Students return

Bath University

The long Summer break is over; the undergraduates are returning to Bath University.

While the campus has been busy all Summer with researchers, postgraduates and visitors, from next week we will notice the recommencement of undergraduate courses. New first year students move into halls of residence on campus this weekend, so expect extra traffic on Saturday and Sunday. However, this is the first year in which the move is at the weekend, so traffic in town will not be as bad as in previous years.

Between now and 5th October is the Freshers’ induction week. If you are unduly disturbed by noise or anti-social behaviour, you can report this to the action line on 396996.

To all new students beginning this weekend, welcome to Bath.

Eggs found in Chestnut

Part-felled tree in Cleveland Walk

A Horse Chestnut in Cleveland Walk has been given an extra few months thanks to a bird’s nest in the trunk.

The council decided to take down the tree after judging that it was in a dangerously poor state. The branches were removed in August, minumising the risk.

However, the tree surgeon discovered a bird’s nest in a hollow at the top of the main stem. The Arboricultural Officer (tree expert) decided to leave the trunk intact until the eggs have hatched and the chicks flown the nest. She expects the remainder to be felled in October.

Replacement trees will be planted this winter along the verge of Cleveland Walk.

When I’m 64

On Wednesday morning, the UK Climate Change Committee issued a report saying that if aviation maintained its current levels of Carbon Dioxide emissions, all other sources in the UK must be cut by 90% by 2050 to avert catastrophic climate change.

On Wednesday afternoon I was asked to judge an application for the expansion of Bristol airport, in which CO2 emissions would more than double.

I will be 64 in 2050; I won’t have reached retirement age. Within my working life, my generation must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90%, while aviation remains as it is. If we can meet this daunting challenge, then the earth will ‘only’ warm by 2 degrees. Climate will change, but we will be able to cope. If say, we don’t manage to make 90% cuts, or if aircraft emissions rise, then temperature will rise by above 2 degrees, the ice-caps will begin to melt and the planet will be locked into a reinforcing pattern of catastrohpic change.

To save the planet in this model, all airports need to do is not expand. The irresponsibility of Bristol International Airport management is incomprehensible.

The BIA planning application will be decided by North Somerset council, but Bristol City and BathNES Councils have been asked to make recommendations. The expansions plans are to double the size of the airport terminal building, to provide 16,000 car parking spaces and build capacity for 10,000,000 passengers per year. This would result in CO2 emissions of 948,680 tonnes per year; an increase of 125% on current levels. The entire of Bath and North East Somerset is responsible for 1,072,000 tonnes per year. Bristol airport wishes to expand to a level at which it will emit almost as much CO2 as 170,000 people in 72,000 homes; 77,000 cars on 690 miles of road; 7,400 businesses and 220 sq miles of land.

At the planning committee meeting, I moved that: “Bath and North East Somerset considers the causes and effects of climate change to be the principal consideration in a development of this nature and recommends that North Somerset refuse the application on these grounds.”

Those who have watched me will know that I am a vigorous public speaker; I’m rather gratified by this review: “I just wanted to write personally to congratulate you on your speech on climate change at yesterday’s DCC meeting. It as good to hear a graduate of this University express himself so well and so much to the point. It set the tone for the debate at a level from which it hardly ever slipped.”

All Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors voted with me, as did two Conservatives, to prevent the expansion of the airport. The motion was passed 8 to 4; the objection of BathNES council will be sent to North Somerset.

However, with the Conservatives running BathNES council, it is very worrying that the majority of Tory councillors voted against the motion, for airport expansion. Conservative policy on airport expansion is ‘mixed’ at best. While the party leadership claims to be against a third runway at Heathrow, the Telegraph quotes a Conservative shadow cabinet member who expects the policy to be “revisited” after the general election. As is often the case, Cameron and the PR people say one thing, but Conservative MPs and councillors (such as ours in BathNES) do another.

As reported in the Bath Chronicle, the airport bosses are not pleased: “The discussion at the B&NES council meeting centred on emotional arguments relating to aviation’s contribution to climate change… We are confident that North Somerset will put much more weight on the employment, economic and tourism benefits generated by the airport.”

