Stoke Gifford Journal News and views from the parish of Stoke Gifford Stoke Gifford’s most popular community news website has come to the end of a remarkable journey No further news articles will be posted on the Stoke Gifford Journal (SGJ) website however the site will remain live for the foreseeable future to serve as a historical record This step concludes a story that at its height saw the Journal distribute 29 issues of a monthly print magazine to all 5,000 homes in the parish of Stoke Gifford – which includes Little Stoke and Harry Stoke – over the period October 2018 to May 2022 Founded in January 2012, the Stoke Gifford Journal website built on the success of the neighbouring Bradley Stoke Journal (BSJ) website which began four years earlier and built up a strong following The SGJ later followed the BSJ into print, with the first Stoke Gifford Journal magazine appearing in October 2018 just short of one million copies of the BSJ and SGJ magazines were distributed between 2013 and 2022 the two magazines provided full-time employment for your editor for a period of nine years sales and reporting jobs for a total of four people (for between one and three years each) and casual delivery jobs for an astonishing total of 128 (mostly) young people from the respective local communities The Stoke Gifford Journal launched a Twitter feed in January 2012. A Facebook page followed in June 2012 which went on to attract more than 4,000 followers The monthly SGJ magazine maintained a consistent size of 32 pages throughout its lifetime whereas the more established BSJ magazine was often 40 or 48 pages during this period The impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns and subsequent print industry price increases, coupled with a general shift in advertising spend towards social media, led to a decision to cease publication of the BSJ and SGJ magazines after May 2022 Both titles then continued in an online-only format until the end of 2024 when the decision was made to ‘call it a day’ ahead of your editor reaching normal retirement age in 2025 The period 2012 to 2024 saw 730 posts (news articles) published on the SGJ website Additionally, more than 600 photos may be viewed within shared albums on the SGJ’s Google Photos account The best way to find something specific on the Stoke Gifford Journal website is to use the Search function accessed via the magnifying glass icon in the navigation bar You can also browse the archives via the following entry points shown in the navigation bar and on the homepage: A dropdown list of news article categories is available in the sidebar (or further down the page if viewing on a small screen) Tip: Once you have found a post of interest you can use the ‘category’ and ‘tag’ links at the bottom of the post to find related posts All issues of both the SGJ and BSJ magazines may be read interactively on the issuu.com website: For an index of website posts that correspond to articles in all 29 issues of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine, visit the Magazine Archive page Keep an eye on our Facebook page over the coming months as we delve into the SGJ’s archives to recall notable events from the town’s history through references to our news articles and photos the SGJ website covered a broad spectrum of topics that included news from our local councils as well as being responsive to issues affecting residents as they arose on a day-to-day basis The number of posts published on the website dipped over the period 2013 to 2017 as your editor focused his efforts on launching the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine once the decision was made to launch a magazine in Stoke Gifford we took on our first (very) part-time employee which led to a boost in the number of posts made per month from January 2018 Some of the more important stories covered during this period were: Building on experience gained from launching the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine in May 2013 a eleven-strong team of deliverers was recruited in time to launch the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine in October 2018 Another story that was to be the first of many about the proposed ‘East of Harry Stoke New Neighbourhood’ reported that decisions on two planning applications to build 1,600 homes along the Stoke Gifford By-Pass were set to be decided soon that “two years” eventually became almost four the reasons for which were dutifully reported month-by-month by the Journal Despite the dominance of the Gipsy Patch Lane scheme there were plenty of other stories covered by the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine over its four-year life Sadly the three Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions meant that the Journal was unable to publish a magazine in several months over the period April 2020 to February 2021 brought about by the general economic climate and a gradual drift away from print to social media meant that there was no magazine published in January or February but we did manage to return for what turned out to be our final two issues in March and May the first to be held since the Covid-19 pandemic The demise of the magazine was announced with an article on page 29. You can read it on the SGJ website here: Stoke Gifford Journal magazine enters retirement Hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did!” Read more about the North Bristol Journal Series of websites and magazines in this extended article on the BSJ website: Bradley Stoke Journal website retired after serving community for 17 years Thanks for such great service over the years Your great local reporting was much appreciated Many thanks for all your kind comments on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StokeGiffordJournal/posts/pfbid02KbR4VoP1sSvKZURmW9zNuURfxfPpCHGZwAgCDpXSDDwvgq5ZWcr4A3i32znCoW6hl and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Police file picture(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)A child has died after his bicycle was hit by a car in South Gloucestershire died in hospital after his bike and a car collided on Great Stoke Way Emergency services were called to the crash at around 7.40pm and Leyton was taken to hospital in a serious condition Avon and Somerset Police has today confirmed that Police are appealing for information following the collision and ask anyone who can help to get in touch A spokesperson said: " A 14-year-old boy has died after a collision in Stoke Gifford "Leyton Coombs sadly died following the collision on Great Stoke Way involving a car and his bicycle on Tuesday 18 March "Emergency services were called to the incident at 7.40pm and paramedics took him to hospital in a serious condition "Our thoughts are with Leyton’s family at this devastating time They are being supported by a specially trained officer and will be kept updated as our investigation progresses "We're appealing for witnesses or anyone with any footage that could be relevant to our investigation to contact us, either by calling 101 or online at https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/report/ using the reference number 5225080056." A fundraiser has been setup in memory of Leyton. Organised by a family friend, the fundraiser aims to raise money to fund Leyton's funeral and other expenses. At the time of writing, over £5,300 had been raised. Bradley Stoke Journal News and views from the town of Bradley Stoke Bradley Stoke’s most popular community news website has come to the end of a remarkable journey No further news articles will be posted on the Bradley Stoke Journal (BSJ) website This step concludes a story that at its height saw the Journal distribute 92 issues of a monthly print magazine to all 8,600 homes in Bradley Stoke over the period May 2013 to May 2022 Building on the success of the Bradley Stoke Journal, our sister publication the Stoke Gifford Journal (SGJ) distributed 29 issues of its own monthly print magazine to all 5,000 homes in the parish of Stoke Gifford (which includes Little Stoke and Harry Stoke) over the period October 2018 to May 2022 The Bradley Stoke Journal launched a Twitter feed in May 2010, just in time to provide live coverage from the 2010 General Election count at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre. A Facebook page followed in September 2010 which went on to attract more than 11,000 followers the monthly BSJ magazine grew to become generally 48 or even 56 pages each issue in the period 2016 to 2018 but slipped back to mostly 40 pages thereafter reflecting a general shift in advertising spend towards social media The impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns and subsequent print industry price increases led to a decision to cease publication of the BSJ and SGJ magazines after May 2022 The period 2007 to 2024 saw 3,267 posts (news articles) published on the BSJ website Additionally, more than 10,000 photos may be viewed within shared albums on the BSJ’s Google Photos account The best way to find something specific on the Bradley Stoke Journal website is to use the Search function All issues of both the BSJ and SGJ magazines may be read interactively on the issuu.com website: For an index of website posts that correspond to articles in all 92 issues of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine, visit the Magazine Archive page Keep an eye on our Facebook page over the coming months as we delve into the BSJ’s archives to recall notable events from the town’s history through references to our news articles and photos Launched in December 2008 as a modest photo blog aimed at documenting the construction of our “new” town centre (now known as the Willow Brook shopping centre) the Bradley Stoke Journal quickly grew into a comprehensive news and information website the BSJ website covered a broad spectrum of topics that included news from our local councils and the similar Bradley Stoke Examiner website which preceded it by a few months residents were kept in the dark about what was really going on in the town having to rely on quarterly issues of the town council newsletter and the Bradley Stoke Matters advertising handbook (also quarterly) Both the Journal and the Examiner websites allowed readers to leave comments on published stories which was quite revolutionary at the time (pre-Facebook!) and provided for some lively discussions local councils had only the most rudimentary websites and newspapers like the Bristol Evening Post operated a print-first strategy meaning that you had to wait until the next day to read about the latest news events Being able to publish online stories as the news happened gave hyperlocal online-only new sources a big advantage only a few people would have had computers or laptops at home so many would have been accessing the website in the office – a fact borne out by web server statistics at the time the Journal landed a notable scoop which saw its photos used on BBC West TV news and in several regional and national newspapers The pictures related to a dispute between Northavon Bowls Club (based at Baileys Court) and Bradley Stoke Town Council which had seen the bowls club members locked out of their green at the council-run activity centre On Sunday 20th April 2008 a large group of members mysteriously gained access to the green and set about playing a number of ‘ends’, only to be confronted minutes later by a contingent of seven police officers who arrived in four squad cars having been summoned by the centre’s caretaker The regional and national coverage included: This exposure put the Journal firmly in the limelight and resulted in us being invited to join the media distribution lists of Avon and Somerset Police and South Gloucestershire Council Almost overnight the Journal was being treated as an equal of professional local media outlets such as the Bristol Post and Thornbury Gazette The Journal worked closely with the developer’s PR representative and the future centre manager to bring readers the latest news on tenant sign-ups and the anticipated opening date when the big day finally came (Monday 13th October 2008) we were there to record the historic event the full story of the new town centre’s development was presented in an exhibition of the Journal’s articles and photos at Bradley Stoke Library For the next five years the Journal continued to grow publishing an increasing number of local news articles and photos each month and providing a genuinely useful discussion forum for residents Over this period we were putting out an average of over 200 articles a year who continued to run the Journal as a hobby while working full-time as a software engineer in April 2013 we did take on our first (very) part-time recruit who contributed a couple of pieces each month We also established comprehensive What’s On and A-Z Business Directory webpages Although Bradley Stoke just missed out on securing a top ten place in BT’s Race to Infinity competition which would have guaranteed a prompt upgrade of homes on 01454 numbers the huge demand demonstrated by the campaign ensured the town later became the first in South Gloucestershire to benefit from government-backed roll out of fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) broadband Other notable new items over this period included: In July 2009, we shared the first news on proposals for a ‘bus rapid transport’ scheme linking Bradley Stoke and Bristol city centre, with a possible completion date given as 2016. What later became known as ‘MetroBus’ finally came into service ten years later in January 2019 following project descoping and lengthy delays in construction of the route A reader’s letter published in April 2011 suggesting that townsfolk should work towards entering the ‘Britain in Bloom’ contest sparked interest within the community and eventually led to the formation of the Bradley Stoke in Bloom group Stephen launched a number of other websites for neighbouring areas First up, in July 2009, came the South Glos Post designed to give a platform to press releases and articles that we were being sent that had a wider geographical area of relevance The Patchway Journal followed in May 2011 having identified the Patchway area as lacking an independent hyperlocal news platform Finally, the Stoke Gifford Journal and Filton Journal were started in January 2012 completing coverage of the ‘Bristol North Fringe’ (the part of north Bristol that lies within the South Gloucestershire local authority area) A big step was taken towards the end of 2012 Stephen decided to launch a monthly Journal magazine in direct competition with the quarterly Bradley Stoke Matters This involved a phenomenal amount of work – setting up a limited company planning delivery rounds and recruiting a 16-strong delivery team – all on top of continuing to gather news and publish articles on the website The concept was well received by advertisers and the first (32-page) issue hit the town’s doormats in May 2013 Other notable news articles featured in the first year of the magazine were: The April 2014 issue brought our first print article on the forthcoming MetroBus scheme a topic that was to be featured regularly in the magazine over the next eight years The centre spread article, ‘MetroBus plans submitted: New bus lanes on sections of Bradley Stoke Way‘ included a plan of the planned works which would go on to cause massive traffic delays over a two-year period Later in the year it was a herd of runaway cows that made the front page. They made national headlines after they stampeded for hours through Bradley Stoke having escaped from a transportation trailer that overturned near ‘Rabbit Roundabout’ The year had also seen our first 40-page issue (in February) This would be followed by the first 48-page issue in March 2015 and the first 56-page issue a year later in March 2016 December 2015 brought news that the MetroBus contractor’s discovery of “a shallow depth gas main and an unexpectedly large and complex network of pre-existing underground cable ducts” meant that the Woodlands Lane junction could no longer be reopened by Christmas To the dismay of commuters, South Gloucestershire Council then announced that it would soon commence work on a scheme to widen the Aztec West Roundabout and its A38 approaches, with the work being carried out concurrently with the delayed MetroBus works on Bradley Stoke Way There was better news, however, in June 2016 when we reported on the opening of the town’s new skate park at the leisure centre site following an investment of nearly £300,000 Just as residents thought things couldn’t get any worse on the roads, August 2016 brought news that MetroBus work would be further delayed by the discovery of an uncharted live gas main at the top end of Bradley Stoke Way where a left-turn filter lane was being constructed for buses heading for the southbound A38 From 2016 the Journal was pleased to work with the town’s shopping centre, Willow Brook, to promote the annual ‘Stars of the Stokes’ community awards This scheme invited the public to nominate local residents who they felt deserved recognition for outstanding community engagement and/or achievement of personal goals with the winners being recognised at a glamorous black tie event held at a local hotel (Hilton North Bristol in 2016 & 2017 and Aztec Hotel & Spa in 2018 and 2019) January 2017 also saw over 200 people attended a public meeting to share their concerns over a surge in burglaries in the area and in particular the proportion of these incidents in which so-called ‘high value gold’ was stolen It wasn’t all doom and gloom though as Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre officially launched a range of new facilities following a major £3.6 million redevelopment funded by South Gloucestershire Council A milestone was reached in April 2017 when Bradley Stoke Town Council marked its 25th anniversary Our article included a photo of the cake-cutting ceremony along with a potted history of the first quarter-century of our parish/town council Bradley Stoke commuters received an early