Current Issues

• The most important issue for us like most in Bath is the need to resolve the local effects on movement and health of Bath's transport problems. The key aspect of this is the long proposed A36-A46 Link Road, and we continue to argue for progress on this. 
• One persistent local problem is illegal coach parking near the Chinese restaurant at the end of Bathwick St. A meeting with Councillor Peter Turner (Abbey Ward) and Councillor Mark Shelford, the new Cabinet Lead for transport, recently agreed some new parking control arrangements for Bathwick Street and Beckford Road which are now in place.. 
• We have set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme for the whole estate. Hannah Rees is the coordinator, and will be able to pass on email updates on policing issues to all who notify her of their email address. You can do this via the contact form here if you wish. Avon and Somerset Police have upgraded their website so it is much more interactive and relevant on local issues; it can be found here.
• The latest update on the Sydney Gardens update project, which we are supporting , is here.
• We support the restoration of the Cleveland Pools, but while the Cleveland Pools Trust (CPT) did a lot of public engagement on their plans, they did not recognise the need to engage their neighbours from the start as distinct stakeholders that need to be brought on board to ensure the local impact of their plans is acceptable. The main problem is the planned intensity of use of the site, both in terms of hours of use (noise for neighbours), and the impact of travel to and from the pools, some of which will be by car and coach. We  therefore wrote to the HLF (here) asking them to reject the CPT's proposals. In December,the HLF  refused the Stage 2 funding bid, which is very unusual, but the CPT are now trying again, with the support of BathNES and the HLF. This is disappointing, to say the least. We are, however,  delighted that the Immediate Neighbours have put together (here) the outline of a much more suitable, community led, restoration of the Pools, and have distributed a leaflet about it (here) around the Estate. The BERA Committee agreed at its 8 March meeting that we should strongly support it. Our plan is to build support for it over the months to come. Meanwhile, we have agreed to take part in the CPT's consultative group to try to ameliorate the most damaging aspects of their proposals if they go ahead. The Pools were discussed at our AGM on 19 April, minutes here, and we now intend to conduct an Estate-wide opinion survey  on the issue in June/July. You can see what CPT are saying on their website here.