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CHIS News (updated 26 July 2005)

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Planning news

Summary (updated 22 Jul)

Lookout Plaque

Many thanks for alerting us to the missing lookout plaque screws so was in danger of being stolen, and please thank Gareth King on our behalf. John Mitchell, the Bridgemaster, and Mike Pascoe have removed the plaque for safe keeping and John is arranging for it to be re-attached shortly.

Princess Victoria Street

The owner of number 50 Princess Victoria Street has performed a wanton act of vandalism? by removing original lettering from the walls of his garage, only hours after being uncovered. The lettering referred to Mr Sibley, wagon and carriage proprietor (from 1876-1901), who also took in wagons and horses. The Evening Post has been informed as has the Civic Society.

Granby Hill

There was a fiasco at the bottom of Granby Hill 11th July. The developers were trying to get a 22 ton JCB onto the site of Granby Green. Well, the transporter didn't make it round the corner of Granby Hill so the JCB fell off, onto its side, demolishing part of the wall on the right hand side ...... damaging the signpost - the pedestrian bridge seemingly undamaged. They had to get a crane to lift this 22 ton JCB back on to its transporter!
The bottom half of Granby Hill is now closed until end of October next year.
Residents said work began at 7.00am which is, of course, a breach of the law! Not a good start!

Burglaries

This message from Wendy Hull, Neighbourhood Watch Administrator at Southmead Road PS, is being sent at 12.35pm on Friday 1st July 2005.
Two burglaries and one attempt burglary took place in the Clifton area on 29th and 30th June.
The first took place at 21.30hrs on 29th June in Sion Place. The offender entered via an open kitchen window, stole car keys and a watch before leaving the premises and stealing the victims car, which also contained his wallet. The offender is described as a white male, 5'8'' tall, of skinny build, 18/19years old with short mousey coloured hair. He was wearing a blue Adidas jacket with stripes along the sleeves.
The second burglary took place in West Mall at 15.05hrs on Thursday 30th June. The victim returned home and saw the offender escaping from his front garden. He had entered the property by forcing a basement bedroom window before stealing items and leaving via the entry point. He is described as an Asian male of slim build, 5'7'' tall, 19-20 years of age with a goatee beard and wearing glasses. He was wearing a dark green t-shirt and grey trousers described as combats.
The attempt burglary occurred in Royal York Crescent between 11.30pm on 29th June and 10.45am on 30th June. Damage was caused to a lock on an exterior wrought iron gate leading to fully the enclosed courtyard of the premises
Did you see anyone fitting these descriptions at around these time. If you have any information which may help officers dealing with these crimes please contact the police on 0845 456 7000, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU REMEMBER TO ASK FOR THE CALL TO BE TAGGED ‘NHW' (NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH) and quote Ringmaster message number BU 099 of 010705. Alternatively you could contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Same day black box and bin collections - 27 June 2005

See for details. If you do not know your new collection day, call Customer services on 92 23838 and they will be able to tell you.

The Avon Gorge and Downs Survey 2004/05

The Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project and the Downs Committee wanted to know your views about the Avon Gorge, Clifton and Durham Downs. They intend to use the results of the survey to review the service they provide, to monitor performance and to gather information for a new management plan for the Downs.
Downs Stakeholder meetings summary
Downs Stakeholder meeting 23 June 2005 A long term sustainable plan for the next ten years covering all uses of the Downs is to be drawn up. Interested groups will be consulted as to the content and details of the proposals before they go to the public for comment. Graham Evans is in charge, but probably most of the detailed work will be undertaken by Downs Ranger Gordon Milward. CHIS has been invited to participate and Richard Bland (CHIS committee member) will represent us.

Bellevue Summer Garden Party

Summer Garden Party for Saturday, July 30, starting around 4pm and continuing into the evening. CHIS members are cordially invited. CHIS and Bellevue Association stalls.

