Open letter

Dear Neighbours, Friends and Supporters.

As promised, I am now on behalf of Newbridge Matters, able to advise you further concerning the 248 space park and ride extension on the donkey field at Newbridge.

Last Wednesday 15^th January 2014. I saw that traffic cones and yellow markings had been placed in the existing car park, where I assume the Council wish the new road to be driven through to the donkey field, for the new car park.

I give below details of the actions we have taken and the present position regarding the donkey field car park.

There is one outstanding item concerning the footpath adjoining the south eastern side of the donkey field, which has yet to be resolved.  It is possible that we may advise our Lawyer in London to take this matter up with B&NES Council, but even if this is done, it is likely to only cause a delay in the car park construction and not a complete cancellation of same.

As promised, we have done everything possible to try and prevent this car park from being constructed.

After the 248 space car park planning application was approved by the Development Control Committee [DCC] on 20^th November 2013, our Lawyer in London submitted a 20 page Letter Before Claim, outlining the flaws in the Council's handling of the planning application, dated 17th December 2013 to B&NES Council.  This letter was the first stage in the process for consideration of a judicial review [JR] to be carried out by a High Court Judge. A judicial review looks only at the legalities of the process rather than the merits of the extension.

The overall cost of a JR is many thousands of pounds, Barristers’ fees being hundreds of pounds an hour, so it was thought prudent to obtain further legal advice as to the chances of a Judge ruling in our favour, in that B&NES had not acted in an appropriate manner, and that costs would be awarded against B&NES Council.

Our lawyer sought counsel from a Barrister and the advice received indicated that we may not win the case; even though they considered inadequate information had been submitted on which the decision to 'approve' had been based. Even if we won the case, B&NES could then re-apply and grant themselves Planning Permission again.

After due consideration, it was thought that although we abhorred the way in which this car park had received planning approval, we could not run the risk of being involved with paying costs of such magnitude, and therefore our Lawyer advised B&NES Council that the JR would not proceed.

Apart from the matter concerning the footpath adjoining the south eastern boundary of the donkey field referred to above, it would seem that there is nothing to prevent the construction of the car park, subject to the Council’s approval of further details yet to be submitted to them, and as required under the Conditions attached to the approval, but upon which we will not be permitted to comment upon.

However, we are actively obtaining information concerning flooding of the area, including the maximum top water levels of the nearby river Avon, as the Council’s consultants advised them that the area will flood under certain conditions, advice which they appear to have ignored.

The planning approval of the car park is subject to many Conditions.  Under no. 3, “a detailed surface water drainage scheme for the site” has to be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  In view of the importance of flooding, our Lawyer requested, on our behalf, to be allowed to see and comment upon any ‘scheme’ submitted, but we have been advised by them, that such intervention will not be permitted on this or any other ‘schemes’ submitted to them for approval, in compliance with the Conditions attached to the Planning Approval.  The Council have advised us that “information will be available to view on the Council’s website, as and when these details are submitted.”

We have not received any information from the Council or its Contractor as to when work will commence on site.  In view of the lack of any information concerning the start of works in January 2013, when we were able to stop the work from proceeding due to finding that the ‘assumed’ planning permission was not valid, we do not hold out much hope that further information will be forthcoming.

Armed with the Conditions of approval, we will endeavour to ensure that they are adhered to, but as access to the site during the  construction period may well be with-held, this may prove difficult.

Your support and that of fellow Neighbours, Friends and Supporters is very much appreciated, without which we would not have had the will to continue this fight for so many years, against this very ill conceived development.

I hope this summary of events has brought you up to date with the position we now face, but if you think I can help further, please contact us preferably by e-mail.

With very best wishes for 2014 and good health to you all.

Value for money?

Further to our discovery that work on the Newbridge Park and Ride extension had started without valid planning consent we thought we would look a little further into the financial side of this proposal. We contacted the most helpful Department for Transport who told us:

“The Department is providing £10.958m of funding for a scheme costing a total of £26.898m.  That funding is provided as a contribution to the scheme as a whole and not for any specific elements of the scheme.

So far we have paid out £3.2m and have received a request for a further £2.4m. The current profile of payments suggests that by the end of this financial year March 2013 we will have received claims from BANES for some £9.2m of our funding.”

It would appear that this money has been paid out although the proper planning permission was not in place. One of the DfT’s criteria for funding projects is that they are ‘value for money’. We have submitted a freedom of information request as to how much B&NES Council has spent to date on the Newbridge Park & Ride extension, and will share their answer with you once we receive it. We do know that the purchase of the donkey field cost £90,000, which alone would mean each space in the new extension would cost £360.

Seemingly the 250 space extension is not ‘value for money’ when a pot of paint could be used to mark out the existing car park to enlarge that by 100 spaces!

Momentous achievement by Newbridge residents!

Apologies for the delay in posting, however, be assured much has been going on behind the scenes and at last we have won a major victory in the fight to stop the extension of the Newbridge park and ride. 

