The Bradley Stoke Journal

The Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke is to undergo a rebranding facelift, according to a press release put out today.

The exercise, which will be implemented before the end of September 2011, is said to be “in response to local feedback”.

The Centre opened in October 2008 and all but one of its retail units are now occupied, with Excellence Spa being the latest addition.

Centre Manager Scott Lahive said:

“As the Centre has grown and developed, we wanted to introduce a stronger, more contemporary identity for it.  We also listened when our local community called for more prominent signage.”

“We’re introducing information points that will make our large range of shops and services clearer for our customers.”

“Our website will also be updated to include the new branding.”

The press release makes no reference to the out-of-date signs on roads around the new town centre, which South Gloucestershire Council said it wanted to renew back in March 2010.

Dear Editor,

Has anyone noticed that Bing maps (who took over Multimap) refer to the Willow Brook Centre as “The Brooks Center”[sic]? An interesting observation, surely this data must be old, as Brooks Centre was only in the running for a short time I believe, before Tesco caved in and finally held the naming competition.

Yours sincerely,

Joanne

Dear Editor,

Tesco Willow Brook Centre has major designed-in parking problems, resulting in discord between Tesco and its customers as detailed in previous posts and countless pub, office and back fence whinging sessions.

1. The general car park design is terrible (there is never a trolley shed anywhere near your car and there is a garden right across where you need to push the trolley to your car and the rows are all diagonal so you either have to make a long deviation or go between the cars, risking scratching them). I imagine the excessive number of spaces for disabled people that are never used is forced on them by some guideline or rule but that does not absolve them of the need to fight this nationally – having 4 times more spaces than they need does disabled people no good at all but builds resentment (against the store and rule makers, not the disabled themselves I hope!) among those who are denied access to them for no good  reason.

Read on for more problems perceived by the author »

Tesco Extra in Bradley Stoke has banned people from bringing balloons into the store over fears that a member of staff could suffer an allergic reaction, reports the Bristol Evening Post.

A mother and her young son were “accosted” by a security guard, who told them they couldn’t come into the supermarket carrying a balloon because “someone could have an allergic reaction to the latex”.

A Tesco spokesperson is quoted as explaining that a member of staff at the store has a severe latex allergy so customers are asked “not to bring latex balloons into this one store”.

Read more: Mother’s fury as Tesco security guard stops son, 3, carrying balloon

After some seven years of being away from Bradley Stoke, my wife and I returned recently and stopped for lunch at The Three Brooks public house.

Imagine our shock as we approached the pub to be greeted by this vast grey box dominating the area. In fact we first thought that the pub had been demolished to make way for this edifice such is its impact on the area.

Are we the only ones who are astonished that such a monstrosity could have been built?

The Reflections hairdressing salon at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre has announced that it is start opening on Sundays.

Writing on the salon’s webpage, Manager Hannah Fox says:

“I am excited to announce that, due to client demand, from 20th February we will be opening on Sundays! The salon will be open between 10am to 4pm and is already taking bookings. We hope that these extended hours offer you a more convenient service and look forward to welcoming you soon.”

Reflections was the first company to announce, in April 2008, that it would be opening in Bradley Stoke’s new town centre development.

Related link: Hairdressers in and around Bradley Stoke (The Journal)