Railway Inn site latest

As local people will know, the historic Railway Inn was recently demolished despite local objections. The pub sign now peeks rather sadly above the site hoardings.

The developers then submitted an application for outline planning permission, but South Gloucestershire Council has refused to accept this and asked for full layout details before takinga decision on the application. They have been given until July 6th to provide the extra information, or the planning officer will recommend that the application is turned down.


Yate Town Council has raised concerns about the parking arrangements, and has urged that the new building should be made to match the historic style of nearby premises.

Tern Inn planning application refused

The planning application to demolish the Tern Inn and build flats on the site and the adjacent car park has just been REFUSED. This very popular local pub and live music venue and the car park were recently classed as "Assets of Community Value" (ACVs). The pub was forced to close on 11 June because the owner refused to renew the lease, and the property has since been boarded up.

The key reasons for refusal were:

• Taking away the pub and the car park would have a very negative impact on the Heron Way Local Centre
• The proposal would remove the pub, listed as an ACV, without an alternative within 800 metres, which is against South Glos planning policy
• It would also mean the loss of the Local Centre Car Park, also an ACV, without any alternative
• The scheme would not have enough parking and delivery space, and it would push vehicles out onto the main road. The overall effect has been classed as "severe" and "detrimental to the travelling public"

The full decision notice can be seen here

So what might happen now? There are three possibilities:

• The landowner could appeal against the decision - this is the most likely. In that case the Government will appoint an independent inspector who would hold a hearing locally.
• The owner might submit a different scheme, and the planning process would start all over again
• The owner might concede defeat and consider negotiating with other interested parties

This is one small step towards getting the pub and the car park back, but nothing is guaranteed. Local people and Dodington Parish Council, who have supported the campaign all the way, will need to keep up the community pressure.

You can find the Birds Resident Group on Facebook.

Tern Inn - flats recommended for refusal

The Planning Officer has now compiled his very detailed report on the proposed flats development on the site of the Tern Inn and car park at Heron Way. In summary, the report recommends refusal because of:

• The effect on the Heron Way shops
• The loss of the Tern Inn, which is listed as an Asset of Community Value
• The loss of the car park, which is also listed as an Asset of Community Value
• The added on-street congestion and effect on visibility 

As well as the petitions against the development, there were 309 objections to the scheme but only 3 people who wrote in to support it. There were strong objections from Dodington Parish Council, Yate Town Council, Cllr Claire Young and Luke Hall MP, plus of course the Birds Resident Group.

The report will now go to South Gloucestershire Council to decide whether to allow or refuse the planning application.

If the application is refused, the developer can appeal to a government inspector. Alternatively they might put in a different planning application for the same site.

We'll keep you posted with any news.

Update - South Glos Council refused the planning application but the owner is likely to appeal.

Tern Inn - have your say again

It's time to have your say - again - on the latest ideas for the Tern Inn and car park. The developers still want to build flats on the whole site, but now they are offering a community cafe as an alternative to the pub.

The cafe idea is sketchy, to say the least. It would not provide the community functions that the Tern Inn currently hosts. No evidence is provided that such a cafe would be viable, and there is no analysis of how the various activities currently hosted by the pub could realistically be run in a cafe setting.

We suspect that the cafe proposal is set up to fail, and if it is allowed we speculate that there would be a later proposal to turn the cafe back into residential dwellings.

We still think that the entire proposal should be rejected, and that the site should be maintained as it is currently used - the pub and the associated car park.

Over to you now - what do YOU think? Please submit your comments, even if you've already commented on the origina; plans. You can do this online here - search for Heron Way. Click on the top result - the one that says 28 flats - then click on the "Make a Comment" button. You can read what other people have said by clicking on the Documents tab.

Plans to demolish Railway Inn and barbers

An application has been submitted to South Glos Council to demolish the Railway Inn near Yate Station and the Barber's Shop next door, with a view to redeveloping on the land - but it doesn't say what the redevelopment might be.