On behalf of local residents Newbridge Matters appointed a legal team to investigate this part of the ill conceived BTP. In October 2012 our legal representation wrote to B&NES Council requesting copies of the planning consent and the pre-commencement conditions. After regular reminders in mid-December 2012 B&NES Council conceded that some of the pre-commencement conditions had not been formally discharged. The Council also confirmed that the planning permission had expired.

Disappointingly, B&NES Council has shown a blatant disregard for the proper procedures and breached planning control by starting work on the site.

We have informed the Department of Transport of the situation. They may well feel they have been misled too.

Thank you for all your support and of course we will keep you informed of any updates.

Free running?

Readers may well already be aware by Public Notice published in The Bath Chronicle newspaper, that B&NES Council invited residents to comment on the above.

We have now been advised that the Consultation has been CANCELLED for the time being.

However, as the Consultation may be resurrected, readers may wish to see what was proposed and prepare any comments for submission at a later date.  Full details of the Orders were published on page 87 of The Chronicle newspaper dated 26^th January 2012.

Details of the Consultation Documents were obtained from the Council's website, but, they have now been removed, due no doubt to the cancellation of the Consultation.  Other information is still available on this site, to link to this please click here.

We have already spent some time investigating how the Orders would have affected users of the Newbridge Village Green and, we give below a brief resume of same.

Order 1

The Fouling of Land by Dogs [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

This Order would have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green.

All dog faeces to be removed by person in charge of a dog.

Order 2

The Dogs on Leads [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

Would not have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green -  Area not shown in the Schedule.

Order 3

The Dogs on Leads by Direction [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

This Order would have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green.

It will be an Offence for any person in charge of a Dog to fail to put and keep the Dog on a Lead of not more than 4 metres in length, when directed to do so by an authorised officer of the Council……….

The Registration of the Newbridge Meadows Village Green was obtained partly on the fact that for many generations people have been able to exercise their Dogs by letting them have free run of the area without the use of a Lead.

Having just won the right to continue exercising Dogs in this manner by way of the Registration of the area as a Village Green, any restriction by way of Leads would not satisfy the Registration of the area.

This Order should not apply to the Village Green but, by the original proposed Order, it would do so.

Order 4

The Dogs Exclusion [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

This Order would not have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green  -  not shown in the schedule.

Order 5

The Dogs Specified Maximum [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

This Order would have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green.

It will be an Offence for any person in charge of more than six dogs.

This information was obtained from the Council’s website (please see link above) and, has been confirmed as correct by the Council’s Senior Environmental Health Officer.

The closing time and date for making representations to the Dog Control Orders department, would have been midnight on the 23^rd February 2012 but, as stated above, the consultation has been CANCELLED, due we understand to the vast number of objections to the Orders, already received by the Council.

We will of course advise you further should the Consultation be reinstated. 

Air quality management changes...

Readers may well already be aware that B&NES Council has invited residents to comment on the above.


Full details of the Consultation Documents may be obtained through this link.

A member of the Newbridge Matters team has sent the following letter to the B&NES Council and, we urge readers to consider the consultation documents and submit their comments.

You will see from the letter that only one of the many aspects of the consultation has been covered, that of providing air pollution monitoring equipment on sites not already covered.  This applies to the present Park and Ride Car Park here in Newbridge.

Any comments must be submitted by 31^st January 2012 to:

Bath and North East Somerset Council

Environmental Monitoring

Environmental Services

FREEPOST (BA1458)

Bath

BA1 1ZZ

Letter sent by a member of our team referred to above:

Consultation on Changes to the Bath Air Quality Management Area

7^th    January 2012

The vast amount of information you have provided in your Consultation Documents takes a considerable amount of time to read and comprehend and, so far I have been unable to complete the task.

However at this stage, may I make just one point which is that from the information at present available, further air monitoring action must be taken.

It would seem that the present levels of air pollution at sites not at present monitored, are either not known at all or, values have been obtained from ‘modelling’, these being considered insignificant compared with present day knowledge of the levels of air pollution causing problems with the health of various sections of the population.

I am sure you would agree, that had we known more about air pollution at the time the Royal Victoria Park Children’s Play Area was constructed immediately adjoining the A4 Upper Bristol Road here in Bath, it would not have been sited in this position.  I appreciate the large cost that would be involved in moving the play equipment to a much more suitable site, possibly within the park but, surely human life cannot be measured in terms of money.  I request that very serious thought be given to re-siting this play area, which is used by many thousands of young children every year, not only from Bath but from outlying areas, without delay.

May I suggest that monitoring stations be set up at all schools and their playing fields, hospitals, park and ride car parks and other commercial locations where large numbers of vehicles congregate within the B&NES area, so that definite information may be made available on air pollution levels.

It may well be possible to encourage those responsible for these sites to receive detailed information from the Council on the method of collecting this pollution information and, for them to forward the samples obtained to you.

