Frampton End Road & Mayshill road closure supported

This afternoon the Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment committee gave cross-party support to the option of closing the roads at three points and introducing a 20mph speed limit, as recommended by officers and supported by a majority of the people who responded to last autumn's consultation.

Members of the committee heard from both supporters and objectors, as well as local members Claire Young and Pat & Dave Hockey.

This is an important stage in the process but not the final one. The closure scheme will now go on to the list of road schemes for the Frome Vale Area Forum to consider for funding at their meeting on 7th March. If it gets funding, there would then have to be another formal consultation as part of the legal process of closing the roads and changing the speed limits.

Decision day for Frampton End Road and Mayshill

Tomorrow (Wednesday 30th January) is decision day for Frampton End Road and Mayshill.

Following consultation with local residents and road users last autumn, South Gloucestershire Council's Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Committee will decide whether and how to make Frampton End Road, Mayshill and Station Road safer for all road users, including walkers, cyclists and horse riders. On the basis of the comments received, the officers are recommending Option 1 to the committee (closure with three closure points). You can read the officer’s report here:

http://council.southglos.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?XXR=0&Year=2013&CId=399&

If the committee decides the road should be closed, it will be added to the list of schemes to be considered for funding at the Frome Vale Area Forum. Closing a road requires a Traffic Regulation Order, so if the scheme did get funding there would be a formal legal process to go through including a further consultation.

Street light switch-off roll-out

As we reported in October, South Glos will be rolling out the part-night lighting scheme, where some street lights are switched off in the early hours, across the area.  Part-night lighting has been running successfully in a number of Parishes, including Frampton Cotterell and Charfield, and is now due to be implemented in Westerleigh, Iron Acton, Rangeworthy, Cromhall and Failfield Parishes in the Ladden-Frome area in  March. You can find out more at www.southglos.gov.uk/partnightlighting and follow the link from there to the detailed plans for each Parish. The plans for Westerleigh Parish will also be available in Yate library.

Dodington Parish is due to be done in July and the plans will be available later.

All street lights will be switched to part-night operation except where there are crime or road safety issues. South Glos would like to hear from you if you think there are any specific lights that should be left on for these reasons but which are marked in the plans to be switched off. The deadline for comments is 25th February.

The future of rehabilitation services

If you are interested in the future of rehabilitation services in South Gloucestershire, you may be interested in attending an event on  Monday 11th February 2013 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm in Yate Parish Hall, Station Road, Yate BS37 4PQ.


Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trusts are working together in partnership to deliver the Healthy Futures Programme. Following consultations in November and December 2012 they have created draft proposals. This meeting is an opportunity for patients, carers and members of the public to find out more and give feedback.

Sandwiches, cakes, tea & coffee will be provided. For more information and to book a place at this event, please email healthy.futures@bristol.nhs.uk or telephone 0117 9841597.

Could you be a Sport Maker?

Were you inspired by the London 2012 Games Makers? Would you like to help make sport happen locally?

Sport Makers is one of the Government's 2012 Legacy programmes. It aims to use the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to inspire the next generation of sport volunteers. Sport Makers are asked to give 10 hours of their time to help make sport happen in their community.

Free workshops are being held regularly and can be found on the Sports Maker website www.sportmakers.co.uk.

Free electric blanket testing

If you've been using an electric blanket in the recent cold snap, why not get it tested for free by South Gloucestershire Council this Friday?

Blankets are being tested at Yate Library on Friday 25 January between 10.30am and 3pm. Any blankets that fail the safety test will be replaced with a new one, thanks to a grant the council has received to help keep older residents warm and well this winter.

Ring now to book an appointment on 01454 863632.

Woodlands Farm - action time!

As we reported last week, Barratt Homes have submitted their planning application to develop Woodlands Farm before South Gloucestershire Council has been able to finalise its Core Strategy (Local Plan).

The proposal is for up to 380 dwellings, a Local Centre which could accommodate a variety of uses and a Community Square with parking for the Centre. Open space and allotments are also proposed. One vehicular access is off Badminton Road and 4 off Park Lane.

What you can do now

1. Send your comments to South Gloucestershire Council

There has already been very strong local opposition to losing this remaining countryside between The Meads development currently underway and the railway. It is now time to make formal objections to the planning application either by writing to South Gloucestershire Council for the attention of Helen Ainsley or on line via the South Gloucestershire website. You can view the plans here:

http://developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MG3L4TOK02I00

and make comments here:

http://developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=MG3L4TOK02I00

The deadline for comments is Friday 15th February 2013.

2. Let your Parish Council know your views

Westerleigh Parish Council will be agreeing their response on Monday 4th February at 7.15pm in the Manor Hall. There will be a drop-in from 6.30pm with feedback forms to fill in. If you can’t make it please contact the clerk on 01454 864433 or westerleighpc@btinternet.com for a copy of the form.

Frampton Cotterell Parish Council will be considering it at their meeting in the Brockeridge Centre on Wednesday 23rd January at 7.30pm in the Brockeridge Centre.

A good attendance of parishioners expressing their views at both of these meetings is important!

