Have your say on Community Composting

The future of the Community Composting sites at Thornbury, Hawkesbury and Shireway, Yate was a hot topic for discussion at last night's Frome Vale Area Forum.

Unfortunately although the Lib Dems prioritised protecting the sites in our budget, the other two groups didn't agree. There will be no council funding for them from April 2015 so a consultation is underway on their future. An alternative way of keeping the sites going will have to be found.

The intention had been to keep all three sites going until next April. However Shireway Community Centre has given notice to the council that they want them to leave the site, due to abuse of it, so the site has had to be closed.

You can respond to the consultation online - the deadline is 1 August.

Church Road bridge - crash deck in place

The crash deck is now in place ready for the demolition of the bridge following the closure of Church Road on 20 July. It's been installed to ensure bridge debris does not fall into the River Frome and pollute it. If necessary, it will carry the entire weight of the existing bridge deck.

Let’s hope we don't have any torrential rainfall upstream in the coming days and weeks. It doesn't take much to raise the river levels to a point where work would have to stop until they fell again and we don't want to see any delays.

Reminder - drop-ins - shaping the future of Charfield and Cromhall

Next week, Charfield and Cromhall Parish Councils will be holding drop-in events. This is a chance to have your say on how South Glos Council's latest planning document could shape these parishes.

• Charfield - 3pm-8pm, 16th July at Charfield Memorial Hall
• Cromhall - 4pm-8pm, 17th July at Cromhall Village Hall

Protecting our rural environment is a priority for your Focus Team. To help John fight on your behalf please:

• let him know your views, so he can speak for the community
• make your own comments directly to South Glos, to add weight to what he is saying.

Free fruit tree pruning workshop 13 July, all welcome

Orchards are a South Gloucestershire priority biodiversity habitat because many orchards have been neglected or grubbed up in recent decades.

In order to help stem this decline, Wapley Bushes Conservation Group, Dodington Parish Council and South Gloucestershire Council are now all working together to preserve the traditional horticultural skills that are needed to maintain existing and newly-planted orchards.

A free fruit tree pruning workshop is being held at the Wapley Rank cottages opposite the southern Besom Lane entrance to Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, Besom Lane, Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, BS37 8RW, starting at 10am on Sunday, 13 July 2014. The workshop tutor will be local fruit tree expert Mr Graham White. No advance booking needed - just turn up on the day.

Illegal tobacco campaign launched

On Monday Smokefree South West, in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council, launched the latest stage of its campaign to highlight the dangers that illegal tobacco poses to South Gloucestershire.

Illegal tobacco sells for less than half the tax paid price of legally sold tobacco. The problems include:

• impact on legitimate traders
• makes it easier for children and young people to start smoking as it is readily available at pocket money prices. 
• brings crime into communities - the criminal gangs selling it also sell other illegal products
• discourages smokers from quitting

Illegal tobacco is linked to low-level and large-scale organised crime, nationally and internationally, including smuggling of other illegal goods such as drugs, alcohol and weapons. It goes hand in hand with child exploitation and money laundering and particularly targets poor and disadvantaged communities.You can read more at http://www.illegal-tobacco.co.uk/

Bus number correction

The buses to Southmead from Frampton Cotterell are 81 and 82, not 41 and 42 as it said in the Frampton Cotterell ward Focus. Service 82 goes all the way to the hospital while service 81 requires a change at Parkway but takes a shorter route. Both go down Church Road.

Reminder - shaping the future of our area

Next week both Westerleigh and Frampton Cotterell Parish Councils will be holding drop-in events where you can have your say on how South Glos Council's latest planning document could shape our area.

The Policies, Sites and Places DPD will add more detail to the policies in the Core Strategy and includes a section for each Parish setting out local needs and aspirations. Westerleigh Parish has been working with South Glos to look at the need for a small amount of new housing development at Westerleigh village. This could help to meet local housing needs, for example for younger people, and support existing facilities and services such as the village shop. You can see the full notice for the Westerleigh drop-in here.

Both Westerleigh and Frampton Cotterell Parish Councils have asked for Woodlands Farm to be designated a "Local Green Space" - as well as a number of other sites. They have also proposed having separate settlement boundaries for Coalpit Heath, Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne, to make it clear they are distinct communities. South Glos has made some proposals about how to meet the future need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches.

You can find the draft plan and information on it at www.southglos.gov.uk/policiessitesandplaces - take a look at the section for your Parish. The drop-in events are:

• Westerleigh Parish - 5pm-7pm, Monday 7th July in Westerleigh Village Hall
• Frampton Cotterell - 5.30pm-7pm, Wednesday 9th July in the Brockeridge Centre

Protecting our rural environment is a priority for your Focus Team. To help us to speak on your behalf please:

• let us know your views, so we can speak for the community
• make your own comments directly to South Glos, to add weight to what we are saying.

 You can find our contacts here.