Clifton Rocks Railway Refurbishment

Next open September 10 for Doors Open Day.
All rubble (about 16' by 16' and 2' deep) cleared from the lines that can be seen from the top station. We had a bottoming out party to celebrate 267 manhours of work, three 6 yard skips and one 18 yard skip full. Photos will appear this week.
We shall also tidy up the facade of the lower station and restore the turnstiles. Volunteers required- please contact Maggie.Shapland@bristol.ac.uk
Probably over 4000 people entered Rocks Railway in Clifton on Saturday 21 May and Sunday 22 May despite the rain and wind, and were all hugely interested. Sir George White, great grandson of the great George White who founded the railway, performed the opening ceremony. Visitors were only able to visit the top station due to Health and Safety reasons but were able to see down the railway tunnel and see the cable wheels and rails. There was an excellent exhibition for the Clifton Rocks Railway in the top station with Peter Davey and other volunteers explaining everything.
This was to raise public awareness of the railway and rally support for its full restoration. As part of the planning for the event, it was intended that the hoardings currently hiding the top of the station are removed, the railings repaired, the signage replicated and the area generally tidied up.
This formed part of the Bristol Public Transport Heritage weekend (Streetcars of Desire). This was centred on Bristol Docks and the Industrial Museum at Princes' Wharf where there was a Rally and Running Day on the Sunday. Why oh why were Parking Services and the police doing their best to ruin the Clifton fete at the top end of the village with lots of problem on Saturday with traffic wardens, police parking and tow trucks . I know Clifton is easy pickings for them and probably support the whole department single handed with the tow trucks queuing up to remove as many cars as possible every day. They are quite happy to remove cars parked 5 minutes over time but will not remove cars obstructing my garage when I want to get my car out. The police were also out in force fining drivers or giving them 3 penalty points. We have complained to the Community policeman.

The Rodney Hotel.

There are inappropriate plastic 'banners' outside the hotel which advertise the restaurant. The name of the restaurant has been changed from Marguerite to Posh. Gill Blakeman had written to the local manager of the Clifton Group of Hotels (of which The Rodney is one), to say that they should have had planning permission. Neighbours have also made complaints.

Advertising boards on pavements.

Any instances of obstruction must be reported by I July to Bristol City Council.

St Andrew's Churchyard

Looks really good!
Photos: Lime Tree Walk now,
Dorothy Brown, the instigator perched on a ladder,
Maggie Shapland, paint on face as usual
The first weekend, despite the rain, a few volunteers painted quite a lot of railing, because this time they were gritblasted first, so all we had to do was apply top coat.
The second weekend finished nearly the rest of lime tree walk and more railings were prepared by hand.
The third weekend saw the railings by the grass round the rest of the cemetery prepared and most painted- very hot drying weather! Still a few more uprights to do.
The next part of the project will be to prepare the railings by the fountain,and mend the fountain. The gate at the south side needs mending and painting and railings round the medieval cemetry.
Each person was given 8' railing to prepare and paint. Paint will be provided but not brushes, newspaper or containers. Contact RoseMary Musgrave (r.musgrave@bristol.ac.uk or maggie.Shapland@bristol.ac.uk) or just turn up at the Victoria Square end. About 16-20 volunteers helped each day (2, 3, 9, 10 October), including students and we offer our thanks. About two thirds of the avenue has been painted. The overhanging ironwork for the lights, and the gates have yet to be tackled so there is a lot to do yet. It is a great achievement on the part of Dorothy Brown.
October Pictures: Shrubs are being planted along the west wall, these include:

Suspension bridge Lights

There was a demonstration of the new lights 12 May 9:15. Pictures (put up 1 June) See information.

Lord Mayor's medal

Michael Pascoe has been awarded the Lord Mayor's Medal for all the services he has done for Clifton over many years. We all warmly congratulate him.

Ladies Mile closure

08 February 2005
Plans to completely close Ladies' Mile on the Downs for 18 months have been scrapped. The Downs Committee, which administers the popular open space, last night voted to withdraw a report that recommended closing the road to motorists.
The committee - jointly run by councillors and members of the Society of Merchant Venturers - decided in March last year to examine the feasibility of closing Ladies' Mile and Circular Road on Sundays only.
The closure of the road on Sundays will now be considered as part of an overall management plan for the Downs. There will be public consultation which is on the Bristol City Council website. Comments on Evening Post website and CHIS web section on parking.

Bristol Car Club

There is a proposal to put a Bristol City Car Club bay (car sharing scheme) on the wide corner in Canynge Road.

96 Whiteladies Road- Proposed Waiting Restrictions

The City Council has granted Planning Permission in respect of a proposal to convert the premises at 96c to 96f Whiteladies Road to a small supermarket. It is proposed by the Whiteladies Traders Association that waiting and loading and unloading should be prohibited on both sides of Whiteladies Road, in the vicinity of the refuge island, to resolve safety concerns and ensure that movement of pedestrians across the road and vehicles past the island is not impeded.

