Have your say about play at Sand Pits, Monksdale Rd

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Thanks to the efforts of Mrs Dixon and Cllr Dixon (Lib Dem, Walcot) the Council is planning improve play facilities for children and young people at Sand Pits play park, Monksdale Road, Oldfield Park, Bath.

Local children and young people together with their families are invited to find out more and put forward their views at an open event on Friday August 7, from 2 – 5pm.

Mrs and Cllr Dixon together with us, Council Officers, the play park designers and the Police will be there to talk about the scheme and gather the views of as many local children and young people (and their families), as possible, to help develop ideas about the design of the park.

The investment into Sand Pits play park is part of £2.5 million investment across the area to encourage more children and young people to play outside safely in their own communities.

We are looking forward to showing these proposals to the local community and listening to their feedback. The Sand Pits has long been in need of some attention, it is a well used park with people from all over the city visiting.

Anyone unable to attend but interested in the improvements is invited to take a look at the Facebook group: ‘I love the Sand Pits!’.

For more information about the Play Pathfinder project in Bath & North East Somerset contact pathfinder_enquiries@bathnes.gov.uk, tel 08000 731214 or visit www.bathnes.gov.uk and select pages on Play Out, Hang Out.

Organic waste and cardboard collection problems

Due to staff shortages resulting from sickness and a vehicle breakdown in the afternoon, the collection teams were unable to finish all of the rounds today including the collection on Moorland Road, Crandale Road, and Livingstone Road.

The Council will endeavour to return to the following roads tomorrow, Saturday 1st August.

If you have any problems, please contact Council Connect on 01225 39 40 41.

Sainsbury’s apply for an alcohol licence for the former Woolworths store on Moorland Rd

Under the terms of the Licensing Act 2003 Sainsbury’s have applied for an alcohol licence for ther former Woolworths site on Moorland Rd. They have requested a licence to sell alcohol seven days a week from 7.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. Please find below details of a licence application under the Licensing Act 2003.

The Council’s reference: 09/02519/LAPRE
Premises: Sainsbury’s Supermarket
54 – 56 Moorland Road
Bath
BA2 3PJ

Details of application: New Premises Licence
Date received: 28 July 2009
Last date for representations: 25 August 2009 (28 days from date received)
Activities: Sale of Alcohol Every Day 07:00 – 23:00

If you would either like to support or oppose this applicant, then please contact the Council Officer below and if at all possible please copy us into your email:

Ruby Jordan, Team Administrator, Licensing Services
Email: licensing@bathnes.gov.uk

Give the government your views on HMOs

“A chance to swing the balance towards permanent residents “is how Liberal Democrats in Bath are describing the current government consultation on shared houses.

The government is thinking of changing the rules controlling Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) or shared houses. Currently some HMOs are subject to licensing conditions under the Housing Act 2004; however one of the options now under consideration by the government is a change to the “Use Classes Order” which would allow tighter planning controls over HMOs. The consultation is open till 7th August.

Oldfield Councillors Shaun McGall and Will Sandry have responded to the consultation themselves and have also written to residents in Oldfield – an area with many HMOs – to alert them to this opportunity.

This consultation is a chance to swing the balance towards permanent residents. There’s nothing wrong with HMOs in themselves, but problems can occur when areas become dominated by this type of living arrangement, as has happened in certain parts of Oldfield Park.

It is our view that local residents and Councils should be given the power to control over-concentrations of HMOs through the planning process. I would strongly encourage as many local residents as possible to consider responding to the consultation by August 7th – all the necessary information can be found here on our website.

Don Foster MP commented:

It is high time that the government looked at altering the rules on HMOs. It is quite clear that a heavy concentration of such houses causes certain issues and strains on communities, and currently there is little we can do to protect such communities.

Don hopes that residents living in areas of Bath which are densely populated by HMOs, such as Oldfield Park, will take the time to respond to the government consultation, as he will be. This is not about stopping people living in HMOs, clearly they serve a purpose, but about being able to control how and where they grow and finding a balance for local communities.