Christmas present on 18th December 2017 when the new Stoke Gifford By-Pass (part of the MetroBus project) finally opened providing a speedier route between the town and the A4174 and junction 1 of the M32 The downside was that the MetroBus service wouldn’t be starting until “summer 2018” The January 2018 issue also continued the now well-established tradition of including cast photos from the Christmas productions at local primary schools A big story in 2018 was the submission of a planning application for McDonald’s and Starbucks drive-throughs at the Willow Brook Centre The Willow Brook Centre itself marked its ten-year anniversary later in the year, which we covered with an article by centre manager Andy Wynn The town’s M1 MetroBus service finally began running on 6th January 2019 following years of disruption caused by the over-running roadworks The reduced journey times it offers have been much appreciated by commuters and it is now said to be one of First West of England’s most profitable routes If you’re looking to travel into the city centre though, the T1 Thornbury to Bristol service, introduced a few months before the M1 is often quicker as it gets onto the M32 at Junction 1 rather than going via UWE Frenchay Campus Meanwhile, the McDonald’s and Starbucks planning application, having been rejected by two different committees at South Gloucestershire Council was appealed and sent off to the Planning Inspectorate for further consideration South Gloucestershire Council imposed another ‘double whammy’ on the town with its announcement that a £2.9m scheme of improvements to Great Stoke Roundabout (a.k.a Rabbit Roundabout) would be starting in January 2020 and run concurrently with the full closure of Gipsy Patch Lane for the railway bridge replacement Fast food fans had cause to celebrate in January 2020 when the Willow Brook Centre’s planning application for McDonald’s and Starbucks drive-throughs was approved after a planning inspector overruled South Gloucestershire Council’s previous rejection Our March 2020 issue reminded residents of the imminent 8-month full closure of Gipsy Patch Lane due to start on 5th March. The road closure went ahead, but the railway bridge replacement was subsequently delayed by the onset of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic (SGJ) with 17 months eventually elapsing before the road would be reopened (one-way only) Sadly the Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions meant that the Journal was unable to publish the magazine in the months of April, May and June, but we bounced back in July 2020 The impact of the pandemic meant that business advertising demand was depressed but we were fortunate to have support from South Gloucestershire Council through a four-page ‘Getting back on our feet’ centre spread The pandemic continued to have an impact for the remainder of 2020, meaning that some of our traditional annual storylines had a different look this year – such as Bradley Stoke Community School’s ‘Class of Covid’ students celebrating their GCSE results alone at home Similarly, Bowsland Primary School’s ‘happiness snake’ – a 10-meter long chain of colourfully painted pebbles originally laid out during lockdown alongside a path in the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve – found a new permanent home in the grounds of the Willow Brook shopping centre Much-delayed by the fallout from the pandemic, the Gipsy Patch Lane railway bridge replacement project suffered a further hugely embarrassing setback in October 2020 when the massive new pre-cast concrete bridge got stuck in soft ground as it was being manoeuvred into position with the new bridge in the correct position and the track reinstated the mainline railway line had been closed for 30 days an overrun of 17 days on the planned 13 days The autumn half-term brought some relief from the pandemic misery when the town council organised its first charity scarecrow trail An estimated 600 families completed the trail which was formed of 26 figures each depicting a famous witch or wizard The third national Covid-19 lockdown, in early 2021, meant we had to skip the January and February issues. When the magazine returned in March 2021 a hot topic was the recent introduction of an e-scooter hire scheme across Bristol We reported on concerns over under-age riding confusion over where the e-scooters were permitted to be ridden and the clarity of hire charges and penalties Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Gipsy Patch Lane railway bridge was still making headlines – this time with the news that the road might now not open until December 2021 (and then only one way) The latest delay was due to engineers deciding that a larger than originally anticipated pumping station and drainage system would be needed to prevent flooding of the lowered highway under the bridge November 2021 brought a long-awaited start to a project to desilt the lake in Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve which required the removal of up to 4,000 cubic metres of silt was intended to improve the wetland area for wildlife and visitors increase resistance to flooding and enhance local biodiversity Perhaps fittingly, we were able to report the anticipated two-way reopening of Gipsy Patch Lane in April 2022 marking the beginning of the end for a topic that had regularly featured in our magazine for over three years Our 92nd and final issue in May 2022 featured one of the most shocking stories we covered in the magazine’s nine-year existence – an arson spree which saw 24 motor vehicles destroyed at seven locations across the Stokes and Patchway in a single night On a happier note, the issue also included a detailed programme of events for the Bradley Stoke Community Festival the first to be held for three years due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic The demise of the magazine was announced with an article on page 29. You can read it on the BSJ website here: Bradley Stoke Journal magazine enters retirement “The Journal has been a big part of my life for over seventeen years I’m very proud of what I have achieved with the help of an amazing team and the unstinting support of my family.” who proofread all 121 BSJ and SGJ magazine issues and had to put up with me working lots of overtime on the monthly ‘magazine deadline’ weekends.” “Turning full time and starting the magazine in 2013 was a bold step which required lots of hard work but the gamble paid off and it was satisfying to see the business grow from year to year.” “Being able to provide part-time employment to a total of over 130 individuals over the nine years of the two magazines with up to 30 on the books at any one time For many of our young magazine deliverers it was their first experience of work and helped instil a strong work ethic which will undoubtedly have helped them in their future careers.” “All of this would not have been possible without the incredible support of our advertisers ranging from local tradespersons to national companies “From day one the Journal has been about serving the community through balanced reporting – and never about promoting my personal views Those involved in local events will have got to know me but to anyone else I would have been just the faceless ‘SH (Editor)’ my image appeared just once in the Journal when I was asked to stand in for an absent business sponsor at the Stars of the Stokes presentation.” “Ceasing the magazine in May 2022 due to profitability pressures in the local advertising market was the right decision for me at my time of life I really didn’t want to see the publication deteriorate into a shrinking compendium of bland press releases and lacking any proactive journalistic content.” with just months to go before my 65th birthday I feel that now is the right time to pull down the shutters on the Journal website and prepare for new adventures.” This history really shows how much you’ve been involved in the local community for the last two decades You’ve informed people and helped build a community https://www.facebook.com/BradleyStokeJournal/posts/pfbid02BtdvsvQ7kU3t4pfhfjJqwjKBcTyfYcNjtrKUqhbwWYLiEDQ1c4sd6hg8coiKA5zml Nice to see BBC News giving us a mention in their weekly round up of local news (see final paragraph): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w8j6ny0elo More than 700 new homes could be built on the site of the Aviva Centre and within the footprint of a neighbouring retail park in Stoke Gifford according the latest draft of a planning blueprint being prepared by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) The local authority’s emerging Local Plan for the period 2025 to 2040 has recently had 17 extra housing sites added to it in order to provide a level of contingency in case some of the previously identified sites fail to come forward as anticipated collectively have a potential capacity for 1,751 new homes the two largest contributors are the Aviva Centre (400 homes) and Filton Retail Park (250 homes) – the latter being located on Fox Den Road and currently hosting The Range The council is currently holding a public consultation on whether the proposed additional housing sites should be included in the final version of its Local Plan which will eventually be assessed for “soundness” by a government-appointed inspector Inclusion of a site within the adopted Local Plan does not necessarily mean that it will be developed Detailed plans would need to be produced and planning permission obtained in the usual way As previously reported Aviva has surplus office space capacity at its Stoke Gifford site and the business has been trying to let this out to other companies the site was recently renamed ‘Lake View’ and marketing signs erected around the perimeter earlier this year the owners of the Aviva Centre site submitted a response to a renewed ‘call for [housing] sites’ put out by South Gloucestershire Council In their response they outline the potential for the 16.67ha site to accommodate up to 400 residential units along with up to 154,000sqft of office research & development or light industrial space “There has been a decline in the interest of out-of-town office space over the last few years for various reasons whilst respecting existing commercial interests is presenting this site for alternative and mixed-use development.” The document claims the site provides a “pivotal opportunity to assist South Gloucestershire Council in meeting future housing and employment needs,” adding that it is “in a sustainable location with access to many local services and facilities” An illustrative site masterplan (see above) included within the submission document shows most of the existing buildings on the site being retained with traditional terraced homes being built on two of the existing car parking areas along with three large new multi-storey blocks aligned along a south-west to north-east axis The document states that the site is able to come forward for development “without delay” within the next five years “subject to the appropriate planning consent” council officers’ assessment of the site’s potential to increase housing supply is stated as: “The site could be considered at this stage for the following reasons set out against the criteria The site is within the urban area and can take advantage of existing infrastructure The site does not require major new infrastructure and is considered to be developable or deliverable in the plan period The site has suitable access to services and facilities and public transport connections The site has a number of constraints including being previously developed land however it is considered likely that these could be avoided / mitigated.” An adjoining site on the other side of Westfield Lane currently serving as an overflow car park for the Aviva Centre is also being put forward as a potential housing site capable of providing 60 homes Consultants acting for the owners of Filton Retail Park (confusingly named as it lies within the parish of Stoke Gifford and forms part of the Stoke Gifford District Centre) have responded to the council’s latest ‘call for sites’ with an outline description of a scheme that could provide “200 to 300+” residential homes whilst at the same time providing an element of retail floor space Any residential homes that come forward here would be in addition to the already approved nine-storey student accommodation block that is set to be constructed at the southern end of the site – on the footprint of the former B&Q garden centre and adjacent car parking spaces the existing retail terrace will be “bookended” by the student accommodation block and the recently completed Premier Inn on Fox Den Road making it appear “somewhat incongruous” The document goes on to state that the landowner is: subject to a number of considerations (including matters relating to tenancies and phasing) to provide a masterplan to redevelop [the retail terrace] in order to provide main town centre uses at ground floor level with residential development provided above.” “The development would be in the form of a flatted development (circa 200-300+ units) perhaps in a series of mid-size towers and not necessarily on the footprint of the existing retail terrace.” The consultants specify a timescale of “within the next 11 to 20 years” for delivery of any redevelopment meaning that it would come towards the end of the Local Plan period “The site is within the urban area and can take advantage of existing infrastructure The two other sites in Stoke Gifford that have been put forward for inclusion in the draft local plan are: Both of theses sites are immediately adjacent to Crest Nicholson’s existing Highbrook View development on the west side of the Stoke Gifford by-Pass the former would be accessed from Hambrook Lane and Kilby Road (within Highbrook View) while the latter would be accessed from Highbrook View only delivery is said to be possible “within the next five years” This is ridiculous the road around here are at breaking point I have no objection to new houses government immigration policies make it inevitable but the whole area will become like a car park Around 40 firefighters were reportedly at the scene of the blaze on Sunday night (December 8)(Image: Submitted)The Diocese of Bristol has said it is "deeply grateful" to fire services and the local community after a fire tore through a primary school in Stoke Gifford Around 40 firefighters were called to the blaze at St Michael's Primary School The kids are going to be heartbroken." Issuing a statement this afternoon, the Diocese of Bristol said it is "Deeply grateful to Avon Fire and Rescue Service for their prompt response in extinguishing the fire and ensuring that no one was injured" Stoke Gifford said: “ Our church school is right at the centre of our community and in these moments we are supporting one another in every way we can as the school is closed today and for Peter Barnard An email sent by St Michael's headteacher confirmed "everyone is safe (including the chickens)" and that the school hopes to reopen to pupils on Tuesday Bishop of Swindon and Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education added: “ I am immensely grateful for the dedication and hard work of the teachers the headteacher and all the staff at St Michael’s Primary School it is heartening to see the community come together to support and serve one another.” The Diocese also asks that "everyone keeps St Michael’s Primary School and all impacted by this incident in their prayers" Clair Hazelgrove, Labour MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke added: "I was so sorry to hear about the fire at St Michael’s Primary School in Stoke Gifford Huge thanks to the Avon Fire & Rescue Service who managed to get it under control and the whole team at the school who are doing all they can to get the school open again soon "Thank you, too, to residents who’ve put the school in touch with traders who are being a great help. As a community, I know we’ll wrap around the school and be keen to support the nativity and other upcoming events too as soon as they are able to reopen." Two men from Stoke Gifford have been jailed for a combined four years for their involvement in the violent disorder in Bristol last month were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 12th September having been part of groups which used or threatened violence and caused others to fear for their safety during the disorder on Saturday 3rd August 2024 They are the 18th and 19th people to be sentenced for their involvement in the 3rd August disorder a total of 50 people have been arrested and 37 have been charged as part of the subsequent police investigation Gilpin threw a concrete parasol stand at the windscreen of a police vehicle and verbally abused and assaulted members of the public and police officers outside the Mercure Hotel on Redcliff Hill He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was sentenced to two years in prison Video clip: Footage of Lee Gilpin during the disorder [MP4; 6.8MB on Dropbox] Tarling was identified as part of the group in various locations during the 3rd August disorder In Castle Park he was seen throwing an object at police officers and later threw kicks and punches at another man on Redcliffe Way before again throwing an object into a crowd of people The court heard he had made racial comments and was gesturing towards police officers and counter protesters Video clip: Footage of Michael Tarling  during the disorder [MP4; 6.5MB on Dropbox] Detective Chief Inspector Tom Herbert said: “Both these men played significant roles in the violent disorder we saw in Bristol that day and have rightfully been sentenced for it.” “Nineteen people have now been sentenced in court and are serving more than 35 years combined in prison.” “Our investigation is still continuing with dozens of people having been identified arrested and charged for their involvement and I would continue to urge anyone who recognises any of the people featured in the images we’ve released to come forward.” Welcome