Highlights from Westbury Forum, 8 October 2019
1. Present and Apologies:
The Meeting was attended by approximately 32 residents, plus PC Steve Harding and PCSOs Rob Cole and Kelly Foyle, and two of our local councillors – Geoff Gollop and Steve Smith. Liz Radford sent her apologies that she would be unable to attend on this occasion, as did Hilary Long and Graham Donald. Below is a brief résumé of the main points raised during the Meeting, including relevant external links:
2. Police Update: Steve Harding is our Beat Manager, while Kelly Foyle and Rob Cole are the area PCSOs. Rob for can be contacted by email at robert.cole@avonandsomerset.police.uk or by phone on 07889 656840
Steve and Rob went through the crime statistics for the last three months. Most were similar or lower than the previous three months; the increase in criminal damage was largely related to incidents in Parrys Lane and surrounding areas. The recent incidents of arson (setting fire to cars in Hillsdon Road and the Henbury area and to playground furniture in Blaise Estate) were not reflected in these figures and are currently under investigation. As the university autumn term starts, there are more reports of opportunist thefts of items such as laptops from student accommodation.
There have been a number of incidents of people going door to door, saying that they are part of an ex-offenders' rehabilitation scheme and selling various items. While it is up to the public to decide whether to purchase such items, the police are interested in the group because they do not have a vending licence - this would have to be issued by the police and they have not done so. The individuals may or may not be part of a genuine scheme, and they usually carry a document, but this is not a trading licence.
Steve and Rob reminded the group that in cases such as this, where you might be feel harassed or concerned about the situation or where the police want to find out more about the individuals concerned, you should ring 999 not 101. Although not an "emergency", this means that the police will then receive the information directly and can decided on an appropriate level of response. A similar situation has arisen with people cold-calling and offering to clear gutters or inspect roofs and do repairs - again, the advice is not to feel pressured to accept their offer and to let the police have details.
There have been some thefts of items such as power tools and a lawn mower from sheds and outbuildings, though thefts of bicycles have dropped recently. One theft was a set of golf clubs which the owner had left in their car overnight. People are advised to keep a record of the serial number of items and register them on a free website, www.immobilise.com - then if items are recovered by police they will be able to be returned to you. To find the serial number of your mobile phone, press *#06# - this will give you a 15-digit number, so have a pen and paper handy!
There is the opportunity for you to have bicycles security marked and registered free of charge at a registering event, taking place on Wednesday 23rd Oct between 10am and 2pm outside the main entrance to Southmead Hospital. If anybody would like to register their bicycles then please do attend. If you can't attend on the 23rd, there is a Cycle Clinic which takes place every other Wednesday throughout the year. From May to September it is held on the grassed area outside Royal Fort Lodge (opposite Senate House); during the winter months, it is situated outside the Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health. The next one will also be on Wednesday October 23rd. For more details, see http://www.bristol.ac.uk/transportplan/transport/cycling/cyclingevents.html
Members were warned of a recent fraud, in which the perpetrators passed themselves off as members of the police anti-fraud team and persuaded the target to transfer a large sum of money to a different account so that the police could monitor the transfer - this was a scam - no one from the police or from your bank would ever ask you to do such a thing... An unusual event was when the police were called to Elmlea Junior School, with a report of children playing on the roof - in fact, they were skateboarding up there! Steve ended his update with a good news story: the people behind a number of robberies in the area were identified by Rob from CCTV footage and have subsequently been charged and convicted.
Kelly responded to a question regarding the number of Travellers' vehicles parked on the roadside. As explained in previous meetings, the police check that vehicles are taxed and insured, but that is the limit of their powers. Vehicles parked inappropriately, facing the wrong way etc. are the responsibility of the Council Parking Services. Geoff then told the meeting that, after requests for information from residents produced no response, he had contacted Parking Services and that they had eventually produced a list of dates when they had visited the area to monitor the situation, which raises the question as to why no further action has been taken, who made that decision and why...
To report antisocial behaviour by residents of the vans or others, the advice is to contact the Council's Neighbourhood Enforcement team by email at neighbourhood.enforcement@bristol.gov.uk and copy your email to Geoff or Steve. If a particular situation is causing you concern you can contact the police, but it is unlikely they will be able to take any action unless it is possible to identify the individuals concerned. While the meeting spent some time discussing this issue, it is important to remember that not all van dwellers cause problems to the neighbourhood.
3. Update from the Councillors
Clean Air Consultation.
As was outlined at the last meeting, two models were put out for consultation – one covering a small area, affecting all vehicles and one covering a larger area but only affecting some vehicles. At the time, the modelling for the effects of these plans had not been completed. The Mayor has applied for and received another extension, to the end of November, in order to produce their plan. If the previous deadline had been applied, the Council would have had to implement proposals without information as to whether they would achieve the required aims. One of the problems was that the Secretary of State was changed midway through the process and we might have been heading for a General Election! It looks likely that the final proposals will have to be more drastic than either of the initial plans...
A4018 Proposals
Most of the original proposals were removed, including those affecting the centre of Westbury. It is intended to have "Engagement" meetings to gather opinions from residents as to the best way forward. The proposals for crossings on Canford Lane and on Passage Road have been confirmed. One of the few other proposals of the original plan which was widely supported, the provision of a cycle path on the Downs alongside the A4018, has run into trouble as the Downs Committee have objected to having to give up some of their land.
