The Bradley Stoke Journal

Bradley Stoke’s Deputy Mayor Ben Walker has expressed concern over obstruction of the pavement around the recently-erected works compound at Bradley Stoke Surgery on Brook Way.

He raised the matter at last Wednesday’s Planning Committee meeting, asking if ISG Pearce – the contractor working on the surgery extension project, had permission to obstruct the highway in this way.

He also pointed out that access gates installed within the compound’s boundary fencing are likely to completely obstruct the remaining pavement when opened.

Cllr Walker said it was not clear which of the two planning applications made by the surgery was actually being implemented at the Brook Way site, but he did not recall either application mentioning that the Brook Way pavement would be obstructed during the construction phase.

Town Clerk Sharon Petela was instructed to contact the Highways Department of South Gloucestershire Council to verify if the appropriate authorisation had been obtained.

The fact that the matter was raised at all seems curious, since two members of the senior management team at the Brook Way surgery (Dr Elizabeth Todd and Julian Barge) are members of the Town Council, although neither of them sits on the Planning Committee.

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Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) has been stung by a massive hike in the business rates it has to pay for the Jubilee Centre following the discovery of a clerical error made by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in 2005.

This week’s meeting of the Council’s Finance Committee was told that a “manual error” within the records held by HMRC’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA) resulted in  the rateable value of the main building being recorded as £1,071.60 instead of £10,713.60.

The under valuation has been in place since 2005 and BSTC has therefore benefited from a substantially reduced rate level for almost five years.

Councillors were told that the VOA has waived its right to retrospectively claim the underpayment but were disappointed to hear that the new rate is to be applied from January rather than from the start of the new tax year in April.

Had the increase been applied from April, it would have coincided with a five-yearly rate review and under ‘transitional relief’ rules the new rate would have been phased in over a four to five year period. As the April increase is now unlikely to trigger ‘transitional relief’, the new rate will have to be paid in full with immediate effect.

The additional rates arising from the corrected rateable value are believed to be between £4,000 and £5,000 per annum.

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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.

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Bradley Stoke’s Town Clerk David Chandler, the man who started the Town Council out of boxes in the front room of his parents’ room in Filton, retired today after nearly 18 years in the role.

Mr Chandler’s period in office has seen the Council’s budget increase from £100,000 p.a. to almost £1 million and some £4.5 million worth of community facilities opened in the town.

Commenting on the development of the Town over the years in the latest Council newsletter,  Mr Chandler wrote:

“Seeing the community develop and thrive has been very rewarding – there have been some quite special personal moments over the last 18 years.”

Formerly chief executive to the Incorporated Society of Musicians in London, Mr Chandler plans to devote much of his time in retirement to his music and also hopes to travel more often with his wife Karen.

Cllr Mark Forsyth, Town Mayor, said that Mr Chandler left with the best wishes of all councillors and staff, commenting:

“David has served the Council and the community with distinction, dedication and good humour.”

Mr Chandler started his last day with a studio interview at BBC Radio Bristol, in which recalled memorable moments from his time in office. Asked how he planned to spend his retirement, he replied:

“Music will take over now … I’m an organist and will be very active in that sphere.”

The search for a successor to Mr Chandler began in earnest in July last year, when the vacancy was first advertised on the website of the Society of Local Council Clerks. The first round of interviews failed to produce a suitable candidate, but further advertising and interviews eventually led to Sharon Petela, 48, of Marshfield (South Gloucestershire) being awarded the job.

Ms Petela is a qualified nurse and Nursing Home Deputy Matron and held the post of part time clerk to Marshfield Parish Council for the last 14 years.

Her first Full Council meeting will be on Wednesday 20th January, when a formal presentation will also be made to Mr Chandler. Members of the public are, as ever, welcome to attend.

Photo shows L to R: retiring Town Clerk David Chandler, Chair of BSTC Councillor Mark Forsyth and incoming Town Clerk Sharon Petela.

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The Finance Committee of Bradley Stoke Town Council considered applications for funding from local organisations and community groups at its recent December meeting.

Organisations having their existing service level agreements confirmed were:

• Bradley Stoke Town FC & Bradley Stoke Youth FC (£1,945)
• Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (£1500)
• Four Towns and Vale Link Community Transport (£2,764)
• Victim Support Avonvale (£848)
• South Gloucestershire Chinese Association (£1,764)
• Patchway, Filton and the Stokes Volunteer Centre (£1,158)

The following new service level agreements were agreed:

• Bouncing Babies/Tiddlers Toy Library (£1,700)

An application from Southern Brooks Community Partnership to have its Bradley Stoke community work covered by a service level agreement was rejected on the grounds that “the information and accounts received did not justify [it]“. The Council agreed to continue to fund this work on a “bills submitted” basis.

The Council’s Planning Committee also has the power to make “grant aid” awards of up to £500 to “worthwhile local community groups” on an ad-hoc basis. In the financial year 2008/2009, a total of £3,450 was donated to:

• Bradley Stoke Youth FC
• Bradley Stoke Library
• Stokes Women’s Group
• The Big Why (Christ the King Youth Group)
• Southern Brooks Domestic Abuse Support Group
• Tiddlers Toy Library
• Sole Sisters
• National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease

New applications for grant aid may be made via the Town Council office.

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