Englishcombe Inn application requested to be decided at a public Planning Committee meeting

We have requested that if the Planning Case Officer is minded to refuse planning permission for the Englishcombe Inn site for a new 40-bed Care Home, then the application should be heard in public by the Development Control Committee.

Legally, to request this we had to give planning reasons for our request; and these were:

* This is an imaginative reuse of a derelict facility and adds economic vitality to the area;
* The plan, whilst bulky, pays respect to the existing structure whilst using the contour of the land in an imaginative and bold
way to provide the facilities needed for the proposed client groups.
* The application will generate far less traffic onto the busy Englishcombe Lane than other applications such as for housing and
the precedent for density set just a few hundred yards away at Sabin Close.

We also wrote that the applicant has met with residents and listened to their concerns and made modifications that meet most demands. Obviously, the loss of the building as a pub will not suite those who wish to see it returned to being a public house.

The final decision on whether or not to hear the planning application at the democratic public meeting will be made by the Chair of the Committee, Cllr Les Kew (Conservative, High Littleton).

We now await the decision of the Council Officer and the Chair of the Committee.

Parking increase another kick in the teeth for Bath economy

Owners and managers of businesses serving Bath’s evening economy are joining Bath MP Don Foster is voicing their concern over the Council’s decision to increase evening car parking charges by 50%.

The dispute comes after a major campaign last year against increased charges. The Conservative Council recently completed a 3 month parking review, which it was claimed would also take into account the current economic downturn.

None of the businesses Don has spoken to were consulted during this 3 month period, they first heard the news when it was published in the local media. Don said,

It is vital, especially at a time of recession, that we help support our local businesses all we can, but this increase is going to make people think twice about visiting Bath.

Levels of public transport, especially for those living just outside the city, are far from adequate in the evening and for many people driving into town is the only option, but with extra costs they might look elsewhere or not bother at all.

We am deeply concerned by this move from the Conservative Council, and it is made even worse by the fact that apparently none of these businesses were even spoken to about the change.
Read the rest of this entry.

Electrification will be huge benefit to Bath

Our MP Don Foster has warmly welcomed the news that the government is to begin immediately with plans to electrify the Great Western line from London to Swansea.

Although the work will take 8 years to complete, it will provide numerous benefits including increased capacity on trains, shorter journey times and, most importantly, a reduction in CO2 emissions.

Liberal Democrats have long campaigned from electrification of the rail network, and this plan was included within the “Green Road out of Recession” document that the party launched in autumn 2008. Don said,

Electrification of the Great Western line is long overdue, and something that I have been calling to happen for some time. This is great news for rail users in Bath, as well as all of us conscious of rising levels of CO2.

We have recently seen an increase in reliability of this service, so Bath and Oldfield Park train users are now finally getting a better deal. However, we still have the problem of hugely expensive fares – the London to Cardiff line is the 3rd most expensive per mile in the world.

There are still improvements needed to our service in the eight years before electrification, but there is now clearly a brighter future ahead for rail users in Bath.

Awards for local volunteer awards – nominate someone

The Council has been working with the Volunteer Centre on a Community Award to recognise the contribution volunteers make within Bath and North East Somerset. The Chairman of the Council announced the Awards during the National Volunteering Week in June and now we are inviting nominations.

There are six categories, with a particular theme linked to the Chairman’s theme for his year in office: “Grow Your Own Food and Know Your Local Heritage”, although nominations are encouraged from all different areas of work. The categories are as follows:

1. Volunteer of the Year
2. Volunteer Leader of the Year
3. Student Volunteer of the Year (Over 18)
4. Young Volunteer of the Year (Under 18)
5. Volunteer Team of the Year
6. Environmental Volunteer of the Year

Everyone nominated for an Award will be presented with a Certificate as a recognition of their contribution to community work. The winners of each category will receive a Certificate and Award presented by the Chairman of the Council at an Awards Ceremony in December 2009. Nomination forms must be returned by no later than 12 noon on Friday 30th October 2009.

Cllr McGall has full details of the Awards (Five pages of A4), so if you would like more details on how to nominate someone locally, please contact shaun on: shaun_mcgall@bathnes.gov.uk