Pot holes in Lansdown Lane

Thanks are due to my colleague and councillor for Odd Down, Nigel Roberts, who has lobbied the Council to repair pot holes including those at the bottom of Lansdown Lane.

Eastfield Avenue - what are the Conservatives up to?

Readers of this blog will recall Lib Dem efforts to introduce a one-way system on a part of Eastfield Avenue between Weal Terrace and Haviland Park in the direction of bus travel (See this blog 10th Feb 2010). We conducted a street survey involving 110 residents in Eastfield Avenue. 69% of those who replied were in favour of the one-way system.
I wrote to Charles Gerrish (Conservative Cabinet Member for Customer Services) asking the Council to look into the matter.
This met with a flat refusal to even bother to investigate our proposals, completely ignoring the wishes of local residents.
I am therefore more than surprised to read in the recent Conservative newsletter 'Weston Matters' that "A one-way system on Eastfield Avenue is being explored"
This suggests to me that either:
a) Conservative councillors in Weston have no idea what's going on in their area or
b) Conservatives are trying to steal our idea and take the credit (not for the first time) or
c) Conservatives are simply lying in their newsletter and have absolutely no intention of exploring the one-way system. They just want to sound as though they are doing something.
Come on councillors Malcolm Lees and Colin Barrett - I know you read my blog - perhaps you can inform our readers which of the above applies.

Pedestrian crossing - Lansdown Lane

The crossing at the lower end of Lansdown Lane in Upper Weston provides an extremely useful facility for pedestrians across what is now a very busy main road.

However, many local people have expressed concern that there is no additional lighting at the site. There is only standard street lighting in the vicinity of the crossing making it potentially dangerous at dusk and at night.

On many pedestrian crossings there is additional lighting which provides for a much safer crossing environment.

I have asked the Council to investigate and hopefully instigate additional lighting at the site or inform me as to reasons why additional lighting is not needed.

As usual I'll keep the blog updated with the Council's response.

Planning application

App Ref: 09/04872/REG03
Registered: 5th February 2010
Expiry Date: 7th May 2010
Location: Weston All Saints Ce Vc Primary School Broadmoor Lane Upper Weston Bath Bath And North East Somerset
Proposal: Erection of key stage 2 building and link to key stage 1 building with associated external works and landscaping following demolition of existing key stage 2 building and alterations to key stage 1 building.

View planning application here

Pamper Evening and Entrepreneurs' Sale at WASPS

Weston All Saints Primary School will be holding a Pamper Evening and Entrepreneurs' Sale on March 18th from 7pm to 9pm.
Tickets cost £2.50 which includes a free goodie bag and free cupcake.
Please support the event which is aimed at helping to raise funds for an on-site swimming pool which will be a fantastic resource for the school and hopefully encourage large numbers of local children to swim.

Weston Post Office opens

Weston Post Office finally opened today after being closed for more than 8 months.
This is a temporary arrangement until a long term solution can be found.
Terry and Michelle together with Bath MP Don Foster have been lobbying Post Office Ltd to re-open the branch ever since the closure was announced and are delighted that all the hard work has paid off.
In 2008 campaigning led by Don and the Liberal Democrats helped to save post offices in Lower Weston and Bear Flat.
We all know how much the post office means to the local community and residents throughout Weston will be pleased to hear the news.

This blog will keep you updated on the long term future of the post office with news updates as we get them.

Council Connect data for Weston

Calls or e-mails to Council Connect in January for Weston were as follows:

Complaints:9 logged - 9 closed, 2 still outstanding
Highway management:41 logged - 7 open, 34 closed, 38 still outstanding
Neighbourhood services:9 logged - 2 open, 7 closed, 16 still outstanding
Libraries:2 logged - 2 closed
Traffic & transport:3 logged - 3 closed, 4 still outstanding
Waste:175 logged - 64 open, 111 closed, 200 still outstanding
Out of the scope of the scheme:16 still outstanding

You can email Council Connect to report any issues or concerns at councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk or telephone Council Connect on 01225 394041

Newbridge and Weston PACT meeting

The last PACT meeting (Police And Communities Together) for Newbridge and Weston took place on Tuesday 9th February at St John's hospital.
Minutes of these meetings can be found on the Avon and Somerset Police PACT website at http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/information/documents/Section.aspx?s=117
The documents are in alphabetical order - scroll down to M - Minutes of PACT meeting Newbridge and Weston.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 8th June, venue TBD.

Food waste collection - at last

The collection of food waste as a separate waste stream is something that was planned for introduction in the spring of 2008. The incoming Conservative administration put this off until autumn 2011. Now under continuing pressure from the Liberal Democrats they have brought this forward to this autumn.
This delay has been part of the reason for the rapid growth over the last two years of the seagull population. Many residents have had their black plastic bags ripped open by seagulls and other animals creating a litter mess in the streets. Collecting food waste separately also has the hidden benefit that residents actually waste less food as they see just how much they are throwing away.
Food waste collections go live in October
Residents will be able to recycle their food waste weekly in secure, lockable containers from autumn 2010 following an £800,000 investment by Bath & North East Somerset Council to make the recycling service even more comprehensive and tackle some of the causes and effects of climate change. Food waste makes up a third of all household waste and gives off methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when it is sent to landfill.
Similar schemes operate successfully in local authorities nationwide. Across the country 80% of people support food waste collections and local residents have been asking when they can start to recycle their food waste. The new recycling collection vehicles operating since November can easily be modified by recycling contractor May Gurney to start collecting food waste from this autumn.
Residents can find out more by going to www.bathnes.gov.uk/foodwaste and in the meantime they can learn how to turn leftover food into a delicious meal by viewing a short video at www.bathnes.gov.uk/lovefoodhatewaste

Holcombe Green

Work to demolish ‘concrete-cancer’ ridden homes in Holcombe Green is now well under way. The stricken homes were built of pre-cast reinforced concrete after the war and as a result of structural problems either in the concrete used in the construction, or due to corrosion of the steel reinforcement inside the concrete, the properties have been classed as technically defective.
44 new homes will be built between September 2010 and April 2011 and will be a mix of one and two bedroom flats and two and three bedroom houses. Some will be offered through one of two schemes which help people to eventually buy their homes on a shared ownership basis.
Similar work will take place in parts of Southlands and is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2012.