Have your say on HMOs

Members of the community in Oldfield Ward and throughout Bath have given an overwhelming response in favour of introducing limits on the number of HMOs in our community; and also agreed that the Council should try to improve the quality of existing HMOs.

The Council is now consulting on the maximum percentage of homes in our community that should be HMOs. The proposal is that that maximum should be 25%, but this is open to public consultation.

The Council is also asking about the quality improvements that could be made to existing HMOs, such as garden maintenance, waste management, fire and electrical safety.

You can have you say by going to one of this week’s consultation events:

  • University of Bath Student Union: Tuesday 23rd October, 11am – 2pm – Open Event -Drop-in at anytime during the session
  • One Stop Shop, 2 – 4 Manvers Street: Tuesday 23rd October, 6 – 8.30pm (Briefing presentations will be run at 7pm and 8pm)
  • St Alphege’s Parish Hall, Oldfield Lane: Wednesday 24th October, 5.30pm – 8pm
  • Oldfield Baptist Church Hall, Moorland Road: Thursday 25th October, 3 – 7:30pm (not until 5pm as previously advertised)

Or respond online at www.bathnes.gov.uk/hmo

It is vitally important that community responses are made to the Council Consultation.

More trees for Moorfields

We are pleased to invite residents from the Moorfields Estate to plant a free tree in their Garden!

Cllr David Dixon said: “The Estate is now more than 50 years old and many of the original flowering cherry trees are past their lifespan and have been cut down.

Will and I have used our Ward Councillor funding to work in partnership with More Trees for Bath and North East Somerset to provide a variety of new trees for the community.”

Please click on the image for further details of how to register and collect your tree.

Decent homes for all

Will Sandry recently attended the Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton where he spoke in a policy debate about housing.

Will spoke in favor of the new Lib Dem Housing Policy which includes a mandatory scheme of regulating all letting agents (at present it is not necessary to have any qualifications or meet any national standards to be a letting agent).

The policy would also make it easier for local councils to introduce targeted licensing schemes in areas with high concentrations of poor quality private lets.

The Policy also includes:

  • Building up to 300,000 new houses by supporting investment and giving local authorities and social landlords more freedom to build
  • Increasing protection for private tenants by promoting longer tenancies and cracking down on rogue landlords
  • Giving local authorities more power to control second homes and bring empty homes back into use.

Click here for the full text of Will’s speech: Decent Homes for All

20 is plenty – Have your say

All households in Oldfield Ward should have received a survey from the Council asking whether local residents would support all residential streets in the ward becoming 20mph zones.

From speaking with local residents we know that there is widespread support for introducing a 20mph speed limit, but residents need to have their say formally.

Cllr Will Sandry said: “This is a proper consultation, so if you are in favour or against make sure you have your say. Please complete and return the survey in the free-post envelope supplied.”

Tackling Poor Quality Housing

One of our manifesto commitments to our residents was to tackle poor quality housing in our community.

Oldfield has a high number of small HMOs available for rent. Some of these properties are poorly managed and maintained, meaning that the occupants are living in sub-standard, and sometimes unsafe accommodation.

On Monday 17th September 2012, the Council is launching a consultation about introducing an Additional Licensing scheme for small HMOs in the Ward. Click on the link for details: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/housing/landlords-and-tenants/additional-licensing

Cllr Will Sandry commented: “The standard of some homes that Oldfield residents have to live in are of great concern to me. The proposed licensing scheme is a great opportunity to improve the management and maintenance of those properties.

The scheme also has the potential to reduce the running costs of the home by requiring energy efficiency measures such as loft insulation. It is important that people who live in HMOs respond to this consultation; and that other members of the community share their views too.”



The consultation is open until 30th November 2012.

Major Roadworks for Oldfield Park

Gas Mains on Third Avenue, King Edward Road and Oldfield Lane are due to be replaced through the Autumn. This will require temporary road closures at different phases of the project.

  • A road closure will be required on Third Avenue (between Shaftesbury Road and King Edward Road) commencing from 10th September to 26th October 2012.
  • King Edward Road will also require a road closure which will be in place from 22nd October until 21st December 2012.
  • Temporary two-way traffic lights will be required on Oldfield Road.

