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OUT AND ABOUT IN BRISLINGTON WEST WITH JOS AND ANDREW

DISAPPOINTMENT WITH NEW ARNOS COURT PARK PATH:

The new path has now been constructed in Arnos Court Park from the steps leading to Arnos Vale Cemetery down to the main path through the park. To say we are disappointed with what has been delivered would be an understatement. The original application by the Friends group was for a tarmac path and that is what we were expecting. Unfortunately, someone at the council made a unilateral decision to change the specifications of the job and then failed to inform us. What has been delivered is substandard, not fit for purpose and won’t last. We have written to the council to complain.

SUPPORTING CONHAM BATHERS:

We were delighted to speak in support of the Conham Bathers’ petition for Designated Bathing Water Status for Conham River Park at City Hall last week. It’s a beautiful stretch of the river, flowing through a deep, wooded valley and on warm, sunny days the river is particularly inviting and generations of local people have swum there. Unfortunately, water quality in our rivers has deteriorated. In 2019, the Environment Agency rated only 14% of rivers as being in good condition. Now, there are none. Every river in England is polluted beyond legal limits. Raw sewage is pumped into our waterways as a matter of course rather than exception. Research by the Liberal Democrats has discovered that many sewage monitors are faulty or simply not installed at all and so lots of discharges go unrecorded. Here in Bristol it has been reported that around 50% of people who swim in the River Avon at Conham become ill afterwards. Unfortunately, we have a dysfunctional government which is unwilling to legislate against the perpetrators.

BRISLINGTON WAR MEMORIAL CLEAN-UP:

Thank you to Jamie and family at the Lodekka who helped us clean up our Brislington War Memorial prior to Remembrance Sunday next month. We spent Saturday morning litter picking, sweeping, weeding and decorating the monument with hundreds of knitted poppies donated by our local churches. We hope you agree it is now a fitting tribute to The Fallen.

There is also a 2009 by-law that prohibits swimming in the river, which unwittingly supports this current state of affairs as it means the Environment Agency is not required to test water quality on a regular basis or investigate sources of pollution and prosecute perpetrators. By removing this by-law and establishing Designated Bathing Water Status, we can ensure that the river is properly monitored, poor water quality is investigated, and the public have the information they need regarding water quality before entering the river. The current administration in Bristol claims it wants excellent water quality in 100% of our waterways by 2030. However, by maintaining the 2009 by-law and rejecting the Conham Bathing application for Designated Bathing Water Status, it is making this more difficult to achieve. We hope on this occasion, they will see sense and join us in supporting the petitioners.

HELP GET JUBILEE BACK TO ITS FORMER GLORY:

The Friends of Jubilee Pool are looking for help to get Jubilee back to its former glory this Sunday 30th October from 4pm. If you are an electrician, plumber, decorator, tiler or builder and can volunteer a bit of time to help, please get in touch. If you don’t have those skills but could clean windows, changing rooms or do some weeding or keep the team supplied with tea and coffee while they work, please also get in touch. Please email Matt for more details (matt_ blanchard@outlook.com) or join the Facebook event: https://facebook.com/ events/s/work-party/625754235814242/

Brislington Celebration Event: Thank you to the organisers and volunteers who helped to make the ‘ Brislington Celebration Event’ a success. The event was held at St Christopher’s Church on Hampstead Road over two days and focused on celebrating and increasing awareness of everything going on in Brislington. Hundreds of Brislington West residents have signed up to receive our monthly newsletter via email. You can register using this link: http://www.bristollibdems. org/efocus.

By Jos Clark, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.jos.clark@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 370429

& Andrew Varney, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.andrew.varney@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 183381

BIRNBECK PIER SAVED FROM BRINK OF COLLAPSE

The National Heritage Memorial Fund has saved Birnbeck Pier from collapse by awarding it £3.55 million from the Cultural Assets Fund. (CAF). Since opening in 1867, Birnbeck Pier has been part of the DNA of Weston-super-Mare as a traditional seaside town, played a vital role during the Second World War as a site of experimental activities and weapons testing and was the backdrop to a famous 1963 publicity photograph of the then up and coming group The Beatles. It is also the only pier in the UK to link to an island. As well as a great claim to fame, the link allowed the RNLI to set up a lifeboat station on Birnbeck Island in 1882 and for 132 years volunteer lifeboat crew used the pier to access their station. However, the pier was closed to the public in 1994 and it was placed on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in 1999. The RNLI were forced to leave their station on the island in 2014 as the pier became too dangerous to walk across.

After decades of neglect and deterioration, accelerated by stretched resources during the pandemic, the Grade II* Listed pier is in grave danger of collapsing into the sea. For many years, partners have worked together to try to save the pier. There is now hope on the horizon as North Somerset Council, have joined forces with the RNLI to secure its future.

With today’s funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and further funding from Historic England and the RNLI, the ‘legs’ of the pier will be stabilised and restored and a walkway installed, reinstating access to the Island. This vital first phase will allow North Somerset Council to move forward with their plans to see the Island regenerated for the benefit of the Weston community enabling the RNLI to pursue their ambition to re-establish a lifesaving facility on the island. Mark Canniford, Executive Member for Placemaking and Economy at North Somerset Council, said: “This money is vital in our efforts to save the pier and start regenerating this treasured site. We are working tirelessly to secure a sale with the private owner, whilst continuing in parallel with the Compulsory Purchase Order. We hope this will shortly result in us owning the pier and allow us to start using the National Heritage Memorial Funding to save the pier, restore public access and get the RNLI back onto the island to continue their lifesaving work.” Adrian Carey, RNLI Head of Region, said: "This successful grant funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund is a significant step towards North Somerset Council’s wider plan for the regeneration of Birnbeck. The grant means that the RNLI can move forward with the next stage of engineering and design works to restore access to the Island and reinstate a volunteer lifeboat station. While the success of the project is still dependent on many factors the charity is encouraged by this positive news."

Administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the government funded Cultural Assets Fund has awarded over £20m to nationally important heritage sites and assets across England which were left at risk because of the pandemic.

BIRNBECK PIER IS ONE OF 11 PROJECTS SHARING THE FUNDING. THE OTHERS ARE:

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (£9.9m) SS Shieldhall (£196,415) Torre Abbey (£363,748) Vigilance of Brixham (£820,000) Joem Locomotive (£123,842) Type Archive Collective (£1,409,861) Hurst Castle (£500,000) Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills (£420,575) Macclesfield Silk Mills (£308,975) Historic Chapels Trust (£3.6m) Dr Simon Thurley, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “I am thrilled to announce our funding for the future of Birnbeck Pier which will support The RNLI and North Somerset Council in their mission to bring this hugely important heritage site back into beneficial use.

“We’re extremely proud to have administered £20m of government funding for some of England’s incredible heritage sites and assets – from historic ships and locomotives to castles and chapels – helping them to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.” Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: “This is most welcome news for Birnbeck Pier and for Weston-super-Mare. We have been proud to work with the Council, the RNLI and others over many years to try to save this celebrated Victorian structure. This award is an important milestone and brings our collective vision for the pier a step closer to being realised. Arts Minister Stuart Andrew, Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport, said: "I'm delighted that we are supporting the regeneration of Birnbeck Pier with £3.55 million in funding. Heritage is an important part of what makes a place so special. It connects us to our history, brings in visitors and makes us proud of where we live. Thanks to this National Heritage Memorial Fund grant, this iconic pier will once again be the pride of Weston-super-Mare." 35