As far as schools are concerned, this method of collecting the required information could well be included within the normal school curriculum, making children aware of the dangers of air pollution.  This could be done in a similar way to that which many of them already provide weather information to the National Weather Bureau but, in this case the samples would be returned to you for analysis.

Such a system would then provide real data on many of these additional sites at no additional cost to the Council, other than the initial cost of providing the sampling equipment and instruction on the retrieval of the samples.

I hope that these initial comments will be taken into consideration when you assess the results of your consultation period, which ends on 31^st January 2012.

- - - - - - - - - -

We hope readers will respond to the Consultation Documents with their own views on this very important issue.

In the money!

Readers will no doubt be aware from press reports and BBC TV News bulletins, that the Government has approved the revised Bath Transport Package submitted to the Department for Transport [DfT], by B&NES Council.

This revised Package includes a 250 space extension to the park and ride at Newbridge the exact position of which is still a mystery, despite repeated requests over the last few months for information.

We have made numerous enquiries as to its location without success, being advised that the information was not available until the Newbridge Meadows Village Green application had been settled.

The Village Green has now been approved by B&NES and the area registered as a Village Green, details being shown in The Commons Register.

Both our Ward Councillors, Cllr Caroline Roberts and Cllr Loraine Morgan Brinkhurst, together with our MP the Rt Hon Don Foster, have stated on many occasions, that the car park site originally proposed north of the river, was not suitable.

We are now actively engaged in drawing attention to many promises of consultation by Councillors and our MP, so that appropriate meetings are held in order to obtain a car park site acceptable to the residents of Newbridge.

We wait with breath held for the long awaited, and oft requested, details.

Royal name for Village Green?

From the previous posting, readers will be aware that the Newbridge Meadows have now been granted ‘Village Green’ status.

For those interested, the action taken following this ruling may be found in the Commons Register.

We again thank all those who have supported us in our endeavours to bring about this situation, thereby securing continued use of the Meadows for lawful sports and pastimes.

As reported in the previous posting, a request has been submitted to B&NES Council for the Meadows to be re-named ‘Queen Elizabeth II Fields’ in order to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the throne in 2012.

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, the Queen’s grandson, is Patron of the scheme for the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Fields’ and, we have been advised that our request has been placed before the Council’s Cabinet for consideration.

We will, of course, keep you advised as this matter proceeds.  

B&NES grants approval for Newbridge Meadows Village Green status

In April 2010, an application was submitted to B&NES Council by a representative of ‘Newbridge Matters’, an organisation set up to enhance and protect the area of Newbridge, in full co-operation with the Ward Councillors, for the Newbridge Meadow Fields to be registered as a Town or Village Green.
The application was considered to be valid and a Non-Statutory Public Inquiry was held in The Guildhall in April 2011, after which the Inspector holding the Inquiry issued a report recommending that the two large Meadow Fields and the Corridor between them, be Registered as a Village Green.

A meeting of B&NES’s Regulatory (Access) Committee was held in The Guildhall on Tuesday 25th October 2011 to consider the Inspector’s report and, after hearing from their Senior Rights of Way Officer who recommended that as all requirements under Section 15 of the Open Spaces Act 2006 were satisfied, as detailed by the Inspector, he recommended that the two large Meadow Fields and the Corridor between them, be Registered as a Village Green.

The Committee resolved to accept the report and Register the area accordingly. (Please see plan below, click on image to enlarge.)

The meeting was attended by the applicant, another member of ‘Newbridge Matters’, a member of The Bath Society and Councillor Loraine Morgan-Brinkhurst, one of the Ward Councillors, all of whom spoke in favour of Registration.
Also in attendance were members of the public including children and Ward Councillor Caroline Roberts, who had supported the application.

Now that the Meadows have been registered, they will be protected from future development so that present and future generations may continue to enjoy their use, for leisure and environmental purposes.

The Committee was advised that next year, 2012, marks the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, sixty years on the throne and, that in order to celebrate the occasion her grandson Prince William, now the Duke of Cambridge, has as Patron set up a scheme to protect Playing Fields and Outdoor Spaces. If areas of land conformed to criteria set down under this scheme, these areas could be named ‘Queen Elizabeth II Fields’.

The owners of the land, in the case of Newbridge Meadows being B&NES, would if they so desired, be able to request that the name ‘Queen Elizabeth II Fields’ be applied to the Meadows, in a similar way to that for Bath’s ‘Royal Victoria Park’.

A formal request will be made to B&NES in due course for this action to be taken.

Village Green meeting

We have just been advised that the Inspector’s Report following the Non-Statutory Public Inquiry held in April 2011, will be referred to the Regulatory Access Committee of B&NES Council, which will meet on Tuesday 25th October 2011 at 10.00am in the Council Chamber in The Guildhall, Bath.

The Inspector has recommended that the two large fields and the narrow corridor between them, forming the Meadows, be registered as a Town or Village Green.

Any member of the public may attend but if they wish to speak at the meeting, then due notice will need to be given in accordance with the standing regulations, details of which may be obtained from the Council’s Democratic Services Officer, Mr Jack Latkovic, telephone 01225 394452 or e-mail jack_latkovic@bathnes.gov.uk.

