Part of the pavement on Bathwick Hill has been closed to protect pedestrians from falling stones.

Over the years many Bathwick residents have noticed the deteriorating state of the retaining wall just uphill from the Youth Hostel. At your councillors’ requests, it has been inspected by the Council for safety several times.

Following this week’s heavy rain some large stones have fallen from the wall. Cllr David Martin again asked the Council’s civil engineer to check, and this time it was decided to close the pavement pending safety works.

Tackling the causes and effects of climate change is a key strategic issue for B&NES Council.

The Lib Dem run Council encourages environmentally friendly practices such as making buildings more energy efficient, increasing the use of renewable energy, reducing car use and growing more local food.

Projects such as the Energy Champions scheme, the “Bath Homes Fit for the Future” event, which recently demonstrated how people can make their homes more energy efficient, and the preparation of forthcoming guidance for houseowners on practical energy measures are helping reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

The Council has now joined the Climate Local initiative which will build on our existing achievements and will also provide a locally based set of commitments and milestones.

Cllr David Martin, who is the Council’s Energy and Climate Change Champion, has welcomed B&NES participation; he said “this initiative will enable B&NES to share our learning and experiences with other councils and to swap advice and tips.

“Our projects already help people to save on their energy bills, and to do their bit for the environment, and we aim to do more over the coming years to promote and develop low carbon opportunities in the district”.

You will be pleased to discover that following our earlier report, the drains on Darlington Place steps have now been completely unblocked.

Following action from Cllr David Martin, years worth of mud and leaves were dug out of the rainwater drains. They are now both unblocked and ready for a wet summer.

Congratulations and thank you to the Sydney Buildings householders who have been repainting the historic lamp posts along their street.

In a magnificant example of civic cooperation, BathNES Council provided paint for the project and residents gave their time and effort to paint the posts.

Individuals and community groups are welcome to approach Bathwick’s Lib Dem councillors, David Martin and Nicholas Coombes, to discuss launcing similar projects.

Following a request from Cllr David Martin, the drains on the Darlington Place pathway have been uncovered. Both had been burried under years of built up mud. Unfortunately one is completely blocked and further action will need to be talken. BathNES Council are now investigating the legal status of the pathway.

The newly established Allotments Forum meets twice a year, and is a public event to which all the city’s allotment tenants, applicants on the waiting list and councillors are invited.

The next (second) Allotments Forum will be held in the Brunswick room, Guildhall, on Wednesday 25th April at 6pm.

The minutes of the Forum held in November 2011, which contain the terms of reference, can be downloaded from www.banes-allotments.org.uk/membership.

There is a long waiting list for allotments at the canal gardens site in Bathwick. However, in recent months new tenants have taken on the challenge of five vacant plots after lobbying by fellow allotment holders and local councillor Nicholas Coombes.

In this time of rising energy costs, people want to find ways of reducing their energy bills.  The Bath Homes Fit for the Future project is helping to do just that.  This project has showcased a dozen different types of houses where the owners have installed energy efficiency measures ranging from low cost to high tech.  Heritage and listed buildings, modern and new build have been involved. Home energy efficiency improvements can make a real difference to energy costs, and at the same time can reduce carbon emissions. 

In Bathwick there were two show homes – at Darlington Wharf, which is a new build terrace of eco-homes, and the straw bale house at the University of Bath campus on Claverton Down.  Bathwick Cllr David Martin, who is the Member Champion for Energy and Climate Change, said: “This initiative has been an excellent means of meeting the homeowners who have improved their homes to make them more energy efficient.  Visitors learnt about the practicalities and saw for themselves what can be done”.

In B&NES we have a district wide target to reduce our carbon emissions by 45% by 2026, and tackling emissions from houses is a top priority.  Later this year the Government’s Green Deal will start, aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of all types of buildings.  The Liberal Democrat administration in B&NES wants to take a leadership role in order to ensure that the Green deal is delivered fairly and effectively in the district.  Cllr Martin successfully proposed a budget allocation which will enable the Council to co-ordinate participation from partner organisations and to increase the capacity of the community to deliver the Green Deal. 

There are around 20,000 houses in the district that are classified as “hard-to-heat”.  Many of these are stone built structures dating from before 1900.  We need to ensure that the vulnerable and those in fuel poverty benefit first from the Green Deal, so that we can obtain the maximum health and well-being impact.