Cabot eNews - March 2009

Dear Resident,

Welcome to this third edition of Cabot eNews - your monthly local e-newsletter from Cabot councillors Mark Wright and Alex Woodman. Cabot eNews is sent to those who have expressed an interest in what is happening in and around Cabot ward.

In this edition:

1. Brandon Hill volunteers wanted
2. Childrens' Football in Redcliffe
3. Harbourside Steam Railway
4. Consultations in Bristol
5. Cuts to Bus Services 20/21
6. Wapping Road/Cumberland Road Safety
7. Westmoreland House / Stokes Croft Carriageworks
8. City Centre safety road-works
9. Stokes Croft safety road-works
10. Sustainable Communities Act suggestions
11. Offices left lit at night
12. World Wildlife Fund's "Earth Hour"
13. Local Police Beat Information and PACT meetings
14. Beat the recession
15. Local Organisations in Cabot
16. Spring Cabot News out

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1. Brandon Hill volunteers

The Friends of Brandon Hill are running another volunteer session to help clear up Brandon Hill. They will be attacking the ivy on the walls and generally tidying up the area: Sunday 15 March, starting at 10.30am by the main pond. If you wish to help them please email info@friendsofbrandonhill.org
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2. Childrens' Football in Redcliffe

A lad from Redcliffe, Abdullah Guled (who is only 15) has with support applied for and won funding for children's football in the area. Abdullah was granted £25,000 from Youth Opportunity funding. A football court will be refurbished/rebuilt in the area behind Waring, Underdown and Francombe Houses giving a new surface, new fencing, basket ball hoops, markings and goal mouths. The work has already started, The remaining money will be spent on kits, balls and training. Well done Abdullah and friends!
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3. Bristol Harbourside Steam Railway

Bristol's Museums favourite railway will steam ahead again on Saturday and Sunday March 28 & 29, launching another season of harbour railway trips.

The Bristol Harbour Railway is Britain's only dockside steam railway. And on regular weekends throughout 2009 from March until October visitors can ride the Bristol-built locomotives - Henbury and Portbury - for as little as £2 for a single ticket. The trains will depart from the SS Great Britain from 11am to 5pm
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4. Consultations in Bristol

All of the public consultations going on in Bristol at any time can be easily accessed online at this website:
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Council-Democracy/Consultations/co...
You can also search by ward to narrow down the list to your area, or include closed consultations.
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5. Cuts to Bus Services 20/21

'First Bus' are proposing to reduce the frequency of the 20/21 bus service through the ward at peak times "Due to low overall customer demand". Roughly speaking the frequency will drop from every 20 mins to every 30 mins. Cllrs Mark Wright and Alex Woodman both use this bus regularly and think this is awful! If you agree, ring them on 0845 6020156 or go to this webpage and register your unhappiness:
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/southwest/bristol/contact/bristol.php
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6. Wapping Road/Cumberland Road Safety

Councillor Alex Woodman has arranged for safety improvements to the mini-roundabout junction of Wapping Road, Commercial Road and Cumberland Road. Concerns about the junction include the need for white lines to be re-painted and lanes to be more clearly defined to avoid dangerous run-ins, especially with cyclists. We will let you know when the date of works is known.
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7. Westmoreland House / Stokes Croft Carriageworks

Development plans have been submitted by the owners of the long-derelict buildings of the Stokes Croft Carriageworks. Comer Homes bought the land in 1989 and the buildings have been an eye-sore on the Stokes Croft streetscape for 20 years. A compulsory purchase order (CPO) against the owners was started several years ago but stalled recently. In our opinion, the submitted plans are a poor attempt by the owners to avoid the CPO and we hope they will be rejected. Objections should be sent to the planning department at major.planning@bristol.gov.uk
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8. City Centre safety road-works

Road safety work was due to be started this week at St Augustine's Parade at bottom of Park Street. It has been delayed due to problems with the contractor, but when it starts will take roughly 4-6 weeks. The work will be carried out during evenings and weekends and will undoubtedly cause disruption/noise for motorists, residents, businesses etc. The site is currently the worst accident site in Bristol and it is hoped that pedestrian safety will be improved.

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9. Stokes Croft safety road-works

Road safety work began on March 1st on a scheme to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists on Stokes Croft. In the three years to April 2007 there were seventeen reported personal injury accidents at the junctions of Stokes Croft with City Road and Jamaica Street, of which thirteen involved cyclists or pedestrians. Of those thirteen, one person was killed and three were seriously injured.