A member of the Newbridge Matters team will attend and speak at the meeting and, anyone who gave support for Newbridge Meadows to be registered as a Town or Village Green who wishes to attend, will be made most welcome.

Time for celebration?

Finally some good news!

At last we have received the Inspector’s report on our Village Green application, following the Public Inquiry held in April. He has recommended that most of the Newbridge Meadows land contained within the Village Green application, some of which was previously earmarked for the park and ride extension, be registered as a Village Green. The Inspector has excluded the area immediately bounding the north eastern side of the existing Car Park, known as the ‘bund,’ from his recommended registration area. We await clarity as to the precise parts of the application covered by his recommendation.

We have been granted a period of time to consider and comment upon the Inspector’s report ending on 22nd September 2011 and, we are actively considering the report at this time.

A final report from the Inspector, if the present one is modified, will be submitted to the Authority's Regulatory (Access) Committee in due course, for their approval or rejection. At that stage, we will know the specific area of land, if any, on the Meadows that has been registered as a Village Green.

The local Ward Councillors have assured us that the planned extra car parking spaces will not be built near to any of our houses. However, as yet they have been unable to tell us where exactly they will be placed. This is quite worrying as the new proposals have to be submitted to central government by 9th September.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported us with written and verbal witness statements for the Public Inquiry – we couldn’t have done it without you.

For now we are cautiously optimistic and muted celebrations are in progress!

Update...

Readers could be forgiven for thinking that we at Newbridge Matters had packed our bags and gone away for a long holiday.    Not true…..we have been very busy working with residents, friends, visitors, supporters and Councillors to ensure that everything possible is being done to keep Newbridge a safe and pleasant area in which to live, work and play.  

Apart from the very important fact that the Bath and North East Somerset [B&NES] Council is now controlled by the Lib Dems instead of the Conservatives, knowledge of which readers will no doubt have gained from the local press and radio, there has been very little until now concerning Newbridge, to post on this website.

Bath Transportaion Package - [BTP]

Although the new Lib Dem Councillors have made dramatic changes to the original BTP, these changes were only finally approved by the Council at their meeting on Thursday 14^th July 2011.

These changes include the omission of the proposed New Road from Brassmill Lane to Windsor Bridge Road, part of which would have passed through private gardens and other privately owned areas and, apparently the omission of the proposed Park and Ride [P&R] Car Park on Bathampton Meadows.

The omission of the New Road has been a great relief to those in private properties who have suffered terribly from the potential of losing their gardens with really monstrous construction works on their door-steps and until now, the prospect of being unable to sell their properties privately if they so wished.

Likewise, the apparent omission of the Bathampton Meadows Car Park on a beautiful area east of Bath, will be if never constructed, welcomed by many.

Also included in these changes is the proposed P&R Car Park at Newbridge, where instead of a 500 space Car Park, it is now proposed that a 250 space Car Park be provided instead.

At this point in time it is not known where this Car Park will be sited but, we have been told that the Council is actively seeking an alternative site to that originally proposed.    The original site for the expansion for 500 spaces was on land to the north east of the present Car Park.

At the Council meeting held on 14^th July, Councillors promised ‘consultation’ on any Car Park site selected and, we will be actively pressing for ‘consultation’ to take place as soon as possible.   

A comprehensive BTP scheme, including any Car Park for Newbridge, for the Best and Final Bid for Grant Money, must be submitted to the Department for Transport [DfT] by 9^th September 2011.

If no Grant Money becomes available, no doubt the Council will have to consider further if they have sufficient finances to construct the Car Park.

Newbridge Meadows Village Green

As reported in an earlier posting, the Public Inquiry into the Newbridge Meadows Village Green was held on 11^th, 12^th and 13^th April 2011.

We are still waiting for the Inspector’s recommendations as to whether the Meadows should be ‘Registered.’

The Public Inquiries into the Village Greens at Rudmore Park and Kaynton Mead took place in May and June respectively and, we anticipate that the Inspector may make known his recommendations on all three Village Greens in the near future.

Newbridge Matters received support from the R2R Group for the Meadows Inquiry for which we are most grateful.     We in turn supported the Rudmore Park and Kaynton Mead Inquiries.

As previously posted, any recommendations from the Inspector will be submitted to an appropriate committee of the Council, for it to accept or reject.

We will of course advise you further when the Inspector’s recommendations are received.

Appreciation

Newbridge Matters appreciates very much indeed all the support for the benefit of Newbridge that has been given to us by residents, visitors, friends, the Response 2 Route [R2R] Group, Councillors and our many friends and organizations on the east of the city, during the time we have existed.    

Local Elections.

We remind readers that Newbridge Matters is an organization of local residents set up to save the beautiful World Heritage City of Bath from our local Council’s ill-conceived transport plans.

We are NOT affiliated to nor do we have any connection with any political party.

