Focus on

A4 Corridor update:

In recent months, we have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of information since last summer’s consultation on the A4. We were scheduled to have a councillor briefing last year but it was cancelled at short notice with no explanation, although B&NES councillors had their briefing on their section of the A4 on time. After lots of emails to council officers and cabinet members and questions and statements at Full Council, we have finally been shown a shortlist of options that may be presented to the public in due course. All we can say is, no wonder the Council didn’t want us to see them!

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to go into detail at this stage but two of the three options involve road building and traffic along the former Brislington Railway Line, despite the Labour Mayor and other members of his party telling us repeatedly there was no plan for a road in this location and even accusing us of lying about it! The truth of the matter is, we have a mayor who will say anything for electoral gain, Brislington Meadows being a case in point, and such an appalling lack of integrity and honesty is why we hope local residents will vote to scrap the Mayor in May’s referendum. In the meantime, we will continue to campaign against the Callington Road Link as we have done for five years.

Tesco ‘car meets’:

In recent weeks, regular, noisy, late night car meets at Tesco, Callington Road have been making life a misery for local residents, especially in the Homemead, Gotley and Water Lane area but also further afield in Stockwood and Knowle. We’ve been in touch with the police, the council and Tesco to try to find a resolution to this issue. We will keep trying until the authorities do something about it.

New planter for Sandy Park:

Great to see yet another wooden planter for Sandy Park Road. Once planted up it will be a lovely addition to our local shopping area. Thank you to Greater Brislington Together for financing its installation. 24

Fires at Wyevale:

Many local residents have told us about several fires at the former Wyevale garden centre site, sometimes left without supervision and with the fire brigade having been called on a number of occasions. We contacted Neighbourhood Enforcement who have been in contact with the land owner to organise a site visit to discuss the issue. They are awaiting a response.

Jubilee Pool survey:

Help shape Jubilee Pool’s future! Whether you’re a pool user or not, the team at Save Jubilee Pool want to hear from you. Please participate in their anonymous online survey by 19th February and help save Jubilee Pool: Here

Brislington Village (Brislington Hill & Bristol Hill) Engagement Feedback:

You may be interested in the initial feedback from the recent consultation on Brislington Village. According to respondents, Brislington Hill has great fitness options, hair, beauty and food outlets. Adjacent to Brislington Hill is Bristol Hill, which contains a selection of mixed-retail units including hardware, a specialist motorbike shop and fast-food takeaways. Half of the businesses surveyed recorded a decrease in footfall over the past 12 months and only half of those consulted are confident about their survival over the next 12 months. There was a mixed response as to their level of satisfaction with the high street/area, with their main areas of concern including parking issues, road noise, and poor lighting in the Concourse alleyway and to the rear of the shops, impacting the feeling of safety for staff and visitors.

40% of people visit the high street less than once a month, usually for shopping, personal services such as hairdressers/barbers and leisure, with only 29% coming more than once a week. Some people use the area as a walk-through to other shopping destinations and people commented on the poor selection of retail and that the area feels neglected and miserable, which contributes to their visits usually being less than 30 minutes. There were also a lot of complaints about the footbridge, which is generally felt to be an eyesore. The most popular options for improvements were adding greenery to make the pavement more appealing and to help reduce noise from traffic, and more seating. Other concerns shared by businesses and residents included a better variety of shops and reducing traffic pollution and noise to allow for a better shopper experience as well as better lighting and signage advertising the free parking available (as at mid-December 2021 some of the lighting has been fixed in the Concourse alleyway and to the rear of the shops). Regarding culture/events, businesses were most interested in music events, while visitors were more interested in markets (food or mixed), closely followed by community events. If you would like to add your views, complete the online survey, which ends on Sunday 6 March: Here

There will also be a drop-in, in-person, creative workshop on Saturday 19 February at the shopping precinct between 9:30 and 12:30: Here

Broadwalk Redevelopment:

New plans to redevelop the nearby Broadwalk Shopping Centre have been unveiled, now renamed the Redcatch Quarter. We attended a webinar last week, where the plans were presented. 800 new homes are planned for the site along with new shops, businesses and cafes. Continued next page 25

There are many positives to the plans but as with any major new development it’s vital it fits with the setting and brings benefits to the community for new and existing residents. As well as ensuring the area can handle new residents such as ensuring sufficient school and health provision is available, adding to it where needed. There are posters up in the Broadwalk Centre with the plans. A virtual exhibition and webinar recording should be available on the website shortly Here. A planning application is due to be submitted in the spring; Here

Omicron business support grant:

Additional Restrictions Grant

The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) is available to self-employed and sole traders as well as small or micro businesses based in the Bristol City Council area, trading on 4 January 2022 with ongoing fixed business-related costs.

To apply, businesses must have identification and documentation as evidence of trading and able to demonstrate you have suffered a significant fall in income (including online activity) due to the restrictions or the rise in the Omicron variant.

The deadline for businesses to apply to the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant or Additional Restrictions Grant is 14 February. The government has introduced two grant schemes intended to support businesses experiencing difficulties due to COVID-19 restrictions and the rise of the Omicron variant:

Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant

All businesses must apply for support under this scheme. Previous recipients of ARG must re-apply. The aim is to support as many businesses as possible. However, funding is limited, there is no guarantee you will receive a payment event if you are eligible. Applications close at 12 noon on 14 February 2022. Here

eBike hire scheme launches:

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) is available to businesses in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors.

Grants will be a one-off payment, dependent on the rateable value of your business on 30 December 2021, subject to being within the relevant subsidy (formerly known as State Aid) threshold for the business. Applications close at 12 noon on 14 February 2022. Here 26 A new electric bike hire scheme has launched in Bristol, which should help to ‘iron out’ the many hills of Bristol! We support this scheme, which will hopefully encourage more people to leave their cars at home and travel sustainably. However, like the Voi scheme, we are concerned about more and more pavement clutter, which is problematic for those who are visually impaired or have mobility issues. Reallocating car parking ba ys for cycle and scooter parking is needed. Here

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