The Bradley Stoke Journal

The Stokes Medical Centre in Braydon Avenue, Little Stoke, has submitted a second application for its planned extension after the initial plans were rejected by South Gloucestershire Council.

The earlier application, made in January, was withdrawn after planning officials indicated that they were minded to refuse it “on design grounds and non contribution to transport measures”.

A new application was submitted on 26th March and consultation on the revised plans will run until 16th April, with a decision expected by 23rd June.

The number of flats included in the proposed new wing has been reduced from four to two, while the proposed number of cycle parking spaces at the site has been increased from 12 to 26.

A source at the practice told The Journal that it is hoped to have the new wing ready by the end of 2010, after which the expansion and refurbishment of the existing building will commence.

The catchment area of The Stokes Medical Centre includes Little Stoke, Patchway and parts of Bradley Stoke (south-west of Bradley Stoke Way) and Stoke Gifford.

The centre is one of three GP practices that NHS South Gloucestershire has said will be expanded to serve the healthcare needs of Bradley Stoke residents, after plans to create a new health centre near the new town centre in Savages Wood Road were dropped.

The other practices being expanded are Bradley Stoke Surgery (Brook Way) and Stoke Gifford Medical Centre (Ratcliffe Drive).

Work began at Brook Way Surgery a few weeks ago when portable buildings were cleared from the rear of the site, but there has been no further activity since then.

A temporary expansion of Stoke Gifford Medical Centre, consisting of three ‘portacabins’, was approved by planners in February.

Bradley Stoke Community School has had its funding application for a post-16 centre approved by the Learning and Skills Council.

Plans for a two-storey sixth form centre, dance studio/gym and single-storey changing rooms were submitted to South Gloucestershire Council in July 2008 and received approval from planning officials in September 2008.

Writing in today’s school newsletter, headteacher Dave Baker says:

This is excellent news and means that we can now make definite plans for post 16 provision for our current year 10 students for September 2010. Building is likely to start before the end of this school year and discussions will continue with students and with our partners in the Concorde Partnership about which courses we will offer and which will be provided through the partnership. We will provide more details as soon as they are known.

Local politicians wasted no time in claiming credit for the success of the long-running campaign for a sixth form in Bradley Stoke.

In a joint statement, Conservative Councillors John Ashe, Brian Hopkinson, Rob Jones and Sarah Pomfret said:

“We are delighted to hear that one of our main election promises has secured the necessary funding. We have been strongly committed to achieving this for our town and importantly achieving it in time for when the first students will need it.”

Jon Williams, Local Liberal Democrat Councillor said:

“I’m sure the whole town will be delighted with today’s news and I hope that the building works can start quickly to ensure that the facility will open as planned for the first 6th Form students in September 2010.”

“I’m sure local political parties will try and claim credit for this latest development, but the truth is this facility has always been planned and land was set aside for this purpose in the original brief. As Chair of the Governors when the school opened I know there was already a dialogue going on in anticipation of this development and I have been supportive of it from the beginning. I have followed the progress of the funding bid and have questioned the Director of Children & Young People on a number of occasions to make sure that we were on track.”

“The school has now been awarded Specialist School Status, has recently had excellent SAT results and now we’re looking forward to seeing the first tranche of students sit their GCSEs. The whole town can be proud of what the staff, students and governors have achieved in such a short time.”

A video report made by students from Bradley Stoke Community School has been published on the BBC News website as part of the corporation’s annual School Report project.

The BBC runs School Report so that young people from across the UK have the chance to make their own news to real deadlines and broadcast it to real audiences.

Today is the project’s News Day, when schools around the country simultaneously create video, audio and text-based news reports, and publish them on a school website, to which the BBC aims to link.

Students have created a three minute video report on a recent tree planting day that formed part of a series of ‘Climate Change’ events at the school. The day was attended by One Show wildlife presenter Mike Dilger and 300 trees were planted in the school grounds, under the guidance of volunteers from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.

The opening of Ladbrokes’ new betting office at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre has moved a step closer with the submission of an application for a premises licence.

Representations about the application may be made to South Gloucestershire Council until 13th April, meaning that the office will not open in time for the Grand National betting frenzy (4th April), but should be trading by Derby Day (6th June).

The office will occupy ‘town square unit 9′, which is part of the phase 2 ‘retail terrace’ building and separated from the main body of the Town Square by a bus lane.

The neighbouring ‘unit 8′ is earmarked for a Westworld mobility and lifestyle store, although Willow Brook Centre Manager Scott Lahive cautioned recently that the group “has yet to cross the finish line” in its rental negotiations.

Elsewhere in the Town Square, signs have recently appeared in the windows of ‘unit 3′ (between Greggs and KFC) announcing the imminent arrival of Taylors Estate Agents.

The company is relocating from its current premises at Bradley Pavilions and says it will be opening a lettings department at the new office.

The Willow Brook Centre has announced that Pitman Training (Bristol North) is to open soon at Bradley Stoke’s new shopping centre.

The buisness training outfit, currently operating from Bradley Pavilions in Pear Tree Road, becomes the third ‘office business’ in as many weeks to announce a relocation from premises elsewhere in the town

Estate agents CJ Hole are already operational at the new centre, while rivals Taylors are set to follow soon.

When contacted by The Journal, a source at Pitman Training expressed surprise that the news had been made public by the Willow Brook Centre, adding that contracts were not due to be finalised until the end of the week.