This local landmark is almost 200 years old and "locally listed", but that doesn't seem to be adequate protection against redeveloping the site. There's no sign of any effort being made to reuse this historic building, which is part of the character of this old part of Yate.

Even if it's shown that it can no longer be used as a pub, couldn't at least the facade be saved? And of course another local business will go with it, the barbers.

Local Focus Team councillors are objecting to the application - if you want to make your opinion heard, please click on this link for the South Glos planning website and search for application PK17/0445/PND

This is urgent - you'll need to comment by Thursday next week, 23 February. 

There's more coverage from the Gazette here 

Tern Inn car park gated off

Contractors moved in today to erect gates across the Tern Inn car park. The landowners, who have applied to build flats there, appear determined to prevent public parking, even for customers of the pub and the Heron Way shops. The businesses will have access for delivery etc, but that's all.

Dodington Parish Council contacted the schools to warn the parents, as the traffic on Heron Way is likely to get significantly worse, with consequent danger to children. They have also asked South Glos to investigate the gates as a possible planning enforcement issue.

The developers' is possibly a response to the recent successful application for listing as a Asset of Community Value.

Tern Inn now officially an "Asset of Community Value"

 The Tern Inn on Heron Way and the associated car park, the subject of a planning application to demolish the pub and build 28 flats on the site, has now been declared an "Asset of Community Value".

Dodington Parish Council and the Birds Residents Group applied for the ACV status so that if the landowner decides to sell, the community will have six months to put a bid together.

The ACV will be recorded at the Land Registry, but the landowner can appeal against the ACV decision.

Tern Inn and car park under threat from development

Around 100 local residents came to Dodington
Parish Council's meeting on 2 November
to protest against the development

A developer has put in a planning application to demolish the Tern Inn at Heron Way and build 28 flats on the site, including the car park which is heavily used by parents at Raysfield School and customers of the Heron Way shops.

Local residents have organised a petition against the proposal and will be meeting at 7pm next Wednesday (9 November) to discuss their next steps. They have also set up a Save the Tern Inn Facebook Page. There is also a Facebook group "The Birds Residents Group" that you have to request to join.

Dodington Parish Council is researching the proposal and the background and looking at how best to represent residents' views, but it is South Glos Council that will approve or refuse the plans.

If you have views on the development, please please make comments on the South Glos Council planning application page. You can read the proposal and see other people's comments here (the plans are towards the bottom of the list) and then press the Make a Comment button on the same page to make your own views know. You have until 15 November to do this (NOT 18 Nov as we said earlier), but we suggest that you do it soon in case you forget! If you think of something extra later, you can always make another comment before the 15th.

Different people will have different priorities - maybe you're a local resident, a user of the pub, a school parent or staff member, a customer of the shops, or several of these. Here are a few things you might like to consider. Please feel free to use these ideas, but it's best if you put your views in your own words rather than copying and pasting - South Glos councillors and officers will take more notice of them.

TRAFFIC AND PARKING

• The private car park has for many years been used by parents at school drop-off and pick-up times to avoid parking on the very congested Heron Way.
• This development would displace many more cars onto Heron Way, which is already curved and narrow.
• The result would be increased dangers on this popular Route To School.
• The planning application should not be determined solely on the extra parking required by the proposed flats, but should take into account the traffic and parking displaced by the proposal.
• A detailed traffic survey needs to be undertaken at 0830-0930 and 1500-1545 on school days (these extended periods cover the Pre-School as well as the Primary School)The parking shown allocates 8 visitor spaces for the new flats, but no spaces for the existing shop units and maisonettes
• (edited 04/11/2016) The parking shown allocates 8 visitor spaces for the new flats, but no spaces at all for the existing shop units and maisonettes.
• (added 04/11/2016) The Design and Access Statement says “if at all possible, the Local Authority suggested a potential planning benefit to serve the existing shops and assist with community concerns to demonstrate 6 parking spaces allocated for community use” – Does this mean they would want to put another road access onto the space in front of the shops, which they also own? 

