The Week In - Issue 800 - 27th September 2023

THE WEEK IN East Bristol & North East Somerset Issue 800

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27th September 2023

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Lorry driver downed bottle of whisky before his journey of destruction An intoxicated lorry driver who hit the railway bridge by

was that drivers must sign to say they are fit to drive and he

Bitton Station and then carried on his journey for five

had done so.

minutes, colliding with other vehicles and causing

The prosecution said the case was aggravated by the fact that

extensive damage along the way, has received a suspended

Nolder was driving the lorry for commercial purposes and

jail sentence.

vulnerable road users had been put at risk, including children

Bristol Crown Court heard that Matthew Nolder, from Yate,

in cars that he had collided with.

had drunk a 35cl bottle of whisky and was “oblivious” to the

Nolder’s defence counsel said Nolder was “deeply remorseful

trail of debris he was causing, ignoring desperate attempts by

and ashamed”. She urged that a custodial sentence be

other road users to get him to stop.

suspended as he has the prospect of rehabilitation, has been

Video footage from the late afternoon of 6th December 2022

going to AA meetings since January, found temporary work,

was played to the court last Tuesday, including of the moment

and has the motivation to get his life back on track. She also

when the truck hit the low bridge at Bath Road. Nolder, 51,

said his family were reliant on his income.

could be seen being propelled upwards by the impact.

Passing sentence, Judge Macmillan, who had read a pre-

undergo a rehabilitation activity of up to five days.

He eventually brought his badly damaged vehicle to a halt in

sentencing report about his case, told Nolder he had caused

At the hearing at the magistrates’ court last month, Nolder

Oldland Common High Street, later saying he had been trying

a great deal of distress and fear. He had ignored the warnings

was disqualified from driving with immediate effect, but it

to find a safe place to pull over. Police detected the smell of

of other road users about the carnage he was causing.

was nonetheless more than eight months after the offence.

alcohol and a test revealed 80 microgrammes of alcohol per

She noted that after 14 years of abstinence he had relapsed

Last Tuesday the judge ruled that the ban would be for 24

100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

during the pandemic and that the incident he was before the

months and told Nolder that he will have to take an extended

Nolder, who worked for Keynsham haulage firm I J McGill

court for had cost him highly in terms of relationships. She

driving re-test before getting behind the wheel again.

and had no previous convictions, appeared at Crown Court

said he had shown “clear, genuine remorse and shame” and

She wished him the best going forward and was “confident

for sentencing, having pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates’

taken steps to address his relapse to alcohol.

this will be the last time we will see you in court”.

Court last month to one count of dangerous driving.

The judge imposed a 14-month jail term, suspended for two

The court heard that I J McGill’s insurers had dealt with the

The prosecutor told the judge that it had been 10 days too late

years, saying immediate custody would have a significant

complaints of damage caused by Nolder. The firm has not

for a charge of drink-driving to be brought against Nolder,

impact on his family. Holder’s sentence also includes 200

responded to our request for a comment following the

even though he had admitted that he had downed a bottle of

hours of unpaid work over 12 months. There is also a 120-

sentencing.

whisky before driving. She said company policy at I J McGill

day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement and he must

Also in this week’s issue

Pair from Keynsham among six sentenced over drug network . . . page 3

Latest twist in Keynsham cycle lane saga . . . pages 4&5

The badly damaged lorry

Three local stores close as CM3 chain goes bust . . . page 10

Picture credit: Chris Lacey

See also page 3

Emersons Green man fined over Kingswood fly-tip . . . page 11

2

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

County lines drug network dismantled as six are convicted Six people, including two from Keynsham, have been

estimated street value of over £38,000, as well as large knives

two counts of being in possession of criminal property and

sentenced after a county lines drug network was

and an estimated £15,000 cash.

one count of dangerous driving.

dismantled.

The lengthy investigation has now resulted in six people

Five others have also been sentenced in recent months, after

During County Lines Intensification Week in October last

being sentenced, with the last defendant being jailed at a

admitting charges of being concerned in the supply of heroin

year, five simultaneous warrants were carried out at

hearing last Tuesday. Courtney Tanner-Mulholland, 18, of

and crack cocaine. They were:

properties in Keynsham and Bath. Officers made arrests and

Keynsham, got five years after pleading guilty to charges of

Jamaal Newman, 19, of Hercules Way, Keynsham, who was

seized quantities of heroin and crack cocaine with an

being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine,

sentenced to two-and-a-half years in a young offenders’ detention centre.

