Bus service changes

With effect from Sunday 4th November there are some changes to First services affecting our area. Passengers are advised to check timetables before travelling - the new timetables are on the South Glos Council bus timetable page

Service 327 (Bristol - Yate)

• Monday to Saturday there will two additional journeys at 20:50 and 22:50 from Bristol to Yate.
• Monday to Saturday there will be an additional and later last journey at 2140 from Yate to Bristol.

Service 329 (Bristol - Yate)

• The Monday to Saturday evening Service 329 will be withdrawn.
• The Sunday and Public Holiday daytime journeys operated by another operator will continue to operate.
• The following Monday to Saturday evening journeys will be withdrawn:
     20:50 Bristol, Bus Station to Yate, Shopping Centre
     22:45 Bristol, Colston Street to Yate, Shopping Centre
     21:37 Yate, Shopping Centre to Bristol, Bus Station
     23:37 Yate, Shopping Centre to Bristol, Colston Street
• Please see changes to Service 327 and Service 342 for details of alternative journeys.

Service 342/X42 (Bristol – Chipping Sodbury)

• Monday to Saturday there will be an additional Service 342 journey at 22:30 from Bristol to Chipping Sodbury. This additional journey will mean that there is now an hourly service from Bristol to Chipping Sodbury throughout the evening.
• The Monday to Saturday 22:17 Service 342 from Chipping Sodbury to Bristol, Colston Street will terminate at Bristol, Bus Station and re-timed to depart at 22:30.
• Monday to Saturday 23:15 Service 342 from Bristol, Colston Street to Chipping Sodbury will start from Bristol, Bus Station at 23:30.
• Monday to Friday 05:50 Service 342 journey from Chipping Sodbury to Bristol will be brought forward to 05:40.

Clearing leaf fall

From Monday 5^th November, South Glos Council's Street Care team will be concentrating on clearing leaf fall rather than routine street sweeping. Initially this will be for a period of four weeks, but it depends on the weather. The mechanical footway sweepers will continue to sweep the town centres, but no other routine sweeping will be done. You can report areas with heavy accumulations of leaf fall by:

• phoning 01454 868000
• e-mailing streetcare@southglos.gov.uk
• filling in an online form at https://www.southglos.gov.uk/Pages/Form%20Pages/RequestGutterFootpathCyclewaySweeping.aspx

Westerleigh sewers meeting

There have been significantly fewer reports of bad odours in Westerleigh village this summer compared to previous years. Some of the smells that have occurred have been described as "sewage" and coming from the drains so Claire and local residents will be meeting Wessex Water and council officers at 10am on Thursday 8th November to see what can be done to address these issues. The Environment Agency have continued to work closely with the abattoir and confirm that they are using "Best Available Techniques".

If you smell a bad odour, please report it to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60, which is free from landlines. If you are concerned it is coming from the abattoir, please also call Tulip on 0117 957 1919.

Temporary footpath diversion

The footpath that runs from Leigh Lane near Cliff Cottage across to the abattoir and up to Westerleigh Road near Kidney Hill will be closed for around four weeks during the six month period starting from 5th November. The alternative route will join Westerleigh Road to the east of the railway bridge. The temporary closure is to enable the construction of the Yate Spur pedestrian and cycle route extension from the M4 to Westerleigh Road.

Street light switch-off update

Over the past 3 years, the council has turned off the streetlights from midnight until 5am in parts of South Glos following consultation with local residents via Parish and Town Councils. In May street lights on main roads were turned off after midnight except for those lights where safety issues were highlighted and agreed. Monitoring results show that traffic accidents and crime have not gone up since the lights were turned off at night. South Glos Council is now drawing up plans to consult with Parishes, Towns and residents in areas where the lights are still on at night and to complete the roll out of the scheme across the rest of South Gloucestershire. Westerleigh Parish had already started its own consultation. Please return the form if you want to highlight any locations where you think there may be safety issues. South Glos is aiming to save £250,000 on electricity and 1,000 tons of carbon emissions each year when the scheme is fully operational.

Planning enforcement - have your say

South Gloucestershire Council is currently consulting on its proposed Planning Enforcement Policy. It will clearly set out the role of the planning enforcement service and how it will ensure sound and consistent decision making. It will also set out service standards and processes for monitoring whether approved planning applications are being constructed in line with the permission.

You can find out more about how to have your say on the consultation website. The deadline for comments is 14th December.

Small grants - apply now

If you are a local voluntary or community group in need of a small grant, now is the time to get your applications in. You can apply for up to £3,000 from South Glos's Small Revenue Grants - do it now on the council’s website. The closing date is 26 November 2012 and if you need help you can call the Grants Helpline on 01454-865865 for an informal chat. The decision on how much to award each group will be made by local councillors at the spring Frome Vale Area Forum.