Council car park extension approved

Last week the planning committee unanimously approved the application to extend the car park at the Badminton Road council offices. Having listened to the concerns raised by residents and ward councillor Claire Young, an additional condition around lighting was added to try to limit the impact on local residents. However local residents remain concerned about the impact the extension will have on them.

Site visit for car park extension plans

At the DC (East) planning committee last week, councillors decided that they needed to see the land where the council is proposing to extend their Badminton Road office car park before making a decision on whether it should go ahead.

The visit will take place at 10.20 am on Friday 26th January. The officer's report is available online.

Nibley council offices - car park extension

Earlier this year, we reported that the Conservatives were considering closing the Kingswood Civic Centre and extending Badminton Road to accommodate a council chamber and extra staff.

They are now proposing to keep the council chamber at Kingswood but move the staff to Nibley, which still requires the car park to be extended. Your Focus Team requested and received plans that demonstrate this will still leave room for the planned Park and Ride.

Reminder - consultations on cuts closing next week

Don't forget that you only have until Friday 13th May to have your say on cuts to libraries, council offices and customer services. All three consultations are featured on the council's consultation web page.

Have your say on extending Nibley council offices

Earlier this month we reported on proposals to close Kingswood Civic Centre and extend the Badminton Road council offices at Nibley.

At the time, local councillor Claire Young raised concerns about the impact extending the offices could have on traffic and parking in the local area. She also sought, and was given, reassurance that any plans would not affect the ability to deliver the Nibley Park and Ride in the future. Last year we made sure plans for the solar farm would not restrict a future Park and Ride, we need to make sure the same is true of any office extension. We were told they were also looking at whether solar panels could be put over any new parking area.

Now it's your chance to have your say on the proposals. At this stage, it is still on the principles of the different options, not on any detailed plans for an extension. You can find out more and have your say here until 13th May.

Badminton Road council offices to be extended?

South Gloucestershire Council is looking to make more savings on office space. The Conservative administration's preferred option is to extend the offices (and parking) at Badminton Road, Nibley and move staff there, so they can close Kingswood Civic Centre.

At the Policy and Resources committee meeting on Monday, local councillor Claire Young raised concern about the potential impact on people living around the council offices, where there are already concerns about parking and traffic.

Claire also sought, and was given, reassurance that any plans would not affect the ability to deliver the Nibley Park and Ride in the future. Last year we made sure plans for the solar farm would not restrict a future Park and Ride, we need to make sure the same is true of any office extension. We were told they were also looking at whether solar panels could be put over any new parking area. When more detailed plans are available we will let you know.

Parking problems to be tackled

Parking restrictions around the Station Road area of Yate are to be reviewed after the Frome Vale Area Forum awarded funding last week.

A resident of North Road spoke at the meeting about the problems she had experienced since the no waiting areas on the roads around the Badminton Road council offices had been extended. With staff no longer able to park on the trading estates, many were opting to park on North Road instead, leaving the residents who have no off-road parking unable to park near their homes. The resident spoke of having to leave her car a mile or more away and then walk two young children along a treacherous route to her home. She asked councillors to back the scheme so that either the restrictions on the estate could be removed or a residents' parking scheme introduced for North Road.

Local councillor Claire Young said, "I'm pleased we were able to fund this review. It's only right that if the council is contributing to a problem it does what it can to tackle it. Changing parking restrictions involves a lengthy legal process. I will make sure residents are kept informed on progress."

Parking consultation extended

A consultation on the proposed changes to the parking restrictions around the Badminton Road council offices has been extended until 28th July after minor changes were made to the Notice of Proposal. You can find out more and comment on the South Glos website.

Waiting restriction review - have your say!

Now that South Gloucestershire Council's Badminton Road offices are open, the new waiting restrictions that were introduced on the surrounding roads are being reviewed. If you have any comments to make, please email mouchel.highwayconsultation@southglos.gov.uk by
Wednesday 30th June 2010.

South Avenue parking permit clarification

Following a query from a resident of South Avenue, officers have clarified how the parking permit scheme works. South Gloucestershire Council has agreed to issue up to 2 permits to residents to cover their own and visitors' vehicles. The parking permits are not vehicle specific and therefore could be used for either residents or visitors. If two permits are not sufficient a detailed case would need to be made to request an additional permit and it would need to be considered against the level of demand on the rest of the cul-de-sac.

Chance to see inside new Council offices

Tomorrow night (Wednesday 31st March) at 7pm there will be a chance for local people to see inside the Council offices. To arrange a place on the tour, please ring Lisa Hooper on 01454 863858.

Parking restrictions starting 6 April

The parking restrictions around the new Badminton Road Council Offices will come into force on 6 April, in time for people moving into the offices. The scheme will be monitored for three months and changes made if necessary. You can read the report on the decision on the South Glos website.

Don't forget - consultation on parking restrictions ends Friday

The consultation on the proposed parking restrictions around the new Badminton Road Council Offices ends on Friday. Have your say on the South Glos website.

Claire Young asked about the details of the permit scheme. Officers have suggested that it will offer two permits per household, one of which could be given to visitors, workmen etc providing that you don't need both for your own vehicles. Deliveries can be loaded and unloaded, they are not affected by the restrictions. The fine detail of the permit system is still to be developed and Claire is awaiting further information from officers.

Last chance to have your say on parking restrictions

South Glos Council has published the formal notice before bringing in parking restrictions near the new Badminton Road Council offices. They have made some changes based on responses to the last consultation. They are now proposing no waiting 9am-5pm Mon-Fri without a permit anywhere in South Avenue and there would be no waiting on Stover Road except for a short stretch outside the houses where there would be no waiting 9-5 Mon-Fri.

Claire Young asked officers for more information on the permit scheme. The details are still being worked on, but officers suggest there will be two permits per household and one could be used for visitors, people working on the house etc during the day time. Deliveries can be loaded and unloaded as per normal waiting restrictions.

You can view the plans and have your say on the South Glos website. But don't delay - you only have until 26th February.

Roadworks around the new Council offfices

During February and into March, there will be roadworks around the new Council offices as the roads are resurfaced. The roads affected are Stover Road, from Badminton Road to the north of the road-over-rail bridge and Badminton Road, from North Road to the roundabout outside the new Council offices. It was decided not to resurface these roads until the construction work had finished, to avoid construction traffic damaging the new surface.

New Council offices - cycling and pedestrian links

As well as consulting on parking restrictions around the new Council offices on Badminton Road, the Council are asking for your views on improvements to cycling and pedestrian facilities in the area. You can find more information online.

Have your say on new parking restrictions

South Glos Council have announced plans to introduce waiting restrictions on roads around their new Badminton Road Council offices.

Claire Young and other local Councillors recently met officers to discuss plans to tackle the impact on traffic of the new offices. With just over 300 parking spaces for around 700 desks, there are worries that employees will park on local roads despite attempts to encourage them to use other forms of transport.

The Council's answer to this is to introduce parking restrictions and they want to hear your views now. For more information and to make comments, go to the consultation on the South Glos website. Let Claire know what you think too by emailing claire.young@southglos.gov.uk.

Frome Vale area Forum on Thursday

The Frome Vale Area Forum starts at 7pm on Thursday 6 March in the Ridgewood Centre, Yate. Topics this time include anti-social behaviour in Chipping Sodbury High Street and the new Council offices on Badminton Road. The panel will be considering community grants and there will be the usual open forum for residents to raise issues affecting them.