Roger Symonds and Cherry Beath

Thursday evening, 14th August (A Level results day co-incidently) “Dig My Pig”, one of the three Combe Down King Bladud Pigs, went missing from its plinth outside the Co-op in the Avenue. It was however returned I am told on the Friday or Saturday morning, with a note saying sorry. The pig was sponsored by Davis Langdon, who acted quickly in taking the empty plinth into the offices on the Firs Field Site, as it would have been a highways safety issue if left, as people could have tripped on it. After Dig’s return the pig was also taken into the Firs Field’s offices for safe keeping. Dig is being re-fixed by the King Bladud’s team, and should be back outside the Co-op this week.

Click on this link for further information on Pig repairs: Experts in the art of pig repair

On a related note, “Piggles” the pig I decorated which is in Milsom Place, has lost his goggles, and his red spotted flying scarf is the worse for wear, from the Summer’s weather, and much climbing and pullings! If anyone has these items to donate in a good cause I would love to hear from you!

  After weeks of frustration and lack of decisiveness, bus services 2 and 702 will run one way from Ralph Allen Drive through the village to the MoD and return to the city via North road from Sunday 14th September.

We have been trying to get the Council and First group to get this sorted since Combe Road was re-opened and this morning, following a rather strong email to a number of managers at the Council and at First Group, we received a reply from Jenny MacLeod, First’s local manger telling us that provided the Traffic Commissioners give permission, the return to one way working will be 14th September. The following is an extract from my email:

“In the background to this confusion and misinformation are the people with mobility problems in Rockall Lane and elsewhere in the village who rely on the buses. Businesses too, are eager to see the buses once more able to drop people close by. I am disgusted that at present Combe Down residents who rely on buses are getting such a poor deal because of misinformation, confusion and a downright ‘don’t care’ attitude. This morning at Bath Bus Station I was directed from First’s Commercial Manager, to whom I was directed by the Council, to another First manager at Enterprise House in Bristol, who was not there.”

We are very grateful to Jenny MacLeod, who thought that the return of the buses had been sorted out and was very helpful with the survey two years ago, for getting a definite decision about the return of the buses.

Services 20a/c will continue to run along North Road for the present.

The photo shows Cherry, Ray Hardy (First Group) and Roger with the survey.

       Remember this?

We will be coming up to the annual anniversary before long of the presentation by residents of their petition for the badly needed Bus Shelter at this stop. Roger and I have been lobbying for this work to happen for well over a year.

The latest is that a shelter has been ordered from the manufacturers, and we have been told the installation period is the beginning of October. Well, we  just have to pray for a mild September, because the idea of the Shelter was not only to protect from rain, but also the wind on that exposed site. 

 We will continue to press for this to be completed without delay.

I have been told that the “Liners” will be starting work this week….but… this means work on all the elements in the Traffic Regulation Order, which means the other areas in Bath as well. I have been told they are working on the lines issue in bits and pieces. That means we will not see them start one day and continue to the end of the works. I have stressed that priority must be given to completing the Combe Down Work asap.

The removal will allow for a few more parking places, at the top of the Avenue, just past the Bus Stop opp Hadley Arms. The white marked parking bays in Combe Road, past the School towards Summer Lane, will be extended when the yellow lines are removed, to make a few more places there.

Westerleigh Road has a thin surface on top of concrete, and there is some concern that the process might damage the surface. If that is the case the second best will be to spray the lines to cover them up. We will keep an eye on the situation.

You wouldn’t think that this work would take all this time, and to date we have not yet seen a line removed…

Residents will be aware of the successful campaign in 2007 to save St Martin’s Garden Primary School from being moved to make way for supermarket development, on land which included the adjacent Hayesfield Playing Fields site. Many local Combe Down residents made their views against this very clear.

There is now a development proposal to include on the site of the previous Hayesfield playing fields only (between St Martins and The Link School on Frome Road) a “Medium” sized supermarket operated by Sainsburys, as well as a sports hall and clubhouse, a parade of shops, a nursing home and housing for the elderly.

I do not know what kind of consultation has been done to determin the need in this particular community for all these features of the development. There was a public consultation exhibition over Friday and Saturday last weekend. Roger and I intend to meet with the Agent of Storegap, the developers, and the Company can be contacted at:

 Storegap Commercial Ltd, c/o JBP, The White House, 6 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PD.       Tel: 01179 073 400.

I am not much of a Supermarket fan, not even if they are medium size. I would rather see local community home grown shopping areas. It has been the colourful and varied areas of Bath and its shops which has contributed to its attraction for visitors and indeed residents. Supermarkets and chain stores tend to make towns bland and erode local character. I’d love to see more Farmers market style shopping areas, which offer excellent local area produce.

Don Foster has raised questions on the Odd Down proposal as follows;

“Whilst the developers have attempted to consider the needs of local residents, I certainly feel that many concerns need to be addressed before the plans go any further. “The Frome Road, already busy at peak times, such as school drop-off and pick-up, would only be added to with the arrival of a supermarket. There needs to be much greater discussion over any plans that might increase the traffic near the schools – especially if they were to introduce more traffic lights. 

“There also needs to be more consultation over whether or not local residents need a sports centre – the University is not too far, and nor is Culverhay

 “Finally B&NES Council and Somer Housing should be contacted to see if there is any need for the sheltered housing in the proposal.  “There is still plenty of work to do to produce a satisfactory plan – rather than developers simply ticking the boxes they feel will result in its success.”

Let us have your views.

Extra Early July News

In Hawthorn Grove, Combe Down, Friday morning July 4th,  around 20 local people demonstrated in favour of local 20 mph speed limits for Hawthorn Grove, Sedgemoor Road and Southstoke Road.

This was also the launch of the Lib Dems’ and Don Foster’s campaign for 20 mph speed limits in all residential areas. After all 48% of pedestrians in collision with a motor vehicle travelling at 30 mph will die, but if the speed is reduced to 20 mph deaths are reduced to 5%.

We have been trying to convince the Council for more than 2 years to provide these local speed limits, but even though local people have presented petitions to Council and money was allocated by local councillors sitting on the Bath South Local Committee, we are still waiting. The new Conservative administration abolished the committee and used the money for schemes elsewhere.

There is hope of funding for Hawthorn Grove and Sedgemoor Road, because there some money to start a scheme has been allocated and there is also likely to be a contribution towards a crossing by the Church when/if their St Andrews scheme for community facilities is approved. But for Southstoke Road and Bradford/North Road (after the long awaited pedestrian refuge is finished) there is nothing. We will continue to campaign for a speed limits in Southstoke Road and for Bradford/North Road to be made safer to encourage walking and cycling.

We will help residents in any of our local streets to campaign for speed limits if they are agreed that this will improve their environment. Please get in touch.