Lubabalo Hale, 20, of no fixed address, who was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

Oliver Lynes, 20, of Beckford Gardens, Bathwick, who was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also given a curfew, ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and to complete a 30-day rehabilitation activity order.

Sylvia Bearman, 38, of Shaws Way, Twerton, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

She was also given a nine-month rehabilitation order requirement.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was sentenced to a two-year detention order in a young offenders’ centre.

Newman, Hale and Lynes had also admitted an offence of being in possession of criminal property, while the 17-yearold admitted two counts of the same offence.

Clockwise starting in top left, Sylvia Bearman, Jamaal Newman, Courtney Tanner-Mulholland, Oliver Lynes & Lubabalo Hale

Investigating officer PC James Abbott said: “These are predominantly young people with their lives ahead of them, who’ve been influenced by the false and harmful ‘kudos’ of

Blunder blamed for no drink-drive charge

dealing class A drugs for cash.

Lorry driver Matthew Nolder was not charged with

intelligence, so we can work with the public to make our

drink-driving because of an administration blunder by

neighbourhoods a hostile place for these networks to operate

the police, we can reveal.

in.”

“We’ll continue working hard to gather and act on

The charge should have been formally put to the former I J McGill driver within six months, but it wasn’t.

Avon & Somerset Police issued a statement this week in which they said: “Charges which are summary only offences, such as drink-driving, have a set period in which the charge needs to be formally put to the suspect.

“On this occasion, there was an administrative error which meant the specified time period had lapsed, so the defendant could not be charged with this specific

Bristol Crown Court

offence.

“He was subsequently charged with a more serious

sentence of two years in prison, compared to a maximum

charge of dangerous driving, which carries a higher maximum

sentence of six months’ imprisonment for drink-driving.”

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

3

Latest twist in cycle lane saga The ongoing saga of Keynsham High Street’s cycle lane has taken a new twist.

The six councillors who represent Keynsham on Bath & North East Somerset Council had submitted a motion to Thursday’s full council meeting, demanding action to tackle the hazards of the cycle lane and warning that any further “cosmetic changes” would not stop falls and injuries. However, they withdrew it before the meeting.

Since last March, Cllr Hal MacFie when the redesigned

THE WEEK IN Barrs Court, Bitton, Brislington, Cadbury Heath, Compton Dando, Corston, Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Hanham, Hillfields, Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Marksbury, North Common, Oldland Common, Pucklechurch, Saltford, Staple Hill, Stockwood, St George, Warmley, Whitchurch, Wick, Willsbridge.

High Street opened with a one-way system and contraflow cycle lane, reports began coming in of pedestrians falling.

People have fractured bones, received head and facial injuries, lost teeth and suffered significant bruising. As of last month, the official casualty count was 76 although the six councillors say there are many more victims who have not reported it.

Thursday’s cross-party motion, which was compiled by Cllr Hal MacFie, called for the cycle lane kerb and islands to go, and for the pavement kerb to be raised. But the ruling Lib Dem administration proposed an amendment, which the six councillors were unhappy with. In a joint statement they said: “We have received a proposed amendment which is not acceptable to us but does contain some specific criticisms that need to be addressed.”

The councillors acknowledged that the council’s latest safety review has not yet been published and they have not been told the proposed actions nor the costs.

They said they had decided to withdraw the motion and collect the evidence required with the intention to bring it forward at the next council meeting in November. “We regret this course of action as the issue remains unresolved, but we are confident that the new motion will have much

broader support.”

Of the six councillors, four are Lib Dem - Andy Wait, Alex Beaumont and George Leach, as well as Cllr MacFie; David Biddleston is a Labour member and Cllr Alan Hale is a Conservative, as well as the council’s member advocate for road safety. In a separate press release, Cllr Hale said that approaches to the administration to date to deal with the cycle lane hazards had proved “fruitless”.

He said that the administration’s amendment to the motion was “obviously aimed at using their majority in the chamber to crush the motion and prevent it being discussed again within six months”.

