Better protection for Brislington West renters Wyevale latest: It was very disappointing, but not surprising, to learn this week that the owners of the former Wyevale Garden Centre site on the A4 in Brislington West are appealing the recently-issued Planning Enforcement Notices. Their defence, that the land is going to be developed anyway, should not give them carte blanche to trash the land in the meantime. Interestingly, the West of England Mayor, Dan Norris, recently expressed his desire to preserve our Greenbelt, so we may find that the original proposals to develop the land for housing may not now take place. Talbot Road issues: We have received several complaints from local residents regarding the ongoing problem of poor signage during the lengthy roadworks on Talbot Road, with drivers routinely ignoring 'road closed' signs and taking advantage of rat runs leading to congestion and unpleasant altercations on narrow, residential streets. We had a similar problem during the roadworks last year, so it is incredibly frustrating that lessons do not seem to have been learnt. The police have been called on several occasions by the workforce on site due to people getting out of their vehicles kicking over signs and driving through the cones. One silver lining is that the work is ahead of schedule and we are hopeful that in 3 weeks’ time they will have completed all their work on the main section of Talbot Road and it will reopen. Register to vote: Polling cards have started arriving for the referendum on the future of the directly elected mayoral system in Bristol on 5 May. If you haven’t yet registered to vote, you have until Thursday 14 April: www.bristol.gov.uk/voting-elections/register-to-vote Tree blocking cycle path: A Brislington West resident has contacted us about a fallen tree partially blocking the National Cycling Network Route 3 cycle path in Lawrence Hill between Avonmeads and Temple Meads alongside the river.
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This key arterial cycle path is already well below national standards in terms of width and lighting, and this fallen tree is making the situation even worse. The tree fell in February, so it is high time it was cleared away. We have contacted the Council and asked that the tree be removed as soon as possible. Fly-tipping cleared away: Good to see some unsightly fly-tipping cleared away on Wick Road. If fly-tipping is a problem where you live, you can report it here: www.bristol.gov.uk/streets-travel/flytipping Damaged fencing by Tesco: We were very disappointed to see the extent of the damaged, wooden fencing alongside Brislington Brook near Tesco, especially as it had only recently been repaired. We have been in touch with Tesco and hope that new, more robust fencing can be installed as soon as possible. Although not in the ward, we have also reported the damaged fencing on the riverside path near Avonmeads. Better protection for Brislington West renters: Renters will have greater protection under a new property licensing scheme that has gone live in Brislington West this week. The aim of the scheme is to improve housing standards. The proposed schemes cover two types of licensing: • Additional Licensing will include houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) - a house or flat that is occupied by three or more unrelated people who live together and share facilities including kitchens or bathrooms. • Selective Licensing will include private rented properties that are occupied by one or two tenants, or a family, but are not HMOs. The Housing Act 2004 allows local authorities to require landlords of most privately rented accommodation to license their properties. Licensing can be applied to specific areas of the city where evidence suggests there is poor quality, or poorly-managed, privaterented housing.