DESIGN

• The high density and low parking provision is very reminiscent of the nearby Normandy Drive development that has caused so many problems with vehicular access.
• When Normandy Drive was constructed it was based on ill-founded Government parking limits that have since been withdrawn. What are the current South Gloucestershire requirements?
• Even considering the meagre parking proposed for the new flats, many of their occupants will park out on Heron Way, causing traffic holdups and increased danger.

JUSTIFICATION

• The Design and Access Statement refers to the Draft DPD's Chipping Sodbury Town Centre Summary, which is not relevant. This site is not part of the Chipping Sodbury Town Centre area, as would have been obvious if the designers had consulted the map on page 17 of the document they are quoting (http://www.southglos.gov.uk//documents/3-Chipping-Sodbury-@-May-2015.pdf)
• Moreover the 1-2 bedroom homes in that Town Centre were an aspiration of Chipping Sodbury Town Council, but this site is part of Dodington Parish not Sodbury.

EFFECT ON EXISTING BUSINESSES AND DWELLINGS

• Pub: As many of the comments on the Planning Application say, this is not a “former pub” (as the developers originally claimed) but an active business and community hub, even though the site owners would like to see it run down. The community would rather see investment in the pub to make it more viable.
• Shops: The shop units have recently been considerably improved and are developing into thriving businesses. The proposals would take away the parking that they need to survive, and the rank of shops would soon deteriorate again. In addition there seems to be no provision for waste storage or collection from the shops.
• Maisonettes: Existing residents would lose their parking and again be displaced onto Heron Way.

PLANNING HISTORY

• The proposals would not only remove the main car park, they also use the service yard at the back of the shops and maisonettes.
• What were the requirements of the original planning permission for the shops and maisonettes? Do the present proposals infringe parking that was required at the time?

New housing proposal for Wapley Court site

Developers are having a second stab at redeveloping the Wapley Court site, the former elderly persons home adjoining Rodford Way. The latest proposal is for 15 houses and 9 flats.

Dodington Parish Council has commented that this is over-development, with the flats being the only three-storey buildings south of Rodford Way. They are very concerned about the traffic aspects, because the access to the site would be off Kelston Close, along with two schools, a pre-school and the playing fields. They have asked for a traffic survey to be carried out on this busy road during normal "school run" times, and not at half term.

Yate Cinema construction starts next week, but Overflow Car Park closed March to September

It has been announced that work on Yate Riverside, the cinema and  leisure development, will start next Monday, 9th February.

The first steps will be to establish the contractor’s compound and start removing the trees and shrubbery in the development area, an operation that will take around four weeks.

The developers and Yate Shopping Centre  been working closely with South Gloucestershire Council officers and Natural England to minimise the impact on any wildlife. We understand that the outstanding tree issues have been sorted out, and the badgers have been successfully moved to their new sett nearby. What's more they have started to reoccupy and extend an old sett next door.

Because of the works, the overflow car park off Link Road will be closed from early March until the end of September. Shopping Centre retailers will be assigned 100 special parking spaces in the main car park for their staff so as to ensure the vast majority of spaces are still available for shoppers - short term pain for long term gain.

At least it's not the Christmas shopping season, but there will be some inconvenience at peak times. The Shopping Centre has asked shoppers where possible to come on foot or cycle, or public transport.

The retail and restaurant units are scheduled to open in early December. The cinema is now scheduled to open by Easter 2016. Not quite as soon as we had hoped, but it's all happening!

Rodford School redevelopment - make your voice heard

Developers have submitted a planning application to build 49 houses and 9 flats on the former Rodford School site. The site is where the school buildings used to be, nearest to Barnwood Road. (The development does NOT affect the field between Chargrove, Glenfall and Prestbury)

Yate Town Council has objected to the housing on the grounds of design, layout and the density of the development.