Cllr Hale continued: “The cost of work to remove the problem comes up but I agree with the view of my group leader, Cllr Tim Warren CBE, that money should be found by stopping other remedial or development work to resolve this very real problem. The administration has found circa £10m to install a ring of steel in the city of Bath to protect it from terrorist activity, albeit that protection is only between 10am and 6pm.

“It concerns me that someone who is frail and elderly is going to fall over the kerbs in our town and die, and despite the protestations of the administration that the cycle lane, etc. is built to regulations, they have been told of the concerns and the casualties on numerous occasions and done nothing.”

There is an online petition at https://chng.it/HfLVnj8g6r See Letters, page 8

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The Week In Community Ltd, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham. BS31 1HA 0117 986 0381. www.theweekin.co.uk ISSN: 2052-9767 Publisher Editor Contributors

Stephen Rodgers admin@theweekin.co.uk Becky Feather 07403 273967 Christine Rogers

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4

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

‘Residents must be protected from further harm’ A motion brought by Labour members of Keynsham Town Council to put pressure on Bath & North East Somerset Council to sort out the cycle lane issue once and for all was unanimously passed last week.

In a statement Cllr Dave Biddleston, who is both a town and B&NES ward councillor, highlighted “a significant danger” of constituents losing every confidence in B&NES Council and its ability to protect them from harm. “As a town council, and a separate body, we must ensure that everything that can be done is done to protect our residents from further harm. The ethical consideration of this situation should be clear and paramount and our only consideration.”

He continued: “The considered response from B&NES officers and the administration has been that the road has been built to safety standards and according to law, but this seems ludicrously at odds with the injuries sustained.”

He said B&NES needs to remove the central raised area “before they are further shamed as a council with more bruised and broken residents”.

• Cllr Biddleston has told The Week In that it is time to pedestrianise the High Street. He acknowledged it would be inconvenient for some “but will create a more beautiful area that people can be happy to visit and spend money and be safe”.

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

5

6

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

Difficult choices on buses It was standing room only in Keynsham when more than 100 people responded to the invitation from Metro Mayor Dan Norris to discuss the future of tax-funded local bus services.

The event at St John’s Church Hall last Monday night was the latest in a series of public events across the region and follows on from the Mayor’s ‘Big choices’ meetings which he hosted during the summer of 2022.

Around 20% of our bus services are subsidised, paid for by residents through their council tax and handed over by the three local councils to the West of England Combined Authority (the local transport authority) through a levy. With cash-strapped councils under pressure from several other directions, the levy has not kept pace with inflation and this has resulted in a number of ‘lifeline’ bus services being axed in the last 18 months.

Mayor Norris explained that discussions he has about subsidised bus services are usually with council leaders or his own transport staff but he wanted to hear directly from the people who rely on those buses. He warned that without more money, difficult choices lay ahead and it is important that those decisions are taken based on strong evidence.

“I’m prepared to make difficult decisions but I want to be transparent and honest about how it is,” he told the packed room.

The audience was then split into groups and asked to prioritise a series of questions and statements about bus services while adding comments and suggestions of their own. The Mayor said he thought the chances of more money for buses coming from the councils via council tax are slim so the region needs to gather more hard evidence of the needs if it wants to make the case to Government.

A full house at St John's Church Hall

Make your voice heard before A4 Bath to Bristol consultation ends With the consultation on proposals for the A4 Bath to Bristol closing on Sunday (1st October), over 200 people attended a public meeting in Saltford Hall on Saturday.

Parish council chair Cllr Jon Godfrey called the turnout “extraordinary” with strong community support for the response his council has already given to the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).

The parish council says WECA’s proposals, which include bus lanes, provide no transport benefit for local residents and there are concerns about safety, congestion and pollution.

Regarding the Saltford section of the route, WECA says there would be safer, easier and more direct options for cyclists and walkers, and faster and more reliable buses but fewer car parking spaces and the loss of some grass verges. There would be

a new one-way bus lane heading towards Bath between Broadmead roundabout and Saltford, and some sections of bus lane could also be created in Saltford. Another proposal is to review traffic signals to see if bus and car delays can be reduced.

Meanwhile a drop-in session was held at The Space in Keynsham on Friday for local people to find out more about the proposals including for the Keynsham bypass where there would be bus lanes both sides, a dedicated route for walking, cycling and wheeling, a crossing, a speed reduction from 70mph to 50mph, and a mobility hub on the edge of Memorial Park.