We are sure you are already aware that the Local Elections will be held this Thursday 5th May and ask you to please cast your votes according to your preference for the policies of a particular Candidate.

We hope however, that you will take into consideration the policies of Candidates concerning the proposed schemes for the Bus Rapid Transit [BRT] including the proposed Car Park extension on land forming the Newbridge Meadows Village Green and, the Bath Transport Package [BTP] when casting your votes.

You can read a 300 word statement by each party on its range of policies on the Bath Chronicle web site.

Click here to view.

Web sites offering useful information:

Newbridge Matters web site - http://www.newbridgematters.blogspot.com/

Response2Route - http://www.response2route.co.uk/

Save Bathampton Meadows - http://www.savebathamptonmeadows.blogspot.com/

Bath Heritage Watchdog - www.bathheritagewatchdog.org/

VeracityBath - http://www.vcbath.blogspot.com/

We thank all those who have given us support on the many issues that we have reported upon over the many months since our inception and, sincerely hope that with your help, a Council will be elected which will provide effective and acceptable transport schemes and, protect the beautiful World Heritage City in which we live, for this and future generations to enjoy.

Newbridge Meadows Village Green.

Readers of earlier postings will know that a Non-Statutory Public Inquiry was scheduled to be held in The Guildhall, Bath, in order to consider an application for the Registration of Newbridge Meadows Village Green, submitted to B&NES Council by one of our team, on behalf of Newbridge Matters.


This Inquiry was necessary because B&NES Council had objected to the application.

The Public Inquiry was held on the 11th, 12th and 13th of April 2011, the Inspector appointed by the Council being a Queen’s Councillor [QC.]

B&NES Council, the objector, was also represented by a Queen’s Councillor.

The applicant was represented by an officer of Planning Sanity, an organisation specialising in dealing with Public Inquiries into Village Green registrations.

We presented Proofs of Evidence of use of the Meadows by 13 persons which had been submitted to the Registration Authority and which were read out by the authors at the Inquiry.

During the Inquiry, 4 other members of the public gave verbal evidence of use of the Meadows.

Well over 100 statements of support from local residents for the Meadows to be Registered, including those from the 2 Newbridge Ward Councillors was also submitted.

The Inspector made copious notes on his computer during the Inquiry and, questions were asked of all the witnesses by the Inspector, by B&NES Council’s QC and by our representative.

A letter addressed to the Inspector from a local resident giving details of use of the Meadows was handed to the Inspector, which he noted.

B&NES Council only produced 1 witness, an officer employed by them whose responsibilities included the management of the Meadows area and, he was questioned by those who questioned our witnesses.

During the course of the Inquiry, members of the public including those from other areas of Bath and some Councillors attended.

The Inspector made a site visit on Tuesday morning 12th April and he was accompanied by B&NES Council’s QC and their officer witness, and by a local resident and the applicant.

We were able to point out various locations on the Meadows and nearby, relevant to the application, such as public footpaths and other means of access, use of the Meadows by way of the remains of camp fires, the abundance of bird and animal life and, the location of nearby elderly persons estates, some of those occupants using the Meadows for recreational and therapeutic use.

During the site inspection, the local resident found and showed the Inspector a baby slow-worm and evidence of the Blue Carpenter Bee, a very rare species, on the site, illustrating the reason why the area is scheduled as a Nature Conservation Area.

We nor B&NES Council’s representatives, were allowed to discuss the application with the Inspector but, we were able to show him various sites that were referred to in the application.

On Wednesday afternoon 13th April, closing statements were made by B&NES Council’s QC followed by our representative’s statement after which the Inspector declared that the Inquiry had ended.

The Inspector advised those present that he anticipated submitting his report to B&NES Council in 6 weeks time from the 13th April 2011.

The applicant will also receive a copy of the Inspector’s report.


Newbridge Matters acknowledges and thanks the many people who have given us support for this application and who attended the Inquiry as witnesses and, those who attended in order to give us moral support.

We acknowledge with very many thanks the help, advice and representation given by Planning Sanity.

We also acknowledge with very many thanks all the help and support that the Response2Route group have given us in dealing with this Public Inquiry.

Some members of the Response2Route group have submitted applications for the Registration of Village Greens at Rudmore Park and Kaynton Mead and, the Non-Statutory Public Inquiries into those applications have been scheduled to take place in The Guildhall as follows:
Rudmore Park - 23rd until 26th May 2011

Kaynton Mead - 13th until 16th June 2011.

We urge readers to give these applicants support, contact being made with them via the Response2Route web site.
We will of course advise you further on the Newbridge Meadows Inquiry when we receive details of the Inspector’s report.
The normal procedure would be for the Inspector’s report in the form of a recommendation, to be submitted to the Registration Authority of the Council and, for it to be considered by an appropriate committee of the Council when a final decision will be made.
We thank all those who have given us support on the many issues that we have reported upon over the many months since our inception.

Briefing Paper sent to the Department for Transport

Newbridge Matters and the Response to Route [R2R] Group have jointly prepared this Briefing Paper.

