Claverton Hill will be closed during August, September and October.
The closure is to allow for water main replacement, starting on Monday 19th August. The works are scheduled to last for ten weeks, which suggests re-opening on 28th October. However, the closure may be for longer or shorter than planned.
The road will be closed to the East (downhill) of Limekiln Lane, with the diversion down Brassknocker Hill.
An electric sign reminding speeding drivers of the limit has been installed on Warminster Road.
The sign on the corner of Minster Way will flash if vehicles exceed the 30mph limit driving into Bath. Reduced speeds in this location will protect pedestrians, including children crossing to St Mary’s Primary.
“We’ve been working for a safety solution here for some time,” says Cllr David Martin. “Dozens of local residents supported a petition for a safer crossing here, and we are working up proposals with the council highways department. This interactive speeding sign can only help to improve matters.”
Plans for a safer pedestrian crossing are being re-designed following feedback from residents.
Planning permission for an extra house on the Sydney Lawn site has been refused.
The house Sydney Lawn, next to the railway on Sydney Road, has now been demolished and the site is being re-developed into eight flats. An application was made in February to build an extra detached house at the end of the plot.
Cllr David Martin objected to the proposal owing to the loss of open space and increased pressure on local parking. Eleven other local residents also objected with similar concerns.
BathNES Council’s planning officer has refused the application as the new dwelling would be an incongruous addition tot he site, harmful to the character of the conservation area.
Bath and North East Somerset Councillors have put political divisions aside to oppose the threat of fracking in the local area.
At tonight’s full Council meeting, Councillors from Bath and North East Somerset and from all political parties supported a motion calling for the Council to take an in-depth look at the evidence and see what can be done.
Councillors expressed their concerns about the effect of so-called ‘unconventional gas exploration’ on the unique Bath hot springs, the environment generally and the hydrological environment across the area. The adopted motion also calls for concerns to be registered with the Government by the Council and via our local MPs.
Bathwick Councillor David Martin seconded the motion on behalf of the Liberal Democrat group. He commented:
“The Bath hot springs are a vital part of the city’s tourist economy generating almost £100M per year. We need to protect them for today and for the benefit of future generations. I am pleased that the whole Council has joined together against any threat to this vital part of our natural heritage.
“Deep well shale gas exploration does pose a potentially serious threat to the hot springs and water supplies throughout B&NES. There is significant public concern about this threat. The Council has recognised these concerns and the motion that was passed this evening shows the commitment we have to control and, if appropriate, prevent the use of unconventional gas exploration and extraction and geothermal exploitation with Bath and North East Somerset.
“Beyond the threat to the hot springs and local environment, unconventional gas is still a fossil fuel, use of which would generate greenhouse gases and delay our progress towards becoming a genuine low carbon economy. We need to continue to develop sustainable energy technologies in response to climate change.”
Work has commenced to install state-of-the-art tarffic messaging signs around the city centre and on the approaches to the city outskirts. The aim is to provide better travel information for drivers entering the city.
These signs will provide a range of information, including incidents, events, car parking space availability and park and ride locations. Upgrading the city’s transport system to tackle congestion and provide new infrastructure is all part of the Bath Transport Package.
There will be eight signs at locations outside the city and six more centrally-located signs. Two of these will be in Bathwick ward – at sections of the A36 on Pulteney Road and on Beckford Road – and the full network is due to be operational later in the year.
Cllr Martin said “up-to-the-minute traffic information is a crucial part of the Council’s plans to manage congestion hotspots. By helping drivers to be aware of any incident on the network, space availability, or busy events in the city, they can make informed decisions about their routes and avoid getting clogged up in traffic”.
The new parking system that was introduced in April has caused much discontent, in particular over the new 4 hour minimum time for visitor parking permits. We have passed these concerns form Bathwick residents onto the Council, and the Council in response to this feedback and from elsewhere in the district has announced a one hour minimum stay for visitor parking from 1 July 2013 for a three month trial.
The new permit system was introduced in March 2013 to make the management of residents’ permits easier and more convenient, particularly through the use of digital technology. Part of this system was adopting a four hour minimum visitor stay. After collecting data for an initial period, the Council now better understands the level of demand likely if the scheme used a one hour minimum stay. The changes mean that when using the system, residents can activate a stay either online or via text in one hour blocks by simply selecting or sending the required number of hours needed. The daily paper permits remain unaffected by this change.
For more information about the changes, you can look at www.bathnes.gov.uk/parkingpermit, or call Parking Services directly on 01225 477133 or 477134, or email parking@bathnes.gov.uk
Father Peter Edwards is to be appointed the new priest for the parish of St Mary’s and St John’s, Bathwick.
The news is in the latest edition of the Bathwick Parish magazine, which announces his licensing in St John’s on 4th September. Peter Edwards and his family are expected to move into the rectory in August.
Best wishes to Father Edwards and his new congregations.
Bathwick councillor David Martin tweets about Bath and environmental issues.
You can read his tweets at www.twitter.com/davidmartinbath and follow him at @DavidMartinBath
Following complaints from several local residents, the Council has now put up signs on the tennis courts in Sydney Gardens, to remind dog owners that dogs (other than guide dogs) are not allowed on the courts. The same exclusion applies to the children’s play area. Users of the courts had experienced dogs running onto the courts, and occasionally also had to deal with dog litter on the playing surfaces.
Cllr Caroline Roberts visited Bathwick recently in her role as the newly appointed Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for Transport. She discussed a number of local traffic management problems in the ward with Cllr David Martin.
Cllr Roberts commented “it is always very useful to come out to see how the Council can improve traffic management and transport issues generally in the city. I will be looking at various proposals in Bathwick over the coming months with a view to including them in our forward planning”.
Cllr Martin added “Nicholas Coombes and I have made several suggestions for improvements and we will be working with the Council’s Highways Department to implement them where possible, given the budgetary constraints that the Council faces.”