Roger Symonds and Cherry Beath

Council Outline Land Swap idea

About 150 people attended the meeting at the Sulis Club on Friday 26th June, with regard to the proposal of a Land Swap involving The Firs Field. The meeting was requested by us in order for the Council to explain their proposal first hand to residents, and for residents to have the opportunity to express their views and raise questions.

The panel consisted of John Everitt, Chief Executive of the Council, Cllr Malcolm Hannay, Deputy leader of the Council, Don Foster MP and Dr Andrew Smith, who spoke as Chair of the Friends of Firs Field.  Cllr Chris Watt, Chair of the Rec Trust, was also present and spoke.

Cllr Malcolm Hanney made a clear and open presentation about how the proposal came about following the approach to the Council earlier this year from the Friends of Firs Field asking the Council to voluntarily denote Village Green Status for the Field, which it is within their power so to do. However we were told at the meeting the Council will not do this as it would set a precedent. Following legal advice earlier this year it is also understood by the FoFF that an application for VG Status would almost certainly fail on legal technical grounds.

Cllr Hannay outlined that under the proposal a new Company, as a revision of the Current Rec Trust, would be set up to include the Firs Field Land, and that consequently the protection afforded to the Field would be greater than the present protections under planning law and so on, offering the equivalent protection to that of Village Green Status, and more security in the long term.

Copies of his presentation were available at the meeting, however it is too lengthy to reproduce here. The Council have set up an email address for questions and further information for residents to write to at:

FirsField@bathnes.gov.uk

Putting on one side the position of Bath Rugby, and the benefit this swap would bring to the Council in sorting out a long term problem, It is important to weigh the benefits for Combe Down, which put forward at the meeting appear to be;

• Greater protection under the Charity Commission with binding charitable objects (details of which will need to be fleshed out, but could be similar to Village Green benefits) attached to the land.
• A period of protection for not less than 125 years, with a likely renewable period under the same terms.
• more secure maintenance contract fixed to a standard than, as at present, a reliance on the varying future budgets of Council.
• Potential for more possibilities under a Trust arrangement to bid for funding /grants for improvements

These do appear to give more benefit than is currently there, and we need to think about how these match up with what we want for the field. Clearly details of what binding charitable objects need to cover the Field in its use, what local representation on the board of the new Trust, and what role FoFF will have, needs to be agreed. If this plan provides a real advantage in protecting the Firs Field for Combe Down then we have reason to welcome it.

All in all there was a good amount of time given for questions, and answers were given in a straightforward and open manner, which was helpful in addressing the distinct sense of suspicion present at the beginning amongst some. Consequently the mood appeared more positive towards the end.

Next Steps

We have asked the Council to send out further information on the proposal to all residents. Roger and I remain open in weighing up the issues and information received, and we want to continue to hear from residents. We will update on developments and assist with the process of consultation.

We walked around Combe Down with a highways officer on Wednesday 24th June to look at what needs to be done jointly by highways and the Stone Mines Project before the Project finishes at the end of the year.  It is only fair that the damage to roads and pavements during the Project should be paid for by the Project.  The following repairs and removals were identified and also some ongoing issues of safety and congestion were also highlighted:

1. Resurfacing/patching roads and pavements - Combe Road/Westerleigh Road/Church Road/Tyning Road/North Road/Belmont Road
2. Repair and paint railings at junction of Westerleigh Road and Combe Road
3. Cars parked on pavements - Tyning Road/Westerleigh Road
4. Bollard replacement needed in The Firs
5. Mini Roundabout at junction of Ralph Allen Drive and North Road
6. Zebra Crossing to the east of Ralph Allen Drive/North Road junction
7. Remove redundant posts and signs - Combe Road, Church Road, Westerleigh Road/Queens Drive (see photograph above)
8. Extend footpath at junction of the Avenue and Church Road - make safer crossing for children
9. Extend two hour parking zone in The Avenue by 30 metres - once ‘temporary’ yellow lines are removed
10. Trim hedges - North Road and Church Road
11. Cut trees in North Road and Hawthorn Grove - obscuring light, belisha beacon and bus stop sign

The resurfacing of The Firs has not been included, because it will be consulted on, along with the proposals for a new wall in August/September.  Please let us know if you think we have missed anything.

Waste Day for Combe Down is now Friday.  Two weeks ago, when the changes first came into operation the changeover from Monday and Thursday was reasonably smooth.  The main problems seemed to have been that some new drivers/collectors did not know the area - this was only to be expected and will get better.  However the problematic Garden Waste and Cardboard collections last Friday were another matter.

This was our week for these fortnightly collections, but in many areas in Combe Down the trucks did not arrive.  Owing to the changeover it has been three weeks since the last collection.  Friday  is the worst day for collections, but I suppose someone has to have their waste collected on that day.

It means that bin waste from the weekend has to be stored all week and if collections are missed Monday is the next working day.  We had received assurances from Waste Services that any ‘missed bins’ would be collected on the Saturday.  This week that promise was broken.

There are bound to be teething problems with such a fundamental change in waste collections, but there have been problems with the Garden Waste and Cardboard collections for the past couple of years.  Much of Combe Down was regularly missed on a Thursday, but most times the Garden Waste and Cardboard was collected the following day.  We were told by the council that these problems would be lessened with the change to a Friday - it does not appear that there has been any improvement.