Bus Routes

Unfortunately, bus routes will be affected, details of which can be obtained from First nearer the time. Please see: http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/travel_news/service_updates/

Why are the works required?

The works are required to ensure the continuing safety of the gas supply network, and have been phased to move the works away from Moorland Road in the run up to the Christmas trading period.

Wales and West are writing to all households on the streets effected to pre-notify residents. Click here for their newsletter about the works: WWU Oldfield Park Bath Newsletter

Oldfield PACT Meeting

Traffic, Speeding and Two Tunnels Project to be discussed at local meeting.

The next community meeting is this Wednesday 22nd August at 18:30 at St. Alphege’s Parish Hall, Oldfield Lane. Members of the Two tunnels Project will be coming to tell us more about the route and the safety

At the last meeeting Apirl the priorities were:

1) Speeding and traffic issues on Monksdale Road (traffic issues in terms of council looking to put traffic calming measures in).

2) Sustrans cycle scheme to come and discuss safety issues with new cycle route at next meeting. Eg. Concerns about the safety of having tunnels, will they be lit, will they be policed etc.

If you can’t make the meeting please email us with any commnets you would like raised.

More Pedestrian Improvements

Both Herbert Road and Cotswold Road could benefit from new traffic calming measures drawn up by the Council. These are not yet agreed and are subject to public consultation, so please let us know what you think.

1. Herbert Road

The proposal is to install a raised table on Herbert Road at it’s Junction with Moorland Road between Herbies and Nat West bank. This is intended to slow traffic on the approach to Moorland Road.

Click for larger image

2. Cotswold Road

The unfunded proposal is to install a build out to make Cotswold Road single track at its junction with Willow Green and Hillside Road to make it easier for pedestrians to cross. This will slow traffic and make it easier for parents and their children to cross between St John’s School and Moorlands School.

Click for larger image

Overwhelming Support

More than 200 local people have written to the Council in support of introducing rules to limit the further growth of HMO’s in Oldfield Park.

This is an unusually high response to a local government survey. It is understood that by contrast there were a very small number of responses against new rules being introduced.

Cllr Will Sandry commented: “Local people want a mixed diverse community and that includes people living in HMOs. The balance has to be right and these rules will help deliver that balance.

I hope that Bath University and the Student Unions at both universities reflect on this response from the communities in which they are welcomed.

It is important to remember that these rules will not remove any existing HMOs. The rules will mean that planning permission will be required to convert a family home into an HMO in the future. The planning process will enable local people to have their say about what is and isn’t the right balance in their community.”

The Council intends to introduce planning restrictions which will see planning permission required for future changes of use from family houses into small HMOs across the City from 1st July 2013. It is also proposing that HMO landlords in areas with a large number of HMOs should be required to apply for a licence to help curb management and housing quality issues.

Next steps

  • Public consultation on the detail of the additional HMO licencing scheme is due to be released in September 2012 for public consultation.
  • The detail of the planning controls is due to be considered by Cabinet in October and launched for public consultation in October.
  • A series of briefings and drop-in events open to the public on these HMO controls are planned for October 2012.

Walkabout Surgery

Don Foster MP joined us for our usual monthly surgery on Moorland Road yesterday. We focused our surgery on the independent businesses and other key facilities which help keep Moorland Road Amazing!

Will and David were pleased to be able to show Don the newly resurfaced pavements with the set back kerb (which makes the double kerb easier for those in our community with poor mobility) and of course the works underway to the zebra crossing at Livingstone Road which is due for completion within the next few weeks.

Don Foster with the always friendly team at Panahar

Don also called at the Moorland Road Libary, Park Pets, Polski Sklep, The Cobblers, Hippieshake, The Bath Bakery, Stokes, Francis DIY, Velo Lounge, and our newest shop Nada Mart on Third Avenue – which sells Mediterranean and North African foods.

Don said: “The range of shops and services available on Moorland Road is Amazing. It was wonderful to see the strength of the local community’s ongoing support for Moorland Road and its independent businesses.”