Residents and councillors spring clean on Cambrian open space

 Despite overnight rain, residents and councillors turned out on Saturday morning to spring clean the newly public open space behind Cambrian Drive.

Back in December, Yate town councillors finally won their long fight to save the land from developers. The Town Council managed to buy the land for just £35,000 and immediately opened it up to the public.

Residents who had helped the councillors fight a series of applications to build on the land joined councillors for a spring clean.

John Ford, Mayor of Yate (in blue overalls rather than chain of office!) said "It was a brilliant morning, the best turn out we have  ever had for a spring clean.  We had residents of all ages, from 8 to 80. I want to thank everyone who helped"

This is the first phase of restoring the site for public use, with planting to follow, and further work cutting back brambles and overgrown hedges.  The event collected bag after bag of litter from the hedges and brambles. They cleared the path right back to the kerb, adding about 2 ft to the width of the path, and cut back brambles to try to make the path more accessible.

Christmas comes early - Cambrian Drive land saved

We are delighted to let you know that on 20th December Yate Town Council purchased the land behind Cambrian Drive from the developers. We have got conditions on it that mean it will never be built on. This is the land that is currently very overgrown, that developers kept trying to get consent to build on.

After the developers' last, failed attempt, as councillors we set about trying to buy it (thank you to the resident who suggested it). It has taken many months of negotiation, but this week the Town Council took ownership - for £35,000, which is much less than it would have cost if the planning application had gone through.

Cllrs Karl Tomasin and Chris Willmore signing the purchase documents

Thank you to every resident who helped the Liberal Democrat Focus Team fight all the planning applications, putting in objections and backing us. Without all that work the developers might have got consent - and they certainly would not have sold it to us for that sum.

We're delivering a special edition of Focus around the local area, but you can also download the Cambrian Drive Focus Special here.

Yate Town Council staff have already started clearing up the site

Threat to land between Cambrian Drive and Wellington Road kickabout area

Remember when developers tried to get the go ahead back in 2006? Together the Focus Team and Cambrian Drive Residents stopped them. Now new developers are trying. They’ve bought a house in Cambrian and plan to knock it down, put a road through, across the footpath from Wellington Road to Mountbatten and then build 18 houses.

They’ve knocked on doors in Cambrian to try to win support, but Focus got a warning out to residents and we’re working with residents to stop the plan. It would wreck the footpath’s safety, make traffic worse in Cambrian - and eat up land that’s been open for 40 years. The developers say they’re planning public meetings - make sure YOUR views are heard.

If you want to help the fight or make sure you find out the meeting dates and times, give Chris Willmore your email, and she’ll tell you as soon as the developers announce them!