To address this problem, it is proposed to ban the left turn from Stokes Croft into City Road and improve cycle facilities through this section of Stokes Croft. To further ease traffic flows and reduce areas of traffic conflict, it is proposed to ban the right turn out of Jamaica Street onto Stokes Croft. This will allow alterations to be made to the sequencing of the signals at both Jamaica Street and City Road in order to help reduce congestion. The work is due to run for between six and eight weeks.
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10. Sustainable Communities Act Suggestions

The Council is asking local people for ideas that could be put to the Government under the new Sustainable Communities Act. The Act is designed to enable "common sense" solutions to local problems where currently national legislation is inadvertently blocking such solutions.

Ideas must be in by May 1st. There is an online suggestion scheme here:
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Council-Democracy/Democracy-Electi...
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11. Offices left lit at night

Cllr Mark Wright used to be an astronomer (before he had to get a job that paid money!) and so is working with the Bristol Astronomical Society to find examples of buildings that are emitting light-pollution by being unnecessarily lit at night.

Some of our beautiful historic buildings are lit to show their heritage value, and rightly so. However, an increasing number of businesses are taking to floodlighting their very ordinary buildings in a kind of business statement of presence. Others are leaving internal lights on all night. These both waste energy and light the skies, blocking out views of the stars and planets.

It would be a help if you notified us of examples of unnecessary floodlighting of buildings, or of internal lights left on all night.
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12. World Wildlife Fund's "Earth Hour"

The Avon Wildlife Trust is organising Bristol's "Earth Hour" for the WWF. It is on Brandon Hill Park, Sat 28th March, 7.30-9.30pm, starting at 7.30pm at the Trust offices opposite Constitution Hill.

People across Bristol are being asked to turn their lights off from 8.30-9.30pm to show they care about climate change. But don't sit in the dark for an hour - join them for: Lantern Making, Candlelight Parade, Storytelling, Star Gazing, Nature Walk - and lets see how many lights really go out!
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13. Local Police Beat Information and PACT meetings

There are a large number of police "beats" in Cabot (10!), because it contains the city centre and is therefore exceptionally busy. They are:

Brandon Hill beat
Broadmead beat
Canon's Marsh beat
City Centre beat
City Centre (old city) beat
Cotham beat
Docks/Spike Island beat
High Kingsdown beat
Kingsdown beat
Queen Square beat

The next Partners & Communities Together (PACT) meeting in Cabot is for Kingsdown and High Kingsdown beats - 14 April 2009 at 7:30 PM at St Matthew's Church, Cotham. You can find out more about police beats, including the PACT priorities for the beat areas, on this Police web-page:
http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/LocalPages/SectorDetails.aspx?Secto...
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14. Beat the recession

The Council has produced a guide of tips to help residents beat the current recession! See it at: www.bristol.gov.uk/economicdownturn
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15. Local Organisations in Cabot

Because Cabot contains the city centre there are literally hundreds of organisations here. Below is a list of some community groups that are dedicated just to the local community, rather than Bristol generally. If you know of any others I'd be pleased to know abut them and publicise them...

Kingsdown Conservation Group www.kingsdown.org.uk
Redland & Cotham Amenities Society www.rcas.org.uk
People's Republic of Stokes Croft www.prsc.org.uk
Whiteladies Business Association www.whiteladiesroad.co.uk
Christmas Steps Arts Quarter www.christmasstepsartsquarter.com
Dove Street Action Group www.dovestreet.co.uk
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16. Spring Cabot News out

The Spring edition of Cabot News is being delivered to over 5,000 doors across the ward right now. Cabot News is the newsletter of your Lib Dem councillors, and is produced, delivered and funded entirely by volunteers, and has been going for over 30 years. You should hopefully have seen it before. If you live somewhere without a letterbox, or very difficult to get to (common in the city centre) then we may miss you. You can get the leaflet online here:
http://www.cabot-liberals.org/Cabot/200902_Cabot_News.pdf

Warning - the paper Cabot News is unashamedly pro Lib Dem!
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If you know of people who would be interested in any of Cabot eNews, please forward it on to them. If you have received this email from a friend and like it, email us to be added directly to the distribution. We also welcome feedback. We are happy to help residents, local businesses and voluntary agencies where we can, to pursue issues to make Cabot a better place.

Best wishes,

Mark Wright and Alex Woodman