Campus moving days – this weekend

Bath University

The university Autumn term starts next week, but new students are moving into their campus halls this weekend.

20% of students are expected to arrive on Saturday with the majority, 60% on Sunday. The remainder will move into their new accomodation on Monday. Locals will know to expect heavy traffic, especially from the motorway, and queues on the university campus. It may also be a bad time to shop at Fresh or attempt a coffee at Dolce Vita (these are the campus retail outlets).

This means that Freshers’ week is about to begin, with young adults newly liberated from their families starting an independent life. The Students’ Union has promised a greater choice of alcohol free events and a reduced level of Bathwick Hill commuting from previous years. Please be understanding, but if you have reasonable concerns, call the student action line (01225 385245) or use this webform http://www.townandgown.org.uk/complaint to leave a message.

Bath University’s masterplanning exercise reaches another stage next month with the publication and consultation on the draft masterplan. A staffed exhibition will take place on campus in the University library (27th-31st October, open 24hrs, staffed 12-2pm) and in the Bath Guildhall (31st Oct and Sat 1st Nov). This will show areas of the campus thought suitable for academic facilities, residential units and areas not suitable for development. Yours comments and suggestions will be invited.

Nick Clegg conference speech

Nick Coombes meets Nick Clegg

Nick Clegg really is a very good public speaker.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t be at conference this year, but I was able to watch his closing speech on TV (possibly the first time I have found a use for BBC parliament). It’s now at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk_politics/2008/party_conferences_2008/default.stm

I strongly recommend watching it if you are interested in values and society. You should be able to recognise our own Don Foster in the audience and possibly my colleague Cllr Roger Symmonds who also has a moment of fame.

Rising water thwarts bridge building

Nicholas Coombes and the Quarry Road footbridge

Wet weather has delayed the opening of the new university footbridge over Quarry Road. The bridge is now in place, but staff estimate a further week before the approach paths are laid.

Delivery of the bridge itself was put back due to heavy rain as the police delayed the over-sized motorway convoy. Since then, the bridge has been installed but groundworks and concreting has understandably taken longer. The new bridge is higher to avoid tall vehicle strikes, but this means that the approach paths need to be re-graded. With drier weather forecast, this work is expected to be completed this week.

In a conversation with Cllr Coombes providing the revised information, the bridge project director apologised for the delay. Meanwhile the Vice-Chancellor is taking no chances and has arranged the formal opening ceremony for mid October.

Graffiti painted out

Graffiti painted out

Finally the graffiti on Pulteney Road railway bridge has been painted out by network rail.

I first reported this to them in February 2007, 18 months on the job has been done (admittedly in a good light you can stil make out the tag). However, the ground level graffiti tags on the brick arches have not yet been done, so I will have to start phoning again with reminders.

Youth Hostel license unused

Bath Youth Hostel 

I spoke today with the manager of Bath Youth Hostel, on Bathwick Hill. The hostel was recently granted a 24 hour drinking and entertainment license, to the concern of their neighbours.

The license was granted by BathNES as no objections were received from local residents. However, the licensing application was poorly advertised and neighbours were not notified of the application. The council claimed that this was because of guidance preventing them from ‘soliciting’ objections. Don Foster, MP for Bath and Shadow Culture Secretary, agrees that this was the case previously, but that he and others have since reversed this guidance in parliament.

BathNES should have advertised the licensing application more widely and are now aware of this following Don Foster’s intervention.

However, none of this matters to the manager of the hostel, who did not want a 24 hour license and has no intention to use it! The licenses were applied for by the Youth Hostel Association for every one of their hostels in England and Wales. The manager of Bath Youth Hostel says that their hostel, a Grade II listed building, does not attract many late night drinkers and those few are catered for in town. It makes no sense for the manager to staff a bar all night when there is no demand.

Therefore, despite gaining a 24 hour entertainment and alcohol license, the hours of operation have remained the same and the manager intends to continue closing the bar at 11pm, as she always has. The one exception may be New Year’s Eve, which is understandable.

If your experince suggests that the alcohol and entertainment license at the hostel has caused your quality of life to worsen, despite the manager’s assurances, please take notes and get in contact.

Tesco loading bay

Nick and Armand call for a zebra crossing 

Almost a year after planning permission was granted, the council has published its plans for a loading bay in front of the store, many months late.

The report is at http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/Committee_papers/Executive/WL/2008/080829/01E1832BathwickHillTescoLoadingBayObjections.htm which shows the plans and objections made by members of the public. There is now one week for members of the public to comment on the paper before Cllr Gerrish (Con, Keynsham N) makes his decision next week on whether to install the loading bay. Contact democratic_services@bathnes.gov.uk with your comments on decision number E1832. After this date, other councillors will have two weeks to ask him to reconsider his decision if desired.

This means that the loading bay could be marked out next month at the earliest, assuming that BathNES’ contractors are prompt. With the loading bay complete, Tesco will be allowed to open.

Lime Grove school site sold

Lime Grove School site 

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.

Summer updates

It’s been a while since my last post; I’ve been on holiday. However, not very much has happened anyway!

 The Tesco loading bay is still inexplicably held up in the system and I’ve issued another request for information.

The Quarry Road footbridge at the University is on target, due to be delivered through the city early on Monday morning, 1st September. The bridge is prefabricated entire and will be under police escort.

Meanwhile, this being August, there have been no council meetings; my most recent was a wonderfully intricate scrutiny panel with representatives from four councils reviewing the West of England partnership, focusing on residual waste. The agenda was several hundred pages long and the meeting itself lasted the whole morning.

If you’re on holiday, do enjoy it.

Uni footbridge update

Bath University

Bath University estates department have recvised their bridge replacement timetable, taking into account the Youth Games on campus this month.

The bridge has now been built by the contactors and is being painted this week. In a few weeks it will be driven down from Huddersfield with a police escort to Quarry Road. Quarry Road will be partially for fully closed from midnight 31st August until 6:30am on 4th September; although the contractors may be able to complete faster.

Youth Hostel license granted

In the same week that I re-joined the Youth Hostel Association, Bathwick Hill’s very own Youth Hostel was granted a mch extended alcohol and entertainment license.

The hostel has previously had a license for the sale of alcohol between 11am and 11pm, but following their refurbishment the new license permits for alcohol and entertainment 24 hours per day. The application, 08/02302/LAPRE is at http://planning.bathnes.gov.uk/PublicAccess/LI/LiApplication/li_application_detailview.aspx?refval=08/02302/LAPRE

 The license was granted because no objections were received. Given the controversy now this would seem odd, except that none of the neighbours (or councillors) knew about the application. Rules preventing the council from ‘soliciting objections’ restrict adverts to one lamp-post sign and one notice in the local paper. Following the planning applications related to the refurbishment, there have been application notices fixed to the nearest lamp post for months, so the neighbours did not notice this different notice until it was too late.

If you think that you are being affected by increased noise or disturbance, please make a record of these occurances for 6 weeks. Concerned residents can then apply for the license to be reviewed, possibly revoked, with these records used as evidence.