All feedback and comments will help shape the next design phase. For full details visit https://tinyurl.com/333mhv5r See also pages 8 & 12

Keep in touch, let us know what you think, send us your news www.facebook.com/theweekin

The drop-in session at The Space in Keynsham

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

7

LETTERS designed to manipulate the result, I wonder? Is

buying a few of the cameras and I understand that

Combined Authority and the Metro Mayor need

Dear Becky

‘nothing decided yet’, again I wonder?

they are already being used in some areas.

to listen and get this right.

At the risk of repeating myself, Keynsham High

There are some admirable aims, such as providing

Steve Hicks

Duncan Hounsell

Street claims another victim. What a shocking

a bus stop along the Keynsham bypass, and some

picture you published (Issue 798) of the injuries

additional cycle links. This could be achieved at

sustained by the 90-year-old lady.

a low relative cost with some thought. It does not

This time the culprit was an uneven paving slab

require millions of pounds of our hard-earned

Metro Mayor needs to listen and get this right

and not the ill-fated cycle lane kerbs, although I

money to be spent on a great scheme claiming to

Dear Editor

doubt this is of any comfort to this unfortunate

“cut the jams and reduce pollution” with loads of

The directly elected West of England Combined

lady.

bus lanes, etc.

Authority (WECA) Metro Mayor, Dan Norris, has

In the same issue a letter from R Earle, and from

Currently when I travel by bus, by and large it

sole powers over strategic transport. WECA

RL Harris in Issue 799, both suggest that some

proceeds quite freely most of the time. We all

proposals for travel along the A4, and local roads

falls could be avoided if only we paid more

wish for better air quality. Any sensible person

in Saltford, have produced a strong reaction.

attention to where we are going. I find this very

will spot that restricting traffic only increases

Many residents are concerned about the possible

insulting.

pollution. The claim that these measures will

effects of the proposed changes including the

Perhaps if we all walked with our heads bowed

result in any improvement is questionable when

suggestion to introduce a bus lane on the

looking for trip hazards the problem would be

there is greater congestion caused by the

Keynsham bypass. I hope as many people as

reduced. Of course, not looking at where we are

proposals. There is clear evidence that increased

possible take part in the consultation which closes

going would result in us walking into people, thus

congestion increases nasty emissions.

on

knocking someone over? But hey, you win some,

There must be a better way of spending £500m

www.haveyoursaywest.co.uk

you lose some.

than on fancy proposals and on adverts for

I fully endorse the detailed and reasoned response

our

‘Dan Norris West of England Combined

to the consultation made by Saltford Parish

walkways/pavements should be free of such

Authority’. Why not spend most of it on

Council which can be read on the parish council

hazards, but as always after each reported

additional buses? A more convenient way to

website. The parish council has an excellent track

incident, with this latest one proving particularly

provide your comments is to email directly on

record on environment issues and improving the

painful for the lady concerned, Bath & North East

BathToBristol@WestofEngland-ca.gov.uk

public realm. Its views are significant and need to

Somerset Council remain silent. It’s easier to just

especially for those not computer literate.

be taken seriously.

sit on their hands as usual. I would say

Stephen Peliza

We do need to reduce car journeys and increase

unbelievable, only it’s not!

Keynsham

the use of public transport if we are to get to Net

High Street hazards

Keeping

it

serious

though,

-

1st

October

and

can

be

Let down by Royal Mail Dear Editor

found

at

Zero. I do support the general aim of improving

John Howlett Keynsham

B&NES councillor (Saltford ward)

the efficiency and reliability of the bus service on

I have recently been going through investigations for bowel cancer at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.

Despite the disruption due to severe staff shortages and the very poor response of the Government to correct both this and the below inflation wages, the hospital and staff have been extremely efficient.

However, their efforts have been sadly let down by the pathetic service provided by Royal Mail, who no longer deserve this title.

I was lucky enough to hear a message by telephone today (19th September) asking me to verify I would be able to attend the appointment the next day.

This appointment was sent first class from the hospital by mail on 14th September and despite living only 40 minutes away from the hospital we are still waiting for this to arrive!

Even though there is a major sorting office for the area in Yate and the main sorting office for the region 10 minutes away in Patchway, we still have huge problems with mail delivery.