Readers will see that we are highlighting why the proposed scheme is a waste of money, why it is flawed and what the alternatives are.

Hopefully the DfT will see that the Bus Rapid Transit [BRT] element including the proposed Car Park is pointless and will refuse funding unless that element is removed.

Please click here to read Briefing Paper.

Newbridge Matters will of course keep you  advised of any further developments.



We are continuing to work hard with the Response2Route Group to prevent our Newbridge Meadows and their green corridor being destroyed by the implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit [BRT] proposals.


Here is a summary of what is happening.

Department For Transport [DfT] Funding for the Bath Transportation Package [BTP]
The Council have to prove to the DFT that the BTP (including the BRT) is the best possible scheme for the money. We are very busy proving to the DFT that the BRT element is definitely not the best possible scheme for the money and, a joint submission with the R2R Group has been made to the DfT details of which will be made available on this website shortly.

We believe that B&NES Council is trying to rush their submission through to the DfT before Easter. As the deadline is not until September, we assume it sees some benefit in doing this. In any case B&NES no longer has time to alter the scheme so it's all or nothing for the BTP. We believe they are going to lose all of the central funding because of their inflexible approach.

B&NES Council is stubbornly refusing to investigate alternatives and provide the government with proof that they have done proper research into the alternatives or any cost-benefit analysis. This is worrying to us as we know there are elements of the BTP which would be of benefit to Bath but, they will all be lost if B&NES’ inflexible approach means that the DfT refuse to grant any funding at all.

We know that the alternatives of siting a Park and Ride Car Park at Twerton Fork on the southern side of the river and using the Upper and Lower Bristol Roads for the BRT buses instead of the proposed new segregated stretch of road, is easily adapted, saving both money and destruction, and delivering benefits to the areas stated by the council to be “deprived.”

B&NES have now set up a “Transport Commission‟ to advise them further on the BTP, consisting of people and bodies who have already stated they support the BRT. The Response2Route Group have not been invited to participate, despite asking to be allowed to do so and having now spent more than 4 years becoming expert in all things transport-related in Newbridge.

Village Green applications
As readers will know from previous postings, an application was submitted on behalf of Newbridge Matters for the Newbridge Meadows Village Green to be Registered as such and, details of the Non- Statutory Public Inquiry for the Newbridge Meadows are shown in the previous posting.

Although if granted, the Registration of the Village Greens would almost 100% prevent the areas from being developed, the primary reason for seeking Registration is to ensure that they continue to be available for this and future generations to enjoy.

These Village Green spaces have been used for over 20 years by local people for recreational activities which means they are already Village Greens. We are simply seeking to get that status officially recognised through a formal process.

Response2Route and Newbridge Matters have applied for Village Green status on three areas of land. The applications have been moving forward and we now have dates for the two Non-Statutory Public Inquiries that will be held into the two applications submitted by the R2R Group. All these Inquiries are required to be held as the Council have objected to our applications.

All three Inquiries will be held in the Council Chamber at The Guildhall in Bath, the dates being as shown below:

Newbridge Meadows…11th - 14th April 2011…..Full details as shown on the previous posting.

Rudmore Park…………23rd - 26th May 2011…..Full details not yet known

Kaynton Mead…………13th – 16th June 2011….Full details not yet known



Members of the public are strongly urged to come along to support us at all the Public Inquiries.

Newbridge Matters has obtained Proofs of Evidence of the use of the Meadows Village Green for use at the Inquiry and the R2R Group has been busy putting together evidence to make sure they are fully prepared for their inquiries.

We need local residents to speak at the inquiries – without witnesses we will fail. There are very few of us on the committee who fulfil the criteria to be a witness. We need to prove that the Village Greens have been used by the community overall for a period of at least 20 years, for lawful leisure pursuits.

If you are a member of the community and you have used the Village Greens for any period of time, we need you – please get in touch!

If you cannot attend the Inquiries in person due to a holiday or other commitment please contact us as we can arrange for your submission to be read out by someone else. All witnesses will be fully briefed by our advocate who has experience of many dozens of such inquiries.

Don’t assume we have plenty of other people to do this – we need YOU!

If you work full-time this will not be a problem as there should be at least one evening session built into the schedule to accommodate those of us who do.

Any photographic or other evidence showing leisure pursuits on any of the areas over the last 20 years will be extremely useful and will be gratefully received. Please email to: r2rnewsletter@aol.com

If you do not qualify as a witness but have any interest in seeing our Village Green applications succeed, please support us by coming along and watching the process from the public viewing gallery in the Council Chamber at The Guildhall.

The inquiries have to be run along semi-formal lines in order to reach an official conclusion but most people who attend them enjoy the experience.

A report on the Village Greens has been published in The Bath Chronicle newspaper, edition of Thursday 24th March page 38.