In response, I would argue that climate change is the greatest long-term challenge facing the world today (as does the UK government) and it was quite right that the debate centred on this; that’s why I wrote the motion as I did. Naturally, the potential destruction of our civilization within my lifetime does give rise to some emotional arguments, but these are no less compelling than the warnings presented by the world’s scientists. Suggesting that climate change is an emotional issue rather than a matter of science fact is not something I can agree with.

Then there are the percieved short-term employment, economic and tourism benefits of the airport. So far as jobs go, there is direct employment for cleaners, car park attendants, baggage handlers, shop assistants, caterers… the list of badly paid, low skilled jobs at anti-social hours is varied, but, given the shift to budget airlines, quite short. We are told that during the recession, the airport will keep Bath in business, but the development won’t be ready for several years and actually, Bath is doing quite well in this recession.

The supposed benefits to tourism are the real irony here, with over 80% of all BIA flights taking UK residents on holiday away from the region. The residents of Biarritz, Kefalonia, Venice, Faro and Tenerife do not welcome direct flights so that they can visit Bristol. Each of the airport’s 16,000 car park spaces represents a family leaving the South West to spend their money elsewhere.

Interestingly, there are some attempts to mitigate the environmental impact of the airport. BIA will attempt to double the proportion of passengers using public transport to reach the airport, from 8% now to 15% in 2019. In the best case scenario 8,500,000 people would drive to the airport each year. 12 wind turbines would be erected which would resuce the airports CO2 emissions by 48,000 tonnes, leaving only to 948,680 tonnes emitted per year. Finally, there is a suggestion that expanding Bristol will reduce the demand on other airports. This doesn’t really work considering that Heathrow are planning a third runway anyhow.

In conclusion, this is my website and I can write a long rant if I want to. Climate change is the most serious problem facing our civilization; it angers me when airport bosses and Conservative councillors place economic gain ahead of “emotional arguments” about the environment. I am proud of the Development Control committee this week; we have taken positive action now to reduce climate change.

I trust that when Bathwick elected a Liberal Democrat they knew that they were getting an environmentalist!

Poorly parked parents penalised

Parking outside King Edward’s School

Police and parking wardens are patrolling schools across Bath as the new school year begins.

Bathwick residents and councillors have long urged action against poor parking at our local schools, St Mary’s and King Edward’s. Both have been inluded in a list of twenty four across BathNES targeted for attention. Aside from the frustration caused to neighbours, inconsiderate parking near schools is often of danger to the pupils attending.

At King Edward’s School on North Road, I’ve been part of the school travel plan group looking at bus, cycle and car share schemes as well as parking outside the school. While the current parking arrangements on North Road and Cleveland Walk should be improved, parked parents who break the rules should expect a ticket. This especially includes the four wheel drive which parks on the corner of the juntion every afternoon – you know who you are!

I’ve also joined the Sustainable Routes to School project at Bathwick St Mary’s which promotes alternatives to driving. Key to this is the set of crossings around the Warminster and Sydney Road junction which I have raised with the council highways department several times.

Hopefully pupils and parents can take the opportunity of a new school year with (so far) reasonable weather to explore walking, biking or busing to school. If not, watch out for the parking inspectors!

Loading label stops parking

New loading bay sign

The loading bay outside Tesco has been there for most of a year, and has the words “LOADING BAY” in yellow captials written on the road. However, as I discovered in May the loading bay was not properly marked and was difficult to enforce. Indeed, only five parking tickets had been issued in the previous six months.

Four months later, the Conservative council’s contractors have managed to put up a little plaque reading “Goods vehicles loading only”. I am promised by the traffic wardens that this will make the bay a lot easier to keep clear! I’m not sure I believe it but there are no excuses left.

Public footpath enquiry

Public enquiry into Claverton Down footpath

A government inspector presided over a crowded public inquiry to determine the status of a popular local path.

Bathwick councillor Nicholas Coombes (Lib Dem) joined local residents in making the case to legally record the wide footpath between Claverton and Combe Down. The exact width of the path is disputed by the landowner who believes it is much narrow than claimed by path users and the council.