to the Journal’s guide to bus services in Stoke Gifford and Little Stoke Stoke Gifford benefits from the large number of services that call at Bristol Parkway Station Brierly Furlong and Great Stoke Way (southbound) or Fox Den Road (northbound) Missed the bus? Check out our guide to Taxis in Stoke Gifford Available at bus stops on the following local routes: 73 Also available online here A major programme of expansion and improvements to buildings and facilities at Abbeywood Community School in Stoke Gifford is now under way The £12 million project will deliver new classrooms and extend the dance studio and changing rooms over the next 18 months The work is being paid for using a combination of South Gloucestershire Council’s capital funding and S106 contributions from the developers of new homes in areas near the school Work began in July 2024 and will take place in phases to minimise disruption to learning for students and teachers The second phase is centred on the construction of a new ten-classroom block of modern classrooms that will be used for a variety of subjects Work is expected to be complete in early 2026 These new classrooms will provide additional teaching spaces for the increasing student population South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet member with responsibility for schools “I am delighted that work is under way to make these important improvements to Abbeywood Community School each element will improve learning life for both pupils and staff.” “As a council we recognise that the fabric of our schools is vital to allow teachers to teach and for students to learn modern classrooms will certainly help that but I am also particularly pleased to see the attention in this project to the creative arts with the extension of the dance studio.” is one in the long-term future of the school the staff and the students who will pass through these halls for years to come.” chief executive officer of Olympus Academy Trust which is responsible for Abbeywood Community School “We are pleased to be working in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council to provide more places at Abbeywood Community School for local residents The additional accommodation is long awaited and much needed It will be transformational once completed.” A new Beefeater restaurant has opened within the new mixed-use development at Fox Den Road the new eatery officially opened to the public on Monday 17th June 2024 although local residents had been offered the opportunity to sample the menu at selected staff training sessions during the preceding week in exchange for a charity donation branded ‘Bristol Parkway (M32) hotel’ was also officially opened on Monday The restaurant and hotel openings came just four days after a new Aldi store on the same development opened it doors to the public A Costa drive-through has been operational on the development since early April The new Beefeater invites guests to experience the “thrill of the grill” with a menu of 30-day aged steaks signature classics and a cracking Sunday roast with bottomless Yorkies and roasties – “perfect for shopping pit stops great value family dining and larger celebrations” A press release put out on behalf of Beefeater added: “There is also a host of offers to enjoy from the daytime deal with a choice of eight mains under £8 each or pick the evening set menu from £16.45 for two courses (£18.45 for three) “Early risers can take advantage of Beefeater’s unlimited cooked or continental breakfast from just £10.99 expect a roast of epic proportions with a choice of sirloin beef Yorkshire puds and gravy from just £13.99.” The restaurant boasts an outdoor terrace “for alfresco dining and a spritz in the sun” The field where the 14 new homes could be built(Image: Google)A decision is due next week on granting planning permission for 14 new homes in Stoke Gifford which are sparking road safety concerns. South Gloucestershire Council will decide whether to give approval for the new development in an area where many new houses are being built Next to the site is a much larger housing development of 144 new homes, the first phase of the South of the Railway development of a gigantic 1,290 homes. Winterbourne Parish Council is objecting to the latest plans, due to fears over a hazardous junction. A spokesperson for the parish council said: “There is a concern regarding highways access at what is already a potentially hazardous junction. Could access be considered from the new adjacent Kilby Road junction?” A map showing the location of the 14 new homes(Image: Rackham Planning )Two neighbours living nearby are also objecting, for similar reasons. Another concern is the lack of green space in the development and the impact on wildlife. Writing to the council, one said: “We all enjoy living on Hambrook Lane and the quirks that come with it. Along with it being poorly lit, the lane narrows in various places along its course, so will become unsafe with any more proposed increases in traffic levels. The harm this increased traffic will bring to the existing residents will be unmeasurable.” Another neighbour added: “Lots of land has been taken by new build houses in this area. Both sides of the bypass are being built on already, this has pushed the wildlife into a much smaller amount of land. This area of land is the only place left for local wildlife to try and survive. Building in this plot will destroy the animals’ natural habitat and force them out of the area. “We need to work together as a community to ensure the preservation of local wildlife — they don't ask us for much, this could be our only way to help them. I have personally seen lots of different types of animals on this land. Every day I see multiple foxes, badgers, squirrels, hedgehogs, and birds of all types.” The site is currently undeveloped, surrounded by hedgerows and trees on four sides. A gate provides access to the field. According to the developers, there will be enough space for cars and lorries to safely move around and exit onto Hambrook Lane. Planning agents representing the developers said: “Sufficient space is provided within the site layout so that vehicles can safely manoeuvre and all leave the site in a forward gear onto Hambrook Lane. EV charging points are also provided for each dwelling. “The transport statement has tracked a refuse vehicle entering and leaving the site to ensure that the proposed access is of sufficient width and dimensions to accommodate large vehicles entering and eggressing the site. The layout plan reflects this.” Students at Abbeywood Community School (ACS) are celebrating their achievements in A-level, vocational and engineering qualifications following the publication of assessment results earlier this week. A press release put out by the school describes the results as “excellent” and reports that 50 percent of all A-level grades awarded were within the range A*-B, with and 85 percent spanning the range A*-C. Abbeywood’s A*-B figure matches that seen this year at another local secondary, Bradley Stoke Community School, while the A*-C performance exceeds this year’s national average for England, which Ofqual says has come in at 76 percent. “As always, there have been some outstanding individual results. Students have been successful in gaining fantastic opportunities at Russell Group universities and degree apprenticeships in local engineering companies such as GKN and Airbus.” Headteacher Ben Dilley expressed his pride in the students’ achievements, saying: “We are absolutely delighted with this year’s A Level and vocational results. They are a testament to the incredible hard work of our students, the unwavering support of their families, and the dedication of our staff. This success is not just in the grades but in the growth, resilience, and character our students have developed throughout their journey here. We would like to wish everyone receiving their results today every success in whatever they choose to do next.” Individual attainments highlighted by the school are: “In addition to this academic success, Abbeywood has also placed a strong emphasis on student well-being and professional and confident presentation. Throughout the year, our pastoral care and support services have played a crucial role in ensuring that every student could perform to the best of their abilities in a supportive environment. We believe that this will enable each individual to make positive contributions to our local and wider community.” Dave Baker, Olympus Academy Trust CEO, said: Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); CCTV image of a man police would like to speak to(Image: Avon and Somerset Police )Police investigating an attack have released CCTV images of a man they would like to speak to in relation to the incident. A man in his 20s was attacked outside of his place of work by an unknown man. The victim was attacked on Fox Den Road on Saturday, September 28. During the attack, he suffered a facial fracture after he was kicked in the face and he required hospital treatment. Avon and Somerset Police said the man pictured is believed to be in his mid to late teens, of skinny build. The man pictured was seen warning a blue puffer jacket, dark coloured trousers and black trainers. He was also wearing a black or dark coloured jumper with a print across the front. Anyone who recognises the man pictured is asked to call 101 quoting the reference number 5224256380. A statement from Avon and Somerset Police said: "We’re releasing images of a man we want to identify in connection with a serious assault in Stoke Gifford. "A man in his twenties was attacked by an unknown man outside his place of work in Fox Den Road on Saturday 28 September. The victim suffered a facial fracture after being kicked in the face, for which he needed hospital treatment. "The man in the images we’ve released is described as white, in his mid to late teens, of skinny build, and wearing a blue jacket with a black hooded top underneath. If you know who this man is, or have any other information which would help, please contact us." Aldi opened its tenth store in Bristol today with the launch of its Stoke Gifford branch within the new mixed-use development at Fox Den Road (behind Sainsbury’s) which now has more than 1,020 stores across the UK has been on a rapid expansion drive in recent years and is working towards a long-term target of over 1,500 stores across the UK The new Fox Den Road store will be run by Store Manager AJ Currey along with a team of 35 colleagues from the local community The store opened at 8am with ParalympicsGB swimming gold medallist Stephanie Millward cutting the ribbon alongside pupils from St Michael’s CofE Primary School (Stoke Gifford) Stephanie gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi’s famous Super 6 range to the first 30 customers in the queue before delivering an inspirational assembly for pupils at St Michael’s C of E Primary School as part of the supermarket’s Get Set to Eat Fresh initiative Aldi Fox Den Road also offered pupils at St Michael’s C of E Primary School the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store tasking children with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means “Opening our tenth store in Bristol means that we’re another step forward in making Aldi available to as many shoppers as possible That means even more people in Bristol have easy access to the highest-quality groceries at the lowest prices “It has been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Fox Den Road It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks.” ParalympicsGB star Stephanie Millward added: “I’ve had a fantastic time opening the new Aldi this morning It was an honour to officially open the store and welcome customers inside for the first time Hopefully I’ve also managed to inspire the pupils of St Michael’s C of E Primary School to keep active and try different sports.” The new Aldi store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh a ‘Food to Go’ section at the front of the store and an exclusive section full of health & beauty products Stoke Gifford customers can also take a walk down the ‘Aisle of Aldi’ where they will find legendary Specialbuys which are available every Thursday and Sunday the store will be offering a range of pet essentials including memory foam pet mattresses for £14.99 plush beds from £12.99 and a hooded cat litter tray for £7.99 Additionally, the new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Bristol to register with Neighbourly a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations Local charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, seven days a week. Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email aldi@neighbourly.com The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response is missing (Image: Avon and Somerset Police)Concern is growing for the welfare of a missing man from South Gloucestershire was last seen in the Stoke Gifford area at around 12.15pm yesterday (Wednesday Avon and Somerset Police has now launched an urgent public appeal for information on his whereabouts Officers say he is known to visit Trooper's Hill the Stoke Park estate and the Strawberry Lane Community Garden please call 999 and quote reference 5224325459 We are looking for missing 25-year-old Louis - have you seen him?He was last seen yesterday in the Stoke Gifford area of South Gloucestershire. If you see him, please call us immediately referencing 5224325459. pic.twitter.com/5QTl21ckdk A 14-YEAR-OLD boy has died after being hit by a car while riding his bicycle as his heartbroken family pays tribute South Gloucestershire on Tuesday while on his bike Paramedics raced to the scene of the crash at 7.40pm and the boy was immediately rushed to hospital Despite the efforts of hospital staff the teen tragically died in hospital His devastated mum said: "I can't even believe I’m writing this but yesterday at 4.08 my baby boy Leyton was declared dead "We got to spend all night and today with him and today "Mummy and daddy will forever love you my boy." A fundraiser has been set up in loving memory of Leyton's by his mother's best friend. The owner of the GoFundMe said she wanted to raise "as much money as possible" to fund the funeral and other expenses. who was a long-term supporter of Yate Town FC received a heartfelt tribute from the football club the team shared: "The club are saddened to hear of the passing of long-term supporter "He was sadly killed while riding his bike at just 14 years old "If you could spare any amount to support the family Cops have launched an investigation into the collision and said the boy's family are currently being supported by specially trained officers Avon and Somerset Police said: "A 14-year-old boy has died after a collision in Stoke Gifford "They are being supported by a specially trained officer and will be kept updated as our investigation progresses." Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ Bowmer + Kirkland is expected to start construction this autumn on a 330-bed student accommodation project after the scheme received the thumbs up from planners Canada Life Asset Management is working in partnership with the University of the West of England Bristol to develop the building on the former B&Q garden centre site at Filton Retail Park in Stoke Gifford the landmark building will rise from five storeys to nine storeys in a spiralling pattern which includes student communal and study spaces The landscaped courtyard is designed to act as the social heart of the scheme and provide outdoor recreational space The plans also include planting and soft landscaping in pursuit of creating habitats for local wildlife to help achieve biodiversity net gain The scheme sets out to be highly sustainable WiredScore Platinum and BREEAM ‘Excellent’ as a minimum and aspiring to be net zero carbon in operation Canada Life Asset Management’s development and project manager Abbeywood Community School has reported “excellent” results in this year’s GCSE examinations with Grades 7-9 across a wide range of subjects as well as many Grades 5-9 in English and Mathematics The proportion of students achieving both English and Mathematics at Grade 4 or above was 67 percent (compared to 63 percent in 2023) “I am delighted with the performance of our Year 11 students and so proud of their response to the interruptions in learning they have faced during their time at secondary school because of COVID.” These excellent results are a reflection of their ability to respond positively to high quality teaching and demonstrate the Abbeywood values of ambition, confidence and success. I am extremely proud of their ambition, hard work and desire to achieve their potential.” “The excellent results are the product of hard work from all our students, staff and parents who have worked together to ensure our young people had the best chance to succeed.” “With the outstanding A-level results last week and inviting back this group of talented students to our Post-16, I am really excited about they can achieve over the next two years” Further statistics released by the school are: Notable individual performances highlighted by the school are: Students showing “exceptional” progress since Key Stage 2: Assistant headteacher Anna Sims commented: Dave Baker, CEO of the Olympus Academy Trust, said: “I offer my congratulations to all the Abbeywood students who have achieved the success they deserved in their GCSEs this year. Thank you also to all the staff who have worked so hard to support them. We must not forget that this cohort of students had a challenging experience during the early stages of their secondary education because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This makes their achievements all the more impressive.” Win HappyPremiumSearch Rayogreatest hitsbristolnews14 year old cyclist dies following collision with a car in Stoke GiffordPolice have confirmed the teenager died in hospital on Sunday A 14-year-old boy has died following a collision in South Gloucestershire Police have confirmed Leyton Coombs died days after the crash involving a car and his bicycle on Great Stoke Way Emergency services were called to the incident at 7.40pm and paramedics took him to hospital in a serious condition Avon & Somerset Police said: "Our thoughts are with Leyton’s family at this devastating time They are being supported by a specially trained officer and will be kept updated as our investigation progresses." Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app. Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited Company number: 1394141Registered office: Media House Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing Company number: LP003328; Registered office: The Lantern London NW1 2PL All registered in England and Wales VAT no 918 5617 01H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No: 845898) The Aviva Centre in Stoke Gifford, which is now called Lake View, where 400 homes are earmarked in South Gloucestershires Local Plan (Image: Google Maps)A total of 1,751 more homes across 17 new sites have been included in the latest South Gloucestershire Local Plan – with over half of the proposed developments in the greenbelt The extra houses and flats are in addition to the previous draft 15-year blueprint which envisioned 20,490 homes to be built in the district between 2025 and 2040 Four are in Hambrook where a total of 206 properties would be built which is going out to eight weeks of public consultation this week so more were required to ensure the plan was sound and came to the same conclusions as before for 175 of them but that five were now identified as suitable for potential development Cllr Liz Brennan (Conservative, Frenchay & Downend) told the meeting: “SOGS members represent a lot of people in South Gloucestershire who are concerned about what the development plan will mean for their communities It’s extremely important to listen and respect the identity of where people live and cherish the places they call home Try BristolLive Premium for FREE with no ads and new features “The Conservative group opposes the approach taken by the [Lib Dem/Labour] administration and confirms that our priority would be to protect the greenbelt It is concerning that nine out of the additional 17 possible sites require further release of the greenbelt.” regeneration and infrastructure Cllr Chris Willmore (Lib Dem Yate North) said only two per cent of the greenbelt would be released in a worst-case scenario and that this was similar to decisions by previous Tory administrations Land to the North and East of Highbrook View Stoke Gifford - eight homes - not greenbelt Land adjacent to Bitton Sports and Social Club - 40 homes - greenbelt The council has released detailed maps of all 17 sites, which are here Just our brilliant content presented in the best way possible Get your free one-month trial by visiting the 'Premium' tab on the BristolLive app now (auto renews annually at £19.99) Winterbourne Down or Hambrook you will be voting in the Filton & Bradley Stoke constituency in Thursday’s general election The Voice has contacted the candidates standing to be the constituency’s next MP offering them up to 250 words to tell you something about themselves and their priorities if they are elected They appear here in the order they will be on the ballot paper on Thursday: I’M campaigning for our community on both a local and national stage for action to tackle the housing crisis the NHS crisis and the ongoing sewage scandal.  I’m a former local councillor and deputy leader of the successful Somerset West and Taunton council and remain a dedicated community campaigner the council began work on the first council houses to be planned and built in west Somerset for more than 30 years For years our area has been taken for granted by an out-of-touch Conservative Government that has failed to get the basics right and lurched from crisis to crisis – now it’s time for a change.  We need to see a return to politics that not only works for the country Local health services have been brought to their knees people’s mortgages and rent have skyrocketed and water companies have been allowed to pump their filthy sewage into our rivers and beaches All this by a Conservative government more interested in fighting between themselves than standing up for the country People are at breaking point and the simple fact is that we need change at the very top.  This government is the first in almost a century to make the average person poorer  Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for a fair deal It’s a vote for a party and a candidate that will stand up for our community and our health services I have lived in and around Filton and Bradley Stoke most of my life and I’m standing because I feel this constituency has been let down.Issues like the Hambrook Lights which cause traffic chaos the talk of 30,000 new houses on the Woodlands Golf Course; how would the infrastructure cope that’s already jammed at peak times That’s the reason I’m standing: we have been let down locally Of course we also need to look at the national issues to try and make a difference for this community I LIVE in Stoke Gifford and am from a family of teachers NHS workers and RAF service members – their sense of public service runs deep in me.  I’ve worked in leadership roles for trusted national charities and in politics on big issues including the housing and environmental crises I knock on doors all year round and share your concerns We live in great communities but our potential is being held back Getting energy bills down with a proper windfall tax on oil and gas giants Keeping bills down by switching on Great British Energy *Get our public services back on their feet Funded by closing tax loopholes and exemptions while protecting the character of our growing communities Speed up bus franchising and give communities the opportunity to take back control of local bus services Protect nature for future generations and back the skills we need but I’ll work every day to deliver for you impactful and approachable MP you can be proud of Labour’s always been the strong second here I hope I can earn your trust in the most important election in a generation IT’S been an honour to represent you as your Member of Parliament for the last 14 years we have achieved so much together for our area We have all faced very difficult years: a global pandemic – the first in over a century and the first full-scale invasion on the continent of Europe in 70 years We have had to make difficult decisions to steer our country through these dark times I have been working hard to improve connectivity in Downend and surrounding areas like Frenchay and Emersons Green I presented a petition to Parliament restore Hambrook Junction so traffic can cross the junction in both directions I’ll continue to push to reinstate bus services which have been cut by Labour’s West of England Mayor Dan Norris who despite receiving £105 million to improve buses prefers to waste money on gimmicks like a birthday bus pass When it comes to public services like health and education I secured £49.9 million for Southmead Hospital and I’m working to improve access to local GP surgeries 93% of South Gloucestershire schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted having already delivered a new school in Winterbourne we must look to build another in Emersons Green honour and privilege to continue to serve the British people WE need to see a step change in how we fund our public services As someone not far out of school and as the brother of a soon-to-be children’s nurse I have seen the devastation of austerity on our public services I would fight to ensure those with the broadest shoulders paid for public services that are fit for the future.  I have grown up appreciating our local nature and seeing the failure of the government to address the climate crisis I would fight for sewage-polluting water companies to come under public ownership and for real ambition from the government to provide a green future for the next generation We need to deal with the cost of living with more than a sticking plaster I have met with many people feeling the squeeze while some large companies post record profits I would fight for the tax on income from shares in companies to be raised to equal what you pay on your salaries from work I have lived in this area since I was two years old I believe in real hope and change for our communities That’s why I’m asking you to vote for me on July 4th Read more about the Green Party in our manifesto: greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto Conservative Jack Lopresti is defending a majority of 5,646 from the 2019 election He has held the seat since it was created in 2010: Labour has been second in all four previous votes This year Filton & Bradley Stoke’s boundaries have moved east Emersons Green and Lyde Green have been added Easter Compton and Pilning are now in Thornbury & Yate; Staple Hill has become part of the new Bristol North East seat Filton & Bradley Stoke includes the following council wards: Patchway Coniston In last year’s council elections the Tories won nine of the seats in the area covered by the constituency In May’s Police & Crime Commissioner elections the Conservatives were first and Labour second across South Gloucestershire Voting will take place from 7am until 10pm on July 4 with the votes being counted immediately afterwards and results expected to be declared early on July 5 This will be the first general election where voters are required to present photo ID at polling stations An estimated 4% of voters are registered to vote but lack the necessary ID Voters can use passports, driving licences, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) cards, blue badges, Defence Identity Cards and some concessionary travel cards as proof – for a full list visit the Electoral Commission website The Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke(Image: Local World)Filton & Bradley Stoke constituency has been held by incumbent Conservative MP Jack Lopresti since it was created in 2010. However, Labour candidate Claire Hazelgrove is tipped to oust him at the 2024 General Election on Thursday with the latest YouGov MRP poll suggesting this is “likely” A swing of just over five per cent from the Tories to Labour would see the seat change hands for the first time is forecast to finish third on 14 per cent ahead of the Greens on seven per cent overtaking the Lib Dems on four per cent Their candidates are Stephen Burge (Reform UK) James Nelson (Green) and Benet Allen (Lib Dem) All five candidates have provided a pitch to voters for this article Benet Allen (Liberal Democrat) is a former councillor and was deputy leader of Somerset West and Taunton Council the local authority began work on the first council houses to be planned and built in west Somerset for more than 30 years He said: “For years our area has been taken for granted by an out-of-touch Conservative government that has failed to get the basics right and lurched from crisis to crisis – now it’s time for a change Lib Dem candidate for Filton & Bradley Stoke in the 2024 General Election(Image: Benet Allen/Liberal Democrats)“Local health services have been brought to their knees “People are at breaking point and the simple fact is that we need change at the very top “Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for a fair deal It’s a vote for a party and a candidate that will stand up for our community and our health services.” He said the Lib Dems had promised to hold Labour’s “feet to the fire” in Westminster and that he would fight for his community to ensure no one was forgotten Steve Burge (Reform UK) has lived in and around Filton & Bradley Stoke for most of his life He is married with three children and has worked for a company in Weston-super-Mare for more than 20 years Steve said: “I have never done anything like this before and at 65 I felt compelled to stand to try and have a voice for Filton & Bradley Stoke Over the last few years this community has been taken for granted and not listened to with its local issues Reform UK candidate for Filton & Bradley Stoke in the 2024 General Electio(Image: Steve Burge/Reform UK)“Although I moved from this area a few years ago after living in this area for a majority of my life with my children living in Bradley Stoke and myself involved in local events I want to focus on what is important for this community and issues like bus services that have been cancelled "I may not be able to solve everything overnight but at least people can be assured that I am fighting for them and doing everything I can.” Claire Hazelgrove (Labour) lives in Stoke Gifford and is from a family of teachers She has worked in leadership roles for national charities including Shelter and Friends of the Earth and on big political campaigns to make change happen on important issues Claire has spent the last four years supporting councils and charities across the UK to bring the people they represent into decision-making processes on issues that matter to them She said: “I've worked in leadership for trusted charities on big issues “I knock on doors all year round and share your concerns We live in great communities but our potential is held back Getting energy bills down with a proper windfall tax on oil and gas giants and switching on GB Energy; Funded by closing tax loopholes and exemptions; Protecting our growing communities’ character; Speeding up bus franchising and opportunity for local control of bus services; Protecting nature and backing local skills Labour's Filton & Bradley Stoke 2024 General Election candidate Claire Hazelgrove(Image: Claire Hazelgrove/Labour)“Change will take time but I’ll work every day to serve you as an active Labour’s always been the strong second here – let’s give change a chance.” Jack Lopresti (Conservative) has been Filton & Bradley Stoke MP since 2010 and is defending a 5,646-vote majority from the last General Election He was appointed the party’s deputy chairman in February 2023 Jack said: “It’s been an honour to represent you as your Member of Parliament for the last 14 years We have all faced very difficult years: a global pandemic – the first in over a century – and the first full-scale invasion on the continent of Europe since the Second World War “Locally, I have been working hard to improve connectivity in Downend and surrounding areas like Frenchay and Emersons Green I presented a petition to Parliament to restore Hambrook Junction so traffic can cross the junction in both directions Jack Lopresti, incumbent MP and Conservative candidate for Filton & Bradley Stoke in the 2024 General Election(Image: Conservative Party)“As for education, 93 per cent of South Gloucestershire schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted honour and privilege to continue to serve the British people.” James Nelson (Green) is a 20-year-old law student at the University of Bristol and a Bradley Stoke town councillor He said: “We need to see a step change in how we fund our public services “As someone not far out of school and as the brother of a soon-to-be children's nurse I would fight to ensure those with the broadest shoulders paid for public services that are fit for the future “I have met with many people feeling the squeeze while some large companies post record profits Green Party candidate for Filton & Bradley Stoke in the 2024 General Election(Image: James Nelson/Green Party)‌“I have lived in this area since I was two years old I believe in real hope and real change for our communities “That’s why I’m asking you to vote for me on July 4. Read more about the Green Party in our manifesto: https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto/ ” Filton & Bradley Stoke comprises the South Gloucestershire wards of Bradley Stoke North, Bradley Stoke South, Charlton & Cribbs, Emersons Green, Filton, Frenchay & Downend, Patchway Coniston Stoke Park & Cheswick and Winterbourne Electrification of the Great Western Main Line is the biggest upgrade to the line since it was built over 175 years ago Running from London Paddington to the South West of England and South Wales this line modernisation programme is providing more frequent services Achieving these improvements has required comprehensive renewal of associated infrastructure as well as electrification of the line itself Arup’s contribution to the Great Western Main Line electrification programme has been significant foundations and major enabling works for several sections of the route the UK Department for Transport commissioned rail consortium Agility Trains to develop the Intercity Express Programme to replace an ageing fleet of inter-city trains.  New bi-mode electric and diesel trains now run on the improved line engineers and specialists delivered the design of these maintenance and repair facilities which keep the new fleet of Class 800 Intercity Express trains manufactured by Hitachi Rail Europe in good running order The depots were constructed by VolkerFitzpatrick with Arup as lead designer.  The Great Western Main Line’s new train care facilities have been built on brownfield and former rail sites at Acton in West London the chosen sites posed a series of design challenges geotechnical and geo-environmental assessment for major earth works and management of potential ground contamination together with a range of flood risks.  