Drop-in exhibition for Yate Spur cycle path

As we told you before Christmas, South Gloucestershire Council is consulting on plans for the next stage of the Yate Spur cycle path to link our area to the Ring Road cycle path and the Bristol and Bath railway path.

The plans propose changes to the Westerleigh Road / Nibley Lane junction and creating a joint pedestrian / cycle path alongside the length of Westerleigh Road between the mini-roundabout and the big Rodford Way roundabout.

South Glos has arranged a drop-in at Shire Way Community Centre on Thursday 5 January from 4pm to 8pm to give an opportunity to see a display of the plans and to discuss them with the StreetCare Team.

You can also click this link to see the plans and comment online

When you’re reading the plans, please bear in mind that they’ve mislabelled the section between the roundabouts as part of “Shire Way”, when it’s actually Westerleigh Road.

The consultation closes on Sunday 15th January.

Still time to nominate for Chair's Community Awards

There's still time to nominate a "local hero" for a Chair's Community Award. Do you know an unsung hero who is contributing in areas such as community development, promoting equality, arts, sports, play, environment, working with older or young people, advice and advocacy and being a good neighbour? Or a group doing the same? For the first time in 2017, the council is taking group nominations as well as individual ones.

You can find out more and download an application form on the South Glos website. The deadline is 16th January 2017.

Spring Clean 2017

It might seem a little early to be talking about spring, but it's not too soon to sign up for the annual Spring Clean.

You can help clean up your neighbourhood this spring by organising a litter pick. The Spring Clean will run from 18 February to 14 May 2017. South Glos is teaming up with Keep Britain Today's new Great British Spring Clean, which will focus on encouraging events over the weekend of 3rd-5th March. However you can organise an event at any time during the three-month campaign and the council is more likely to be able to lend you equipment if you avoid popular weekends.

To get involved, go to the Spring Clean 2017 page and register your event using the booking form. The council can provide free bin bags, recycling bags and gloves and a limited number of litter pickers and hoops. They can also collect the bags if you can't dispose of them.

Merry Christmas from your Focus Team

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers from your Focus Team. We hope you have an enjoyable festive season.

You can find useful information about local services over Christmas and the New Year in our recent blogpost and information about council services here. 

Westerleigh lights raising money for charity again

Father Christmas last year

Once again people in Westerleigh are raising money for charity with their Christmas lights - and not just in Mill Crescent. This year they are supporting Southmead Intensive Care Unit and Cystic Fibrosis. Don't forget to drop something in the donation bucket at the end of Mill Crescent.

Campaigners interviewed on Coalpit Heath housing plans

On Monday, members of the VALID campaign group and local councillor Claire Young were interviewed by Made in Bristol TV about the proposals for 1,500 homes to be built at Coalpit Heath. You can view the interview on their catchup service - it starts at about 3:26.

Latest statement from The Ridings Federation Trust

The Ridings Federation have announced that from 3rd January 2017 Dave Baker, CEO of Olympus Academy Trust (OAT), and Will Roberts, CEO of Castle School Education Trust (CSET), will jointly provide interim leadership support for Winterbourne International Academy, with a view to appointing an Interim Principal before the end of January. You can read their full statement here.

Time running out to have your say on housing plans!

Don't forget, you only have until the end of Monday 19th December to have your say on plans to build thousands of homes in our area.

The West of England Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) proposes:

• 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

Although the final plan will only talk about broad locations, as part of the supporting evidence the West of England has produced a series of "dashboards" showing where they think the development could be accommodated at each location.You can view those here.

We know it's a very busy time of the year but it's vital that as many local people as possible have their say on these plans. To do that, go to the JSP consultation home page. From there, you have two options. You can view an interactive version of the document, where you can make your comments  as you go along. Alternatively, you can download a PDF of the whole document and fill in the online survey. 

You don't have to answer all the questions. If you think there are reasons why the houses could not be built at a particular location, you can put those in answer to question 5. For example, people in Coalpit Heath are concerned about the old mines under the fields. If you think the West of England is taking the wrong approach to deciding where all the new houses should go, you can explain why in answer to question 6. This would also be the place to suggest an alternative strategy.

