Progress for AQ78 plans

Cllrs Symonds, Martin and Coombes on AQ78

Plans to improve the footpath between Claverton Down and Combe Down are progressing.

Your Liberal Democrat councillors want to make the AQ78 path into a safe and legal cycle route, so Ralph Allen pupils and University students don’t have to cycle on Claverton Down Road. This will involve physical improvements to the path so that it is less muddy and it needs a legal order to change the status of the path.

Local residents and your Liberal Democrat councillors have worked hard to get the footpath officially recognised by a government inspector in recent years, and to have the fence in the middle of the pathway taken down.

Over Christmas there were informal consultations with landowners to check if the path could be converted into a bridlepath voluntarily. Two landowners were happy with the proposed change, but one was not. This means that the council will have to apply for a Public Path Order to create the bridleway.

Notices advertising the intended change will be placed on the site next month and stakeholders (like rambling groups, neighbours and the university) will be written to. Please do respond to this consultation, even if you have written in to previous consultations on creating the footpath. The file will then be sent to the Secretary of State to decide.

How to make your home fit for the future

Bath homes fit for the future

B&NES Council, Transition Bath and the Bath Preservation Trust have organised a programme of events during March and April to provide practical guidance on improving the energy efficiency of your home.  The principle event is an open homes weekend on 17-18 March.  There will be 12 houses across the city, and these will showcase a variety of energy efficiency measures ranging from low cost to high tech, in different types of buildings from heritage and listed to modern and new build.

The weekend is free and open to everyone, but some visits must be booked in advance.  For more information about booking and to see where the homes are located, have a look at the web site:  www.bathhomesfitforthefuture.co.uk

In Bathwick there are two show homes.  These are 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.  Cllr David Martin, who is the Member Champion for Energy and Climate Change, said: “This initiative is an excellent means of meeting the homeowners who have improved their homes to make them more energy efficient.  Visitors can learn about the practicalities, get tips on how to go about the work and see for themselves what can be done.  It is a great chance to make your own home warmer, greener and less expensive to run”.  Cllr Martin will help as a steward at the Darlington Wharf eco-homes site.

Different time for waste collection

recycling lorry on Bathwick Hill

With the recycling service now covering batteries, cans, cardboard, food, glass, garden waste, paper, plastic, textiles and now tetrapak, the amount we sent to landfill in BathNES has reduced even further.

It is now possible to collect all of our residual waste with one fewer lorry, saving the taxpayer hundreds of thousand per year, contributing to the Lib Dem’s council tax freeze. Waste collection will still happen on the same day (Friday for most of Bathwick), but it might happen at a different time.

The bin lorries operate between 7am and 3pm; please make sure that your black bags are out on time. The change to collect times will begin next week.

New recycling bin at Pulteney Road

Recycling bin Pulteney Rd

Following the success of the three recycling bins initiated by your local Lib Dems along Bathwick Hill, Cllr Martin has used some of his Ward Funding to install another of these bins at the railway arch on Pulteney Road.

He said “These bins encourage people to separate their rubbish into different types for recycling, and help to increase our recycling efforts within the city”.

New Tetra Pak recycling service

put Tetra Pak cartons in the blue bag

The Liberal Democrats running BathNES Council have improved the doorstep recycling service.

From now on, Tetra Pak food and drinks cartons will be collected and recycled from every home. They should be left out in the blue bag with the cardboard.

The change to the service has been negotiated at no extra cost to the taxpayer. In fact, it will save money and the environment by diverting waste from landfill.

The Liberal Democrats will also be applying for government funding to protect weekly rubbish collections for every home in BathNES.

Dog control orders

canal gardens allotments

Update

Following publication of the Dog Control Order documents your Bathwick councillors and local residents found many errors in the proposed maps. The consultation has now been withdrawn for these to be corrected and will be relaunched later in the year.

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BathNES Council plan to compile all of their dog control bylaws into a single set of orders, which are now available for public consultation here.

There are five sections; sections 1, 3 and 5 ban dog fouling, give council officers the right to instruct walkers to use leads and  restrict walkers to six dogs respectively. These apply to the whole of BathNES. Section 2 requires dog walkers to use leads at all times on the scheduled land. The nearest area to Bathwick with such a restriction proposed is the open space at the junction of Horseshoe Walk and Abbey View.

The most concerning aspect of the consultation is the list of areas from which it is suggested that dogs be banned entirely. The consultation has been deliberately arranged so that public areas where dogs are likely to come into contact with the public are included in this section. It is therefore up to dog walkers to reply to the consultation and request that they be allowed to continue using these areas. Bathwick councillors David Martin and Nicholas Coombes will be responding in this manner. Suggested dog-free areas in Bathwick are:

To respond to the consultation email dogcontrolorders@bathnes.gov.uk or write to 9-10 Bath Street, BA1 1SN.

Trees replaced on canalside

David Martin with canalside saplings

Saplings have been planted alongside the canal below Sham Castle Lane.

Concerned residents have contacted Cllr David Martin after British Waterways felled several trees on the canal cutting, opposite Sydney Wharf.

British Waterways, who operate the canal, had cut down trees which they felt were diseased or unsafe. However, when David got in touch they realised that they had been too drastic. Thanks to his intervention they have replanted the site with native saplings. The species were recommended by the B&NES arboricultural officer and will in time replace the fauna lost.

Bridlepath consultation closes

Cllrs Symonds, Martin and Coombes on AQ78

The initial consultation on whether to create a bridleway on AQ78 has now closed.

AQ78 is widely know as the muddy path from Claverton Down to Combe Down. Your local councillors have been working with the community to have the path officially recognised and restored to its original width. The next step is to designate the path as a bridleway and improve the quality of its surface so that it can be used safely by pedestrians and cyclists alike.

During the six week consultation a number of supportive representations were made, including from Bath University Students’ Union. However, a number of objections were also recieved, so the process will not be resolved quickly.

Snow wardens appointed for Bathwick and Claverton Down

Nicholas Coombes and David Martin at St. John's Field

Cllr David Martin is among the volunteer snow wardens appointed in our area.

The Liberal Democrats have introduced the pilot scheme to support communities through icy weather. Wardens will be provided with salt and spreaders to treat important routes and pavements in their area.

One of the trial areas will cover the Claverton Down area in Bathwick ward. Another is between the Bathwick Estate and Sydney Buildings.

“People have cleared the snow from outside their homes for decades,” says David Martin, “now the Lib Dems are giving communities some extra support.”

Consultation for AQ78 bridleway

Cllrs Symonds, Martin and Coombes on AQ78

A consultation has been launched about the upgrade of the Claverton Down to Combe Down footpath to a bridleway.

In recent years your local Lib Dems have worked hard to have the path legally recognised and widened. The Liberal Democrats now running the council have set aside money to upgrade the path further if the bridleway is approved.

The path, formerly an access road for the quarries, is already wide and flat. However, it does need surface improvements and safety works at either end if it is to be shared between walkers and cyclists. Some cyclists use the path already because of its convenient route; regulating and improving the path as a bridleway will make this situation safer for all.

As well as linking to the existing public path network, the route could be used by pupils cycling to Ralph Allen and students heading to the University. This will be safer and quicker than the long route on Claverton Down Road, which has experienced cycle accidents and near misses in recent years.

To take part in the consultation write to Public Rights of Way, Floor 2 Riverside, Temple Street, Keynsham BS31 1LA or email prow@bathnes.gov.uk before 6th January.