Action on road safety

Last week's Frome Vale Area Forum saw local councillors winning support for a number of highway safety schemes in our area:

• In Tytherington, an existing school bus stop point will be moved, dropped kerbs south of the lay-by improved and a coloured road surface introduced to highlight the crossing point. The scheme will also provide a new crossing point at the Stowell Hill/New Rd junction and a small area of coloured
  road surfacing and the existing pavement will be extended from its current end in New Rd to Stowell Hill. Contact Howard Gawler if you have any questions.
• The first phase of the Church Road proposals will be implemented. There will first be further consultation, taking into account suggestions from residents during the previous informal consultation period. Contact Pat and Dave Hockey for more information.
• The second phase of traffic calming proposals for the rural part of Henfield Road, around the sharp bend at the junction with Ram Hill, will go ahead. Monitoring last year showed a significant number of vehicles were travelling well in excess of the 30mph speed limit, despite it being a blind bend with a junction on it. There will be further consultation on the proposals before implementation. Contact Claire Young to find out more.
• Further traffic calming measures will be investigated on Westerleigh Road between the railway bridge and Broad Lane and on Shorthill Road after complaints from residents about some of the measures implemented so far. The outcome of the investigation will be a set of proposals for consideration for funding next year. Again, contact Claire Young for more info.

Claire also highlighted the results of her survey on a 20mph limit around the Manor School, in an effort to get it prioritised in the roll-out of 20mph limits to schools that don’t currently have them.

Henfield Paddock and Westerleigh Crematorium plans approved

At the meeting today, the DC (East) planning committee granted a 5 year temporary permission for the two extra mobile homes and the storage of up to 5 touring caravans at Henfield Paddock.

The debate was lengthy and complex, revolving mainly around the strength of the special circumstances arguments.  Residents had requested a deferral until the Planning, Sites and Polices DPD is adopted. That would have meant a delay until 2016 and if this had happened, then the applicant would almost certainly have appealed against non-determination, taking the decision out of the council’s hands and possibly resulting in a permanent consent. The officer suggested a 5 year temporary permission to enable the DPD process to be completed and this was agreed by the committee on a split vote.

An extra condition was added requiring full details of a suitable drainage system to be submitted prior to the start of development, which must be fully installed prior to the first occupation of either one of the mobile homes. Members also stipulated that it should all be in accordance with the plans as submitted, to tie the caravan storage to the fenced area shown on the plans.

The consultation is still running on the Policies, Sites and Places DPD, which has two separate proposals that would affect Henfield Paddock. The first is that it be intensified, by the two pitches in the application considered today. The second is that along with all sites with temporary and/or personal conditions it be designated a permanent gypsy site, which involves removing the land from the Green Belt. You can read more and make your comments online:

www.southglos.gov.uk/policiessitesandplaces

Claire will put in a response as a ward councillor on behalf of the community, but it’s important that people write individually as well. The deadline for comments is 28^th August.

There were two other Westerleigh ward applications at committee today. An extension to a house in Oakwood Gardens was unanimously approved, while plans to build a new chapel and a hospitality suite at Westerleigh Crematorium went through with a large majority.

South Gloucestershire Show this weekend

The South Gloucestershire Show takes place this weekend, Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd August, at the Windmill Fisheries off Westerleigh Road in Henfield. AA routing signs have gone up for both motorists and cyclists, but if you're travelling in the Westerleigh area be prepared for extra traffic.

Henfield Paddock goes to committee 31st July

The DC (East) planning committee will consider the Henfield Paddock application at their meeting at 3pm on Thursday 31st July in Kingswood Civic Centre (agenda here). Also on the agenda are two other Westerleigh ward applications, in Oakwood Gardens and at Westerleigh Crematorium.

Henfield Paddock will NOT go to committee on 3rd July

The Henfield Paddock application will not be appearing before the next planning committee meeting on 3rd July. It will be deferred until 31st July as further work is needed on some of the issues raised at the site meeting.

Henfield Paddock site visit details

The site visit for the Henfield Paddock application will take place on Friday 20th June, with the committee members being expected to arrive at the site at approximately 10.55am. You can view the agenda and the officer's report online.

Henfield Paddock application referred to committee

Following a meeting with concerned residents, Claire Young has referred the Henfield Paddock application to the DC (East) planning committee. A site visit is expected to take place on Friday 20th June (note this is different from the date given at the meeting, as Claire had been given the wrong set of committee dates). If it went to the next committee meeting after that, it would be Thursday 3rd July.

