Don't set your watch by it...

This afternoon we heard from GoSW that the decision regarding the call in process which was expected by the end of this month, now won't be made until mid-October. This makes B&NES' March 2010 deadline even more unlikely.

Time's running out

B&NES Council has set itself the deadline of March 2010 to get everything in place for the final part of the BTP funding application. Presumably, this is to try to secure the money before the general election in May 2010.

To be in a position to approach the DfT, the Council has to fulfill certain criteria. Two areas include setting the planning permission in place and owning all the land needed through compulsory purchase orders (CPOs). Currently, the Secretary of State is considering whether to call in two of the four planning applications intrinsic to the scheme. Assuming this part is approved, the CPOs have to be activated and completed. For a list of these properties click here. The CPOs will cost in excess of £7m and there is no guarantee the DfT will endorse the grant.

This contentious plan has caused much anxiety for residents affected by the CPOs, and no doubt they will hold out for as long as possible before being forced to relinquish their property. This then begs the question of how B&NES hope to complete all the necessary stages by next Spring.

People power?

Today Conservative Party leader David Cameron MP will be visiting Bath to attend an 'open meeting' at St John's Primary School, Pulteney Road, Bath.

Local campaigners have organised a peaceful protest against the BTP to inform the Tory leader of their views. All those interested in supporting the demonstration are encouraged to meet outside the school at 5.00 p.m. this evening.

Easy as 1, 2, 3...

B&NES Council repeatedly tells us that the BRT (part of the BTP) will provide a reliable and speedy route from Newbridge to the Windsor Bridge. The guaranteed journey time will be six minutes. Response2Route has just released a short video of the same journey in rush hour traffic
(5.15 p.m.) which took just over three minutes on the regular road.

Click here to view the film, which is intentionally silent.

So, the BRT element will...

• cost £20m+
• destroy green spaces and wildlife
• necessitate the compulsory purchase order of residents' back gardens
• introduce a two lane road, footpath and cycle track to run between properties
• cause the depreciation of property prices
• be responsible for the devastation of quality of life for nearby residents, and,
• nearly double the time it currently takes to travel the route.

Does this add up?

It's a wonderful world...

We are most grateful to Dr James Whitehead who took these beautiful pictures of wildlife living in Newbridge Meadows. B&NES Council wants to concrete over these fields to turn them into an unnecessary and unwanted car park. Once destroyed they will be lost forever.

Joined up thinking?

A major problem in the Newbridge area is parking associated with the hospital.

There is a severe lack of parking for staff and visitors alike, with the added issue that visitor parking charges are very high. This has led to quiet, residential streets in the vicinity taking the strain. Over the years many residents have complained of inconsiderate and occasionally dangerous parking habits.

Original plans for an extended park and ride south of the river, included the use of the existing facility as an overspill car park for the hospital with a shuttle bus service to and from the Royal United Hospital (RUH). Indeed, a comment posted regarding the piece 'Park and ride users?' told us that many RUH staff use the current park and ride as a free car park as there is no room on site or in the surrounding roads.

B&NES Council's current proposals will relegate residents' hopes of returning to a more peaceful way of life to the dustbin.

Questions, answers, questions?

In July we posted twenty questions we had put to B&NES Council over many months and not received answers to. Last month we had a response.

Unfortunately, the reply posed yet more questions. Click here to view the original questions, B&NES' answers and our further questions.

Residents' Association?

We are looking into the possibility of starting a Residents' Association to cover the Newbridge area and give our neighbourhood a voice. What do you think? Please click
here to e-mail us with your opinion or post a comment below.

Dear Sir...

We have recently been in correspondence with Julian Abel, Head of Major Schemes for the South West, South East and East of England, Department for Transport who has been most efficient and helpful with regard to our questions on the BTP.

We understand from David Brown of GoSW that they anticipate making a decision on behalf of John Denham, concerning the Newbridge and Bathampton planning applications, sometime this month. Regardless of any decision made, the DfT will require additional details, assurances and agreements to be entered into by B&NES, before further consideration can be given to any possible funding of this scheme.

Julian Abel has said he "would welcome the resident's perspective".

If you would like to e-mail Julian Abel with your observations on the BTP you can do so by clicking here.

What's in a landfill?

Last month we posted a piece entitled 'The bigger picture...' which pointed out that the proposed Newbridge park and ride extension is to be built on a 1960s landfill site.  

One of our readers commented on the article and asked what was buried in this dump. Since then we have done hours of research to try and give an accurate answer, with limited success. The site was started when the River Avon was straightened at Newbridge. Exploratory holes dug last year revealed brickwork, cars, general rubbish and part of one of the earth levelling machines buried where it broke down is still visible. One of our team used to pass the site on his way to work and recalls it was used as a household rubbish dump and seagulls would flock to pick up edible bits and pieces.

We have got hold of a photograph, dated 1968, which unfortunately we are unable to publish at this time due to copyright restrictions.

To date no comprehensive contamination surveys have been carried out on this land. The B&NES Scientific Officer - Contaminated Land, has written to the planning application case officer to express her concerns. This e-mail can be viewed here.

We are still waiting for some enquiries to be answered and will publish any further information in the future.

Spot the deliberate mistake...

This picture of the Newbridge park and ride appeared in last week's Bath Chronicle accompanying an article discussing the lack of spaces in Bath's car parks. The full piece can be seen by clicking here.

The irony is that even in this small section three empty spaces can be clearly seen.