The Stoke Gifford facility near Bristol in South West England had previously been used as a waste landfill and waste reprocessing facility and required significant remediation It is positioned within the existing Filton Triangle rail junction Arup’s work on this depot included site-wide civil engineering as well as permanent way and line-side civil engineering design of overhead line electrification and signalling provision of planning services and completion of a CEEQUAL sustainability assessment A similar range of services was provided for the Acton project in West London where a new facility was created on the site of a former Eurostar train depot the site required substantial refurbishment and reconfiguration including architecture and multidisciplinary building engineering for an entirely new facility located on the site of the former Maliphant rail sidings Successful completion of these complex rail depot projects demanded sustained collaboration across the project team ensuring that design and construction issues were discussed and agreed prior to work starting on site Our lead engineer role involved not only the production of civil and rail engineering solutions but a detailed understanding of the specialist equipment and facilities that make up a state-of-the-art train care facility One example of this complexity is the design of train servicing spines - approximately 250m lengths of concrete track slab water and fuel pumping facilities as well as electrical ‘shore supplies’ automatic sand transportation and delivery These spines also incorporate pollution prevention systems and significant noise attenuation barriers.  To complete integrated designs for each site Arup had to meet the needs of a complex supply chain of specialist equipment providers OLE and signalling connections to the network which are critical to the facilities’ operations we employed our knowledge and ability to work within an operational railway we applied and developed the latest technological advances in building information modelling (BIM) to the point where now we conduct fully immersive design reviews in virtual reality The team that Arup deployed on the Great Western trio of projects provided us with a first-class level of service.  We are now in a BS 11000 Collaborative Business Relationship with Arup enabling us to work together to deliver better outcomes for us and our clients The Eurostar North Pole depot in Acton was closed when Eurostar relocated to Temple Mills in 2007 Since then its use had been limited by insufficient train care facilities and a lack of direct connection to the Great Western Main Line With a brief to reuse and adapt existing infrastructure wherever possible we created a new connection from the depot to the mainline We were able to produce a design that made almost complete reuse of track overhead electrification and the site’s existing buildings  reducing construction costs and completing to a tight delivery programme enabling early train testing to commence in 2015 Train care facilities are usually built in long thin strips to reduce the number of ‘shunting’ moves required as trains enter the Stoke Gifford facility had to be created from a triangular site Despite the difficulties of the Stoke Gifford site which had restricted access and had previously been used as a tip fully-equipped train maintenance and service facility capable of meeting the rigorous operational demands of the Intercity Express Programme - has been met in full Arup has worked collaboratively and proactively with client operator and end-user teams to optimise the facility and meet all parties’ requirements Developing a design that would work for the fleet involved significant enabling works to move eight-metre-high earth bunds and the replacement of a collapsed culvert ten metres beneath the site which resulted in the creation of a series of landscaped bunds while installation of a new culvert was achieved using in-situ sheet pile shuttering – an early proposal from Arup as a way of eliminating the need for full open-cut options This approach significantly reduced the Stoke Gifford site programme and overall cost The result is an effective new culvert that lies up to 25m below the finished site level retaining flood water and significantly reducing flood risk to properties upstream Arup has played a key role in the modernisation of the Great Western Mail Line Find out more about our work that continues to shape the future of rail around the world Arcadis / RPS / Forman Roberts/NG Bailey / Architect: Quadra Bec Ltd (Swansea) / Owner: Hitachi Rail Europe Delivering rail electrification for the Great Western Main Line Designing and refurbishing new and existing infrastructure for maximum impact and minimum cost Coordinating multiple suppliers across various supply chains to deliver a comprehensive rail upgrade If you'd like to speak to one of our rail experts about any of the issues raised on this page or a potential collaboration then please get in touch by completing the form Over the past two years, Little Stoke Primary School has been working towards increasing the amount of sustainable active travel to school with the aim to help make the roads safer by reducing traffic – providing the school community with another way to be active and help to improve the air quality in the local area This has been achieved through a range of initiatives to promote walking cycling and scooting to school such as ‘Bling your Bikes’ day and ‘Golden Lock’ prizes The school has also utilised South Gloucestershire Council to help run scooter and bike courses to teach children how to use them safely when out and about a range of workshops have been added for children to think about air quality These run from Early Years through to Year 6 Throughout this period, the school has been working towards achieving a progression of awards available through the Modeshift STARS scheme Modeshift STARS is the national schools awards scheme that has been established to recognise schools that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling walking and other forms of sustainable travel The scheme encourages schools across the country to join in a major effort to increase levels of sustainable and active travel in order to improve the health and well-being of children and young people staff and pupils at Little Stoke Primary School were delighted to be awarded the highest STARS level possible as recognition of the work they have completed and the improvements that have been made This has been a culmination of the work of the whole school community in supporting these initiatives “It has been great to see the whole school community work together to achieve this award The children have taken an active part in the workshops and we have seen a huge increase in the amount of sustainable we have been able to access additional funding to improve our physical resources and it is lovely to see these used on a daily basis – even with the unpredictable British weather!” Little Stoke Primary School becomes only the second school in South Gloucestershire to gain ‘outstanding’ Modeshift STARS accreditation According to South Gloucestershire Council the school has achieved over 83 percent of pupils walking and scooting to school with car use dropping from 36.17 percent to 14.43 percent A total of five candidates are contesting the Filton and Bradley Stoke (FaBS) constituency seat in the UK parliamentary poll (general election) that will take place on Thursday 4th July 2024 Conservative candidate Jack Lopresti, who has held the seat continuously since its inception in 2010, is hoping to defend the 5,646 majority he secured at the last general election in 2019 he faces a stiff challenge this time round as the latest polling predictions show him trailing the Labour candidate by 21 percentage points The Labour challenger is Claire Hazelgrove who has a background in professional campaigning and stood as a candidate for the Skipton and Ripon seat in the 2010 general election She was selected by a vote of local party members back in November 2022 and since then has been busy trying to raise her profile through a busy schedule of “door step conversations” and attendance at public events Both mainstream parties appear to have lost ground to Reform UK in recent weeks and the latter have put up Stephen Burge as their candidate in FaBS In a brief statement on the Reform UK website Mr Burge describes himself as a “local ordinary person adding that he “knows the area well” He appears to have been something of a last minute selection as the party website was until very recently showing another individual as Reform UK’s prospective parliamentary candidate for FaBS The name may be familiar as he stood in the recent Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner election The party seems to be making little effort to promote Mr Allen perhaps preferring to focus their local efforts on nearby constituencies where they feel they have a better chance of winning an elected member of Bradley Stoke Town Council is standing as the Green Party candidate in FaBS His profile on the local Green Party website speaks of him “having seen the damage the Tory Government in Westminster has done to our communities” It adds: “If you put your trust in me I won’t harbour the fame and power of office for myself” The formal Notice of Election reveals that at least two of the candidates live outside the constituency: Benet Allen (Somerset) and Stephen Burge (Knowle James Nelson declares a home in Bradley Stoke; Claire Hazelgrove “in Filton and Bradley Stoke” (although she has stated in her own literature that she lives in Stoke Gifford); and Jack Lopresti “in South Gloucestershire” We’re still waiting to hear whether there will be any local hustings/debates involving the FaBS election candidates a hustings scheduled to take place in Downend on Friday 28th June has been cancelled – “because the Liberal Democrat and Reform UK candidates did not reply to the invitation while Labour and the Conservatives declined after finding out the event wasn’t ticketed” [Editor’s note: Since this article was published Claire Hazelgrove (Labour) has been in touch to say that while she had “asked questions about basic security at the planned Downend hustings – as is standard” she had not formally “withdrawn” from the event ahead of it being cancelled by the organisers.] Bookmakers are siding with the polling predictions and offering extremely short odds for a first-ever Labour victory in Filton and Bradley Stoke Bet365 is offering the following odds: Labour 1/25; Conservative 12/1; Reform 33/1; Liberal Democrats 125/1; and Green Party 150/1 View or follow the Journal’s GE2024FaBS list on X/Twitter to see what our local candidates have to say For more information about the local candidates, including links to their websites and social media channels, plus links to manifestoes and policy analysis from respected sources, visit the Journal’s dedicated 2024 General Election information page A man from Stoke Gifford has been sentenced at Bristol Magistrates Court for offences including aggressive commercial practice following an investigation by South Gloucestershire Council Trading Standards Stoke Gifford traded under the name of MT Builders and appeared at court recently where he pleaded guilty to two offences after he took £3,450 from a customer and failed to carry out the agreed work plus a £34 victim surcharge and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,350 He was found to have failed to provide his customer with the legally required notice of his 14-day cooling off rights and then subsequently started work within the same 14-day period During December 2021 Hammersley took the payment from a Bradley Stoke resident who had agreed for him to lay a new patio and renew some fencing He secured the money upfront by showing an order of paving slabs online Hammersley attended at the customer’s address where he carried out minimal work but failed to return and made numerous excuses why he could not continue He eventually stopped contacting his customer altogether Trading Standards traced Hammersley and gave him the opportunity to return the money to his customer A further charge of theft was withdrawn as Hammersley eventually re-paid a total of £3,000 to his victim in advance of the court hearing It was agreed that Hammersley would re-pay his victim the money and a further £749.50 to another of his customers cabinet member responsible for Trading Standards at South Gloucestershire Council said: “This case should act as a deterrent to any business that acts dishonestly towards their customers as we will use the law to ensure justice is served “We will not tolerate anyone who trades in this manner and takes advantage of their customers no matter how big or small the loss to our residents and we will pursue the matter through the courts if necessary In the majority of circumstances residents should be given written notice of their 14-day cancellation rights and we discourage people from paying large sums of money up-front for work to be carried out.” Anyone who suspects they may have been the victim of a rogue trader can report it by calling 0808 223 1133 Plans to build a student accommodation block on an unused part of a Stoke Gifford retail park have been revealed by Canada Life Asset Management, in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE) would be built on the footprint of the uncovered garden centre of the former B&Q superstore at Filton Retail Park It would also take in some of the car park at the site which lies within the Stoke Gifford District Centre The building would be arranged around a central courtyard The landscaped courtyard will act as the social heart of the scheme and provide outdoor recreational space Planting and soft landscaping will also create habitats for local wildlife to “help to achieve biodiversity net gain” which originally occupied the whole of the retail park the building has been divided into smaller units that have been taken by DW Fitness (now Everlast) Lidl and Poundstretcher (later Bargain Buys but since closed) located closest to the A4174 Ring Road has remained unused The existing car parking spaces that will be taken up by the new development are deemed “surplus” to the needs of the retail units at the site however there will be some limited parking provided for staff and disabled users together with secure cycle parking for over 145 bicycles and a further 15 Sheffield-stand spaces to the west of the building The developers say this is “in-line with the parking strategy for most urban purpose-built student accommodation buildings” James Ogborne of Canada Life Asset Management said: “Filton Retail Park is an ideal and sustainable location for UWE students As well as being just a short walk from the Frenchay Campus it will provide a route onto the shared pedestrian/cycle route and is well served by public transport with bus stops and train stations close by.” “UWE aims to provide accommodation to all new students who request it In order to achieve this aim we need to deliver in excess of 3,000 bed spaces to help fulfil our current shortfall These additional beds are being commissioned in four phases and Filton Retail Park is a key part of this.” The developers say the site will be “highly sustainable” targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’ as a minimum and “aspiring to be net zero carbon in operation” Further information about the proposals is now available to view online at: 🔗 The Den, Stoke Gifford Following public engagement with neighbours and stakeholders the scheme will be prepared for planning and a planning application will be submitted to South Gloucestershire Council Plans to introduce new or amended waiting restrictions on sections of 40 residential roads in Stoke Gifford have reached the final stage of development with the publication of a traffic regulation order (TRO) or ‘statutory order’ for which consultation runs until 11th February 2023 South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) says the purpose of the proposed scheme is to to “alleviate obstructive and inconsiderate parking … to improve safety and visibility for all road users and pedestrians.” The scheme involves “introducing double yellow lines to improve access and visibility on roads that have been identified and converting existing advisory white keep clear lines to double yellow lines” Working up the proposals has taken the council more than three years A second round of public consultation then followed in May 2020 after additional requests for waiting restrictions had been received relating to eight of the roads included in the first consultation In the final proposals detailed in the statutory order Ratcliffe Drive stands out as the one receiving the greatest number of new lengths of double yellow lines these being mostly on the corners of the many side road junctions – followed closely by Sandringham Road It is also proposed to revise the ‘no return’ specified times for the existing ‘limited waiting’ bays in Hatchet Lane with this being extended from 30 minutes to one hour (applicable between 1pm and 2pm) The full list of roads affected by the statutory order is: The feedback report on the first public consultation carried out in 2020 showed that 145 out of 212 (68 percent) of respondents expressed “support for the scheme as a whole” may be viewed on a consultation page on the SGC website: STOKE GIFFORD – VARIOUS ROADS (PHASE 4B) – Prohibition and Restriction of Waiting – STATUTORY NOTICE The documents may also be viewed (during normal opening hours) at Patchway One Stop Shop The consultation period runs until 11th February 2023 Responses should be made via the online questionnaire on the consultation page or by letter as detailed in the Notice of Proposals document Any objections will be reported to SGC’s director of environment and community services for a decision on how to proceed Roads within the scope of the review for which no changes are proposed are: Frequently asked questions – Waiting Restrictions (SGC Plans to build a large student accommodation block on a vacant plot within a Stoke Gifford retail park have moved a step forward with the submission of a formal planning application The move follows a round of pre-application community engagement that took place in February and March this year The planning application submitted by Canada Life Asset Management, working in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE) is for a building that ranges from five to nine storeys in height and provides 330 student bedrooms The application site is the footprint of the uncovered garden centre of the former B&Q superstore at Filton Retail Park, off Fox Den