There is also local concern about proposed works to remove Tree Protection Order status from some inconveniently located existing trees - presumably they would be cut down. The trees and hedges have historic value because they mark the old boundaries from before the estate was built. In fact we believe the hedges may date from at least 180 years ago.

The developers' own Ecological Assessment recommends retaining the more mature trees and two species-rich hedgerows, and Yate Town Council has objected to the trees being removed.

You can comment on the planning application here. From this page you can look at the plans and read all the relevant documents. Then you can click on the button "Make a Public Comment" to send your views to South Glos Council.

If you would like to talk to us about your concerns, please contact email Cllr Tony Davis on tony.davis@southglos.gov.uk or ring him on 01454 881415.

All systems go for Yate Cinema within 18 months!

"And... Action!" - Planners give
go-ahead for Yate Cinema

Planning permission has now been granted for the Yate Cinema and the associated retail development, a decision which has been hanging on a knife edge. The May 8th meeting of a South Glos committee gave the go=ahead after a detailed debate led by Focus Lib Dem councillors Pat Hockey and Alan Lawrence.

In the vote that followed the scheme was approved by five votes to nil, the Lib Dems being supported by Labour. The Conservative councillors on the committee felt unable to support the proposal, so they all abstained.

This is the culmination of a ten year campaign by Steve Webb MP and the Focus Team to get a cinema for Yate - what really swung the decision was the massive local support for the proposal, as demonstrated by Steve Webb's cinema petition.

The team at Yate Shopping Centre are to be congratulated on putting together a viable commercial proposal even in these difficult times. They say that building is scheduled to start next January, and opening around October 2015. So we could have our multi-screen cinema up and running within 18 months.

Solar Farm planning application approved

The proposal we told you about back in April for a solar farm at Says Court Farm, in the countryside to the west of Nibley Lane, has now been approved by South Glos Council's planning committee.

The conditions were largely as in the report but with two additions (the conditions proposed by the Coal Authority and Network Rail). The condition about what should happen at the end of the 25 years was reworded so that it also required removal of the apparatus if the generation of power ceased some time before then.

During the meeting, officers also clarified the use of the community benefit fund. While still objecting to the application, Westerleigh Parish Council had negotiated on a "without prejudice" basis a community benefit of £1000 per MW generated, which could mean up to £17,500 a year for environmental projects to benefit the local community. Officers emphasised that their recommendation did not depend on this, it was a unilateral undertaking by the applicants, AEE Renewables. In the first year, £7000 will be available for ecological improvements on site, in conjunction with Avon Wildlife Trust.

Housing for Wapley Court site?

Several planning applications have been submitted for the site of the old Wapley Court Elderly Persons Home, in Kelston Close - the other side of the Rodford Way dual carriageway from Abbotswood shops.

Originally there was one planning application for the demolition and for a mixture of flats and houses. This was then withdrawn, and a "prior notice of demolition" was submitted instead. We anticipate that another housing application will be submitted in due course.

Dodington Parish Council objected to the first application, which was for 16 houses and a block of 9 flats. Kelston Close is the access road for Abbotswood School, Culverhill School and the Phase Five Playgroup, not to mention the QE2 Playing Field. This road is already very crowded at peak school hours, and the Parish Council fears that cars from the new development might start using the heavily used parking bays marked out on Rodford Way.

As the building is surplus to requirements and isn't suitable for community use - we've looked into it - we can't see any objection to the demolition, but we'll let you know when the important planning application for housing is submitted again.

Solar Farm application - have your say

AEE Renewables have submitted their application for a solar farm at Says Court Farm, in the countryside to the west of Nibley Lane.

You can view the details and make any comments you may have on the South Glos website. The closing date for comments is 1st May.

The best map is shown as "PLANNING STATEMENT(APPENDIX A: LOCATION PLAN)" - the South Glos location plans are muddy and not easy to locate the site from.