Development plans for the Lime Grove School site have been put on hold by its potential purchaser, Unite.
The student accomodation company had been planning to develop 200 student rooms on the site with a public consultation due this month. However, their discussions with BathNES planning department have caused the company to pause and reconsider.
Local reaction on Lime Grove and Sydney Buildings has been at best cautious since the plans were first mentioned.
Permission for the loading bay needed by Tesco has been granted by Cllr Gerrish (Con, Keynsham), the cabinet member responsible. Providing a loading bay was the final condition to be discharged of the planning permission granted in July last year by the government inspector.
With this permission granted, the loading bay should be painted onto the road in the next few weeks, with Tesco able to open as soon as it is completed. However, the bay has been reduced in size following objections by locals. It is thought that a12m bay will be safer than the proposed 14m bay for vehicles passing and pulling out of the car park behind. The report is available to view here: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/Committee_papers/Executive/WL/2008/080829/01E1832BathwickHillTescoLoadingBayObjections.htm
Your Bathwick councillors have been opposed to Tesco’s presence on Bathwick Hill given the danger posed by parking and pedestrians crossing. We are continuing to lobby BathNES council for a proper zebra crossing above the canal bridge to make this part safer at least.
The Quarry Road footbridge was opened again last week, this time by the University deputy Vice-Chancellor. Having been to the first bridge opening with local residents and walkers, I could hardly refuse this invite with a buffet lunch included.
While on the bridge (with fewer guests that the first photo – above) the deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Kevin Edge spoke about the University’s commitment to access around the campus, with the bridge and recent path improvements to the North, completing a circular walking route around the Claverton campus.
Prof Edge will also be chairing the new University-Residents Forum which I have set up, meeting three times per year to discuss issues of neighbourliness. Details of this will be resolved at the public meeting for the University masterplan later this month.
This seems to be the time of year for AGMs.
Last week I was pleased to be invited to the Sydney Buildings Householders’ Association (punctuation derrived from www.sydneybuildings.org.uk) meeting at which accounts werre approved and a new committee elected. We also had quite a discussion about the proposed student accomodation and use of the tow path, both of which were very useful for me and hopefully the householders too. At one point I suggested a community clearup session along the canal; I am still working on that one but hope to be organised before it gets too cold.
The Bathwick and Widcombe Liberal Democrat Association had our AGM last week also. The local association is mainly working on social activities and fundraising right now, having recently established themselves. Our annual Summer garden party and post Christmas drinks are quickly establishing themselves a fine reputation, with other events invented regularly! Joining the Liberal Democrats is an excellent way of supporting the work that Armand and I do in Bathwick and that of Don Foster, our MP. As our many new members are finding out, it’s also a satisfying and enjoyable way to meet like-minded people; have a look at http://libdems.org.uk/get_involved.
Finally, it is the constituency party’s AGM on Friday, a slightly more formal affair of accounts and elections. Generally it attracts the more dedicated party members; plus councillors, who are expected to make the effort!
This month’s public surgery has a change of date and venue. Cllrs Coombes and Edwards shall be at King Edward’s School on Saturday 11th October at 11am.
This month’s venue is an attempt to move the location of the surgery around the ward to make them convenient to different areas. King Edward’s School have kindly provided us with space in the foyer of their theatre building; this is directly opposite the Cleveland Walk junction on North Road. The surgery will be signed from the car park. Bathwick St Mary’s Church have previously provided an excellent venue and service for nearly all of the other public surgeries and we hope to return there again. We also hope to use the Claverton Community Hall again in the future.
There is also a slight change of date for October. Generally the surgery is on the first Saturday of every second month. This month that clashed with the Rifles freedon parade through the city, for which I was already booked. We will also continue with our 11am starts to provide a slightly more civil start time for participants, including councillors!
Please do turn up between 11 and noon; there is no need to book an appointment. We shall be waiting to discuss any ideas and issues with you.
This month’s Focus included the word ‘licence’ following the US convention of ‘license’. I have now re-set my spell checker to use British English, rather than US English. In previous issues, I have failed to update our surgery date, substituted ‘off’ for ‘on’ and misattributed the A4.