We are at present in contact with the Council to get an explanation.  We want an assurance that if  there are further problems with Friday collections that they will be remedied on Saturday and not left until Monday (my garden waste and cardboard was collected at about 9am this morning).

Our collection time has changed, so that the trucks will not be in Combe Down village during the morning rush hour, so Cherry and I will be seeking a revised time for residents to put out their waste.  At present waste can be on the street from Thursday evening until Friday afternoon, whereas before on a Monday, it was gone before the morning rush hour.

We are totally behind ’same day collections’ because recycling will increase as a result, but in Combe Down there are still some issues to be sorted out before we can be satisfied with the service that the Council provides.

Send us your comments and suggestions from this web site.

For many months Cherry and I have flagged up to the Council the dangerous state of the road surface on Ralph Allen’s Drive, which is littered with ruts, patches, and deep pot holes.  These hazards can make riding a bike down Ralph Allen Drive dangerous.  The photo shows Cherry and Roger highlighting the surface problems in Ralph Allen Drive last Wednesday.

 Roger has recently been appointed to the new B&NES role of Cycling Champion.

Champions for specific council issues have become quite common over the past few years and B&NES has 10 Member Champions, for Older People, Energy, Human Rights, Heritage, Public Realm, Energy/Climate Change, Procurement, Children, Vulnerable People, Regulatory Services and now Cycling.

Champions are able to be advocates for their area of interest and promote it within the community.  However, they have no decision making powers, they are not paid and are not part of the present Council Administration.

One of my first actions will be to examine the council’s Cycling Strategy to discover what progress has been made towards achieving the targets set when the strategy was put together in the 1990s.   I am also developing a plan of action.  I would welcome ideas from the public.  Please contact me if you would like to contribute towards the Plan.  Some of my initial thoughts for the “Plan of Action” include the following:

• I would like to see many more children riding to school in safety - in the past the message going out to cyclists has been “it is too dangerous to cycle on the roads”.  I want to play a part in changing the message to one of encouragement.“  Our roads should be made safer to encourage more cyclists, especially the young”

• I will call for better road surfaces for cyclists - some of them are potential death traps with the number and severity of potholes and repairs- the condition of some of our main roads is not good enough.

• I will be looking for places, where it is safe to do so, to ask the Council to establish more ‘shared paths’ - like the one between Saltford and Keynsham.

• I would like to see action taken to encourage First Group and First Great Western to show more consideration to cyclists on their buses and trains - with the loss of the ramp at Bath Spa station I will be trying to find out what steps Network Rail are taking to avoid the jam of people, bikes and luggage trying to get through narrow turnstiles

• We should aspire to the cycling culture of our twin city of Alkmaar, in the Netherlands - we should look at some of the ways that they promote cycling.  I believe we can make great improvements with a great deal of commitment and a little funding.

The council made an abortive visit to close and ‘patch’ the road surface in the Avenue some months ago, but this was at short notice and in any case they turned up hours late.  Cherry and I insisted on plenty of notice for local traders this time, so that they could let their customers know in advance that the road would be closed.

The patching and re-marking was done on a Saturday morning, with plenty of notice given.  We are pleased with some of the work, but we have criticised the council for allowing contractors to simply repaint all the existing markings.  Sadly neither of us was asked whether there had been any changes to the markings.

As a result the redundant bus stop road markings at the bottom of the Avenue were painted, a no longer needed disabled space was repainted and the ‘temporary’ yellow lines  over a former ‘high hazard’ area, instead of being removed were repainted.

If the yellow lines had been removed it would have freed a section of road for short term parking for another 10 cars - very useful for people visiting the doctors or the shops.

We have been trying for years to get these lines removed and we asked 6 months ago to walk Combe Down village with a highways officer to look at where there needs to be resurfacing, re-marking and removal of redundant posts and yellow lines.  This needs to be done before the project ends so that damage done by the stabilisation project traffic can be funded from the project.This meeting should take place during the next two weeks. 

It would be very helpful if you can let us know of any areas of road surfaces that you think are in need of particular attention, any redundant road markings (or indeed any extra markings needed), pavements that need resurfacing, or redundant posts to be removed.  Please contact us through the ‘comments’ on this website or direct by email, telephone or letter.

Photograph shows Cherry and Roger looking at the ‘bus stop that isn’t’ markings.

Springfield Park in Foxhill has been nominated by the Council for the prestigious ‘Green Flag Award’ for open spaces.  Cherry and Roger were there as were Council officers from Parks Dept, Nigel Penny, local PCSO and Patricia Griffin, secretary of Foxhill Point.  The judges were taken on a tour of the Park, where they saw the new play equipment,  BMX track, the new pathways in the woods and the spring.  Recent investment in the Park has meant that it is now much more attractive than before.  The BMX track, in particular is well used and very popular.

Whether Springfield Park gets the “green flag’ award or not (usually open spaces do not get the award at the first application) we need to set up a ‘user group’ similar to Friends of Firs Field.  Please get in touch with us if you are interested in becoming a member of this group.

The Green Flag Award is the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales.  The award scheme began in 1996 as a means of recognising and rewarding the best green spaces in the country.  It was also seen as a way of encouraging others to achieve the same high environmental standards, creating a benchmark of excellence in recreational green areas.  If you want to know more about the ‘Green Flag’ go to the web site below.

http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/award/