Road, along with some of the adjacent shoppers’ car park. [View location map] The applicant says its vision for the proposed design is to “create a landmark building of the highest design quality to create a sense of place and the provision of an active frontage to Filton Road” The proposed building will essentially have a U-shaped footprint with the mouth of the ‘U’ facing the A4174 Filton Road Its height will increase from five storeys in the east to nine storeys in the south-west corner The mouth of the ‘U’ is partly bridged by a single-storey element that houses a laundry and shared social rooms Between the wings of the building is a landscaped communal space or ‘courtyard’ This acts as the ‘heart space’ of the proposal and private external amenity for residents The use of a stepped skyline and contrasting finishes on the vertical faces of the building is intended to reduce its ‘massing’ by giving the impression that it is formed of a number of separate structures Provisionally named ‘The Den, Stoke Gifford‘ the scheme is known internally as ‘SAP 4’ (Student Accommodation Project 4) and forms part of a phased development of additional accommodation for UWE students with SAP 3 (2,250 bedrooms) currently under construction on the Frenchay Campus it will be handed over to the university and managed by them The applicant is targeting a completion date of September 2025 and says this is critical to the delivery of UWE’s accommodation strategy By increasing the amount of purpose-built student accommodation on its campuses UWE hopes to “alleviate some of the negative aspects” associated with large numbers of students living in private ‘houses in multiple occupation’ (HMOs) situated in neighbouring residential areas The proposals do not include any car parking provision for students this being justified by the proximity of the accommodation to the UWE Frenchay Campus (350m away) and the availability of bus services leisure facilities and supermarkets ‘on the doorstep’ within the Stoke Gifford District Centre be four disabled car parking spaces and five ‘operational’ parking bays provided for staff/service vehicles Thirty-seven car parking spaces will be lost from the retail park reducing the number of shoppers’ spaces from 387 to 350 A secure and covered external cycle store is proposed with parking space for 150 cycles This is less than required by the local authority’s policies but is justified with figures showing typical cycle ownership rates at UWE’s existing student accommodation sites The application has so far received generally favourable feedback from officers at South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) and other statutory consultees although a Designing Out Crime Officer from Avon and Somerset Police has raised a lengthy list of concerns concluding with a ‘not acceptable in its current format’ response Related link: Planning application P23/01230/F (SGC) the application remains open to public comment – via the ‘Make a comment’ button on the planning application webpage (see link above) Registration may be required if you haven’t previously commented on a planning application Taken from The Den, Stoke Gifford website in May 2023 A Labour Party candidate has won one of the three Stoke Gifford seats on South Gloucestershire Council meaning that the Conservatives no longer hold all the ward’s seats for the first time in many years The ward was guaranteed at least two new members after Tory incumbents Brian Allinson and Ernie Brown chose not to defend their seats Topping the poll this time was Labour’s David Addision with 1530 votes with a healthy margin over the sole defending incumbent Keith Cranney (Conservative 1440 votes) followed by Neel Das Gupta (Conservative followed by the other two Labour candidates and Labour’s total vote count in the ward narrowly topped that of the Conservatives Labour’s share of the vote was 39 percent (up from 27 percent in 2019) with the Conservatives also on 39 percent (down from 47 percent) The Liberal Democrats had 23 percent this time (up from 20 percent) Turnout in the Stoke Gifford ward was 35 percent For further details of the local results, see our 2023 District Election page Overall in South Gloucestershire, the Conservatives have lost a total of ten seats, meaning they no longer command an overall majority on the 61-seat council They have ended up with 23 councillors – down by 10 from the last elections in 2019 – with 36 percent of the vote This is two points above the Liberal Democrats who won 20 seats while Labour went up from 11 to 17 members and received 24 percent of the vote A notable loss for the Conservatives was Steve Reade who as Cabinet member with responsibility for transport fronted the troubled Gipsy Patch Lane railway bridge replacement project and the abandoned Ring Road throughabout proposals All the South Gloucestershire results in detail: District Elections 2023 (SGC) Look out for a further article on the Journal website in due course Detailed plans for a further 143 homes along the Stoke Gifford By-Pass have been approved by officers at South Gloucestershire Council the ‘reserved matters’ application relates to Phases 2.1 2.2a & 2.2b of the developer’s ‘South of the Railway’ site which has outline planning permission for a total of 1,290 homes The Crest Nicholson land forms the bulk of the East of Harry Stoke New Neighbourhood where 2,000 homes are expected to be built over the next decade and beyond The latest batch of homes will be built on the east side of the by-pass Phase 1 of the wider Crest Nicholson development which is being marketed under the name ‘Highbrook View’ is currently under construction on the west side of the by-pass The eastern junction of the by-pass and Hambrook Lane is now permanently closed to motor vehicles A new signalised junction has been created on the by-pass to the south of the Hambrook Lane junction which already provides access to Phase 1 and will also be used for ingress and egress to/from Phase 2 Work on strategic infrastructure within the Phase 2 parcels this work having been approved under an earlier ‘reserved matters’ planning application The main body of the Phase 2 parcels will be comprised of two- and two-and-a-half-storey dwellings in keeping with the approved design code for the overall ‘South of the Railway’ site “strong and distinctive” three- and four-storey dwellings will be used on the frontages to the by-pass (see top line in the image above) The Phase 2 parcels include 32 affordable housing units (22.4 percent of the 143 total) of which 25 units will be available for social rent and seven units offered as shared ownership The development will satisfy the council’s policy requirement to reduce CO2 emissions further than the current building regulations by at least 20 percent through the use of air source heat pumps in homes and hot water heat pumps in apartment blocks Officers accepted that the proposed car parking provision and electric vehicle charging point provision are compliant with the council’s current planning policies South Gloucestershire Council’s latest housing trajectory analysis contained within its Annual Monitoring Report 2022 suggests that homes on the Phase 2 parcels will not come forward before 2026/27 Related link: Planning application P22/01501/RM (Phases 2.1 Officers at South Gloucestershire Council have recommended approval of a ‘reserved matters’ planning application for the final two phases of a 1,200-dwelling housing development in Harry Stoke However, a decision on the application will now be made by a committee of councillors after Stoke Gifford ward member Neel Das Gupta successfully invoked the ‘call in’ procedure In his statement of reasons for calling in the application Cllr Das Gupta argued that the proposed construction vehicle access route along Oxleigh Way and Clover Way will “seriously affect the residential amenity and safety for many Brooklands Park residents” already has outline permission to build the final batch of 229 homes on a parcel of vacant land that lies between the existing Highbrook Park estate and the A4174 Ring Road The current reserved matters application seeks approval for finer details of the scheme The proposals for Phases 6 & 7 are outlined in this previous article by the Journal: Revised plans submitted for 229 homes on land between Highbrook Park and A4174 A condition on the outline planning consent for the overall 1,200-home scheme required the means of construction traffic access to be provided alongside each reserved matters application Crest Nicholson’s Construction Management Plan shows construction traffic entering from the adjacent Brooklands Park development via a west-east ‘haul road’ (Tibaldstone Road has objected to this aspect of the reserved matters application and asked for other possible options to be investigated “We ask for alternative routes to be investigated to access the site from the east without needing to cross the Ham Brook and to keep the construction traffic away from Brooklands Park residents in Stoke Gifford parish.” “Accessing the site directly off either Rosedown Avenue / Stoke Gifford By-Pass or from the old Maules Lane access off the A4174 would seem possible solutions.” Crest Nicholson commissioned a transport consultant firm to assess the viability of alternative construction access routes These include a new access off the Stoke Gifford By-Pass and the use of an approved [but not yet constructed] bus gate on the wider site A construction access off the Stoke Gifford By-Pass would involve the creation of a new temporary access and a 180m haul road through an area proposed to be left as ‘open space’ This would result in “unacceptable ecological and landscape concerns” it could give rise to “road safety concerns” to the junction between the A4174 and the Stoke Gifford By-Pass Use of the [yet to be constructed] approved bus gate would involve the need to open the bus gate to general traffic to allow construction vehicles to access This could result in “unacceptable congestion and highway safety issues” at the nearby major junction [Coldharbour Lane] on the A4174 the council’s highways officers assessed whether Maules Lane would be an appropriate construction access for the proposed development They expressed “concern” regarding the impact of slow moving and turning traffic at the junction of Maules Lane and the A4174 which is “a very busy arterial road” they concluded that using this access would be “detrimental to highway safety and congestion on the A4174” council officers point out that construction activities within the existing Brooklands Park development are expected to continue until “approximately July 2026” With Crest Nicholson stating that the building programme for Phases 6 & 7 will end in “approximately February 2027” the Oxleigh Way / Clover Way access route would experience an estimated 8 months of additional use In concluding that the proposal is acceptable in terms of ‘residential amenity’ officers also point to a condition of the extant outline planning permission which restricts the hours of working: “The hours of working on site during the period of construction shall be restricted to 8am-6pm Mondays to Fridays; and 8am-1pm on Saturdays and no working shall take place on Sundays or public holidays for the purpose of clarification of this condition include: the use of any plant or machinery (mechanical or other) the carrying out of any maintenance/cleaning work on any plant or machinery deliveries to the site and the movement of vehicles within the site Any ‘working’ outside these hours shall have the prior written consent of the local planning authority.” In parallel with the representations made in respect of the reserved matters planning application residents of Brooklands Park have started a petition which highlights “ongoing road safety and pedestrian risk to the residents” due to the current construction activities within Brooklands Park and calls for “investment in an alternative option [for construction traffic access to Phases 6 & 7] to reduce risk to life and injury” The petition is hosted on the change.org website: Residents Opposition to Brookland Park Construction Traffic Plan (PT17/5847/RM) Following a period of “extensive negotiations” with the applicant which resulted in a number of revisions to the submitted plans council officers report that they are broadly supportive of other aspects of the reserved matters application transportation (including vehicle and cycle parking provision) officers express the view that “the harm[s] identified would not clearly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the development the significant benefit of the provision of market housing and affordable housing on this allocated site which already has outline planning permission.” The reserved matters planning application will be considered at a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council’s Strategic Sites Delivery Committee on Thursday 1st February 2024 The meeting takes place in the Council Chamber A live webcast of the meeting will be available See the link provided on the agenda page referenced below Members of the public wishing to speak at the meeting either in person or via remote access must register their interest at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting Documents of note accompanying the reserved matters planning application are: The above documents may be viewed by selecting the ‘Documents’ tab or menu item The following additional documents appeared on the planning portal yesterday (31st January 2024): The transport officer’s view remains unchanged: “In summary there are no highway safety reasons to object to the use of [Crest Nicholson’s proposed] route subject to implementation of the updated Construction Management Plan to ensure the route is safe for all users particularly vulnerable road users including disabled people Members of South Gloucestershire Council’s Strategic Sites Delivery Committee today voted unanimously to approve the reserved matters planning application for ‘Land at Harry Stoke’ Phases 6 & 7 subject to an informative being added to the decision notice which encourages Crest Nicholson to set up a stakeholder liaison group 🔗 Webcast recording of the meeting of the Strategic Sites Delivery Committee on 1st February 2024 (SGC) “Unacceptable safety risk” of construction vehicles driving to new housing estate Locals have raised concerns about an “unacceptable safety risk” of construction vehicles driving to a proposed new housing estate Crest Nicholson has received planning permission for the latest two phases of the Brooklands Park development in Harry Stoke Phases six and seven will include 229 homes on a corner of land next to the ring road and the Bradley Stoke bypass South Gloucestershire Council granted full permission for the plans during a meeting of the Strategic Sites Delivery Committee on Thursday 1st February 2024 But construction vehicles will access the site through Oxleigh Way and Clover Way Hundreds of petitioners raised concerns about road safety with large lorries driving along streets used by many pedestrians “There’s extensive residential traffic on these roads for the large number of dwellings now occupied You’re being asked to approve adding additional construction traffic onto these same roads … creating unacceptable safety risk for the public.” speaking on behalf of the Brooklands Park Residents Association “The roads and the pavements remain unsurfaced raised ironworks and ramps all present a trip hazard to pedestrians children crossing and also cyclists.” “There’s also regular speeding on the estate There young children playing on existing cul-de-sacs within yards of the construction route.” But council officers and developers told the committee all the alternative routes for construction vehicles would be unsuitable They also agreed to work with the local community to find compromises and solutions to long-standing concerns on safety “The construction route has been in operation since 2020 We’ve worked with council officers to consider alternatives which are either unsafe for people on foot or cyclists would clog up the ring road or destroy natural habitats.” we will do as much as we can to minimise the disruptive impact of construction we explain there is likely to be an impact from construction and the timing of those future phases I understand the residents’ concerns today The Decision Notice is now available on the planning portal webpage select the Documents tab and look for the document with the description ‘Decision’ published on 13th February 2024 One condition on the decision requires the Construction Management Plan to include: “Arrangements for ongoing engagement and review through the construction period between the developer the parish council and the Brooklands Park and Highbrook View Residents Association.” A report from the meeting on 1st February 2024 has been appended to the article Detailed plans for Phase 2 of the Mulgrove Farm Village housing development on land east of Stoke Gifford have been submitted by Wain Homes Located to the east of Great Stoke Way (a.k.a ‘the blue bridge road’) at the northern end of the Stoke Gifford By-Pass the Mulgrove Farm Village site will eventually comprise 321 dwellings with a mix of property types ranging from 1-bed apartments to 5-bed detached properties Work on the development started in early 2021 when major earthworks were carried out to reduce the gradients of slopes on the site a process which required the excavation of 200,000 cubic metres of material Planning permission for 150 homes in Phase 1 of the development, on land in the north-west of the site, was granted in June 2021 and the first show homes were opened in summer 2022 The latest ‘reserved matters’ planning application is for a further 162 homes on land in the south-east of the site that is still in the ownership of South Gloucestershire Council This number is slightly less than the quota of 177 foreseen in the outline planning permission partly because a small parcel of land has been allocated for