The Bradley Stoke Journal

The Planning Committee of Bradley Stoke Town Council has lodged a strongly-worded objection to a change of usage application for the site of the Bristol Motorcycle Training Centre in the south-east corner of the town.

The centre, located within the Vantage Office Park on Old Gloucester Road, was established in 1979 and claims to have been the country’s first purpose built motorcycle training facility.

Located at the highest point of the business park [map], the centre lies close to houses in The Worthys and Elan Hay Road, but is not visible from those roads due to the presence of trees and hedgerows.

Access to the site is from the business park’s main entrance, opposite the Amcor factory in Old Gloucester Road.

Councillors (or, more likely, the Town Clerk) recalled that they had twice before (in 1997 and 1998) objected to similar plans and repeated that they believe the proposed development would result in “unacceptable additional traffic”, leading to “more noise and pollution”.

The Planning Committee was also critical of the local planning authority for, it believes, failing to define an overall policy for development at the Vantage Office Park site:

The status of numerous planning applications for this area has been confused to say the least – distribution units, dwellings, care homes, motor cycle training facilities, etc. A policy for the whole site should be determined before allowing any development at all.

It is not known if the applicants have any connection with the business presently operating at the site. A source at the training centre claimed to be unaware of the latest planning application.

Customers of Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre will soon be able to rest their weary legs when seating is finally installed within the shopping centre’s mall.

Elderly and disabled shoppers have long complained about the lack of seats within the centre, but management previously said that their budget was “too constrained” to allow the situation to be rectified.

Centre Manager Scott Lahive admitted to the July 2009 meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Community Group (SSCG) that “too much had been spent on seating outside [in the Town Square]” prior to the centre’s opening in October 2008.

But Mr Lahive now says that new seating has been ordered and will be arriving within the next few weeks. He told this week’s SSCG meeting that the seats are likely to be installed at the end of February or the beginning of March.

Mr Lahive was also able to confirm that fashion retailer Peacocks is planning to open a new store at the centre “just after Easter”, subject to the successful completion of contractual negotiations.

He added that the centre is also in talks with two further high street retailers.

Hopes of seeing a new resident bowling club at the Baileys Court green have taken a step forward with the inaugural meeting of the Bradley Stoke Bowls Club.

Over forty people, including many former members of the now disbanded Northavon Bowling Club, attended the meeting on Tuesday 13th January.

The meeting was also attended by the Mayor of Bradley Stoke, Cllr Mark Forsyth, Cllr Ben Walker, who has spearheaded the latest negotiations with the bowlers on behalf of Bradley Stoke Town Council, and Cllr Jon Williams.

Members of the new bowls club’s committee were keen to stress that the formation of a new club represents a new start and any talk of what happened between the old Northavon club and the Town Council should be condemned to history.

That statement, however, did not stop two prospective members asking questions about the dispute that led to the Town Council evicting the Northavon Bowling Club in May 2008.

Both questions related to the involvement of Cllr Julian Barge, Mayor at the height of the dispute, who many of the bowlers feel harboured a grudge against the old club.

The two questions were met with mutterings of disapproval from the majority in the room, who were clearly not in favour of going over old ground.

In response, Cllr Mark Forsyth said the dispute had been caused by “a clash of personalities”, adding:

“Now, you [the club] don’t have the personalities and our [the Council's ] personalities are not in the driving seat.”

The meeting went on hear about the large number of friendly fixtures already arranged by the committee and its plans for acquiring new equipment, grants and even sponsorship – Specsavers have apparently expressed an interest!

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This week’s meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Community Group is to hear a presentation about the new Children’s Sure Start Centre that is to open soon at Bowsland Green Primary School.

The new centre will bring together childcare, early education, health and family-support services for families with children under five years old.

The meeting will also welcome two new faces in the town: Sharon Petela, the new Town Clerk and Steve Robertson, the new Youth Leader in Bradley Stoke.

The Safer and Stronger Community Community Group, one of 20 in South Gloucestershire, provides an opportunity for Bradley Stoke residents to have their say about the services that the local community receives.

Participants include people who live and work in the area and representatives from the local police, Avon Fire & Rescue, NHS South Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire Council, Bradley Stoke Town Council, Southern Brooks Community Partnership and other local organisations.

Anyone can attend a Safer and Stronger meeting and raise concerns about issues in the local community. The meeting then agrees on a small number of priority issues, for which actions are assigned to the appropriate authorities.

Priority issues agreed at the last meeting (held on 27th October) included anti-social behaviour in North Bradley Stoke (actioned: police), lighting pollution at the Jubilee Centre (pictured above; actioned:  Bradley Stoke Town Council) and street cleansing/fly tipping (actioned: South Gloucestershire Council).

Progress on each of the previously agreed priority issues is reviewed at the start of each meeting.

The next meeting takes place on Tuesday (26th January) at Holy Trinity Church, Broad Croft, starting at 7pm.

More information:

• Minutes of the 27th October 2009 meeting [MS Word]
• Agenda for the 26th January 2010 meeting [MS Word]

Former Mayor of Bradley Stoke Cllr Robert Jones has wasted no time in countering another instance of ‘Bradley Stoke bashing’ that appeared yesterday on the letters page of a Hertfordshire newspaper.

Stuart Scullion, opposing the construction of 1,200 new homes in the historic city of St Albans, had written:

“If you want to see the impact of this scale of residential development go and visit the concrete jungles known as Lower Earley, Reading or Bradley Stoke, Bristol.”

The move comes less than a year after Cllr Jones successfully insisted on an apology from South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) Area Director Ian Knight, who had singled out Bradley Stoke as a example of poor town planning.

Mr Knight had been quoted as saying (in relation to the proposed Ashton Park development in South Bristol):

“No one wants to see a Bradley Stoke Mark Two.”

In his reply to Mr Scullion, Cllr Jones describes Bradley Stoke as:

“… a thriving, vibrant and diverse community recognised in 2008 by Channel Five’s Property List as the third best value place to live in Britain.”

Cllr Jones ends his letter by inviting Mr Scullion and other St Albans folk to visit Bradley Stoke “and see for themselves what a great community we have built here”.

Read more:

• ‘Monster Fighter’ – letter from Stuart Scullion to the Herts Advertiser
• Letter of response from Cllr Robert Jones

Budget clothes retailer Peacocks has begun recruitment activities for shop floor positions at its anticipated new Bradley Stoke store.

Advertisements for management positions at a “Bradley Stoke, Bristol” location appeared earlier this month but the Willow Brook Centre was still to confirm Peacocks as a new tenant.

The company’s latest advertisement state that “Peacocks, Britain’s hottest value fashion retailer – is on its way to Bradley Stoke”.

In addition to Store Manager and Assistant Manager positions, the company says that anyone interested in becoming a ‘Sales Colleague’ at the new store should email for an application form – see our New Town Centre Jobs page for more details.

Told of the recruitment campaign, Willow Brook Centre Manager Scott Lahive commented to The Journal:

We can confirm that we are currently in very advanced discussions with Peacocks regarding them taking a store at the Willow Brook Centre. Negotiations are ongoing. If Peacocks decide to base their new store at the centre, it would potentially trade over two levels, occupying a large unit on the retail terrace alongside Brantano and Pets at Home.