Westerleigh Road closure rescheduled

The closure of Westerleigh Road between Cookes Lane and Coalsack Lane to enable drainage works to be carried out was postponed because the original date clashed with the Church Road closure. It's now been resceduled for 1 week starting from Friday 30th May. Street Care will be working through the weekend to get the road reopened as soon as possible.

Temporary road closure

Westerleigh Road is expected to close between its junctions with Coalsack Lane and Cookes Lane for one week from the 11th April. The closure is to allow drainage repair works to be carried out.

Premises licence granted for South Glos Show

Today the Licensing Sub-Committee at South Glos Council granted a premises licence for the South Glos Show, an event to be held at Windmill Fisheries on 2nd and 3rd August next year.

Members listened carefully to local residents, local councillor Claire Young, officers and the applicants, then everyone left the room while they deliberated. The sub-committee agreed to grant the licence, but alcohol can only be served until 9pm. Two extra conditions were added, one of which requires the organisers to follow the recommendations of the Safety Advisory Group, which will meet in January.

You can find out more about the event at www.southglosshow.co.uk or by calling 01454 222 959.

Reminder - find out more about South Glos Show on Monday

At 7pm on Monday (2nd December) in the Manor Hall, the organisers of the South Glos Show will be making a presentation to Westerleigh Parish Council. Members of the public are welcome to go along to find out more about what's proposed.

Objections to the licensing application are due to be heard by the Licensing Sub-Committee on 17th December.

Licensing application for South Gloucestershire Show

The South Gloucestershire Show is a major event planned to be held at Windmill Fisheries off Westerleigh Road on 2nd and 3rd August 2014. The organisers hope this will become an annual event. You can find out more at www.southglosshow.co.uk or by calling 01454 222 959.

People living or working close to the site have until 21st November to comment on the recently submitted licensing application. The activities covered are plays, live and recorded music, dance and the supply of alcohol. They have asked for the entertainment aspects to be licensed 10am to 9pm during the event and during the day for soundchecks in the two days before the event. Alcohol would be sold for exhibitor consumption only on the two days before hand and at the event would be served to the general public from 10.30am to 9pm, 9am to 11pm for exhibitors.

Comments must be submitted in writing to licensing@southglos.gov.uk or South Gloucestershire Council Licensing Team, PO Box 299, Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood BS15 0DR. There is guidance on the South Glos website or for further advice call 01454 868001.

The organisers will be making a presentation at Westerleigh Parish Council at 7pm on Monday 2nd December in the Manor Hall, Coalpit Heath. Local people are welcome to attend and ask questions.

Urgent drainage works on Westerleigh Road, Henfield

The temporary traffic lights on Westerleigh Road, Henfield are in place so that urgent drainage works can be carried out. It's hoped the work will be complete by Wednesday 16th May.

Henfield Road closure

The section of Henfield Road between the Station Road junction and the Ram Hill junction immediately to the south of the viaduct is expected to close between 10pm on Wednesday 14th December and 6am on Thursday 15th December. This is to enable a safety inspection to be carried out on the viaduct.

Box Hedge Farm Events application - have your say

A planning application has been submitted by Box Hedge Farm Events. You can view the application on the South Glos website - the deadline for comments is 8th July. Following a meeting with Claire Young and the applicant, the Parish Council has arranged an open meeting to discuss the application at 7pm on Monday 13th June in Westerleigh Village Hall.Your Focus Team has been delivering letters with the latest Focus to alert local people to this meeting.

Construction lorries in the Quiet Lanes Scheme

If you see any construction lorries in the Quiet Lanes Scheme covering Henfield, Ram Hill and Kendleshire, please make a note of as many details as you can and pass them on to Claire Young (claire.young@southglos.gov.uk).

Safer Stronger Community Group priorities

The priorities agreed at Wednesday's meeting were:

1. Rural burglaries.
2. CCTV, Lower Stone Close.
3. Speeding and parking in locality of schools.

There was also a discussion about how the meetings are run and how we might bring in the "Stronger" element as well as the "Safer".

More information about the local beat neighbourhood can be found on the Avon and Somerset website.

Safer Stronger Community Group on Wednesday

The latest Frampton Cotterell and Westerleigh Safer Stronger Community Group is on Wednesday 1st April at 7.30pm in Westerleigh Village Hall. Come along and raise issues that are affecting you and your community.

Works on M4 Overbridge, Westerleigh Road

On 16 March there will be two-way temporary traffic lights in action on the M4 Overbridge on Westerleigh Road near the Folly Public House so that work can be carried out on the bridge deck.

Traffic lights near Box Hedge Lane

There will be temporary traffic controls on Westerleigh Road near Box Hedge Lane on either the 4th or 5th March.