Bristol City Council Licensing Policy Meeting

Statement of the Licensing Policy presented to the Bristol City Council meeting 12 October. RoseMary Musgrave, together with Redland and Cotham Amenity Society, St John's Road Society had responded to the draft policy put forward by Bristol City with relation to the new Licensing Law. Comments were also made to the Dept of Culture, Media and Sport. The main thrust was to try and get The Strip (up Whiteladies Road) designated as an area of 'High Cumulative Impact' which would mean that it should be regarded in the same way as the City Centre. RoseMary expressed her deep gratitude to all the hard work put in by Roger Mortimer of RCAS and Bob Chambers from St John’s Road.

Whiteladies Road

The proposed pedestrian crossing in the upper part of Whiteladies Road are inappropriately placed and narrow the road. Are they necessary?

Recycling

The City Council are considering whether to introduce a second bin for residents - a green one for recycling. If collected weekly this would probably pose no problems, unlike South Gloucestershire Council where collection fortnightly has given rise to a huge number of complaints.

Drinking

Bristol City Council are also proposing to extend their bans on drinking outside from areas round the centre of the city to Whiteladies Road and the Downs. This will not affect pubs and restaurants with outside tables for their customers.

Strangers Burial Ground

Roy Vaughan (CHIS committee member) has reported that the City Council are proposing to do some clearance and repair work in The Strangers Burial Ground (Lower Clifton Hill) and make it open for public access. There could be an information board, which might be a suitable gift from CHIS.

Suspension Bridge Closure

The Suspension bridge will be closed to pedestrians and traffic during large festivals. CHIS supports this closure. Trustees say the 140-year-old landmark could suffer "potentially unacceptable structural stresses due to the volume of pedestrian traffic." Bridge Master John Mitchell said: "A crowd of pedestrians on the roadway of the bridge creates a far greater loading than normal car traffic."
As a result, the bridge will be closed during the Ashton Court Music Festival and the Bristol Balloon Fiesta.
In September 2004 Bristol City Councillor Ashley Fox said the level of congestion caused by the bridge's closure was unacceptable and he called for an investigation. Both events this summer were dogged by traffic congestion and long queues as Brunel's bridge across the Avon Gorge was closed by the trustees.
In December 2004, he said he would like to see the Plimsoll swing bridge on the Cumberland Basin kept open to traffic while the Clifton bridge is closed. He believes this can be done by giving proper notice to boat users.
Richard Smith, general manager for the city's docks, said arrangements for the swing bridge will be investigated for thisyear's events. He said: We can't say yet when we will be swinging the bridge because it depends on tide times.
For 2005, he safety steering group plans better traffic management, and improved publicity. Measures may include more effective use of Park and Ride, improved car parking on site, and more special bus services.
In 2005, the music festival will be on July 16 and 17, and the balloon fiesta will be from August 11 to 14. The bridge will be closed from 9.30 am on Thursday, August 11 until 5 am on Friday, August 12 and from 12 noon on Saturday, August 13 until 5 am on Sunday, August 14

CHIS Planning News Headlines

More details are in the CHIS planning section.

Avon Gorge Hotel

The Chairman of CHIS has had discussions with Mark Webber, the architect for the Avon Gorge Hotel about the latest plans which will be submitted at the end of October/November 2005. The plans differ from the plans for the Avon Gorge Hotel on show to the public at the hotel on Friday 15 October and on Saturday 16 October. The town houses on top of the ballroom no longer feature in June 2005! What was proposed then: The hotel owner, Robert Peel, says: None of our ideas are cast in stone and we really do welcome your views.
Please let the CHIS Planning Group know what you think of the proposals.
On 29 June 2004 the Evening Post announced plans to reopen Rocks Railway again - an underground link between Clifton and the river Avon that has been closed for 70 years.
Hotelier Robert Peel has pledged to support a scheme to fund the estimated £10 to £15 million cost of reopening the funicular railway, which closed in 1934.
Mr Peel's firm Peel Hotels owns the Avon Gorge Hotel and announced the possibility of reopening the railway at the same time as he unveiled a multi-million pound scheme to refurbish the hotel - and build a car park on part of its terraced gardens overlooking the Avon Gorge. Peel Hotels is preparing to talk to the city council's planning department about a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme to reopen the ballroom and pump room, and add extra bedrooms to the hotel.
Support, via a charitable trust, for a project to reopen the derelict Clifton Rocks Railway would be part of the investment, but the refurbishment scheme also includes controversial plans to turn some of the hotel's terraced gardens into car parking spaces, something the hotel currently lacks.
Mr Peel said: We believe the railway could be part of a very exciting heritage trail linking Brunel's Temple Meads station and ss Great Britain, then taking the rocks railway up to Brunel's suspension bridge and then the zoo. No other city in England could offer this kind of experience.
The hotel group would support a charitable trust to raise the estimated £10 to £15 million needed to restore the railway. The grandiose scheme would depend on the support of planners for the hotel refurbishment plans. Managing director Mr Peel said the aim was to transform it into a prestigious 4-star hotel which would once again attract American visitors to the city.
He said: It would be wonderful to restore the ballroom and pump room, add more bedrooms and restore some of the gardens. But at the end of the day you must have residents' parking.