Compulsory Purchase Orders [CPOs] Public Inquiry
Regardless of B&NES’ plans to keep the BTP in its entirety to submit to the Government for funding, the Public Inquiry into the Compulsory Purchase Orders will still need to take place, as if B&NES wish to proceed with the work using Government funding, they need to be in possession of all the necessary land required for the work. We are working hard to put together our dossier of evidence and will be employing expert witnesses to counteract the Council’s arguments.
Local Elections
It is likely that the BRT will feature in the local elections and it will be to your advantage to quiz your prospective Councillors on their views. Some are not as opposed to the BRT as you may assume.

Funding
We have contracted experts to help us in all the above and this costs money. If you would like to help you can donate via PayPal on the R2R web site www.response2route.co.uk or send a cheque made payable to Response2Route to the R2R Treasurer at 43 Ashley Avenue, Bath BA1 3DS.
We thank you for your continued support.
Response2Route www.response2route.co.uk

Newbridge Matters http://www.newbridgematters.blogspot.com/

Readers will be aware that our last posting was to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. We hope you had both.


As no further postings have been made you could be forgiven for thinking that your team at Newbridge Matters had gone on an extended Christmas holiday and had not yet returned.

However, that is very far from the truth. We have been working very hard indeed with many different authorities in order to try and ensure that Newbridge is provided with the very best possible outcome concerning the Council’s proposals for the Bus Rapid Transit [BRT] system including the proposed Park and Ride Car Park. We thought that time spent on those activities had priority over time spent on postings and, apologise to readers who may think otherwise.

Bath Rapid Transit system.

A member of our team together with representatives of Response to Route [R2R] group. met the city’s MP the Rt Hon. Don Foster on Monday 21st February 2011.

The serious concerns of those in Newbridge relating to the proposed Car Park on the Village Green at Newbridge Meadows and, those of residents directly affected by the proposed New Road as part of the BRT through resident’s gardens, and others, were made known to Don Foster. He promised to pass these on to the DfT.
If B&NES Council wish to obtain money from the Government in order to carry out their proposals contained within the Bath Transportation Package [BTP], which includes the New Road for the BRT route and the Car Park, then they will have to satisfy the Department for Transport [DfT] that the scheme would achieve its objectives and be of ‘value for money.’

In discussions with the DfT they have advised us that, not only are they allowing amendments to the scope of schemes where that would improve affordability and value for money, they are positively encouraging it.

The next steps in the process are that the DfT will have discussions with local authority promoters of various schemes, prior to them submitting a Best and Final Funding Bid on 9 September and, they aim to make decisions by the end of 2011 on which schemes will be funded. In submitting their Best and final Funding Bids authorities will need to specify the precise scope and cost of the scheme amongst other things and. will not be bound by what they have already submitted in their Expression of Interest, which is very much an opening statement for discussion.

It is understood that B&NES Council will likely submit a fresh Expression of Interest to the DfT before the deadline for receipt of same of 9th September 2011.

The DfT welcome comments from the public and interested parties on the Expressions of Interest received and will consider these as part of their consideration of the schemes in question.
Enquiries and submissions from the public may be sent to:

Mr Bob Collins

Department for Transport

3/29 Great Minster House

76 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DR



E mail address: Bob.Collins@dft.gsi.gov.uk

Car Park

Previous correspondence with Don Foster established that he did not think the present proposed site for the Newbridge Car Park on the Meadows, was an appropriate location.

We have advised B&NES and the DfT that if a new Car Park is required in Newbridge, it should be located on its original proposed site south of the river on Duchy of Cornwall land.

This site has very many advantages over the present proposal on the Village Green, including a less cost of construction.

In order to protect the Newbridge Meadows from future development, so that the present and future generations of inhabitants may continue to enjoy the facilities they offer, as has been the case for many past generations, readers will be aware that a member of our team submitted an application last year for the Village Green on Newbridge Meadows to be Registered as such.

B&NES have now arranged for an Inquiry to be held into this application, details of which are set out below.

Non – Statutory Public Inquiry to Consider an Application to Register Land as a Town or Village Green under Section 15(2) of The Commons Act 2006

The Land is known as the Village Green Newbridge Meadows - Newbridge – Bath

Details of the Inquiry

The Inquiry will take place in the Council Chamber, The Guildhall, High Street, Bath, BA1 5AW on the following days and at the times stated in April 2011.

It will be conducted by the Inspector appointed by B&NES, Mr Leslie Blohm Q.C

Monday 11th April 10.30am to 1.00pm

Monday 11th April 2.00pm to 4.30pm

Monday 11th April 6.00pm until the session closes

Tuesday 12th April 10.30am to 1.00pm

Tuesday 12th April 2.00pm to 4.30pm

Wednesday 13th April 10.30am to 1.00pm

Wednesday 13th April 2.00pm to 4.30pm

Thursday 14th April 10.30am to 1.00pm

Thursday 14th April 2.00pm to 4.30pm

It is possible that the Inquiry could be concluded before Thursday 14th April and it could be extended, depending upon the Inspector’s directions.