At the same time, the West of England is also consulting on a Joint Transport Study (JTS). This proposes transport improvements for the different parts of the West of England. To view the plans and make your comments, go to the JTS consultation home page. Again, you can view an interactive version of the document or download a PDF and fill in the online survey.

On Saturday a large crowd of people braved the rain to protest about the plans for 1,500 houses to be built in the Green Belt around Coalpit Heath. The VALID campaign was set up earlier this month after local councillor Claire Young brought together people who had told her they wanted to campaign on development plans in the area. They have been extremely busy in the short time since they started, delivering a leaflet to houses in Coalpit Heath to let people know how to have their say and getting media coverage. Email VALIDcampaign@gmail.com if you would like to get involved, help them deliver future leaflets or simply want to be kept updated.

Useful information this Christmas

With the festive season getting underway, here is some information you might find useful over the Christmas and New Year period.

Christmas Last Posting Dates

Tuesday 20 December - 2nd Class and Royal Mail Signed For®
Wednesday 21 December - 1st Class and Royal Mail Signed For®
Thursday 22 December - Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed®
Friday 23 December - Special Delivery Saturday Guaranteed

Waste and Recycling

There are some changes to waste and recycling collection over the Christmas period.

If your collection should be on:	It will instead take place on:
Monday 26 December	Tuesday 27 December
Tuesday 27 December	Wednesday 28 December
Wednesday 28 December	Thursday 29 December
Thursday 29 December	Friday 30 December
Friday 30 December	Saturday 31 December

You can check your precise date and what will be collected on the South Glos website.

Your tree might not even be up yet, but once the festivities are over you can recycle real trees in a number of ways:

• If you have subscribed to the garden waste service, you can put your tree into or next to your green bin.
• You can buy a single use garden waste sack for £2 from your nearest library and attach it to the tree.
• You can take it to one of the Sort It recycling centres and put it in the garden waste (not wood waste) skip.

Whichever you do, don't forget to remove all the decorations, pots and stands first and if it's over 6ft tall you must cut it up into smaller sections if you're having it collected. 

Out of Hours Pharmacies Times

Over the Christmas and New Year period, many pharmacies are closed. You can find out which ones are open here.

Trains
As we posted earlier this month, from Saturday 24th December until Thursday 29th December London Paddington will be closed to all rail services.

This will mean that GWR rail services will start and finish at Ealing Broadway, from where you can take the underground or a bus. However, the station does not have step-free access. So if you are travelling with heavy luggage or find steps difficult for any reason you will need to change at Reading and use services from there to London Waterloo. Unfortunately that will mean a longer journey.

You can find out more on the GWR website.

Bus services
Over Christmas and the New Year some buses will be running to different timetables from normal. You can find out more on the TravelWest site.

Views wanted on Dodington Road traffic calming

Back in September, we reported that South Glos Council had asked Network Rail to install traffic calming measures on Dodington Road. Highways officials were concerned about reduced visibility caused by Network Rail raising the parapets on the bridge ready for the electrification of the railway line.

The work will be carried out by the council but Network Rail will pay for it. There is a legal process to go through to install speed cushions and the consultation on the proposals has now started. You can view the plans and comment online until 11th January 2017.

Caravan storage at Beech Hill Farm allowed on appeal

Last year, to the dismay of hundreds of local people who'd signed a petition, the planning committee refused the application to allow land at Beech Hill Farm, Westerleigh to continue to be used for storing caravans. The applicant appealed and this week it was announced that the appeal had been allowed and the use can continue.

To read the decision, go to the planning applications search page and search for the reference number PK15/1339/F. Select the documents tab and click on the image of a document next to "APPEAL DECISION AND COSTS".

Have your say on next stages of Yate Spur cycle path

Earlier this month, we gave you an update on progress on the Yate spur cycle path. The promised consultation on the next stages has now started. South Glos Council is looking for your views on them providing a shared use cycle/pedestrian path along the western side of Westerleigh Road between the mini-roundabout and the Common and a refuge on the Nibley Lane arm of the Nibley Lane/Westerleigh Road junction. Depending on the feedback, construction of both is expected to take place next summer.

Of course the Nibley Lane junction is tricky for all road users, this consultation isn't just for cyclists. You have until 15 January to have your say.

