We now have a new live streaming webcam which is located under Swanage Pier. The webcam has been provided by Divers Down Swanage who are based on the pier. Visit their website on http://www.diversdownswanage.co.uk/ or visit the updated webcam page on http://www.virtual-swanage.co.uk/gallery/webcam.aspx
Swanage will be re-connected to the national rail network, restoring a link broken almost 40 years ago.
The Swanage Railway Trust had to raise £3m so Network Rail can connect the Swanage line to the main network for the first time since 1972.
Purbeck District Council announced its support on Thursday a week after Dorset County Council gave its backing. The funding is needed for re-signalling of the Wareham to Swanage branch line at Worgret Junction
Source http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-10810290
Members of Dorset County Council have agreed to change the school system in Purbeck from three- to two-tier.
Since 2008, the county council has been carrying out a review of schools in the area to tackle 1250 surplus places and improve standards. Following a series of public consultations, statutory notices were published in May to close the four middle schools, expand the 13 first schools into primaries and expand the Purbeck School to become an 11-18 school.
And at a meeting of Dorset County Council today, by a large majority, members voted in favour of the proposals.
Source : http://www.purbeckgazette.com/news/info.aspx?f=218
We will be updating the website to use a new domain name over the following months, the virtual swanage domains will still work as before but http://www.virtual-swanage.co.uk/ will be the main domain name for the website.
Source BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/10545727.stm
Plans to build thousands of homes on green belt land in Dorset have been shelved. The previous government wanted to build 5,150 properties in Purbeck by 2026. Of them 2,750 were proposed for the green belt around Lytchett Matravers, Lytchett Minster and Upton as an extension of Poole into Purbeck. However on Tuesday ministers confirmed quotas for new homes had been scrapped. Residents and Purbeck District Council had opposed the plans.
We have updated the gallery with 4 new photos of the Peppercorn A1 class No. 60163 Tornado steam train visiting Swanage Station.
http://www.virtual-swanage.co.uk/gallery/searchthumbs.aspx?qu=11&tp=ca
We have updated the panoramic tours page with a couple of new tours and a new interactive map and tours list so you can see where each tour was taken from.
http://www.virtual-swanage.co.uk/gallery/pan/default.aspx
Residents of Dorset's Isle of Purbeck are being urged to give their views about where 620 new homes should be built.
The developments will extend the towns and villages of Swanage, Wareham, Upton, Bere Regis, Lytchett Matravers and Wool.
Purbeck District Council said it had a commitment to build 2,400 new homes, including affordable housing, by 2026.
But this could mean building on greenbelt land, it said. Leaflets will be sent to homes in the area throughout early June and the consultation will run until 30 July.
Source BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/8712703.stm
It appears that some people are spreading rumours that Virtual Swanage is run by members of the town’s council or by the owners of other local online forums.
We can assure you that the town council have no control over the site and the only dealings we have had with the council in the past was a legal threat over our webcam which is located in the town by a former member of the town hall staff.
This site has always been run and maintained by the team at Apexweb since its launch in 1996.
After going down to Peveril Point last night I saw there are new signs on all the lamp posts saying that you can no longer park on the sides of the road unless you have a permit and you need to contact Alan Leeson at the town hall.
As these “signs” are just bits of paper taped to the lamp posts does anyone know if there are official parking restrictions in place or have the residents put them up?
