New vicar welcomed to Bathwick

Bathwick St Mary's church

Reverend Peter Edwards was yesterday welcomed to Bathwick as the new parish priest. The united benefice covers St Mary’s and St John’s churches.

The service in St John’s included licensing by the Bishop of Taunton and installation by the Archdeacon of Bath. Children from St Mary’s Primary and local councillors also took part in the ceremony.

Father Peter has been a vicar for five years in Bridport, on the Dorset coast. Many of his former parishioners traveled up to Bath for his installation, helping to fill the church. Prior to his calling, Peter Edwards worked in finance, including as a consultant for a large accountancy firm. He is married and has three sons at school.

Bathwick’s previous parish priest, Father David Prothero, is now chaplain of the Magdalen Chapel on Holloway.

Bath ‘perfect storm’ – Saturday 14th September

Claverton Hill closure

A Bath University open day and a Bath Rugby home game are among the events coinciding to create a ‘perfect storm’ of congestion next weekend.

Reporting to this evening’s University Neighbours’ Forum, university management described the coincidence of events. The open day is likely to attract 8-10,000 prospective students to the Claverton Down campus, the majority of whom will arrive by car. Previous open days have resulted in heavy traffic on all roads between the campus and the motorway; this month is unlikely to be any different.

For the first time, a Saturday open day will be on the same day as a Bath Rugby home match, which also often cause heavy congestion in the city centre. The open day was scheduled a year ahead of the publication of the fixture list, which is heavily influenced by TV schedules. This match, against league rivals Leicester, is likely to be very popular.

To add a little Bath flair to the day, the Jane Austen Promenade will be walking through the city centre from 11am. Up to 600 participants in regency costume will parade from the Royal Crescent to Parade Gardens.

Finally, there will be light gunfire and occasional artillery rounds from a re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg at the American Museum. This year is the 150th anniversary of the civil war battle, which will be re-fought over the weekend. Cannon fire is expected at 3pm with small-arms throughout the day.

For pedestrians and cyclists, Saturday 14th September will be a lively and exciting day. For motorists it will be very difficult. Wessex Water have promised to re-open Claverton Hill for the day to relieve pressure.

Sydney Buildings lamp posts

Sydney bldgs lamp 3 Sydney bldgs lamp 2 Sydney bldgs lamp 1

Sydney Buildings residents are testing three new street lamp designs. Following the success of their community campaign to restore the oldest on the street, the other eleven are to be replaced with heritage style lanterns.

Three different designs are now being tested by the council, with the trial lanterns spread along the street. All of them use low energy LED bulbs, which give a whiter, brighter light. However, the exact effect varies between the designs.

The lanterns will be in place for at least another month to allow for comparison between the styles and lighting effects. Why not take a walk along Sydney Buildings, day or night, to have a look? If you have a favourite, you can write about it in the comments below.

Cleveland Pools open weekend 13-15 September

Cleveland Pools

Cleveland Pools are taking part in the Heritage Open Weekend on Friday 13th – Sunday 15th September.

The Cleveland Pools Trust are working on restoring the Georgian lido to public use. Built in 1815, the pool is unique yet has been disused since 1984.

The pools site will be open from 2-5pm on each of the days. This year, for the first time, there will be public access to the cottage as well as the pools. Access is from Hampton Row, by the railway in the Bathwick Estate. Parking nearby is difficult and access to the site is down an uneven path.

Bath MP Don Foster and local Councillor David Martin are planning on attending the first open day on Friday 13th.

AQ78 path update

Cllrs Symonds, Martin and Coombes on AQ78

For many years your Liberal Democrat councillors have been campaigning to improve the muddy path between Combe Down and Claverton Down. The path has been officially recognised, the original width restored and a new surface laid. Now the Liberal Democrat led council are trying to upgrade the path to allow safe cycling with an improved surface for everyone.

An application to change the status of the path was sent to the Planning Inspectorate earlier this year. You can follow the progress of the application here. The case is being dealt with by written representations, instead of a full public inquiry.