The council’s footpath records officer presented evidence including hundred year old Ordnance Survey Maps, city maintenance records from the 1960s and recorded eye-witness statements from the 1930s to the present day. These backed the claim that where the path passes between a retaining wall and woodland fence, the entire 7m width between the boundary can be, and has been, regarded as a right of way.

The landowner argued that while the entire area was open, only a thin strip at the edge was ever used as a footpath. The remainder has been variously obstructed by mud, vegetation, gates, rubble and an embankment. He thus believes that only 1.5m can be considered a right of way, and has erected a wooden fence to restrict walkers to this section.

When a member of the council’s footpath committee, Cllr Nicholas Coombes proposed that the footpath be recorded at its full historic width, thus leading the decision by public enquiry. After the meeting he said:

“It was good to see so many local people at the enquiry today; it shows that the people of Bathwick and Claverton Down really do miss the full use of this footpath. I am convinced by the historic evidence and personal accounts, I hope that the inspector was too. The path now is narrow, muddy, dark and some people find it dangerous. I will keep fighting to have it restored to its former self.”

The government inspector will make her judgement in the next few weeks and issue her conclusions in a printed report.

Nursery at Miles House

Miles House

Miles House, on Bathwick Hill by the canal, has finally been sold by the Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Trust and bought by a childcare nursery chain.

Chris Dawson at the Bathwick Hill site got the scoop, although in my defence I had found out through Freedom of Information requests but was then not allowed to publish! Now there’s a big banner out the front and an advert at Bath Spa station, the cat is probably out tof the bag.

In planning terms, some minor altertaions are being made, but it is unlikely that any change of use application is needed. Buildings are classified within ‘use class orders’ allowing for changes within the class. Mile House has historically beeen ‘D1 Health Care’; child care is also classified as D1.

To conclude, we welcome Childbase to Bathwick and expect them to act as good neighbours.

Graffiti painted out

Grafitti on the Pulteney Road rail bridge

The graffiti tag on the Pulteney Road rail bridge has finally been painted out by network rail.

Bathwick councillor Nicholas Coombes was joined by neighbouring Widcombe Lib Dem councillor, Ian Gilchrist, in chasing Network Rail to get the mess cleaned. What seems to have finally pushed the balance was a third member, Neil Butters (LD, Bathavon South) who works in the rail industry, getting involved.

Let’s hope that the bridge stays clean longer this time.

Public footpath enquiry

Footpath AQ78 from Claverton to Coombe Downs

A long running footpath dispute will be settled by public enquiry next month.

A government inspector has been appointed to rule on the width of AQ78 – the footpath from Combe Down to the top of Widcombe Hill. Local councillor Nicholas Coombes pushed the issue at the B&NES footpath committee, proposing that the full width be enforced.

A fence has been erected in recent years reducing the width of the footpath, leaving a dark and narrow muddy track alongside the fence.

“It is important that the original width be reinstated,” says local resident Dr David Martin. “At full width this could also be a safe and convenient cycle route for pupils at Ralph Allen school and Bath University students.”

The enquiry will be on 25th August from 10am in the Claverton Down Community Hall. Cllr Coombes would like to hear from any long term residents who remember using the path before the dence was erected, or have other evidence of its original width. Already one resident has come forward who remembers walking the path, four alongside, with his family in the 1930s!

Bridge inspection: scour cosmetic but collision of concern

Bathwick Hill canal bridge

A council engineer has checked the Bathwick Hill canal bridge at Cllr Coombes’ request, following the concerns of local residents.

The crumbling stonework on the parapet was raised by the local residents’ association, but the structural engineer says this is (so far) only a cosmetic concern. Dust and grit swept by passing traffic scours the parapet causing erosion of the stone, leaving a flaking appearance. Structurally this is not of concern as there is plenty of stone left; historically the Grade II bridge is diminished by the pollution.

On inspecting the bridge, the engineer noticed unreported damage to the North-East (uphill, upstream) end of the parapet wall. This was probably caused by a collision knocking the ashlar blocks out of place. This and other minor issues are of concern and the engineer has made recommendations for repair.

The bridge is the responsibility of British Waterways, who own and manage the canals. They have been informed of the council’s concerns and your Liberal Democrat councillors will be following the matter up.