Pulteney Bridge to close with 18 bus re-routed

18 bus on Bathwick Hill Pulteney Bridge restrictions

B&NES council is proposing to close Pulteney Bridge (consultation sheet as picture above, not otherwise available on-line) to all traffic, including buses. The 18 and 418 service (among many) cross Pulteney Bridge, so First Buses are making plans to divert.

From 5th September they propose that the orange buses use the same route as the blue buses; ie along Pulteney Road and North Parade. This will entirely cut out Great Pulteney Street and Edward Street. While the official residents’ association group for the Pulteney Estate has been campaigning to get rid of the buses from their street, many elderly residents in the area will be affected.

While no additional bus stops have been proposed, it may be useful to move the downhill bus stop at the lower end of Bathwick Hill closer to the roundabout and introduce a new downhill bus stop outside St. Patrick’s Court. Please put your thoughts in the comments.

Final judgement confirms footpath

Public enquiry into Claverton Down footpath

The contested footpath between Claverton Down and Combe Down has finally been confirmed by the Planning Inspector.

AQ78, from Widcombe Hill to North Road (Combe Down) has existed as a path for hundreds of years, but when the council tried to legally record it the landowner for part objected to their proposed width. At the Widcombe Hill end the path had been up to 7m wide, but the landowner erected a fence restricting public access to a narrower 3m width.

After a public enquiry earlier this year, and now a further exchange of evidence, the inspector has ruled that the council was correct and that the width of the footpath is “generally 3.8 to 6 metres, up to 7 metres”.

It is now clear that the fence restricts access to land which the public has a legal right of access to. The fence will have to be taken down and I have requested that B&NES take enforcement action.

Purchasers pay attention to old school site

Lime Grove School

In the three years since it closed, the old school site at Lime Grove has been seriously considered as both student accomodation and a wet-house for the homeless. To the relief of nearby residents, both proposals were aborted after many months of investigation.

B&NES put the site up for sale again in May; the property department say:

“We’ve had an enormous amount of interest in the site and now have all of the bids in. We are looking at several bids in more detail and have requested further information from the developers. We expect to establish the front runner shortly.”

Regardless of the purchaser, any development will need planning permission, which will be assessed against the impact which the school had on the community.

Allotments rescued from the long grass

Unused allotments

While no one has yet been brave enough to tackle the five derelict allotments at the Canal Gardens site, B&NES council has at least cut the grass on the Lime Grove playground.

I asked for this to be cut a few months ago and, for the first time in three years, it has been mown. Just as the derelict plots are a habitiat for weeds and pests in the allotment site, the school playing fields were full of grass seed preparing to blow over the fence. A well maintained site is, of course, much more marketable for the council which is trying to sell the school land.

With the council finally tackling the allotment waiting list, is will anyone on it prepared to tackling the overgrown plots?

City’s first recycling bins on Bathwick Hill

Cllr Edwards’ new recycling bin on Bathwick Hill

The first public recycling bins on the streets of Bath have been installed on Bathwick Hill.

Cllr Armand Edwards has funded the bins from his devolved funding for pocal projects. There are three bins; by St. Mary’s, Tesco and a third planned for the Cleveland Walk junction; they take paper, bottles & cans plus normal waste.

There have been recycling bins in the Parade Gardens park for several years as part of a pilot project but this appears to have stalled. There are also recycling bins in several locations on the university campus.

Many cities around the world have been using public recycling bins for years and now our part of Bath has caught up.

Double by-election wins for B&NES Lib Dems

Our local Liberal Democrats are welcoming two new councillors today.

Cllr Simon Allen has been elected to B&NES council to represent Radstock. Last night he won the by-election to replace a deceased Independent member. Andy Halliday was elected to Keynsham Town Council after the previous Labour member resigned.

I’ve been running both of their election campaigns through July and spent seventeen hours in Radstock yesterday co-ordinating our activists, so I am especially pleased with Simon’s win. B&NES council remains under Conservative minority control, but the Liberal Democrat group is now in a better position to challenge them. After yesterday’s win we become the largest party on Keynsham Town Council, but the ruling Conservative-Labour coalition is likely to hold there.

Radstock result; turnout 33%, LD 542, Lab 386, Ind 370, Con 55.

Keynsham result; turnout 31%, LD 599, Con 313, Lab 306.

Resurfacing for Claverton Down Road

Part of Claverton Down Road is to be resurfaced later this summer.

Work will be done from Oakley all the way to Limekiln Lane. Currently this section is one of the roughest in the area; there is lots of loose grit on the road surface following the harsh winter. Small stretches of Oakley and Norwood Avenue will also be resurfaced at the same time.

 All work will be undertaken at night with the roads closed; they will be open during the day. Currently this is expected on the nights of 31st August to 3rd September. A traffic regulation order has been issued allowing for five days closure during six months – this allows for flexibility, although a six month delay isn’t expected yet!

Transplant Games

Bath University

The British Transplant Games will be held at the University of Bath this summer.

800 competitors who have recieved donated organs will compete over the weekend of 20th to 22nd August. Information is at http://www.transplantsport.org.uk/page.asp?section=0001000100040012

James Tottle, who has lived on Claverton Down since 1976, will be competiting this year. He had a heart transplant in 1997. While on the transplant waiting list he wrote the song ‘Cut me some slack’, available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVg30wgscu0, as a chartity song.

I am very happy to link to this here, as I am to urge registration for organ donation. I’m a registered organ donor as it pleases me to think that my (possible) unplanned death will be good news even to people who don’t know me.

Unallocated allotments

Unused allotments

Fifty people on the waiting list for a plot at the Canal Garden allotments will be pleased to know that there are five vacancies.

Unfortunately the plots have been unused for up to three years and are very overgrown. Inexplicably, the council still has not allocated them to new users. Neighbouring plot holders, the chair of the association and I have all written to the BathNES allotment department to point this out, but have not recieved a reply.

While the waiting lists grow, the five Canal Garden plots overgrow. Aside from those frustrated on the waiting list, this also disadvantages nearby gardeners to whose patches the weeds are likely to spread.

I shall continue digging at the problem.

Changing Lives

Changing lives website

BathNES council has produced a ‘changing lives’ website detailing the social services available improve people’s quality of lives. Says the council:

“A new webpage was recently placed on the Council website that provides a much different and very personal way of raising public awareness of the services the Council provides and how residents can access those services quickly and conveniently.

“The webpage tells the real-life stories of people – told by the people themselves to video camera – whose lives have been changed by the Council and the local organisations we work with.  Many of those stories focus on people who have been in a vulnerable situation, like a domestic violence victim, a man who was homeless, and a man who was unemployed, amongst others, and how they have obtained help.  The videos provide information about how to get in contact if they, or someone they know, are in a similar position or if they want to know more about how to access the broader range of services the Council provides.

“Please have a look at the videos on: www.bathnes.gov.uk/changinglives 

“Since all councillors have an important part to play in raising public awareness of the services we offer, I hope you can encourage your residents to access the webpage and add the link to your personal blogs and social media sites if you have them.”

While I am doing my bit with this public service announcement, I note that someone forgot to link the ‘changing lives’ page from either the council homepage or the A-Z section. I’ll let them know.