Avonmouth Recycling Centre
Complaints were raised about inappropriate advertising and the fact that the posters implied that we were benefiting from the Centre being open 3 days a week, rather than apologising that it would be closed for 4 days a week! Geoff referred to the fact that they had only one sign announcing a week-long planned closure and, when questioned, staff said that they had it facing different ways on alternate days! Liz Radford obtained opening hours, which will be Friday to Sunday 7:00am to 6:45pm until October 25th and 8:00am to 4:15pm thereafter. It appears that you now may be asked to provide two forms of identification when using the Centre... It was also mentioned that residents need to be aware that domestic waste collection now starts at 6am rather than 7am.
Fly Posting
If posters are put up on private buildings, whether inside or outside, the Council view is that this would be for the owner of the property to deal with, while posters on lamp posts etc. will be removed and dealt with by the Council.
Closed Shops
No further news has been forthcoming regarding the future occupancy of the Lloyds pharmacy or McCalls store.
4 Developing Premises for Uniformed Organisations
Rob Laurence talked to the group about the desire for uniformed organisations to expand their operation to address the long waiting list for places, a situation which applies across the city and, indeed, across the country. Discussions have been held with the Council about possible sites for additional accommodation specifically for these organisations, but consideration has also been given to developing a larger building which could also act as a Community Centre, possibly incorporating the Library and other local organisations. Rob now wants to set up a group to consider possible options and come up with a proposal for the way forward. Council officers have advised him “Don't feel constrained by the need to identify a site location at this time”!
Geoff commented that, while many people have an emotional attachment to the library building, it is extremely unlikely that any substantial changes could be made to it on its present site. Developing a library which is fit for purpose for the future might well require it to be re-sited as part of a larger complex. The views expressed at the meeting were mostly positive, provided that the new building and library service were put in place before the old library was closed down and that the library provision (however that would be measured) was at least as good as that previously available!
There was discussion of what would be a suitable "umbrella" organisation, as Rob felt it should be wider than the Scouts Association - the Forum would not be appropriate as it does not have the necessary formal structure, eg constitution, management committee etc. but possible organisations mentioned were WoTSoc and WoTBA. Geoff made the point that any new building should be seen as an addition to the village, providing extra capacity rather than replacing existing facilities such as the Village Hall. Working out how this is shared between the various groups and organisation will be a very complex task and would require substantial involvement of the Council, as they would be a major financial contributor to the project.
If you would be interested in joining a working party to carry this forward, Rob can be contacted at roblaurence90@btinternet.com
5. Tree Forum Report
Stephanie French was unable to attend the forum but sent details of various developments. S106 money should see some trees planted in Stoke Lane and Stoke Grove during the coming winter season. Over recent years we have noticed a trend for developers and householders to avoid tree planting in mitigation for tree loss by splitting planning applications to “hide” or “disguise” the association.
Stephanie and other members of the Tree Forum have been to several meetings with Planning Officers to discuss these trends. They have reached agreement that the Bristol Tree Replacement Standard will apply retrospectively for one year, meaning that any trees felled up to a year before the planning application will have to be replaced. Also, hedges will no longer be accepted in landscaping plans as mitigation for canopy loss.
They are at work again now trying to get some “like for like” tree mitigation, so that a mighty oak does not get replaced with three flowering cherries! and they are trying to get the one year retrospective period extended to five years (so they might achieve two years).
There was a suggestion from the floor that the opportunity could be taken use the funding to plant some rarer trees. Another resident outlined the process of sponsoring replacement trees, which Stephanie had covered in a previous meeting; generally the process works well, but it appears that some trees which are labelled are not actually yet in the Council database... For more information about the Tree Forum, Stephanie can be contacted at stephanie@srfrench.co.uk
6. Library Initiative Funding
At a recent meeting of Library Friends Groups, the Head of the Library Service, Kate Murray has announced that a sum of £4,000 has been allocated to each of the 27 libraries. £1,000 is allocated to enable the relevant Friends group to fund their development and support any initiatives, such as a plan for SuSWoT to develop a garden area on the land behind the library. £3,000 is available for any community organisations, voluntary groups or individuals, to implement a project which will improve how libraries and communities work together, the library buildings and/or how library services are run.
Bids for funding must be returned by December 13th and decisions will be made by mid January; application forms and other details are available on the council website https://www.bristol.gov.uk/libraries-archives/apply-for-funding-for-ideas-for-your-library
One proposal put forward by the Library Group is for the purchase of a number of folding chairs and an outside storage unit, so that the library building could be used for evening meetings, such as the Forum. This would build on the furniture changes already made, replacing the previous heavy tables with lighter mobile units. Doubtless there will be other proposals, so remember the December 13th deadline! You can also find details via the Library Group website www.westburylibrarygroup.org
Malcolm took the opportunity to invite people to the next Library Coffee mornings, which will be on October 26th and November 23rd.
7. New Forum Website
The Forum now has a new website www.westburyforum.org which will be used to store notes and slides from meetings, newsletters etc. and also to provide a link to as many local organisations as possible. The eventual aim will be to provide regular updates from all local organisations with links to the relevant websites.. We also have a new email address westburyforum@gmail.com although the old address will continue to work for a while. Malcolm asked that members use the forum email to suggest improvements and extensions, including details of organisations that could be added to the site.
8. A O B
Councillors were asked about the current situation regarding Bristol Energy. Geoff confirmed that the company was still running at a substantial deficit and may well continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The Mayor's solution is to turn the company into an energy services company by transferring to it the Council's wind turbines, solar farms and heat network and then persuade a large corporation to invest in the company, develop the networks and share the profits with the Council.
9. Date of Next Meeting
This was confirmed as Tuesday January 7th, at Coombe Dingle Sports Complex, Coombe Lane, BS9 2BJ, commencing at 7.00pm.