3. Help spread the word

• Email a link to this post to others who may want to comment
• Join the Save Woodlands Farm action group by emailing the co-ordinator Richard Merrick rjmerrick@blueyonder.co.uk
• Email Claire Young if you can help deliver the Focus newsletter we’re preparing to let every household in Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell know about this application

Snow preparations

We're expecting snow and high winds on Friday and ice and fog on Saturday. See www.southglos.gov.uk/snow for advice on what to do in severe weather, including the latest information on school closures, gritting and transport.

Update on A46 roadworks

Last week we reported that the Highways Agency were planning weekend road closures on the A46 in South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset. A resident reported that the closures didn't happen this weekend and Claire Young made enquiries with the Highways Agency. They have responded:

A46 Cold Ashton

Thank you for your communication to the Highways Agency Information Line in respect of closures of the A46 and reported in the local press.

There are a number of maintenance and improvement schemes that are programmed for the A46 in the Cold Ashton area.

Night time drainage works are scheduled for the road just north of Cold Ashton, due to start on the 4^th February for 6-7 weeks and will not involve any road closures.

There are however two night time (2000 hrs -0600 hrs) closures for short lengths of resurfacing that are programmed for the 21^st March on the A46 near to Nimlet.

A further drainage scheme south of Cold Ashton towards Bath is scheduled for early in 2014 and the ‘expansion’ scheme referred to by the Bath Chronicle, an improvement to the Cold Ashton roundabout, will also not now proceed until 2014. The design and programming of both of these schemes is not yet in place but they do involve some weekend road closures the dates of which are to be established.   

STOP PRESS - Application for Woodlands Farm

Barratt Homes have submitted an application for 380 homes on land at Woodlands Farm. Officers have verified the application but at the time writing none of the plans have been uploaded to the South Glos website. When they are, you will be able to view them at:

http://developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/centralDistribution.do?caseType=Application&keyVal=MG3L4TOK02I00

Watch this space for more news.

Join the BIG Spring Clean 2013

Would you or a group you belong to like to help clean up our local area this spring? The South Gloucestershire BIG Spring Clean 2013 runs from 1 March – 30 April and is once again part of the national Love Where You Live campaign.

Free gloves, refuse sacks, litter pickers and hoops are on offer to groups who organise a community BIG Spring Clean event. The council will also arrange to collect all the litter you pick up as long as it is bagged and pick up locations are agreed in advance. Unfortunately skips can no longer be provided.

You can find out more and register for your supplies online - the deadline for registration is 22nd February. You might also like to register your event on the Love Where You Live website, where you can also access useful resources.

Westerleigh traffic calming latest

The Statutory advertising of both the ‘Proposed 30mph Speed limit’ and the ‘Proposed Speed Table’ closed on the 20th December 2012. There were no objections to the speed limit changes, but two to the speed table.

The comments madewere:

• Noise – There will be a constant noise from vehicles going over the speed humps and this will be especially loud during the night. 
• Pollution – Vehicles will slow down and change gear when approaching the humps and this will increase exhaust emissions 
• Damage – Our car has recently had to have the front struts replaced and the garage indicated that this has been caused by speed humps. They have been in touch with the car manufacturers who are concerned about the number of cars with damage in the UK and this has been put down to traffic calming measures. 
• Repairs to road – Surely the money would be put to better use repairing the road into Westerleigh from Yate which is in a very poor state, rather than spending it needlessly on speed humps. 
• Speed – The speed of the traffic through the village has been considerably reduced in the last few years. The problem is now volume of traffic. When we moved into the village over 30 years ago there was on average a crash once a month on the bend by the village green. There are now very few accidents there. 

Taking into account the turn round in the committee proceedings to take an objection report to the PTSE Committee, officers have decided to carry over monies for the speed table and give way priority / road narrowing measures into the next financial year, as they cannot do one element of the traffic calming without the other. They are going to go ahead with the works to introduce the 30mph speed limit at the locations as originally planned and are now working to implement that.

A46 closure

There are expected to be weekend road closures (between 8pm Fridays and 6am Mondays) of the A46 between the Cold Ashton Roundabout and the A46/A4 London Road junction, Bath between 11 January and 14 March 2013. The northbound entry slip road at the London Road junction will also be closed, along with the layby adjacent to the A46 southbound to the south of its junction with Blacksmith Lane, and there will be a 40mph speed limit in operation between the entrance to Four Winds Farm and the London Road junction.

Consultation on informal crossing facility on Westerleigh Road

Funding has been secured through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund to deliver elements of the Yate Spur cycle path. When complete, the route will connect the Bristol to Bath Railway path with Yate.

The proposed road crossing will provide an informal crossing facility at Westerleigh Road for cyclists, walkers and horse riders using the Yate Spur Cycle Path and Fishing Lakes Link.

Details of the proposals can be found online. The deadline for comments is 13th January.

Park Lane closed

Park Lane Winterbourne has been closed for safety reasons due to flooding under the Railway Bridge and an extremely large pot hole hidden under the water. It is anticipated that the road will remain closed for at least a week.