Mr V McVeigh Yate

Get a speed camera

the A4. This does not mean introducing highway

Dear Becky

changes that are counter-productive, that do not

I read the letter in Issue 799 of The Week In from

take into account local knowledge, and which

a ‘Hanham resident’ regarding speeding in

alienate the public.

Dear Becky

Memorial Road. Although I no longer live in the

There has been communication between officers

Brian Withyman’s communication last week

area, I still take an interest.

at Bath & North East Somerset Council and

regarding the big shake-up of A4 travel raises

I understand that there is a scheme in the South

WECA but, to be clear, B&NES councillors learnt

pertinent comments.

West being run in conjunction with local councils

of the full set of WECA proposals just before the

Going the distance?

Furthermore, if you go to the West of England

which provides very reasonably priced official

consultation launch and local councillors have

Dear Editor

Combined Authority website link, it is very

speed cameras (around £500) that can be fixed to

never had an opportunity to publicly debate or

Understandably, people living in the Chandag

difficult to understand what is proposed and very

street furniture and operate in a similar way to

vote on them.

area in Keynsham are annoyed by the through

difficult to navigate. One is constrained in terms

Community SpeedWatch teams. That is the

B&NES Council is facilitating the consultation

traffic caused by the closing of the Wellsway, but

of what feedback one can give because there are

speeds are monitored and letters sent out by the

exercise, not endorsing WECA’s proposals.

if they did not live on the Chandag estate

fixed responses which limit the consultation

police. These cameras are being made available

I hear there will be a further WECA consultation

themselves, would they, in all integrity, willingly

response.

to any parish council which operates a

in 2024 based on the feedback from the current

travel to The Globe and back from Keynsham to

There is no indication of the cost and there are

Community SpeedWatch scheme.

consultation and the results of the traffic

get onto the Wellsway themselves?

prompted responses suggested. Would all this be

I know that my local parish council is looking into

modelling exercise. The West of England

B Charles

A4 proposals will cause more congestion

8

This letter has been copied to Thornbury & Yate MP Luke Hall, South Gloucestershire Council leader Claire Young, who is also the Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Thornbury & Yate, & the BBC’s Have Your Say

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

Bike project launches new fundraising scheme Warmley Wheelers, the bike project providing cycling opportunities for people with health conditions, supported needs and physical disabilities, has launched a new fundraising campaign.

Due to the current economic climate, several of the project’s annual small grant streams are at risk of being reduced or withdrawn so one solution is the new 50 @ £50 scheme.

Andy Underdown, coordinator of Warmley Wheelers, which is located next to the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, said: “We already have financial support from four local sponsors - Shield Service Group, Keystone Bathrooms, Mark Richard Insurance Brokers and Medigold Health.

We also benefit from support in kind from Jewson’s and N3 Display Graphics.

Interiors, Barrettine, J V Barrett and Co, N3 Display Graphics,

“We are looking to build on that base. The goal is for 50 local

Smart Lawns, Car Wizard, Chipping Sodbury Lions, Warmley

businesses, and perhaps some community-minded individuals,

Park School, Warmley Post Office, Warmley Waiting Room,

to each donate £50. This would make a huge difference to us,

MVS Autos, First Choice Toyota Specialist, FTP racing, Bristol

while hopefully not causing too much financial cost to them.

Rotary Club, and some generous individuals.

Also, as we are a charity, the donation is tax deductible.”

In return for a donation, you will receive a quarterly newsletter.

Warmley Wheelers has already started to roll out the scheme and

Contact Andy Underdown on 07587 034366 or email

has announced support so far from the following: Avent

warmleywheelers@milestonestrsust.org.uk

Solar panels for leisure club David Lloyd Leisure Club has been given the go-ahead by

ambitious carbon reduction plans and the locally generated

South Gloucestershire Council to install 520 roof-mounted

renewable electricity will be used at the site to help power

solar panels at its centre in Willowherb Road, Emersons

operations and reduce costs. The panels are designed to absorb

Green.

light, not reflect it, and will be finished with an anti-glare

The application seeking prior approval said the company has

coating.