The applicant and objectors have exchanged written statements of their cases, and commented on the others. This concluded last month. During October the Inspector dealing with the case will visit the site to assess it for themselves. After this they will write their report and issue an order.

This frustratingly slow pace has been typical of the campaign to improve this path, but everything continues to move in the right direction. Bathwick’s Liberal Democrat councillors Nicholas Coombes and David Martin are now working to ensure that BathNES council have enough money to improve the path if the order is confirmed.

University neighbours’ Forum – 3rd September, 5:30pm

University parade

The next meeting of the forum for neighbours of Bath University is on Tuesday 3rd September. The meeting is an opportunity for local residents to speak with university management and students’ union leaders.

The agenda this term includes an update on major projects and a preview of events expected on campus. Plans have been drawn up for a pedestrian island on Convocation Avenue (reported here) and work has started on the new Arts centre.

The University will soon be hosting the Special Olympics, to which all residents are invited as spectators.

There is an open day planned for 14 September, which is likely to cause some traffic disruption, and term starts at the end of the month, with most students expected to arrive from 20th September.

New 18B bus service to cross Pulteney Bridge

Nicholas Coombes and David Martin on Pulteney Bridge

A new circular bus service will link Bathwick Hill, Pulteney Bridge and the city centre. The 18B service will return from the city centre via Rossiter Road to the University.

The service will be run by Bugler Coaches, starting from 23rd September. Buses will be every 15 minutes during term time and every 30 minutes on Saturdays and during the holidays. There are no buses planned after 8pm or Sundays.

This new service is excellent news for residents cut off from the city centre when the 18 was re-routed to North Parade. Your Liberal Democrat councillors, Nicholas Coombes and David Martin, have been working to restore a service ever since.

Tree clearance at Pulteney Road site

Pulteney Road trees

Number 6 Pulteney Road and the area of ground next to it have recently been sold. The site stretches from the side of the house to the footpath under the railway to the canal.

The new owner has cleared the site of shrubs and minor trees and has placed an application to fell a larger tree at the back of the plot. Consent from the council is needed to fell large trees within the Bath Conservation Area.

The application, available on the council website, says that the Copper Beech tree is diseased. The public can comment using the website until 4th September.

Comment on council planning policies

BathNES Council have launched their Placemaking Plan, which is part of the spatial planning policy for our area.

The Placemaking Plan, once adopted, will complement the strategic framework in the Core Strategy by setting out detailed development principles for identified development sites and other policies for managing development across Bath and North East Somerset.

The primary purpose of the Launch Document is to spark debate and discussion about detailed planning issues that need to be resolved. This initial stage in the preparation of the Placemaking Plan provides the catalyst to work with local communities and others involved in the development process. The Launch Document is presented as a discussion document, designed for community and stakeholder engagement and to generate the content for the next stage of the Placemaking Plan preparation.

This is the chance to comment on the issues and opportunities for key development sites and suggested planning policy framework for considering planning applications in Bath and North East Somerset up to 2029. You are invited to comment on the proposed scope and content of the plan and to use the discussion points and issues highlighted in the Launch Document as a basis for your response on the development sites and policy areas.

The Placemaking Plan Launch Document and Comments Form are available on the Council’s website www.bathnes.gov.uk/placemakingplan. You can use the Comments Form (click here to download the form) and send it by email to planning_policy@bathnes.gov.uk by 5pm on Friday, 20th September 2013.

Re-usable rubbish bags for Raby Place

Residents of Raby Place will shortly be given thick re-usable rubbish bags.

The bags are to be used as a temporary container for ordinary bin bags, which will be taken by collectors as normal. However, the tough outer bag will protect ordinary black bags from gulls, foxes and other pests.

As ever, the best way to keep animals out of your waste is to separate and recycle, ensuring that all food waste is secured in the black composting collection boxes.

The bag trial has been very successful in the city centre and is being spread into the Bathwick Estate area.