An inspection of the Village Green will take place at the conclusion of the Inquiry.
Proofs of Evidence of use of the Village Green have been obtained and it is anticipated that the authors will read aloud their statements during the Inquiry.
Any member of the public may attend the Inquiry and if allowed

by the Inspector, they may address those present.
Newbridge Matters hope that members of the public will attend the Inquiry to show support for the actions we have and are taking in order to protect the interests of residents.
In due course, the Inspector will make his decision as to whether the Village Green should be Registered or not, known to B&NES and, it will then be up to the appropriate committee of the Council to accept or refuse that recommendation.
If the Village Green becomes ‘Registered’ it is unlikely that any future development could take place on the site.
From the length of this bulletin, readers will be aware that we have been working extremely hard in order to try and ensure that Newbridge becomes an even better place to live, work and visit.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.

We wish readers a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year and thank you for your interest and support throughout the year.

We assure you that we are taking all possible steps to ensure that B&NES Council do not implement their present proposals for the Bath Rapid Transit [BRT] scheme including the Park and Ride Car Park in its present proposed position.

We will of course keep you advised as matters proceed.

Bath and North East Somerset Full Council Meeting Tuesday Nov 16th.

 

At the above Council Meeting where besides other matters the Bath Transportation Package was discussed, a representative of ‘Newbridge Matters’ delivered a written and verbal statement which included the following.

With regard to the Bath Transport Package and in particular, if you wish to continue with your proposals for extending the existing Park and Ride Car Park at Newbridge and receive Grant Money, we understand that you will need to reduce the estimated cost of works in order for the Department for Transport to give further consideration to your Transport Package. A document has been prepared dated 15th September 2010 which I hope you have before you, showing Comparisons of Sites for a Car Park north and south of the River Avon.


From this document you will see that if you revert to your original site for the Car Park south of the river on Duchy of Cornwall land, not only will it provide for a much larger Car Park than that on the northern side of the river but, the cost per parking space should be much less.


This difference in costs is due to the very expensive decontamination works required to be carried out on the northern site, as part of the planning conditions when you received Planning Consent.


This site was for many years used as a commercial and domestic refuse tip.


Very expensive construction and maintenance costs would be involved on the northern site involving the provision of special water filtration material by way of permeable and impermeable membranes in the base construction, in order to prevent ground water from being drained from the site and affecting the adjacent Nature Conservation area.


At the time of the submission by your consultants for Planning Permission, they advised you that the Car Park would need to be excavated from time to time in order to replace the various membranes, giving rise to loss of parts of the Car Park as work proceeded.


Also, your consultants advised you that the Car Park would flood at certain times and that to try and minimise this effect they proposed that large underground water storage tanks be constructed.


None of these restraints would apply to your original site south of the river, it being on virgin land with drainage direct to the river.


The Land Agent for the Duchy of Cornwall in Newton St Loe confirmed on 4th November 2010 that he would be quite prepared to re-open negotiations with the Council for the sale of the necessary land in order for the Car Park to be constructed as originally intended on the southern side of the river.


Your original proposals for that Car Park included for part of it to be on two decks but, even if this was not carried out, the area is of sufficient size [8.33 acres] for it to be capable of providing parking for many more cars than the proposed extension of the existing Car Park, an area of only approximately 4 acres.


We respectfully request that you seriously consider reverting to your original site south of the river, which we feel confident would show a saving of costs at this critical financial time and provide for future transport needs.


To further show our resolve to help you, we have made available to your Chief Executive Officer a plan of the existing Newbridge Car Park showing that if the parking spaces were re-marked to the standard required size, then an additional 103 spaces could be provided giving a 20% increase on that now provided.


Madam Chairman, Councillor Sarah Bevan advised that this statement would be taken into consideration when the Council considered the Transportation Package further.

Conservative Campaign Pamphlet with the name 'Newbridge Matters'

We have recently received an A3 size double sided full colour pamphlet with the name ‘Newbridge Matters’ prominently displayed at the top of the first page, promoting the Conservative party.


Readers of this web site may also have received this document and other similar documents from the Conservative party.

We wish to advise you that this ‘Newbridge Matters’ web site has no connection whatsoever with any political party.

We have requested the publisher of the Conservative Campaign Pamphlet to refrain from using the title of our web site but, our request has been refused.

Be assured that the ‘Newbridge Matters’ web site will continue to remain non-political and continue for the benefit of Newbridge residents and the many supporters we have gathered since its inception.

Application for the Registration of Newbridge Meadows as a Village Green - Latest

We have received a letter from B&NES Council, advising us that they have now considered our application and, as there remains areas of dispute between us and the objector [B&NES Council,] it has been decided that a Non-Statutory Public Inquiry should be held into our application.

The Registration Authority [B&NES Council] will instruct an independent barrister who will preside over the Inquiry and we will be advised of further details in due course.

It may well be some months before the Inquiry is held and we will now need to prepare our case in detail.

Thank you to all those who have supported this Village Green application and we will of course keep you advised as matters proceed.