Don't forget - consultation on parking restrictions ends this Friday

The consultation on the proposed parking restrictions around the new Badminton Road Council Offices ends on Friday. Have your say on the South Glos website.

Claire Young asked about the details of the permit scheme. Officers have suggested that it will offer two permits per household, one of which could be given to visitors, workmen etc providing that you don't need both for your own vehicles. Deliveries can be loaded and unloaded, they are not affected by the restrictions. The fine detail of the permit system is still to be developed and Claire is awaiting further information from officers.

Nibley Lane closed Mon 22 and Tue 23 Feb

The length of Nibley Lane nearest to Badminton Rd will be closed for major resurfacing between 8.00am and 5.00pm next Monday and Tuesday, subject to any delays due to weather etc.

This is a busy cut-through from Shire Way and the Westerleigh road, especially in the rush hour, so people will need to find an alternative route.

Making South Glos Council more open

Your Focus team is campaigning for a more open South Glos Council. At January's meeting of full Council, Lib Dem Councillor Alan Lawrance won backing for all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests to be published on the Council’s website. Now Laddenbrook Councillor Howard Gawler is asking the Leader of Council to support the publication of any Council contracts or payments over £25,000, as is the case in some other Councils.

Missed the Barnhill / Chipping Sodbury Waitrose consultation?

If you missed last week's exhibition, you can still find out the latest from developer Chelverton Deeley Freed's website http://chelvertonbarnhill.co.uk/

Hard copies of the exhibition materials and comments forms are also available at Chipping Sodbury Library and Sodbury Town Council offices.

Pot hole alert

The recent bad weather has left terrible pot holes on our roads and your local Focus team has been reporting them to the Council's Street Care department. If you would like to report a pothole directly to the Council you can do so online here.

Roadworks around the new Council offices

During February and into March, there will be roadworks around the new Council offices as the roads are resurfaced. The roads affected are Stover Road, from Badminton Road to the north of the road-over-rail bridge and Badminton Road, from North Road to the roundabout outside the new Council offices. It was decided not to resurface these roads until the construction work had finished, to avoid construction traffic damaging the new surface.

New Yate Health Centre opens its doors

The new West Gate Centre has opened its doors to patients. Originally it was supposed to open before Xmas, but there were problems with the ventilation system.

Cllr Sheila Mead (Lib Dem, Chipping Sodbury) said: "It’s light and airy and new and it’s going to bring everything together – including the GP surgery, X-rays, physiotherapy and a Sure Start centre"

"I do have a few concerns - the most-used service, the doctors’ surgery, is on the first floor and the lifts aren’t very large. Also we had expected there to be room for a childminder development worker to meet with childminders in a drop-in centre but there isn’t"

Cllr Sue Hope (Lib Dem, Cotswold Edge) commented: "It’s a really exciting opportunity for people in the Yate area to have all the facilities in one building and it’s great to see the different public bodies working together in partnership."

Read more on the new Health Centre in the Gazette.

A chance to tackle litter

The disappearing snow uncovered a great deal of litter and fly-tipping. South Glos has tackled some hotspots but it’s a never-ending job. Why not get involved in The Big Spring Clean 2010 campaign, which runs from 1 Mar - 30 April? If your group organises a community event, the Council will collect the litter you pick up and you can have free gloves, refuse sacks and skips. Supplies are limited, so register your Big Spring Clean event and requests for equipment with the council by Friday 26 February 2010 at the latest. More information is available on the South Glos website.

Last chance to have your say on parking restrictions

South Glos Council has published the formal notice before bringing in parking restrictions near the new Badminton Road Council offices. They have made some changes based on responses to the last consultation. They are now proposing no waiting 9am-5pm Mon-Fri without a permit anywhere in South Avenue and there would be no waiting on Stover Road except for a short stretch outside the houses where there would be no waiting 9-5 Mon-Fri.

Claire Young asked officers for more information on the permit scheme. The details are still being worked on, but officers suggest there will be two permits per household and one could be used for visitors, people working on the house etc during the day time. Deliveries can be loaded and unloaded as per normal waiting restrictions.

You can view the plans and have your say on the South Glos website. But don't delay - you only have until 26th February.

Future Cycling City initiatives in our area?

Cycling England are hoping the project will be extended for another 3 years in 2011 and local councils are starting to consider future potential projects. Initial “strategic routes” being suggested are:

• Yate/Sodbury to the north fringe and linking to the cycling network at Winterbourne;
• Yate/Sodbury to Pucklechurch; 
• Yate/Sodbury to Wickwar;

Another ambition is to identify a route from Chipping Sodbury to Yate, to be accessible to cyclists and users of mobility scooters.

Can you suggest any other strategic routes or links that need to be provided in the area? Please let ush ave your ideas.

Cycle routes - progress on the link to Railway Path via Westerleigh

The planning application for Cycle Path  / Footpath from Yate to the Railway Path via Westerleigh will be submitted very shortly.

This is the route consulted on recently at Shire Way. Some residents of Chedworth have objected to the route, so some changes may be needed in that area.

Cycling City is aiming for the first phase (Railway Path to Westerleigh) to begin as soon as possible and completed by October 2010.

Westerleigh Road resurfacing now starts Friday

Due to unforeseen circumstances the resurfacing of Westerleigh Road, Yate has had to be rescheduled. It will now start on Friday 12th and hopefully be completed on Saturday 13th February.

Watch out, there’s a Strategy about

The South Glos Cabinet will release the first draft of the Core Strategy on 19 February.

This is the big planning document that will replace the Structure Plan, and set the scene for all major local developments. 

Watch out for discussions and consultations – this will determine the character of our area for years to come.

Westerleigh Road, Yate to be resurfaced

Part of Westerleigh Road, Yate is due to be resurfaced, starting on Wednesday 10th and finishing on Friday 12th February if all goes to plan. The works will involve planing off the existing surface on the carriageway, followed by resurfacing and traffic will be controlled with a two man Stop and Go operation. Work will take place between 7.30am and 5pm. South Glos Council are advising people to use alternative routes where possible.

Latest on bin collections

As blogged here, SITA went back to using the standard collection calendar on Monday 25th January and as of Saturday 6th they have now completed a full two week cycle on black bins, green bins and green boxes. Because some householders may not have placed their bin out on the timetabled day, due to all the disruptions, SITA crews will continue to collect side waste for the next two week cycle.

The Council is aiming to learn from this experience and has reviewed its plans for coping with difficult situations such as the one faced in January. In future, they hope to keep residents better informed during disruptions.

All fun and games at Woodchester Park

Work is about to start on a major rebuild of Woodchester Play Area, which after twenty years or so has been looking a bit tired.

After consulting with local residents and particularly with local children, Dodington Parish Council and South Glos are going to instal some very exciting new features, like this "Supernova" rotating ring.

But there will be some old favourites too - this joint project will also keep and renovate the most popular existing pieces of equipment.

Barnhill development (Waitrose etc) - new consultation

Developers Chelverton Deeley Freed are holding a public exhibition of their latest plans in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall this week:

• Wednesday 10 February, 3.30 pm - 7 pm
• Thursday 11 February, 12 noon - 7 pm

The developers say "We are now in a position to present an overall masterplan for the site and indicative design details. The key components of the development have not changed, namely a Waitrose foodstore, new pedestrian link to the High Street with new shop units, and housing"


Please drop in at any time during these sessions and let them know what you think of their latest proposals.