The old school buildings on Lime Grove have now been sold by the council. Lime Grove and two other special schools were replaced by the award winning Three Ways special school.
The land, between the railway bridge on Pulteney Road and the allotments by the canal, has been bought by Unite, a student accomodation company; subject to contract exchange. Unite have one student accomodation block on the Lower Bristol Road with another under construction next door to it.
A third generation mobile phone mast has been installed at the end of The Avenue on Claverton Down.
The mast was given planning permission two years ago, despite fourteen local objections (http://planning.bathnes.gov.uk/PublicAccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=IVHTFKCTWI000). However, in current planning law only the visible attributes of the mast can be considered; in this respect the faux-telegraph pole with rustic finish was acceptable. Nationally the Liberal Democrats seek to change planning laws so that local councils can also consider the electromagnetic radiation when determining mast applications.
Residents may take comfort from the World Health Organisation’s report finding mininal health dangers associated with phone masts (http://www.who.int/peh-emf/about/WhatisEMF/en/index5.html). Various anti-mast groups dispute this evidence.
While the phone mast itself is well disguised, the astute searcher will look for the junction box at its base.
Bathwick councillors Nicholas Coombes and Armand Edwards have launched a petition for the speedy installation of a zebra crossing on Bathwick Hill.
Planners recently backed local residents and councillors to prevent Tesco from opening before minimal work has been undertaken to make the surrounding roads safer. However, this will not include a zebra crossing which is what most locals want.
Tesco were ordered to pay BathNES council £20,000 towards the work, but this will only cover the first phase which is due to start within weeks. Throughout the design process Cllr Coombes has been working with the Highways department to ensure that a zebra crossing can be installed later.
This next phase must be funded by the council, but already the Conservatives have scrapped or delayed road projects across the city. The Liberal Democrat petition will show the strong level of demand locally, increasing the chances of a swift resolution.
Already one pedestrian has been killed at this location and Armand and Nicholas know that it is the main concern of most nearby residents. However, in a time of budget cuts they need this petition to put a strong argument when they lobby for funding.
For a zebra crossing on Bathwick Hill please visit www.ourcampaign.org.uk/bathwickcrossing to register your support.
BathNES council planning department have rejected Tesco’s application to open their shop before the surrounding roads are made safe.
They had applied in January to have the planning conditions lifted to open earlier – see http://nicholascoombes.mycouncillor.org.uk/2008/01/21/tesco-try-to-lift-planning-restrictions/. When Tesco won their planning appeal one of the inspectors conditions was that Tesco would need to fund improvements to the pedestrian crossing and create a loading bay for their deliveries. Despite allowing the shop to open, the planning inspector did recognise that it would have an adverse impact on road safety and that these improvement works would be necessary.
The council have been paid by Tesco to do the works, but the sum does not cover the zebra crossing requested by locals and Bathwick councillors Nicholas Coombes and Armand Edwards. BathNES have now published plans to mark out a loading bay and the first phase of the zebra crossing has also been drawn up although the site is very complicated.
Nicholas Coombes welcomed the news from the planning department: “I am glad that our council has been able to resist Tesco, despite their thinly veiled legal threats. The highways department is working on plans for a zebra crossing on Bathwick Hill which will make this crossing safer for everyone. Tesco should not be allowed to open before this is ready as it would residents at unnecessary risk.”
Without prior consultation, Tesco are seeking to avoid one of the restrictions placed on their store by the planning inspector and open their store before vital safety work has even been started. Stating that the council have been too slow providing the pedestrian crossing and loading bay, Tesco have asked for the condition to be changed so that they can open next month.
Local councillor Armand Edwards responds: “It is outrageous that Tesco want to subvert the planning system like this. For highway and pedestrian safety we need the crossing and loading bay before the store opens; Tesco shouldn’t put their own commercial gain before public safety.”
The store was granted planning consent by a government inspector in July last year, with two principal conditions; that the store only open between 8am and 9pm and that the pedestrian crossing is upgraded and a loading bay created. There was local controversy when the company sought an alcohol license until 11pm, then retracted at the last minute claiming an administrative error. Now Tesco have formally applied for the second condition to be altered to allow trading to start without the safety works.
In her judgement, the inspector recognised that “there would be an increase in the number of pedestrians crossing the highway as a result of the proposal” and that it would be necessary “in the interests of highway safety” to improve the crossing before the store opened. She also said that the loading bay offered by Tesco would be needed to prevent deliveries blocking the highway and that the development could not proceed without it.
Tesco’s application to the Council says that having paid the money to BathNES, they should be allowed to open the store when they like. However, the £20,000 paid is far less than that needed for a zebra crossing which locals want to see at the site. The council highways department has been carrying out a feasibility study into the works, but are having difficulty working to the small budget. In their letter to the council Tesco also made the threat of further legal action if they were refused, writing “avoiding an appeal, and the associated costs, is in the best interests of both parties.”
Councillor Nicholas Coombes says: “Only last week, Tesco were promising to work with the local community, but now they are trying to dodge their obligations without any prior warning. I shall be strongly objecting to their latest application and urging the planning department to throw it out for the safety of Bathwick’s residents.”
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The application to vary the judgement conditions is 08/00169/VAR available to read and comment at http://planning.bathnes.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=JUOX22CTKK000
Despite strong local opposition, Tesco have been granted a license to sell alcohol at their new shop on Bathwick Hill.
The shop was granted planning permission in an appeal judgement by a government inspector; subject to restricted opening hours and work to improve pedestrian safety on the road outside. When the license hours applied for did not match the inspector’s judgement many locals feared a plot. However, Tesco’s solicitor told Cllr Nicholas Coombes that this was an error, adjusting the hours to the permitted 8am to 9pm.
Cllr Coombes, who led local opposition to the license at the Guildhall said: “Thank you to everyone who spoke with me at the license hearing; I think that we put together a good argument about the damage this could do to our community. I hope that the mitigation measures, including a security guard, work.”
Tesco were rebuked by the council committee for not talking to the community. Nicholas Coombes has now invited the new manager to meet residents at the PaCT meeting.
Tesco intend to open the store in mid-February, but concerns remain about pedestrian safety measures. Tesco did not provide enough money for a zebra crossing, but the Tory council has settled for compromise road works allowing the shop to open. Your Liberal Democrat councillors are pushing for a full zebra crossing at this dangerous site.