Action group on housing set up

Residents have set up an action group, VALID (Villagers Against Local Intended Development), to
campaign against the proposals for 1,500 homes to be built at Coalpit Heath and the "Blackberry Park" plans for Woodlands Farm. To get involved or to ask to be kept updated, email validcampaign@gmail.com

VALID are organising a group photo to be taken at 2pm on Saturday 10 December at the entrance to the Roundways fields near the Manor School. Everyone welcome.

Another 82 bus service cut

First Bus has announced yet another cut to an important bus service. This time the No. 82 service from Southmead Hospital via Cribbs Causeway to Yate will lose its last journey of the day. From 8 January the last bus will leave Southmead at 7.15 pm from Monday to Friday, almost an hour earlier and well before the end of visiting time.

This impacts people who work at Cribbs causeway too, not to mention shift workers boarding at other points along the route, and anybody who attends SGS Filton College in the evening. It makes it very hard for young people and those on minimum wage who work at the Mall, for example - their last bus will now be 7.30 pm instead of 8.24 pm.

If you use this service, please contact First and ask for the later journey to be brought back.

Claire Young has spoken  to a South Glos transport officer, who said it was a decision made commercially by First Bus and he would be speaking with them about the changes at their next review meeting.

Response from National Schools Commissioner

Today Claire Young received a response from the National Schools Commissioner, Sir David Carter, to her email of last week regarding the problems at The Ridings Federation. You can read her original email here and his response here.

Christmas rail disruption

From Saturday 24th December until Thursday 29th December London Paddington will be closed to all rail services.

This will mean that GWR rail services will start and finish at Ealing Broadway, from where you can take the underground or a bus. However, the station does not have step-free access. So if you are travelling with heavy luggage or find steps difficult for any reason you will need to change at Reading and use services from there to London Waterloo. Unfortunately that will mean a longer journey.

You can find out more on the GWR website.

Oasis withdraw Winterbourne International Academy bid

Oasis Community Learning has withdrawn its bid to take over Winterbourne International Academy. You can read their statement here.

This is welcome news for the many local people who have been campaigning to stop their bid. Last Saturday, hundreds of parents and students were joined by teachers and community representatives, at a peaceful demonstration outside Winterbourne International Academy. Well done to all involved in the campaign.

This is not the end of the story. Last month, the Education Funding Agency sent The Ridings Federation a Financial Notice to Improve. The Federation must get a recovery plan in place within the timescales set out. It's important that everyone locally comes together to ensure a bright future for both Winterbourne International Academy and Yate International Academy. The commitment shown in recent weeks suggests they will.

This process has also thrown up wider issues about the process for "re-brokering" academies that face difficulties, which lacks transparency and formal routes for parents to have their say . Earlier this week, before the announcement from Oasis, Claire Young wrote to the National Schools Commissioner asking questions about this situation but also asking for him to feed the wider concerns into the review of Multi-Academy Trusts currently being conducted by the Commons Select Committee on education.

Yate spur cycle path update

Consultation is expected to start soon on new parts of the Yate spur cycle path. South Glos Council will be looking for your views on them providing a shared use cycle/pedestrian path along the western side of Shire Way between the mini-roundabout and the Common and a refuge on the Nibley Lane arm of the Nibley Lane/Westerleigh Road junction. Depending on the feedback, construction of both is expected to take place next summer.

The engineers are awaiting results from ground investigations before starting the design of the section going under the Shire Way railway bridge in early 2017. They are liasing with Network Rail, who they hope will approve the design in the spring so construction can take place in the summer. Progress is also being made on a legal agreement with the landowner to enable the Westerleigh Road to Cornerways section to be completed, hopefully next spring.

That leaves the section from Dodmoor Crossing to the Nibley Lane junction. The engineers aim to approach landowners, process legal agreements and develop the design during 2017, so it can be constructed in 2018 if funding is available.

Calling all business owners - let's hear YOUR views on Brexit

The Liberal Democrats are asking business owners across the country about what impact they think Brexit will have on their businesses and what they are looking for from Government to reduce any negative impacts. Out and about in Chipping Sodbury earlier this week, we found that some had already felt the impact of the slump in the pound, with the cost of imported goods rising rapidly. If you're a local business owner, please complete our survey online before 12th December.