The Bradley Stoke Journal

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is today (Tuesday) staging an exhibition in Bradley Stoke about proposed plans for the provision of gypsy and traveller sites in the district.

Independent consultants have determined that there is a need for an additional 53 permanent residental pitches and 25 transient pitches in South Gloucestershire.

The government believes that there is an urgent need to meet this shortfall by 2011 and has told the Council to produce a new plan called a Development Plan Document (DPD), which will identify land where pitches can be developed.

The exhibition is part of a public consultation exercise on the Council’s recently published ‘Gypsy and Traveller Sites: Towards Preferred Options’ document, a precursor to the full DPD that will be submitted to central government in November 2009.

One of the 17 sites suggested in the current document is at Northwood Park, Old Gloucester Road, Winterbourne [map], just over the M4 motorway from Bradley Stoke, where it is suggested that the existing Council-owned site could be extended to include a further ten residental pitches and two transient pitches.

A further suggestion is for a new privately-owned site at Curtis Lane, Stoke Gifford [map], where two residental pitches and one transient pitch might be provided.

The exhibition is open from 2:30pm to 7pm at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, Fiddlers Wood Lane.

Related Links:

• SGC Consultation : Gypsy and Traveller Sites ‘Towards Preferred Options’
• ‘Toward Preferred Options’ : Plain Guide [PDF, 1.7MB]

The Sort It! civic amenity site in Station Road, Little Stoke [map] is to close for eight days later this month, to enable essential maintenance and repairs to be carried out.

A press release from South Gloucestershire Council states that “a number of cracks and weaknesses have been identified in the floor of the site and need to be fixed urgently.”

The site, run by SITA on behalf of the Council, will close on Monday 17th November and is due to re-open on Tuesday 25th November.

During the closure residents can use the other South Gloucestershire Sort It! sites, which will be open as usual. These are in Yate, Mangotsfield and Thornbury.

The Council’s Waste Strategy, approved in May 2008, calls for the Little Stoke Sort It! site to be replaced, in order for it to “provide an appropriate service to the local population.”

The strategy document goes on to state that “the search for a suitable site continues and may not be completed until the Council’s Green Belt policy has been reviewed.”

Health and safety concerns at the site led to the installation of a vehicle height-restriction barrier in October 2006, in order to reduce the amount of traffic using the facility. A trailer ban is also in place.

Residents of Manor Farm Crescent and neighbouring streets, concerned about an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour in the area, have called a meeting to consider the formation of a Neighbourhood Watch group.

The move follows a “walk through” meeting held last month at which local police and representatives of South Gloucestershire Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team discussed residents’ concerns and outlined measures that could be taken to address the problems.

Incidents of anti-social behaviour in the area have increased significantly since a new pedestrian access point into Bradley Stoke’s new town centre from the end of Manor Farm Crescent was opened earlier this year. Recent events have included the torching of a stolen moped, burglaries and an incident of indecent exposure.

A majority of the residents who attended October’s street meeting called for the new access point to be sealed off, despite the inconvenience that this would cause them by increasing the distance they would need to travel in order to reach the new town centre.

Bradley Stoke and South Gloucestershire Councillor Jon Williams, who also attended the meeting, explained that planners had wished the new town centre be “permeable” [for pedestrians and cyclists] but said he wouldn’t personally object to closure of the access point and would pass residents’ views on to the District Council.

Police Sergeant Clive Johnson told the group that he would be meeting with the management of the Willow Brook Centre to discuss the matter further.

The residents’ Neighbourhood Watch meeting takes place on Monday 10th November at 8pm. Further details (including the venue, which we have been asked not to publish) may be obtained by email from: meeting.081110@bradleystokejournal.co.uk or via The Journal’s ‘Contact Us‘ form (please include your name, address and telephone number in your message).

Related Links:

• Bradley Stoke Journal : Police
• Bradley Stoke Journal : New Town Centre - Pedestrian Access Routes
• Avon and Somerset Police : Neighbourhood Watch

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has announced plans to replace Pelican crossings on Bradley Stoke Way and Savages Wood Road with “Toucan” alternatives.

Notices displayed at the two crossings state that the proposals are being made after “consultation with the chief officer of police”. Maps and statements of reasons will be available on the SGC website and at Bradley Stoke Library.

Comments about the proposals must be sent to the Council by Wednesday 26th November.

Toucan crossings differ from Pelican crossings in that cyclists are allowed to ride across the road. The crossings are wider (4m instead of 2.8m) and have “intelligent” detectors.

Unlike Pelican crossings, there is no “flashing amber” signal shown to vehicles at a Toucan crossing.

Further Information:

• Consultation Diary (SGC)
• Pedestrian Crossings Leaflet (SGC)
• Toucan Crossing (Wikipedia)

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is inviting further comments on proposed works at the Brook Way/Braydon Avenue roundabout [map] in Bradley Stoke following amendments made to the scheme after the initial public consultation, which ran from 5th May to 13th July.

The roundabout junction has been included in the Council’s “accident concentration list” after four personal injury accidents occurred there in the period 2005-2007 (according to police records).

The scheme has now been altered to include a by-pass lane for cyclists travelling north to south on Brook Way.

The latest public consultation runs from 27th October to 14th November.

Related Links: SGC Consultations - Casualty Reduction - Braydon Avenue/Brook Way

Construction of a new footpath/cycleway on the east side of Bradley Stoke Way (close to Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre) has started, following a public consultation on the plans earlier this year.

The new path [map] will link the Pelican Crossing near the Leisure Centre to the end of an existing footpath that runs from Ellicks Close up to Bradley Stoke Way via a footbridge over Patchway Brook.

Once the new path is completed, walkers and cyclists from the Ellicks Close area will no longer need to cross and re-cross Bradley Stoke Way in order to reach the Leisure Centre.

South Gloucestershire Council also hopes the new route will have advantages “in terms of personal security” over the alternative route using footpaths to the east of Savages Wood.

The Journal understands that the works will take three weeks to complete.

Works on Patchway Railway Bridge, closed to traffic in a southbound direction since May, are likely to take a further six months to complete according to a source at South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).

A notice appeared last week in the Bristol Evening Post announcing the extension of the road closure order for an anticipated period of 10 weeks from 15th October, but new signs erected at the bridge this week show the target completion date as April 2009.

An SGC spokesperson told The Journal:

The strengthening works have been delayed due to the unforeseen diversions of water and gas mains, which had to be carried out before the strengthening of the bridge could start. These diversions took approximately three months to complete.

We have been working with the contractor and the utility companies to minimise delays and everyone involved is committed to completing the scheme without significant further disruption.

To enable bridge strengthening work to be completed the road closure is expected to remain in place until April of next year.

More information: South Gloucestershire Council - Patchway Bridge