Clifton Observatory

Completion of proposed conversion works has been applied for(what proposed conversion works? no applications since 1980!) and retention of works for proposed café/restaurant. There has still been no reply to the letter from Gill Blakeman enquiring about the fact that there had been no planning application since 1980. A copy has been sent to Cllr Janke. Michael Woodman-Smith has made a study critique on the Observatory bringing old drawings (supplied by Mike Pascoe) to the attention of English Heritage etc. CAP were concerned that the application for works to a grade 11* listed building must have a conservation strategy report and an archaeological report; neither had been provided. The dome or drum is one of the most important aspects of the building; this has not been included in the application.

Former Rifle Range and Squash Court, Canynge Road.

The plan was turned down 8th June. Well done Michael Woodman-Smith and the rest of the campaigners! As you may know by now, in spite of efforts to date, we were advised by the case officer that the planning department intends to recommend approval of the minor amendments submitted by Edward Ware's architect Robert Adam.
Look at the planning page to see all the details about the planned development!

2-16 Clifton Down Road (W H Smith et al, by Boyces Avenue)

Resubmitted late July. We have only just seen the revised proposals (actually a completely new scheme and application), so our appraisal will not be available for a while. It is important that everyone who wishes to continue to object does so because none of the previous objections will be taken into account.
Withdrawn in July Local traders set up a campaign group to oppose the redevelopment. (Demolition of existing building and construction of new building comprising: basement parking, ground floor retail, first floor residential, second floor residential and third floor residential (24 flats)). Look at the planning page to see all the details about the planned development.

Development of The Mall Garage

Westmark held an open evening to discuss the scheme. It was noted that George Ferguson is the appointed architect. Michael Woodman-Smith and Brian Worthington of CHIS have looked at the preliminary plans and made suggestions. It is a 3-storey development with shops at street level and single bedroom flats on the upper floors (7 each floor). There are no proposals for car parking. Look at the planning page to see all the details about the planned development (updated 22 July). CHIS will oppose the plans, see the objections

Whiteladies Road Cinema

Applications Nos 04/05089/LA/C and 04/05090/F/C
for Listed Building consent and Planning Consent for change of use. Please read the notes in the CHIS planning section and protest- it will become the largest food and drinking establishment in Whiteladies Road

McArthur Warehouse, Gas Ferry Road 8211

Planning Application 03/01463/X/C and 03/01464/F/C McArthur's Warehouse has featured in Private Eye - not a flattering article with regard to the planning outcome.
At the meeting on 16 March, the councillors voted to uphold their original approval, and thus demolish the warehouse. The demolition was agreed by the casting vote of the Chairman, Richard Eddy - the committee were equally divided. Predictable, but very sad.
More details are in the CHIS planning section. Pictures of warehouse and from across the river.

Suspension Bridge Toilets

6 March: CHIS are challenging the Inspectors report of January 2005, and has lodged an appeal in the High Court.
28 Feb: Despite the fact that no re-application has been submitted to DEFRA yet by the Bridge Trustees, please can you help to highlight the ongoing safety fears regarding the proposed bridge centre development, by writing one more, and hopefully final letter, this time to DEFRA (because they need permission to build both on Common Land, and Clifton Down), as soon as possible! You may wish to base it on the points raised in this letter and send it to:
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Zone 1/05
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
BS1 6EB

quoting Ref CYD3
More details in the CHIS planning section.

Height Matters

'Height Matters?' is a Bristol City Council consultation initiative to consider Bristol's existing tall buildings and what stance should be taken by the City towards future tall buildings. Look at the CHIS planning page for further details. Indication of areas that may be appropriate for tall buildings.
Of particular interest to CHIS was that the Clifton-Kingsdown escarpment - had been suggested as area that may be appropriate for an iconic tall building. The report published on 20th January giving planning guidance to the city council states that planners should consider applications for tall buildings. The new policy on tall buildings has been approved at a meeting of the council's environment, transport, and leisure executive. It sets out the areas in the city where tall buildings should and should not be included.

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