Sudoku 1-Easy

SUNDAY CHEMISTS Sunday 1st October

2 -Hard

Boots, Gallagher Retail Park, Longwell Green (10.30am-4pm) Asda, Longwell Green (10am-4pm) Keynsham Pharmacy, 15 Station Road, BS31 2BH, (10am-4pm) Tesco, Callington Road, Brislington (10am to 4pm) Morrisons, 688-718 Fishponds Road, Fishponds (10am-4pm) Boots, Avonmeads Retail Park, St Philips Causeway, (11am-5pm)

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

9

Discount chain CM3 goes into liquidation

The Keynsham store

Discount chain CM3 has reportedly gone into

Closure date announced for anchor store

liquidation. It had stores including in

It has been confirmed that Kings Chase Shopping Centre in

Keynsham High Street, Regent Street in

Kingswood will lose one of its anchor stores next month.

Kingswood, and Church Road in Redfield.

Wilko will close for good on Tuesday 3rd October. The

The shops sold products including cards,

discount chain fell into administration in August and

partyware, gifts and DIY items.

following a sale, many of the shelves at the store are already

A message posted on Facebook by CM3 staff

bare.

last Wednesday said: “It is with regret we have

Some Wilko units across the country have been saved by

gone into liquidation. As of today, all our stores

rival discount firms B&M and Poundland, and The Range

are closed. Staff would like to thank each and

has bought the Wilko brand in a reported £5m deal.

every one of our customers for their support over

The shutters will come down at the Union Street branch in

the years.”

Bristol on the same day as the Kingswood branch. The one

Comments on Facebook following the closure

in Clifton closes on Thursday 5th October. The branch at

of the Regent Street store include: “Since last

Avonmeads Retail Park has already closed and the

Christmas we've lost Shaw’s, New Look, Wilko

Bedminster store, which is set to close tomorrow

is closing and now CM3.”

(Thursday), is one of those that will become a Poundland.

Another observed: “We need to support the remaining stores in Kingswood.”

Shanty Sunday

Reaction from customers on social media following the closure

The Port of Bristol Shanty Crew sing shanties for fun

today (Wednesday) just before they were told to leave. It’s so

whilst raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust and

sad.”

have raised well over £18,000 since last summer.

Another said: “It was a little gem of a shop for Keynsham.

A shanty afternoon with a number of other local groups is

Thank you to the staff who worked there.”

of the Keynsham store included: “The staff were literally told

taking place at The Boathouse at Newbridge this Sunday (1st October) from 12.30pm to 6.30pm.

Find out more about the crew at

Keep in touch, let us know what you think, send us your news

https://pobshantycrew.co.uk/

www.facebook.com/theweekin

Crossword

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Midwest US state (9)

1. Artificial hair (3)

6. Hat (3)

3. Augury (4)

8. Female deity (7)

4. Female sibling (6)

9. Big (5)

5. African river (4)

10. Financial

6. Cut back (7)

institution (4)

7. Before long (9)

11. Affirmative (3)

10. Spectator (9)

13. Curse (4)

11. Alpine call (5)

14. Value (5)

12. Cooker (5)

16. Holy (6)

14. Sebaceous cyst (3)

18. Market for goods (6)

15. Tint (3)

19. Audacity (5) 21. Distant (4) 22. Untruth (3) 23. Pale (4) 27. Lament (5)

The Kings Chase branch

2. Portable chair (5)

17. Vexation (7) 20. Cutting tool (6) 24. Playground item (5) 25. Join metal (4) 26. Perceive sound (4) 29. Consume (3)

28. Barren (7) 30. Move quickly (3) 31. Utterly (9)

10

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

Mounting concerns over new homes on land untouched for at least a century Concerns over plans to build seven detached houses next to

the treated effluent would be highly

the Siston Brook in Oldland Common, which we first

visible. The report adds that the

featured in Issue 796, are mounting.

Environment Agency would ultimately

The planning application lodged with South Gloucestershire

decide on the viability of the proposal, but

Council by Stantonbury (Oldland) Ltd for The Willows

it doesn’t appear that a licence application

now has more than 170 objections, and 24 comments in

has been submitted.

support.

Concerned residents want the plans

There is a vacant house and several outbuildings on the site

‘called in’ by ward councillors so that the

which is accessed from the bottom of California Road. There are

development management committee can

objections about the impact on wildlife and concerns about the

make a decision following a debate in

access, the proposed number of homes and the private sewage

public, rather than the decision being

treatment plant.

delegated to council officers.

