Sand Pits Litter Pick

Will with other members of the community - Previous Litter pick

On Saturday 21st April 10am – noon, David Dixon and Will Sandry will be leading a community litter pick to clean up the Sand Pits, and if time allows, a quick once over of the Linear Park around the new bridge.

David said: “There can be a litter problem after a busy day in the Sandpits, but I particularly want us to tackle the bank behind the shelter where there is a lot or hard to reach litter.

Please come and join us at 10am at the Sandpits on Monksdale Road at 10am, bring stout footwear and gloves – litter picking tongs and bags will be provided.”

Our Lady and St Alphage’s Church

This Thursday marks the millennium of the martyrdom St. Alphage, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Oldfield Park church dedicated to him will commemorate this event at a solemn mass.

To coincide with the millennium, St. Alphage’s Parish has published a book about the church which is nationally noted for being designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott – best known for his design of the UK’s famous red telephone boxes.

Will said: I’ve always loved the architecture of the church; the new book by Caroline Shaw  is a delightful review of the building and its place within our community.”

Our Lady and St. Alphage, Bath (Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s ‘Little Gem of a Church’) is available direct from the Parish or at the Oldfield Park Bookshop on Moorland Road.

Monksdale Road Bridge Open

Monksdale First Light - by Mark Annand - www.twotunnels.org.uk

The new bridge opened quietly on the afternoon of Thursday 5th April. This fantastic photo shows members of the community using the bridge in the morning light on Friday.

Will said: “The Two Tunnels project, Sustrans and the contractor; Hydrok have done a grand job for us. This is a great enhancement for the much loved Linear Park.

I’m pleased to see that there has been a massive amount of tree planting and even some semi-mature trees have been planted to help screen the closest properties.

It doesn’t quite beat Beechen Cliff, but there’s a great view over Oldfield Park and into the City and Lansdown from the bridge.”

You can view all our historical coverage of the Linear Park – Two Tunnels story by clicking here.

Oldfield Community Projects

from freefoto.comSo far Will and Dave have been able to support three local projects through their Ward Councillor funding. These are:

– A local Arts and Crafts Group which meets at Hillside Hall.

– For new mobile story boards

-To plant on the Moorfields Estate

If you are a small community group based in Oldfield Ward we may still be able to help you with a small grant of £250-£500. Please contact us directly to discuss your application, but be quick funds are limited!

Housing Quality on the Agenda

The standard and quality of some Homes in Multiple Occupation has been a concern for some time.

Whilst many landlords are good and responsible, not all are. Usually poor living conditions come about when landlords do not invest in the property.

As well as introducing an Article 4 Direction to cap the numbers of HMOs in the City, the Council is considering an additional licensing scheme to drive up the quality of homes in the private rented sector. This may also be an opportunity to prevent the conversion of detached garages in to bedrooms.

The Council’s Housing Policy and Scrutiny Panel meets on Tuesday to discuss additional licensing. Click here for the agenda (Item 11).

Will, who is a member of the committee said: “I am fed up of seeing students and other young people in my community in sub-standard accommodation, with bad landlords who do not invest in the property. An additional licencing scheme for HMOs has the potential to improve the quality of accommodation in the private rented sector.

If used imaginatively, the scheme could also reduce the running costs of the homes for the residents by making requirements for energy efficiency and  insulation, in addition to the more standard fire safety, decorative order, and waste management requirements”


Tesco withdraw

Tesco have withdrawn their planning applications on the Bath Press site.

Commenting Cllr Will Sandry said: “This was always the wrong site because it was too close to Moorland Road and the traffic at the Windsor Bridge / Lower Bristol Road Junction would have been horrendous.

I know that many people in our community want a Tesco as direct competition for Sainsbury’s and to give them more choice as to where to shop. I am sure that Tesco will be considering other potential sites in the City.

I hope that plans come forward for both affordable housing and office units at the Bath Press Site. “

The New Monksdale Road Bridge

Delivery is scheduled for 22nd March, but the date might change. We will update our website to let you know.

The bridge will be arriving in sections and a crane will be used to put it in place.

The transport route for the bridge and the crane will be from the Wellsway via Bloomfield, Hensley, Egerton, Cotswold and Hillside Roads.

All Parking and Loading will be suspended on the route and Monksdale Road will be closed in both directions.

The closure will effect the 17 bus route and we understand First will be publishing the details of the route change.

Sandpits Grafitti – Restorative Justice

The offensive graffiti on the shelter in the Sand Pits play area has been removed by the Council.

Our local Police have identified the perpetrator and due to his age, he is eligible for the restorative justice programme. He will be spending time cleaning off graffiti in our local community under the guidance of the Council’s Youth Offending Team.

Local residents will remember that the shelter was provided for the whole community because it was identified as a priority by local residents.

Will commented: “Like many in our community, I was upset to see this abuse of the shelter. I am however pleased that a young person has the opportunity to understand what he did was wrong and avoid a criminal record on this occasion.”

Planning a street party?

The Council is waving all road closure charges for street parties in most streets over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend in June.

The Council has recently changed its policies to make it easier for communities to hold a street party. There is a dedicated webpage with all the important things you need to know.

The most important thing is to discuss your plans with the Council at least 6-8 weeks ahead of the event. You can email event@bathnes.gov.uk

Residents may also be interested to know that the Big Lunch is now in its fourth year and falls on Sunday 4th June. Check out their website for some great ideas about street parties and for a starter pack of information.

Moorland Road Pavement Refurbishment

Some residents will have noticed there has been a slowdown in getting the pavements completed.

This is because it’s the same team who do overnight gritting of our road network during freezing weather. So essentially they have been doing that rather than finishing the pavements.

Two new drains are due to be installed on 6th and 7th February during the daytime, but the pavement resurfacing won’t be completed until the weather is warmer.

Our thanks to the highways team who a work very hard to keep our road network running in this severe weather and we look forward to seeing them back to finish the pavements when it warms up.

Don’t forget that a pedestrian crossing is due to be installed across Livingstone Road before the end of March.