nine custom-build plots for which a further (Phase 3) ‘reserved matters’ applications will need to be made Twenty-four percent of the 162 units in Phase 2 are categorised as ‘affordable housing’ comprising 28 units to be let at ‘social rent’ and 11 to be sold via ‘shared ownership’ A further ‘reserved matters’ application will also need to made for a primary school – on land in the centre of the Mulgrove Farm Village development – that was part of the original outline planning permission (see further information below) Most of the properties in Phase 2 will be 2-storey although 29 of the 4-bed homes and the three 5-bed homes will be 2.5 storeys high There will also be three 3-storey apartment blocks (incorporating 24 dwellings) Asked what is meant by “improved standards of construction” “Our ambition with this venture is to deliver energy efficient and sustainable homes here in South Gloucestershire which are compliant with our Housing and Climate Emergency policies and meet the future needs of our residents.” In a statement submitted as part of the planning application the developer proposes the use of air source heat pumps as a way of satisfying SGC’s specific requirement to reduce CO2 emissions to a level that is 20 percent below current building regulations All dwellings will have a dedicated electric vehicle charging point “The sale of the land at Mulgrove Farm is subject to final negotiations and legal agreements being in place and we are working to resolve these matters as soon as possible.” Public access to the Mulgrove Farm Village development is via a new access road constructed off Parkway North Roundabout A second access has been opened up in the north-east of the site however the Journal understands that this will be restricted to use by construction traffic until the whole development is completed Speaking during a presentation given to a meeting of Stoke Gifford Parish Council’s Planning and Transportation Committee on Tuesday 24th January 2023 a representative of Wain Homes said 19 of the 150 homes in Phase 1 have been completed to date The firm is currently working at a build rate of around 40 units per year although this might vary going forward in response to market conditions A similar build rate is anticipated for Phase 2 and there might be “some crossover” during which both phases are being worked on The statement is broadly in line with the Housing Trajectory figures published in the latest (March 2021) issue of SGC’s Annual Monitoring Report it is anticipated that Phase 1 will be fully completed in 2025/26 Phase 2’s first homes are shown as becoming available in 2024/25 with the site being built out at a rate of 50 units per year The Mulgrove Farm Village development is one of two sites to the east and south of Stoke Gifford where outline planning permission exists for a primary school, the other being Brooklands Park in Harry Stoke where Crest Nicholson Linden Homes and Sovereign are building 763 homes The primary school at Mulgrove Farm Village will be 3-form entry, nominally serving the whole of the East of Harry Stoke New Neighbourhood where 2,000 homes will eventually be built while the one at Brooklands Park will be 1.5 form entry According to SGC’s Commissioning of Places document (updated 2022): “… the Council will invite the submission of bids from Sponsor Trusts to establish new [primary] school provision at Harry Stoke and on land East of Harry Stoke It is likely that the Council will commission one of the two primary schools to open by 2023 and the second primary school will be planned to open between 3-5 years thereafter (subject to ongoing review of housing delivery) The start-up costs of new schools … will be met by the Council.” Asked for an update on the primary school provision situation “We are in the process of reviewing demand for school places across the two sites before we progress with the design of the new schools we will look to appoint an Academy Trust so that we can progress the design and development phase in partnership with them.” “While a timeline for delivery of the schools is not known at this time our aim is to submit a planning application in the next 12 months and the construction phase of the first school would take between 12 and 15 months.” No new secondary schools are planned within the new housing developments, however, SGC has agreed to fund a permanent increase in Abbeywood Community School’s Year 7 intake – from 180 to 240 students The post office in Ratcliffe Drive, Stoke Gifford is now under new management after being operated under the direct control of the Jhoots pharmacy group for almost five years A small celebration on Thursday 15th April marked the takeover of the popular facility by members of the Azad family who have many years of experience within the Post Office business Arsalaan (Sid) Azad has taken on the role of postmaster with his mother Faiqa acting as post office manager supported by other family members as and when needed Faiqa’s previous role with the Post Office saw her helping postmasters transfer into new offices so she is well qualified for her new position Post office assistant Hazel Phelps retains her role with Sid saying of her: “Hazel’s experience shines through in everything she does and customers have adored her throughout her lengthy service.” “My business and sales experience ranges from running a travel business which for obvious reasons I have had to move on from to being a financial broker in the commercial sector I spent the majority of my youth working in retail so understand the importance of customer service and providing true value to the community.” Opening hours are unchanged and services offered from the post office now include life insurance The retail side is being bolstered with convenient goods for customers including stationery “We are looking to grow a strong relationship amongst all in the area with our post office plus the retail side being able to provide products to locals which are in demand Just ask and we’ll see if we can source it for you!” More information: Opening times and services available at Stoke Gifford Post Office This article originally appeared in the May 2021 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on page 8) Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion attempted car break-ins and reckless driving in Stoke Gifford are among the topics addressed in detailed responses issued by Avon and Somerset Police following a meeting at which residents’ concerns were aired by local councillors Cllrs Neel Das Gupta and Keith Cranney met local MP Jack Lopresti and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset Police on 1st September 2023 to discuss how to tackle a range of reported issues The meeting was arranged after discussions on a number of police-related topics at the Community Engagement Forum meeting in June left councillors and residents feeling frustrated at the apparent “lack of priority” being assigned to many of the issues raised Harry Stoke and Little Stoke have reported the irresponsible use of e-scooters groups of youths in balaclavas threatening locals and people smashing bottles in public places late at night Locations such as the Stoke Gifford By-Pass The Range car park and the junction of Baileys Court Road with Orpheus Avenue are said to have recently seen an increase in cars “drag racing” and “doing doughnuts” late at night with screeching tyres keeping residents awake The two councillors urged the police to take a proactive approach to addressing anti-social behaviour and to ensure incidents are responded to as quickly as possible “Anti-social behaviour can be hugely damaging to our local communities and I’m pleased to have been able to meet with our MP and the Police and Crime Commissioner to ensure these issues are addressed.” “Residents should not have to put up with such inconsiderate behaviour and Keith and I will continue to do all we can to make Stoke Gifford and the surrounding area a safe place to live.” “Some of the incidents that residents have reported lately are really distressing and it’s vitally important that these issues are tackled.” Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset I had the pleasure of meeting with the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke Jack Lopresti and Stoke Gifford councillors Cllr Neel Das Gupta and Cllr Keith Cranney They raised concerns from within their respective wards graffiti in play areas and the reckless driving of e-scooters which has resulted several accidents.” “I would like to provide reassurance to local residents that I have listened to these concerning issues and am working closely with the police and partners to explore ways in which we can address them.” A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police Cllr has now provided detailed responses to the issues raised at the meeting (numbered 1 to 9 and shown in bold font below) Reckless driving of e-scooters in the area leading to accidents It’s a risk for children and elderly on the road e-scooter and e-bike use has been on the rise with the legal sale of these vehicles despite them not being road legal and prohibited This is a nationwide problem where although legislation exists to seize these vehicles (No insurance or ASB legislation) if they are seen to be being used on a road the opportunity to do this is difficult based on the very obvious risk factors present highlighted in the press recently from fatal accidents where police appear to have been trying to deal with such use The force policy is to educate the e-transport users initially logging details and recording the fact that they have been warned Persistent use can lead to more punitive measures such as seizure of vehicles fines and prosecution for driving offences the police is keen that if a vehicle is being used in crime we go straight to seizure and bypass the education aspect the police team based at Patchway have seized several e-scoters which were being used by youths who were also involved in ASB They continued to use them despite warnings and education and as a result have lost their vehicles Police are aiming to have days of action to address e-scooter use in the near future but at present staffing levels and abstractions mean that this is not possible in the short term The force has acknowledged that this type of e-vehicle use which is also involved in crime is becoming a big issue for communities and as a result Avon and Somerset police have set up a specific operation to deal with these problems This means we will have more officers from force resources and specialist teams available to help combat these issues Youth with balaclavas and other people trying to break into cars in the area but no action because crime hasn’t taken place as if youths in balaclavas are trying to break into cars then this is a crime and if reported to Police will result in a crime report being generated but we need the public to report instances like this as and when they happen so that we can build an intelligence picture and direct appropriate resources towards the problem Public can protect themselves with sensible measures such as properly securing their vehicles and not leaving items of value within their cars as a lure to potential criminals Youth with masks and balaclavas misbehaving with locals repeatedly and making residents feel insecure [Response]: This is a problem we are aware of and would encourage the public to call in these instances so that we can again build a picture of what problems are occurring and where It appears to be a standard mode of dress with certain offenders wearing balaclavas when on e-vehicles or when committing ASB which obviously makes identification difficult however we have recently dealt with a number of persons who adopt this mode of dress and I believe that this is a small group acting in this way which is causing most of the issues in our area [Response]: The issues around anti-social car use/car cruises have been well documented over the years with several measures put in place as a result of police Cribbs Causeway has largely been target hardened with better barriers and CCTV being installed to deter this type of activity Work however is ongoing and there is a problem-solving plan which is currently being progressed with the aim of obtaining a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for some of the problematic sites This is with the council for consultation currently Cars have been driving in through the no through way at the top of Knightwood Road recently from B4057 Winterbourne road Can police take any action to prevent accidents [Response]: This is not an issue that has been brought to my attention Has this been reported to police previously and have any registration numbers been taken we can certainly look at some driver education if this is a small number of regular drivers doing this if this is witnessed by a police officer or caught on Dash Cam footage by the public then action under the Road Traffic Act could also be an option Many residents living next to the Meade Park have complained about ASB at night on route to and from the park lots of shouting in early hours (regularly) Can police take an action to resolve these ongoing issues [Response]: Meade Park has had a spate of ASB issues and police have responded by implementing a patrol and visibility plan especially over evening and weekends during the summer months We have had additional patrols on top of our normal staffing including officers on overtime and support from the Special Constabulary with problematic individuals identified through use of police Body worn cameras We have approached the council regards to a mobile CCTV camera being installed Reported ASB problems at Meade Park in recent weeks have dropped significantly compared to earlier in the summer The playground for younger kids in Brooklands Park has had really bad graffiti done to it w/c 21st Aug Can police investigate this and take measures so that it can be prevented next time before it happens [Update/Response]: The graffiti has been removed before 1st September Police will add this area to the patrol plan for the Stoke Gifford PCSO’s for future attention we may need to liaise with council to see if there are any measures in the design of the area which can be addressed to deter this kind of damage Update on investigation of Meade Park fire [Response]: The fire in Meade Park has been investigated by the local Response Team despite a media appeal and efforts made to identify any witnesses no evidence has been available to identify any suspect in relation to the offence Most common crime (locally and city wide) seems to be around electric motorbikes and mopeds but you’re not going to catch then without the right tools [Response]: Police bikes and traffic units are a force resource that we can request if we have an appropriate issue for which to request them they clearly face the same issues as stated in Point 1 when trying to intervene in these type of offences There’s more than one way to get in touch with the police if you have any concerns or see something that you think they should be aware of The Police and Crime Commissioner has put together this brief guide on how and when to report a crime: For non-urgent matters, you can contact the neighbourhood police team via a contact form at the bottom of the Stoke Gifford beat team webpage Do not use this contact form to report a crime A man from Stoke Gifford has been ordered to pay a total of £1,541 after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for fly-tipping waste in Hambrook of Cow Barton in Stoke Gifford pleaded guilty to the offence of fly-tipping when he appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on Thursday 2 February Spiring had previously failed to appear in court twice for the offence so magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest and he was detained ahead of the hearing The court heard that on 8 August 2022 the proprietor of The White Horse Public House on Hambrook Lane became aware of a number of black household rubbish bags that had been discarded in the car park of the pub The pub’s CCTV revealed a car had driven into the car park that morning and the driver could be seen to get out of the vehicle and remove approximately six black bags of household waste which he placed and left in the car park The footage also showed that the vehicle had three single mattresses attached to its roof and the driver left with them still on the vehicle The proprietor contacted South Gloucestershire Council and Environmental Enforcement officers attended They confirmed that it was general household waste and found a letter addressed to Spiring at his home address within one of the bags Subsequent checks completed on the vehicle captured on CCTV revealed Spiring as its registered keeper and ANPR enquiries additionally put the vehicle in the vicinity of the offence at the time and date observed On Monday 22 August Environmental Enforcement officers attended Spiring’s address and observed the same vehicle on the driveway of the property Spiring answered the door and was made aware of the nature of the visit by the officers who cautioned him and proceeded to ask questions about the offence to most of which he responded with “no comment” When questioned about the mattresses and if those had also been fly-tipped Spiring responded by saying he always fly-tips his rubbish as well as claiming he doesn’t pay any taxes Spiring declined the opportunity to view the CCTV footage and at the conclusion of the conversation he was advised that he would be reported to attend court for the fly-tip and would receive the summons in the post cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council said: “This case is further proof of our unrelenting commitment to prosecute fly-tippers and I hope it serves as a deterrent to anyone who considers dumping their waste illegally in South Gloucestershire “This waste could have been disposed of lawfully at one of our Sort It recycling centres but instead it was discarded in the car park of a public