How the homes would look: Picture credit: BBA Architects and Planners

Among the comments is one from a nearby resident who says the land has been untouched apart from animal grazing for at least 100 years which is why it is so rich in biodiversity, An independent ecology report commissioned by some concerned local residents says that the applicant’s biodiversity net gain claim of +15 is a positive outcome but only the summary sheet has been provided online and further evidence needs to be shown, given that the amount of hard-surfacing and developed land totals almost three-quarters of the site.

The independent report says that the bat survey carried out did not include two surveys two weeks apart, as recommended. It says the site’s proposed treatment plant has capacity for 30 people but the new homes would have a possible total of 56 people and in dry weather, Siston Brook has very little flow and

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

Dumped freezer leads to fly-tipping conviction An Emersons Green man has been ordered to pay £1,492 in

‘Free to collector’. It was removed for disposal.

fines and costs after South Gloucestershire Council

The area is covered by CCTV which showed Brunt wheeling

prosecuted him for fly-tipping.

the freezer from the rear of an address on Regent Street, and

Lee Brunt, 47, of Clematis Road, appeared at Bristol

across South Road car park. The appliance was left in the

Magistrates’ Court last Monday where he pleaded guilty and

street and Brunt walked away. As his property backed on to

was fined £700, along with £512 in costs and a £280 victim

the car park, Brunt said he believed that the best location to

surcharge. The court heard that on 22nd June street cleansing

place the freezer was on the pavement outside so as not to

workers discovered a freezer had been fly-tipped in South

obstruct vehicles. He accepted that this was some distance

Road, Kingswood. It was on the paved area just outside the

away from his flat and that anyone finding the freezer would

car park, on council land, and had a note attached which read

not know which property it had come from.

11

The Community Page

Saltford Parish Council Have your say: ‘A4 Bath-Bristol’ WECA consultation At the time of going to press on 27 September, the ‘A4 Bath to Bristol’ transport consultation will only be open for another few days (end date Sunday 1 October).

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) consultation includes proposals for the A4 through Saltford, and SPC appreciated receiving a presentation from WECA at its September meeting.

Saltford Parish Council resolved a comprehensive and robust response objecting to many of the proposals based on a range of concerns. These included the negligible benefit of

proposed new 24/7 bus lanes on bus journey times, the introduction of which would likely result in substantial A4 congestion in Saltford that buses would be caught up in (as well as thousands of other vehicle users) and the subsequent negative impact on many – including on cyclists and pedestrians - of rat-running on residential roads. Concerns also included increased air and noise pollution, a negative impact on active travel, reduced safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and the loss of a key pedestrian crossing point on the A4. In its response SPC also requested continued fairer bus

Replacement phone box at Norman Road Many residents are pleased to have a ‘K6’ BT

flowers as a gift to the Saltford community.

kiosk back where the previous one stood for

SPC has arranged for National Grid to

over five decades, prior to it being destroyed

reconnect electricity to the phone box, and the

in a Road Traffic Accident in 2022. SPC’s

Parish Council is in talks with a local business

replacement phone box was installed in late

to purchase a defibrillator. Watch this space

June thanks to Lee Bignell and the Mobius

for more on this community project!

Group team who gave their time and expertise

Photo L-R: Cllr Jon Godfrey (SPC Chair),

to oversee its placement. The team at Flourish

Anita (Mobius Group) and Marina (Flourish

at Glenavon Farm has since filled it with

at Glenavon Farm)

fares for Saltford residents as successfully campaigned for by SPC and for WECA to invest in e-buses and e-bus infrastructure. SPC also maintained its view that WECA needs to invest in re-opening Saltford railway station if it is to achieve a true scalable and integrated public transport system. The ‘news’ section on SPC’s website has a copy of SPC’s full response. Residents are encouraged to express their views to WECA by the consultation end date, please visit www.haveyoursaywest.co.uk on how to do this via online survey, by email or in writing.

Saltford keeps buzzing!

Residents were invited to attend a B&NES

planting likely to take place in December by

Parks drop-in event during the summer to

pupils from nearby Saltford Primary School.

discuss pollinator project ideas for Saltford.

