THE WEEK IN East Bristol & North East Somerset FREE Issue 644 9th September 2020 Read by more than 40,000 people each week Bridge over the River Avon being considered once more Wessex Water is once needs to be upgraded in faces is how to get works without the need to travel Council had screened the to Saltford Parish Council to again exploring the order to both improve the traffic to and from the site. through Saltford village, as proposals from an advise that it had exhausted prospect of a bridge across quality of water and handle The company engaged well as open up leisure environmental point of view all the alternative options the River Avon from the increased demand from consultants to evaluate the access for pedestrians and and said there would be no and was considering the Swineford to Saltford. new housing schemes in prospect of a 25ft high cyclists. Last August (Issue significant impacts. bridge option once more. The water recycling centre Bath and the local area. But bridge across the river which 589) we reported that Bath While the prospect of a Continued on page 2 at Mead Lane in Saltford the problem Wessex Water could serve Mead Lane & North East Somerset pedestrian crossing was welcomed, there were major concerns in the Bitton and Swineford area over the increase in traffic and the junction with the A431 which would have been necessary. Wessex Water ultimately decided not to pursue the The plan produced by Atkins last year project but last week wrote Also in this EE apologises for lost Deadlock over Keynsham students left Popular Oldland pub mobile phone service Brislington housing plan stranded without bus on the market week’s issue . page 3 . pages 4 & 5 service . page 7 . page 13 Bridge over the River Avon being considered once more Continued from page 1 far greater impact on the ecology and local landscape as well In its letter, Wessex Water said it had spent 12 months as loss of the Green Belt. In revisiting the bridge option, the considering various options and after dropping the bridge company is looking at ways it can minimise the impact on plan turned its attention to a 1.6km temporary link road from the community and landowners. It will be conducting the A4. However, from the initial discussions with environmental studies and consulting with local people and stakeholders, it had become clear that this would have had a the councils on either side of the river. Please note the telephone number in last week’s advert was incorrect. If you have called the surgery and left details on the answerphone, please call the The Wessex Water depot on Mead Lane surgery again on 0117 9376835. 2 The Week in • Wednesday 9th September 2020 Apology from EE after phone network chaos EE has apologised to customers in BS16 who have been Residents’ Association, Clive Heath, spoke of his disgust at left unable to rely on their mobile phones for more than the many excuses that the phone giant had given and the a fortnight because of problems with a mast upgrade in many times it had said the mast, which is alongside Mangotsfield. Mangotsfield United FC’s ground, was working when it Last week we highlighted the anger and concern for wasn’t. vulnerable customers over signal problems and a string of Last Thursday, seven days after The Week In asked why it broken promises from EE. The chairman of Mangotsfield has been taking so long to sort out the signal problems and highlighting community concerns that vulnerable customers could not contact doctors, friends or family, and that nobody Fatality on could check on them, an EE spokesperson told us: “We’re aware that customers in the Mangotsfield area have been experiencing signal issues following upgrade work on a local the railway mast. “Due to ongoing high winds over the last few weeks, our at Keynsham engineers had not been able to safely continue the work. They have now been able to return to the site and are working A teenage girl died after being struck by a train near to restore full service. We apologise for any inconvenience Keynsham over the bank holiday weekend. maintenance workers went back to the mast on Friday for caused.” British Transport Police said they were called to an adjustments, and it seems that more EE customers can now The spokesperson added that customers are able to use their incident which closed the line between Bath and Bristol use their phones. However, some of them have a weak WiFi calling service, which allows them to make and receive on the afternoon of Monday 31st August. signal.” calls and texts using a WiFi connection, until the network The girl was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident And Clive Heath said that some customers still have no issue is resolved. is not being treated as suspicious. signal at all: “The concern is the vulnerable, elderly and ill On Sunday local councillor Michael Bell told us: “The who only have a mobile, this being their lifeline.” The Week in • Wednesday 9th September 2020 3 New COVID-19 testing Still no decision on The future of a landmark building on Sovereign Housing has been working in centre for East Bristol Bath Road in Brislington is still uncertain partnership with the city council to convert The Department of Health and Social “The park is big enough to accommodate after Bristol city councillors deferred a the site for affordable housing but when the Care opened a walk-through COVID-19 this centre, and its positioning should not decision on the plan to develop the site for Development Control Committee met last testing centre near the pavilion at Netham interfere with sports events.” social housing. Wednesday it was actually considering a Park last Tuesday. A walk-through test centre at the rear of The former factory building and adjacent recommendation by council planners to Access is from Avonvale Road and people the University of Bristol’s Victoria Rooms land at 493-499 Bath Road was last used as reject the application. are being tested by appointment only. If at the Triangle in Bristol opened last an office furniture store but has stood empty Although an initial application was lodged you have symptoms visit nhs.uk/ month. There is also a drive-through for a number of years. Housing association two years ago, revised plans were submitted coronavirus to book a test or call 119. COVID-19 testing centre at Bristol Writing on Facebook, the Friends of Airport and a mobile testing unit has been Netham Park said that local residents felt operating from the car park at Paulton reassured that a testing facility was being Rovers Football Club although it is provided on this side of the city, adding: scheduled to close tomorrow (Thursday). Keep in touch, let us know what you think, send us your news www.facebook.com/theweekin THE WEEK IN Barrs Court, Bitton, Brislington, Cadbury Heath, Compton Dando, The old factory building on Bath Road Corston, Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Hanham, Hillfields, Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Marksbury, North Common, Oldland Common, Pucklechurch, Saltford, Staple Hill, Stockwood, St George, Warmley, Whitchurch, Wick, Willsbridge. 16,000 copies are distributed through retail outlets, libraries, pubs, community centres each week. Verified pick-up rate of 97%. Publisher Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham. BS31 1HA 0117 986 0381 www.theweekin.co.uk ISSN: 2052-9767 Managing Editor Stephen Rodgers [email protected] News Editor Becky Feather 07403 273967 Contributors Christine Rogers Advertising Jodie Deason and Tracy Broderick 0117 986 0381 [email protected] @theweekineditor No material in this publication, nor its associated website (www.theweekin.co.uk) may be reproduced without the written permission of Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd. All rights reserved. Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd. t/a The Week In is regulated by IMPRESS: The Independent Monitor for the Press CIC. As such, we adhere to the IMPRESS complaints procedure. A copy of this procedure can be found on our website or can be sent upon written request to the address above. 4 The Week in • Wednesday 9th September 2020 old factory site in 2019 and again in February of this year. of the application process The proposal under consideration consisted but had failed to engage of five blocks of apartments with 143 over this or any other apartments and three three-bed houses. But system which is compliant the planning department had issues with the with the policy. scale and density of the final plans, as well The council’s other concern as the proposed method of heating, which was over the density of the was heavily reliant on electric panel heaters. overall plan, and in In a complex balancing act, which also particular the design of impacted on the level of affordable housing blocks A and B which are the developer (itself a social housing joined in an apex provider) was required to provide without formation. Planners felt recourse to grants and public funding, there were potentially members of the planning committee were problems over the split over the need to reduce the council’s ‘liveability’ of the 14,000 housing waiting list with its properties at the tip of the commitment to reduce its carbon footprint. apex where there was as Sovereign Housing’s proposal to fit the little as a two-metre majority of the properties with electric panel distance between facing Blocks A & B in an apex formation heaters was at odds with the heat hierarchy apartments. A suggestion to policy contained within the Bristol Core remove 12 properties from be higher than the current building.