The National Trust have built a woodland play area for children on the skyline walk. The official opening by the Mayor of Bath will be on 9th April.
The new woodland play area is on Claverton Down, to the east of the Bath Clinic. Its design has been influenced by Combe Down School. The Trust hope that it will “re-kindle the love of the great outdoors by bringing communities together to explore, discover and have fun in our wonderful natural settings.”
Energy@Home is the Council’s new project to provide grants for energy saving improvements. The aim is to support homeowners and privately renting tenants to make their homes warmer and keep their fuel bills as low as possible.
Grant offers, which apply across the whole of B&NES, are subject to available funding, eligibility and a home energy assessment. To qualify, people must be in receipt of certain benefits. The grants, which may be fully funded, can cover loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and boiler upgrades.
The project is funded by B&NES Council and Scottish and Southern Energy. To find out more, contact the Home Energy Team on 0800 082 2234, email home.energy@cse.org.uk or visit http://www.cse.org.uk/energy-at-home.
Cllr David Martin, who is the Council’s Energy Champion, said “With energy bills an increasing concern for residents, this initiative is a welcome means of helping people to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.”
Local councillor David Martin has arranged for provision of a new grit bin on Minster Way. The new bin at the top end of the loop is fully stocked for winter.
Two local residents who volunteered to spread grit in poor weather have been issued shovels. This follows from the successful pilot of the snow warden trial by the Liberal Democrat council elsewhere in the city.
Cllr Martin funded the bin, grit and shovels from his local initiative allowance which has already funded a dozen small projects across Bathwick. Residents with ideas for small interventions are invited to contact their Liberal Democrat councillors Nicholas Coombes and David Martin with suggestions.
Plans for 20mph limits in residential areas have been offered to Bathwick residents.
The council consultation was sent by post to local households, with responses asked for by 8th November. The leaflet contains a map and reply slip.
“I’m really pleased at this chance for safer speeds in the streets were we live,” said Cllr Nicholas Coombes. “I urge residents to respond to the consultation, and to use the comments section if you have any modifications to suggest. The Lib Dems on BathNES Council will listen to local people.”
Cllr Nicholas Coombes is lobbying to convert he remainder of the Lime Grove School site into allotments. The old playground alongside the new Rennie Close could be incorporated into the Canal Gardens site.
The Canal Gardens allotment site is very popular and Nicholas has already worked to speed the turnover of empty plots. Expansion into the neighbouring site could provide 50% more plots, helping more local people grow their own food.
A plan to convert the site had been stuck between council departments, but after Cllr Coombes’ intervention it is progressing again. The Liberal Democrat councillor in charge of Neighbourhoods is now involved in the project and is optimistic of a positive resolution.
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.
A brand-new 2013 edition of the ever-popular Directory of Services for Older People is now available. The 2013 Care Guide is also available.
Links to both guides have been added to the Council’s website at www.bathnes.gov.uk/olderpeopledirectory and www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/adult-social-care-and-health/care-home
The Two Tunnels project opened this weekend.
A shared path for cyclists and pedestrians has been created along the line of the Somerset & Dorset railway, through the eponymous two tunnels and over the Tucking Mill viaduct. The route also take in Linear Park, thus linking Oldfield Park, Bear Flat and Midford. At the Midford end the former railway line can be followed as the Colliers Way, an existing off-road route to Radstock and then Frome. One can also connect to the Kennet and Avon canal towpath to return to Bath. At the Oldfield Park end a link is shortly to be provided to the Bristol-Bath cycle path, also along a former railway line. £252,000 funding for this was announced last week by the Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker.
The project has taken several years to plan, fund and build. Both the Bath pigs and lions public art projects, devised by Gitte Dawson, raised money for the scheme. Gitte, a former Liberal Democrat councillor, has since been awarded an MBE for her work. The opening day was a popular success with the route full of families walking and riding together. I visited on Thursday afternoon for a quieter experience.
For those of us living on Bathwick Hill the tunnels aren’t particularly practical, but I would argue are worth a special visit. Our nearest entry point is from the park on Bloomfield Road, just off the Wellsway. For cyclists, the route through Widcombe, Calton Gardens and up Holloway is probably best. Alternatively we can ride around on the canal towpath, turning off just before the Dundas aqueduct.
The main tunnel under Combe Down is a mile long, the longest open to cyclists in Britain. It is gently lit in a way which is quite beautiful as well as practical. Although noticeably colder than outside, the central part of the tunnel seems to retain its heat and has a still, slightly damp, atmosphere. Deep under Combe Down, the soft sound of a string quartet is barely audible cycling, but is spellbinding if one walks or stops altogether. The many speakers, each carrying a single part, are linked to coloured lights which pulse in time to their respective instrument. The effect is quite wonderful.
Liberal Democrats on BathNES Council are delivering a key election pledge: 20mph limits for residential streets.
Streets with 20mph limits are safer for other road users like pedestrians and cyclists. They are quieter and less polluted, benefiting residents and pedestrians alike. At 20mph drivers have more time to observe what is going on around them, and yet this will add less than a minute to the typical journey time. You can read more about the spread of 20mph zones to cities across the country at http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk/.
In Bath, quiet residential streets like Minster Way, Sham Castle Lane, Sydney Buildings and Woodland Grove would benefit from the new limit. Through roads like Warminster Road and Pulteney Road will retain their 30mph limit. The change is being introduced gradually through the city in zones separated by the main roads. The first zone, Twerton and Whiteway, has been in operation for more than a year.
Each new zone proposed is subject to meaningful public consultation about the limit and roads to be included. Most zones have had overwhelming public support. However, Midsomer Norton Town Council did not support the limit, so it was not introduced in their town. The consultation reaches Bathwick this year.
The first area affected is the Bathwick Estate, including Darlington Road. Residents of the affected streets have been sent a map of the proposals and are invited to send back their comments by 12th April. As 20mph limits are designed to improve the environment of residential areas, only residents of the areas involved are invited to participate in each consultation. Consultations for the rest of Bathwick ward will begin later this year.
The Winter Warmth Open Home is an exhibition of measures to make our homes warmer, cheaper to run and more environmentally friendly. It is at 56 The Hollow, Twerton, Bath, BA2 1LZ and is due to open on 12th March
This is part of a partnership project between the Council, Curo, and the Centre for Sustainable Energy funded by a bid to the Department of Health. The British Red Cross, Age UK and West of England Care and Repair are involved in other aspects of the project.
The Winter Warmth Club Open house will be open to all Bath and North East Somerset residents from Tuesday 12th March. All residents of B&NES are welcome to come along and see how to save energy in their homes and reduce their fuel bills. Advisors will be on hand to demonstrate how to take meter readings, set central heating controls, practical measures to address condensation and damp, low energy lighting options and show how small changes in the home can result in big savings on fuel bills. Residents will be able to see insulation installed in the house and learn how choosing the right appliance for your home can save energy and money. All residents can pick up free leaflets and a free thermometer card and magnet. For the first 100 visitors there will be a free Winter Warmth pack!
There will also be some models to show internal and external wall insulation on display.
Opening times for the Open House are:
12th March – 14th April
Tuesday (late night opening) – 3-7pm
Wednesday – Saturday – 10-2pm
The Open House will be open on both Saturday and Sunday the 13th and 14th April for Green Homes weekend.