new Innovation Quarter.

“Proposals for the Innovation Quarter are therefore a central aspect of future planned economic growth in south east Dorset and could be home to some of the UK’s most exciting and progressive industries including much needed healthcare provision.

“Talbot Village Trust places the utmost importance in protecting the surrounding

heathland and is committed to delivering a development that enhances important local habitats and delivers biodiversity net-gain.

“A crucial element of new development in this location will therefore be a new

Heathland Support Area to help divert recreational pressures from Talbot Heath.

“Plans for the other elements of the proposed development are at an early stage and the trust is committed to ensuring that the local community in Wallisdown and Talbot Village and the wider area are involved at the heart of discussions to bring forward plans for an exciting new Innovation Quarter.

“Whilst the proposals are at a very early stage, Talbot Village Trust is at an advanced stage of negotiations with Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity, to bring forward a new hospital as part of the Innovation Quarter proposals. The provision of a Nuffield Health facility at part of the Innovation Quarter represents a key anchor occupier to begin delivery of the wider vision and would greatly improve healthcare provision in the BCP area and create many new local jobs.”

The petition is available at: https://www.change.org/p/talbot-village-trust-stop-the-destruction-of-the-last-remaining-farmland-on-talbot-heath-poole

 

Correction to report above:

Representatives of Nuffield Hospital would like to correct information put forward by organisers of the petition against plans for land at Talbot Village.

The petitioner stated that the Nuffield Hospital plan contains a four-storey car park and would involve more than 1,700 staff.

However, the representatives say that at present there is not an application available for public use and there are no plans for a multi-storey car park. The number of jobs the new hospital will offer is still to be decided.

They add they are nearing the stage where they will be able to share their plans.

Correction made 7 March 2022. Editor