You may not know that Armand Edwards and I write all of our Foci, then I design the pages on my home computer. We print these at our own expense, one for each home in Bathwick. We, and a brilliant team of volunteers, then deliver these updates by hand once every two months. I hope that you find them useful, which is why we continue to publish.
Thank you to the individual who took the trouble to email with a correction yesterday. However, I trust that not every elector will decide how to vote on the basis of a spelling mistake.
Nicholas Coombes joined local walkers and ramblers in celebrating the re-opening of Quarry Road footbridge. The bridge has been recently replaced by the university after a three year absence.
Since the original bridge was closed in 2005 the campaign for its replacement has been at times tortuous, but ultimately successful. Cllr Coombes raised the matter personally with the vice chancellor and has involved the council’s Regulatory & Access Committee. The committee chair, the chief executive of BathNES and other ward councillors had also written to Bath University demanding action. A local group, celebrating yesterday, had threatened legal action to re-open the footpath.
“I am disappointed that the University chose not to use the winner of the student design competition,” said Cllr Coombes, “but at least this bridge is now open. While working for the bridge’s replacement, I have tried to keep local residents informed about progress and also to tell the University know how this was harming their reputation. I hope that we can start to build greater understanding between the institution and its neighbours and we shall shortly be launching a Neighbours Forum to do this.”
Unite, a private student accommodation developer, are in the process of buying the old Lime Grove school site from BathNES council. The land is between the railway and canal allotments, near Pulteney Road
The former special school has been empty for a year since pupils and teachers transferred to the award winning Three Ways School. The project was effectively paid for by the sale of the three redundant sites. While empty the school was briefly home to squatters before prompt action by residents and councillors had them moved on.
Unite are a nationwide commercial firm who operate student accommodation. In Bath they run Waterside court on the Lower Bristol Road and are building a second block next door. These have hundreds of en-suite single bedroom units and live in managers. Students staying there are contractually obliged not to park a car in the vicinity.
Today Unite presented their preliminary plans to Cllrs Coombes (Bathwick) and Gilchrist (Widcombe) who represents the Lime Grove residents. Currently Unite envisage a 200 bedroom block beside the railway embankment of 3 and 4 floors and a smaller block beside the allotments. Unite are discussing this with planning officers and have promised to hold a public consultation before they make a planning application.
Don Foster MP and his Lib Dem colleagues are urging the government that this type of accommodation be included in housing targets – see www.ourcampaign.org.uk/studenthousingshouldcount.
The government has recently demanded that BathNES council allow 21,600 new homes to be built, far above the council’s own top suggestion of 15,000. Don Foster is chairing a public meeting on this subject on 30th September at 7:30 in Bath Guildhall.
The university Autumn term starts next week, but new students are moving into their campus halls this weekend.
20% of students are expected to arrive on Saturday with the majority, 60% on Sunday. The remainder will move into their new accomodation on Monday. Locals will know to expect heavy traffic, especially from the motorway, and queues on the university campus. It may also be a bad time to shop at Fresh or attempt a coffee at Dolce Vita (these are the campus retail outlets).
This means that Freshers’ week is about to begin, with young adults newly liberated from their families starting an independent life. The Students’ Union has promised a greater choice of alcohol free events and a reduced level of Bathwick Hill commuting from previous years. Please be understanding, but if you have reasonable concerns, call the student action line (01225 385245) or use this webform http://www.townandgown.org.uk/complaint to leave a message.
Bath University’s masterplanning exercise reaches another stage next month with the publication and consultation on the draft masterplan. A staffed exhibition will take place on campus in the University library (27th-31st October, open 24hrs, staffed 12-2pm) and in the Bath Guildhall (31st Oct and Sat 1st Nov). This will show areas of the campus thought suitable for academic facilities, residential units and areas not suitable for development. Yours comments and suggestions will be invited.
Nick Clegg really is a very good public speaker.
I’m sorry that I couldn’t be at conference this year, but I was able to watch his closing speech on TV (possibly the first time I have found a use for BBC parliament). It’s now at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk_politics/2008/party_conferences_2008/default.stm
I strongly recommend watching it if you are interested in values and society. You should be able to recognise our own Don Foster in the audience and possibly my colleague Cllr Roger Symmonds who also has a moment of fame.
