Have your say on M4 Junction 18a options

South Glos Council has launched a consultation as part of a feasibility study into options for a new motorway junction, 18a, to link the M4 with the A4174 ring road. The consultation runs until Monday 16 October. This could have a major impact on our area so it's vital everyone has their say.

The Conservative-run council are looking at two options:

Western route

This route would use Westerleigh Road and the A4174 ring road adjacent to Lyde Green in Emersons Green. This would mean the new Junction 18a could be located to the north west of the Lyde Green development. It would require some realignment to the M4 itself.

Eastern route

This route explores the potential of building a link road and junction to the north and west of Pucklechurch. This would require the creation of a new link road, but a new motorway junction could be accommodated without the need to realign the M4.

You can find out more and have your say at http://www.southglos.gov.uk/M4J18a 

Both these options could have major traffic implications for our area, especially the parts around Westerleigh Road, Rodford Way and Shire Way. Unless proper links are provided to AND ROUND Yate, to meet up with the Iron Acton road, these roads will have to carry a lot more through traffic and Westerleigh village could grind to a halt. And no, completing the Road to Nowhere wouldn't do a thing to help - it's in the wrong place.

Cllr Claire Young has helped Westerleigh and Dodington Parish Councils to arrange drop-in events as part of the consultation:

• Monday 11 September, 4 pm to 6.45 pm at Westerleigh Village Hall, Shorthill Road, Westerleigh, BS37 8QN 
• Tuesday 19 September, 4 pm to 7 pm at Shire Way Community Centre, Yate, BS37 8YS 

Details of other events can be found on the consultation web page. Any questions can be emailed to transport.policy@southglos.gov.uk - and do let us know your views too.

Could YOU become a Health Champion?

Southern Brooks Community Partnerships are currently recruiting community volunteers who live and/or work in Yate to learn: more about health and wellbeing; where to gain support to improve health; and hold the skills to have a 'health chat' with friends, relatives and neighbours as well as other residents of Yate to make steps to health improvement. It's a great opportunity to gain knowledge and take action without a regular commitment. The role comes with a free level 2 qualification in health.

There will be information sessions in September:

• Monday 4th 3-7 pm, Cadbury Heath Library
• Monday 18th 12-1 pm, Yate - Ridgewood Cafe, Ridgwood Buildings, 244 Station Rd, Yate BS37 4AF
• Thursday 21st 10-11 am, Patchway - Southern Brooks Training Room, 2nd Floor, Coniston Community Centre, Patchway BS34 5LP
• Friday 22nd 1-2 pm, Kingswood - Park Centre, High Street, Kingswood BS15 4AR
• Monday 25th 6-7 pm, Patchway - Southern Brooks Training Room, 2nd Floor, Coniston Community Centre, Patchway BS34 5LP

For more information please contact the Contact Health Champion Co-ordinator on 01454 868570 or email healthchampions@southernbrooks.org.uk. Please contact them to confirm your place at one of the sessions.

New Community Learning Courses - many free

South Glos Council has launched its prospectus of new courses for 2017-2018. There will be information and enrolment sessions at Yate Library:
Tuesday 5 September - 10.00am to 12noon
Thursday 7 September - 5.00pm to 7.00pm

Check out the Community Learning web page for full details - click on the "Prospectus" link.

Consultation on changes to Gibbs Lane weight limit

A consultation has started on changes to the Gibbs Lane, Codrington weight limit.

The aim is to implement an enforceable 7.5 Tonne weight restriction, to prevent Gibbs Lane being
used as a through route by HGVs. As with all environmental weight limits, HGVs will still be
permitted to load/unload at premises along Gibbs Lane. The proposed scheme is to amend the
existing Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for the weight limit on Gibbs Lane and to install new
signs.

You can find out more and have your say here until 28th August.

Urgent consultation - Yate Town Centre Waiting Restrictions

South Glos Council is consulting on waiting restrictions in the streets around the Town Centre and about reducing the Leisure Centre and Kennedy Way car parks from 12 to 4 hours maximum stay.

You can find the full details and a plan of the proposals here - you need to give your views by THIS FRIDAY, 18 AUGUST.

The roads affected are: Broadway, Church Road, Cleeve Road, Elmgrove Crescent, Firgrove Crescent, Gleneagles, Highway, Home Orchard, Kennedy Way, Lawns Road, Link Road, Melrose Avenue, Orchard Close, Painswick Drive, Ridgeway, Stanshawe Crescent, Station Road, Sundridge Park, Swan Field, The Glen, Tree Leaze, Turnpike Close, Walnut Avenue, Westerleigh Road.


Whatever your views about this scheme, it's yet another example of inadequate consultation by South Glos:

• Virtually no publicity for a significant consultation
• Only 3 weeks to comment
• Over the summer holidays, so many people will only have a week to respond
• Only accepting comments online - what about people who don't have internet? 

What's the point of consultations if you don't do them properly?

Let's Get Yate Moving

What's more, Yate has now got to a size where it needs a decent size "two-way" Park and Ride site, with all-day parking for people travelling to Bristol and the North Fringe, plus parking for people working or spending long times in the Shopping Centre and the public buildings nearby.

The Liberal Democrat Focus Team has been running a 'Let's Get Yate Moving' campaign since 2014 to ensure that the Yate and Chipping Sodbury area gets the transport infrastructure it desperately needs. If you support us, please do sign our petition at www.southgloslibdems.org.uk/letsgetyatemoving and pass it on to friends and family members who you think will support us too.

Abson Road closed daytime 21 Aug to 1 Sep

Abson Road, a popular cut-through between Pucklechurch and Wick, will be closed to all traffic from 21 August to 1 September for essential resurfacing work (patch repairs to defective areas). Diversions will be in place (see map image), access to properties and amenities fronting the site and whose only access is from the closed road will be available at all times although delays may occur. The work will start at approximately 7.30am and remain in place until approximately 4.30pm. These works will create a significant amount of noise and South Glos Council apologises in advance for any disruption caused.

Housing plans - dates for your diary

Last year, the West of England consulted on a Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) proposing:

• 1,500 new homes at Coalpit Heath
• 2,600 around Yate and Chipping Sodbury
• 1,000 homes at Charfield
• 600 homes at Thornbury
• 2,200 homes at a new garden village at Buckover near Thornbury

The next round of consultation will take place in the autumn and judging from where they're holding the drop-in events, they are pressing ahead with these locations. The full list of drop-in events is:

• Charfield Event – Charfield Memorial Hall - Wednesday 20th Sept 2 – 8pm
• Coalpit Heath Event – Coalpit Heath Village Hall/Miners InstituteFriday 22nd Sept – 2 – 8pm
• Thornbury Event – Armstrong Hall –Friday 29th Sept – 2 – 8pm
• Yate Event – Sodbury Town Hall – Wednesday 4th October - 2 – 8pm
• Buckover Event – Falfield Village Hall – Friday 6th Oct – 2 – 8pm

Cuts to local health services

Faced with a growing deficit, NHS chiefs have proposed a series of changes to local health services to cut costs. You can find out more about their plans and how to have your say on their website.

Most controversially, they are proposing to limit fertility treatment to women between 30 and 35 years of age. They already only fund one treatment, rather than the NICE recommendation of up to 3. This would mean that access to fertility treatment was even more limited. Your have until 15th September to have your say on this - some of the other consultations finish as early as next week.

During the recent election, the Liberal Democrats proposed putting an extra 1p in the pound on income tax to increase NHS funding. Across the country, we are seeing the consequences of under funding.