house and expected that others would clear it away it has a negative impact on our communities and local environment and we all have a responsibility to make sure that our waste is disposed of in the appropriate manner “We will pursue anyone who dumps their rubbish illegally through the courts and our award-winning environmental enforcement team has a 100 per cent record of securing successful prosecutions for this type of offence Our zero-tolerance approach means that anyone who fly-tips in South Gloucestershire is five times more likely to be prosecuted than anywhere else in the country.” Unwanted goods and household or garden waste can all be disposed of at no cost via the council’s Sort It recycling centres www.southglos.gov.uk/sortitcentres Residents who see illegal fly-tipping are encouraged to report it by contacting the council’s StreetCare helpdesk on 01454 868000, emailing streetcare@southglos.gov.uk or visiting www.southglos.gov.uk/flytipping A ‘wildlife superhighway’ has been installed at a new housing development on the north-eastern fringe of Stoke Gifford to ensure the amphibian residents feel right at home Housebuilder Wain Homes installed the £100,000 bespoke pair of tunnels underneath the entrance road to Mulgrove Farm Village (near Parkway North Roundabout) in a joint project with South Gloucestershire Council The tunnel is part of extensive landscaping and ecological works at the development which will also see dozens of new trees planted to turn the entrance road into an avenue of green to create high quality habitats for wildlife senior technical coordinator at Wain Homes “The ecological impact of any development is obviously a high priority and installing measures like this tunnel ensures that wildlife can still travel to different habitats.” “People are often surprised by the distance amphibians can cover between feeding and breeding grounds but toads so it is important they have safe routes maintained.” “The tunnel design was specified by an ecologist with the area around landscaped to make it as natural as possible to wildlife and each tunnel has guide walls to the sides which funnel the amphibians towards them.” “We just hope they like their new superhighway!” South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet member for climate and nature emergency “The Mulgrove development is an exciting venture to deliver energy efficient and sustainable homes here in South Gloucestershire which are compliant with our climate emergency policies and meet the future housing needs of our residents.” “Protecting nature and safeguarding important species is vitally important with developments such as these so it is fantastic to see that local wildlife will be kept safe and habitats remain connected following the installation of these specially designed tunnels.” Wain Homes is building a range of two-bedroom apartments and three- four- and five-bedroom homes at its award-winning Mulgrove Farm Village development off Great Stoke Way Prices currently start from £290,000 at the development which was named ‘Large Residential Development of the Year’ at the South West Residential Property Awards 2023 For more information, visit the Wain Homes website The 2022/23 season has been another successful campaign for Stoke Gifford United FC After securing promotion to the Gloucestershire County League for the first time last year the first team have put in a solid first season Finishing in 7th place and showing a lot of promise the plan from here is to build and challenge at the very top of the league next season The club have enjoyed a close relationship with SGS College where the first team now play their home games which has lead to the club being in a strong position recruitment-wise with young players learning their trade in adult football alongside experienced managers and coaches Meanwhile the reserve team achieved back-to-back promotions over the last two years resulting them reaching the Bristol Suburban Premier Division for the first time With a blend of young talent and a close knit group managers Ross and James made the team super successful and will look to kick on again next season the A team enjoyed a much more fruitful season The new management team of Ian and Lewis rejuvenated the squad who enjoyed a second-place finish The club are looking to further build and grow and are particularly keen the secure more local talent to take us to the next level “I don’t think that in my long time with and around the club we have been in a stronger position talent-wise Both the first and reserves are in the highest divisions they’ve ever competed in Also the partnership with the SGS has been great for both parties From our point of view we have access to some very talented young players and in return the SGS get the benefit of us giving their youngsters the experience of completing in adult football and learning the trade at a competitive level.” Lots of work is going on in the background to aid this However they would like to appeal to local community to come up and support games and even make yourself known if you’d like to volunteer in any capacity There are plenty of roles and jobs in the club that could do with support Additionally they would like to to say to all players 16 and over who are either beginning adult football or looking for a change to get in touch and join a club on the up As the club continue to progress they are appealing for support from local businesses that would be interested in sponsorship In return they will happily share and advertise businesses through their social media platforms on Facebook There are also sponsorship packages where businesses can show off their logos on match kit “We always support our sponsors as much as possible and in a number of different ways We have a number of different sponsorship opportunities and will be using a raffle system this season Keeping a club of our size running isn’t easy so any help and support the local community and local businesses can offer would be greatly appreciated.” For more information, get in touch via the club’s Twitter or Facebook page Plans to build a 315-place (1.5 forms of entry) primary school on the Brooklands Park housing development in Harry Stoke could be scrapped if the recommendations of a recent officer report are accepted by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) The move would lead to some children having to travel up to 2 miles to attend existing schools in adjacent areas Outline planning permission for the Harry Stoke school was granted in 2007 as part of the overall consent for the construction of 1,200 homes on an area identified as ‘Land at Harry Stoke’ in SGC’s 2006 Local Plan This area includes the now-completed Highbrook Park (phase 1) development the currently under construction Brooklands Park development and a future Highbrook Park (phase 2) development The designated site for the Harry Stoke school lies within the Brooklands Park development another area known as the ‘East of Harry Stoke (EoHS) New Neighbourhood’ was earmarked in SGC’s 2013 Core Strategy for the construction of a further 2,000 new homes This area straddles the London to South Wales railway line and is being developed by Crest Nicholson south of the railway and Wain Homes north of the railway Construction of the first homes in EoHS is currently under way at Crest Nicholson’s Highbrook View development and Wain Homes’ Mulgrove Farm Village development The approved outline plans for EoHS include the provision of a 630-place (i.e 3 forms of entry) primary school on the Wain Homes land Above: Map showing the sites of two proposed primary schools serving new developments at Harry Stoke and the East of Harry Stoke New Neighbourhood Click the icon top right to view full screen A briefing note titled ‘Harry Stoke / East of Harry Stoke Education Infrastructure Briefing’ which was circulated and discussed at a meeting of Stoke Gifford Parish Council on 14th February 2023 reveals that discussions have recently taken place between SGC officers and Crest Nicholson “about education infrastructure across the sites and the need for a school at Harry Stoke” The note points out that the delivery of new dwellings at Harry Stoke and EoHS is happening later than originally anticipated and is happening at a time when birth rates are declining SGC’s policy is to consider surplus capacity within a 2-mile radius of new developments the surplus provision within this geographical spread would have been minimal with the recent decline in birth rates it has become significant The expected ‘child yield’ from Harry Stoke and EoHS taken together is 776 primary age children which corresponds to 3.7 forms of entry (FE) The original proposals for 1.5FE and 3FE schools on the two sites would provide a total of 945 places an excess on-site provision of 169 places based on the latest yield estimates the summer 2022 schools census showed that there were 323 surplus places in existing primary schools within 2 miles of Harry Stoke and EoHS which could potentially be used to meet the demand from these new housing developments Even allowing for “unexpected movement in numbers” there would still be 172 surplus places within the wider area Assuming that these surplus places would be assigned to children from Harry Stoke and EoHS yields a net on-site requirement for 604 places (calculated as 776 – 172) which could be met by a single 3FE school (630-place) Officers also refer to “significant funding constraints” associated with building two new schools High-level cost estimates given in the report are £9.7m for the 1.5FE school at Brooklands Park and £20.5m for the 3FE school at Mulgrove Farm Village With housing developers committed through S106 agreements to making school provision contributions of £11.9m in total potentially increasing to £17.8m with index-linking there is a funding shortfall of at least £12.4m for the two-school scenario Another factor mentioned in the report is that current Department for Education policy doesn’t permit the opening of primary schools of a size less than 2FE The paper is silent on the possibility of increasing the size of the Harry Stoke school to satisfy this requirement birth rate and admissions data that has been reviewed; coupled with the significant financial implications of building out the [two] schools as originally proposed it is recommended that we only proceed with the development of one school on the East of Harry Stoke site [at Mulgrove Farm Park] to serve these two developments.” The report adds that should demand for primary school places in neighbouring areas rise unexpectedly within the medium term consideration could be give to expanding the EoHS school to 4FE or alternatively expanding provision at another school within the 2-mile radius South Gloucestershire Council’s Commissioning of School Placement Strategy is set to be discussed at a meeting of the local authority’s Cabinet on 11th December 2023 Crest Nicholson sold us it based on a community growing around us community centre and the school are all shelved (with Crest Nicholson input) makes me very angry One of the largest employers in Stoke Gifford is looking to let out space in its enormous office complex near Parkway Station as a consequence of a move towards permanent ‘flexible working’ Insurance giant Aviva announced back in January that it was closing or merging some of its UK sites and intended to allow staff to continue working from home said the plans would not lead to job cuts and people could still work from an office if they would rather “The way we use our office space is changing significantly As our people continue to work in a new flexible way we want our offices to inspire creativity and collaboration Our intention is to invest in our sites to provide a more vibrant inspiring and flexible workspace for our people,” Aviva said in a statement “We are combining office space in some locations and reducing the space in others We are not leaving any town or city where we currently have a presence,” it added “The next steps are to continue engaging with our people across these locations working with them to build the best working environment to support their needs the needs of the business and our customers.” was not specifically mentioned in the January announcement Aviva said it planned to cut up to 30 percent of its 1.7 million sq ft office space across the UK by the end of 2021 The first indication that changes are potentially coming to the Stoke Gifford site came with the appearance of several ‘To let’ signs in early October These advertise “modern office space with excellent parking; from 8,850 sq ft” numerous permanent signs which previously displayed the name ‘Aviva Centre’ were altered to read ‘Lake View’ the new name under which the complex is being marketed A recently published brochure for Lake View has the tagline “Modern office space in a parkland setting near Parkway train station” and offers office suites ranging in size “from 8,850 to 88,000 sq ft” Facilities listed as being available to tenants include a fully equipped gym eco climate control and electric car charging points A floor plan of a “typical upper floor” shows three modules available for rent occupying around half the total space available on the floor configured as three separate modules ranging in size from 8,857 to 10,774 sq ft A spokesperson for Aviva told the Journal: “We have surplus space in our Bristol office which we are now looking to let out to other companies We rebranded the office to Lake View to support marketing the building Aviva still has a significant presence in the building along with our outsource partners who support Aviva customers on our behalf.” The spokesperson declined to state the percentage of the total floor space in the building that is being offered for let the percentage of Aviva and outsourced staff that are currently working wholly or partly from home could not be disclosed This article originally appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on pages 4 & 5) Witnesses are being sought after an incident in Little Stoke which left a man needing hospital treatment three chipped teeth and shoulder and jaw injuries after he was punched by a group of eight to ten youths at approximately 11.40pm on Wednesday 8th November 2023 The incident took place in Little Stoke Park, on the footpath between the BMX track and the Sort It recycling centre The victim has since returned home and is recovering from his injuries but is still suffering from sleep and memory issues The youths are all described as wearing dark hoodies and bomber jackets with dark face masks and balaclavas One of the offenders is described as having short dirty blond hair and being of medium build If you were in the area at the time or saw anything which could help our investigation please call 101 and quote reference 5223273802 The Stoke Gifford Transport Link has now opened to traffic The new road was built as part of the MetroBus project and forms an essential part of the new MetroBus route between Cribbs Causeway and Hengrove The new 1.6 km road is called Rosedown Avenue and connects the A4174 ring road at Harry Stoke with Great Stoke Way The new road will speed up journey times in and around Stoke Gifford and help reduce congestion around Abbey Wood Councillor Matthew Riddle (leader of South Gloucestershire Council) planted a tree alongside the road to commemorate the opening “This is a very exciting day for the region,” said Councillor Riddle “MetroBus has built a road that will bring significant improvements to the region It will take traffic away from unsuitable residential areas and provide local businesses with a long awaited direct route from Aztec West to the M32 and the city centre The MetroBus project is about sustainable transport for the future improving air quality and making the region a better place for us The planting of trees along the road is a daily visible reminder of our environmental responsibilities.” MetroBus is a rapid public transport system being brought to the region by Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils It will quickly transport large numbers of people using segregated busways priority at junctions and off-bus ticketing MetroBus will be a smarter way of travelling that will be reliable reduce congestion and cut levels of pollution The 50km MetroBus network will provide direct routes to key destinations around the area enabling thousands of people to access employment Cllr Matthew Riddle’s said: “Thank you all for attending today We are here this morning to plant a tree to commemorate the opening of the Stoke Gifford Transport Link which will be officially known as Rosedown Avenue “The road proposals date back to the mid-1980s when a Winterbourne bypass was identified and again mentioned in the Avon County Structure Plan of 1994 to provide a strategic route between Yate and Bristol “A first section of the bypass (Great Stoke Way) was constructed and opened several years ago The new Stoke Gifford Transport Link now completes the link between Great Stoke Way and the A4174 Avon Ring Road tested four route options linking Bristol Parkway Railway Station to the A4174 Ring Road The current alignment was chosen and included in a bid to the Department for Transport as part of the MetroBus project in 2011 “The road has now been delivered as part of the MetroBus Project South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council which was announced in 2015 “The design was undertaken by SGC and CH2M and Contract Management by Faithful and Gould The main roadway has been built by Alun Griffiths Construction with Network Rail building the bridge over the railway and Dawnus Construction building the bridge over the Ham-Brook “I’d like to thank everyone involved for bringing this important new link to fruition and once everything is ready it will be opened to traffic later this afternoon” Please note: There will be an off-peak lane closure on Rosedown Avenue Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 December for Alun Griffiths to dismantle their works site.