Other outcomes include installation of ‘bug

This followed receipt of WECA funding by

hotel benches’ and the creation of two nearby

B&NES Council earlier in the year (SPC was

areas of wildflower meadow.

one of only two Parish Councils as named

Photo L-R: B&NES Council Parks Officer,

partners in the bid). SPC was pleased to be

Saltford Ward Cllr Duncan Hounsell and SPC

informed following the event that plans were

Cllr Phil Harding at Claverton Road play

in place to plant three pollinator friendly trees

park, with artwork created by local children

by the Claverton Road play park, with

as part of the event.

SPC requests lower speed limits on Saltford’s lanes SPC has requested that B&NES Council carry out a Traffic Regulation Order to reduce speed limits down from 60mph on lanes

First public EV charging points coming to Saltford

frequently used by pedestrians, cyclists and

SPC welcomes the news that B&NES

driveway to enable them to safely charge at

horse riders in the south of the village.

Council’s Wedmore Road car park has been

home. They will also be of benefit to those

Sections of highway include Longwood Lane,

identified as one of around eight locations in

using Saltford Hall, Saltford Sports Club and

as well as Manor Road and Courtenay Road

the B&NES area to benefit from WECA

Saltford Tennis Club. The number and type of

between Saltford and Keynsham. As well as

funding for public EV charging point

EV charging points are yet to be confirmed,

enjoyed by many for their views over

lowering the speed limit at these locations in

installation. The charging stations will be

and SPC awaits further information from

countryside and woodland, these roads are

the interests of safety (Image shows

available for everyone to use and will

B&NES Council about the timescale for their

often used by many on foot or bicycle to

Longwood Lane, photo taken by Cllr Phil

specifically benefit those who do not have a

installation.

travel to work and school. SPC has requested

Harding).

12

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

Historic venue offers free video sessions Thanks to funding support from the Quartet Community Foundation, the trust that owns the Grade I listed Whitfield Tabernacle in Kingswood has been able to engage the services of a videographer and recording engineer to produce videos of local musicians performing inside the partially restored building.

The Tabernacle is offering six-one hour sessions on Sunday (1st October) where local performers can have a video professionally produced against the interesting backdrop of the original 1741 Tabernacle walls. The videos will be for the performers to use as they wish, but the trust will retain the right to

use the video on its website.

“When our development work is completed, we hope the Tabernacle will provide an attractive community building and performance space for Kingswood and the wider area,” said trust secretary Kim Scudamore.

“Our offer of a free video session is to help us connect with local music-makers and give them an idea of what we hope to have in the future. For technical reasons, these particular sessions will not be suitable for large bands with drum kits, or singers performing over a pre-recorded soundtrack. They will be suitable for individual musicians and

accompanied singers and small groups. Nonmusical performers are also welcome to apply.”

Interested performers will have to register

their interest and discuss technical details.

Contact Kim.Scudamore@whitfieldtabernacle.org or call 0117 9322723.

Harvest auction raises £1,634 The annual harvest auction held in Upton Cheyney last Monday in aid of the Bitton and Oldland branch of the Royal British Legion raised £1,634.

The event was held at Manor Farm as the

usual venue, The Upton Inn, is currently closed and up for sale.

Dawn Harrill, Poppy Appeal organiser, is pictured with David Hawking, the host and auctioneer.

Community Expo

The restored south wall of the Tabernacle

The new Staple Hill and Mangotsfield Parish Council is holding a Community Expo on Saturday 14th October to give local community organisations the opportunity to tell councillors

Pink spotlight on organ donation

and the public what opportunities they offer.

The event will take place in the main hall of Page Community Association in Staple Hill from 1.30pm to 4pm.

City Hall in Bristol was lit up in pink to mark NHS Organ Donation Week.

Pink is the colour of the NHS Organ

Situations Vacant

Donor Card and the venue joined with many other iconic buildings across the UK to raise awareness.

More than 7,000 people currently need a life-saving transplant, but there are only around 1,400 organ donors each year. Only 1% of people die in circumstances where organ donation is possible.

An organ donor has the potential to save or

is a registered organ donor, said “The more

improve nine lives - and even more if tissues

people across Bristol and the UK that we

such as corneas and heart valves are donated.

reach, the more people who will register to

Last week’s awareness campaign was aiming

become organ donors after they die, and the

to get 25,000 more people to register their

more lives we save.”

organ donation decision and discuss it with

Find out more at

friends and family.

//www.organdonation.nhs.uk/get-

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, who himself

involved/organ-donation-week-2023/

The Week in • Wednesday 27th September 2023

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