Work to create 20 new parking spaces at Bradley Stoke Town Council’s Brook Way Activity Centre site could finally get under way in October, more than six years after redevelopment proposals were first put forward.

The future of the dilapidated hard court area at the centre has been the subject of much controversy, not least when, in September 2013, the then mayor Cllr Brian Hopkinson proposed the construction of two new buildings on the site, one for a charity and the other for youth provision.

A subsequent public consultation showed that 59 percent of respondents wanted to see additional parking facilities provided at the site, with just 20 percent supporting the need for a “new building” of some form.

A working group formed to consider the results of the consultation failed to produce any formal reports over a period of more than two years and, in the words of Cllr Elaine Hardwick, was deemed to have “died a death” by July 2016.

In that month, the town council agreed to use earmarked reserves to extend the car park at the Brook Way site, remove the hard court and create a grassed ‘village green’.

A planning application for the proposed scheme was subsequently submitted, in April 2017, to South Gloucestershire Council (SGC). However, it was later withdrawn after SGC officers had expressed concerns about the loss of trees and the potential for excavation works to damage the roots of some retained trees.

A planning application for a revised scheme was submitted in January 2018 and consent was granted in May 2018.

In the approved scheme, 20 additional parking bays will be created within the footprint of the hard court. In contrast to the previous scheme, no deep excavations of the hard court surface will be carried out. Consequently, there will be a “graduated incline” between the existing car park area and the new parking bays.

More: Contractor’s quote of £37,650 accepted »

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Following the recent local elections, Bradley Stoke Town Council welcomed four new members at the new administration’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday 15th May.

But the presence of one new Labour member and two independents seemed to have rattled the majority Conservative group, which had enjoyed the luxury of holding all 15 seats on the council during the previous eight years.

Signs that everything was not going to be plain sailing emerged even before the meeting had started, with one of the new Conservatives suggesting that it wouldn’t be appropriate for party colleagues to appear alongside the sole Labour member in a ‘new faces’ photo for the Journal.

The theme continued once the meeting got under way, with veteran Conservative councillor Roger Avenin calling for proportional representation along party lines to be observed in the allocation of members to each of the council’s three committees. The request was ruled inadmissible by the town clerk who pointed out that there is no such requirement within the council’s standing orders (rule book). This cleared the way for the three non-Conservative members to each volunteer to sit on all three committees.

Later in the meeting, the persistent Cllr Avenin raised the matter of proportionality again, suggesting that standing orders should be amended to incorporate this, as well as fixing the size of each committee. When the town clerk remarked that “most parish council aren’t operated along party lines and that’s how it should be,” she received a swift rebuke from another councillor, John Ashe (Conservative), who said it wasn’t her place to express opinions.

Officers were asked to report back to the next meeting with regard to the points raised.

Photo: 1 The three new Conservative members (l-r) – Michael Hill, Nikki Hallur and Ed Rose. 2 New Labour member Fabrizio Fazzino.

More: Proposed amendment to standing orders »

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Councillor Tom Aditya has been elected as the new mayor of Bradley Stoke. He was formally handed the chain of office on Wednesday 15th May at Bradley Stoke Town Council’s annual general meeting, held at the Jubilee Centre.

Tom, who represents the Bradley Stoke South ward, has been a councillor since 2011. He has served on various committees of the council and has chaired the Planning, Transport and Environment Committee and served as deputy mayor. Cllr Aditya takes on his new role, not only as the first Asian mayor in Bradley Stoke, but also in South Gloucestershire. He is also understood to be the first person of Indian origin to be elected to such a role in South West England.

Tom, a management consultant and financial adviser, is originally from Kerala, South India. He has studied at various places including the USA. He moved to the UK in 2002 and settled in Bradley Stoke. His wife works for the NHS (Renal Transplant) and his children attend local primary and secondary schools.

Tom is a passionate community campaigner and his interest in advocating social harmony stretches beyond the boundaries of Bradley Stoke. Since 2007, Tom has been involved with South Gloucestershire Council’s Equalities Forum, which enabled him to reach out to various communities in the region. He was also a trustee of the Southern Brooks Community Partnership. Currently, Tom serves as vice-chairman of the Police Strategic Advisory Group, the Community Engagement Forum and as a member of the Avon and Somerset Police Scrutiny Panel. Tom is also the chairman of the Bristol Multi-Faith Forum. He told the Journal that he sincerely hopes his time in office as mayor will allow him to promote more community cohesion and he is keen to involve a wider sense of inclusion for all residents.

More: Wants to see more residents actively involved in the community »

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Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) says it has received “great reviews” from users of a new £16,000 suite of play equipment recently installed at the Beacon Play Area on the town’s Jubilee Green.

The new equipment, designed to offer physical challenges to young people from the ages of 3 up to teen ages, replaces items installed ten years ago that had become unsafe due to timber rot.

BSTC’s premises manager John Rendell told the Journal:

“We are delighted with the fantastic new play challenge recently installed in the Beacon Play Area. It provides some much-needed play space for children and we have received great reviews from local users who regularly attend the site.”

‘Phase two’ of the upgrade is to install a community shelter which parents can use in bad weather (whilst keeping an eye on their children using the play area). Mr Rendell says it is hoped that this will be installed “towards the end of July, in readiness for the busy summer months”.

He added:

“This particular play area offers something different to the other more traditional play areas in the town and has always been extremely popular with local residents. It doesn’t have the more common metal swings, but it has a sand pit for the very young to enjoy, slides, a nest swing and a climbing net, along with the new play challenge.”

“We plan to continue to make improvements going forward to further enhance this popular play space for the benefit of all users.”

The play park is located on the green next to the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road BS32 8HL.

This article originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 15). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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