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News

MAKING THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY GREEN

Bristol East Greens Raise Concerns About Current State of Redevelopment Plans

Bristol East Green Party has put in a series of questions ahead of the meeting of Bristol City Council’s Cabinet next week (see note 1) and a Freedom of Information request (see note 2) relating to various aspects of the proposed development of the former Chocolate Factory in Easton. Our concerns about the development include the following:

1. Bristol City Council has agreed the sale of an important wildlife site on the Bristol-Bath Railway Path. Building along the path compromises the green nature of the path and disrupts important wildlife habitats. Selling any part of the Railway Path contravenes the Parks and Green Spaces Strategy.

2. The manner in which this sale was carried out is also of concern. Council officers expressly advised against the sale of this piece of land. Their professional opinion appeared to be overruled by David Bishop, Bristol City Council Director of City Development, after a series of private, unminuted meetings and phone calls with George Ferguson on behalf of the developers. By approving the sale, Bishop disregarded not only the expert opinion of his officers, but also the BCC Parks and Green Spaces Strategy. Bristol City Council needs to investigate the circumstances under which the sale was agreed as a matter of urgency.

3. Bristol City Council has also agreed to grant an easement along the remaining boundary of the developers’ land and the cycle path. The planning application and other documents clearly shows that the developers intend to cordon off this land – an effective colonisation of the cycle path.

4. The development is highly car-centric. Even the majority of the so-called cycle houses have integral garages. There is also a high ratio of parking spaces to inhabitants. The number of parking spaces should be reduced (obviating the need to take publicly owned land)and all parking spaces should be for smaller cars (not just the tiny proportion currently specified, given that this low target would be met anyway whether it existed or not). Permits for parking spaces on the development should be limited to one per household, with free car club membership for any household that wants it. The developers should also provide Section 106 money to fund free residents' parking schemes in the streets surrounding the development.

5. The developers aim to offset 10% of the emissions associated with the development. This is despite widespread consensus in the environmental movement and beyond that carbon offsetting is at best ineffective and at worst actively harmful to the environment. Instead, there should be a genuine attempt to minimise emissions in the first place, for example, by adopting Sustainability Code Level 6, which will become compulsory for all new houses in 2016 anyway. Under the current plans only the cycle houses will be designed to meet even Sustainability Code Level 5, with the rest of the new houses only meeting Levels 4 or, in some case, 3. The flats in the refurbished factory itself are measured by a different standard (known as BREEAM). Again, they should meet the highest level of this standard, not merely be designed to meet the one below.

This said, the plans are not without their positive aspects as well. In environmental terms they are an improvement on the ones put forward in the previously rejected application from another developer, even if they are not yet green enough to be supportable in their current form.

Various members of the Green Party in Bristol have already made their views known through the planning application process that is currently nearing completion. It is therefore our hope that the developers will have listened to our concerns and those of other local people and amended their plans accordingly.

Notes:

(1) Questions from Easton Green Party Candidate, Katie Buse, to Councillor Rosalie Walker, Executive Member for Culture and Healthy Communities, regarding the Chocolate Factory and the Bristol-Bath Railway Path.

Q1. Documents recently obtained under Freedom of Information suggest that property developers in Easton will be granted an easement on part of the Bristol-Bath Railway Path. This easement is intended to allow access to the path, however, the developers’ own illustrations clearly show hedges being used to take part of the path for the front gardens of houses within the development, as well as steps being built onto the land in question. Can the Cabinet member explain why this has been agreed?

Q2. What are the exact terms upon which permission has been granted to the Chocolate Factory developers for this easement? Has the council carried out an assessment of the commercial value and environmental impact of the easement?

Q3. Can the Cabinet member tell us what risk assessments have been done and what safety measures are proposed to deal with:

a. the considerable narrowing of a busy section of the path that this easement would entail; and

b. the problems arising from having multiple points of access in a relatively short strip of path?

Q4. Does the Cabinet Member agree that allowing part of the Railway Path to be privatised in this way amounts to a land grab by the developers, makes a mockery of the Council’s Parks and Green Spaces Strategy, and sets a worrying precedent for the future protection of the Path?

(2) The details of the Freedom of Information request can be found at: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/easement_of_land_along_the_brist



2nd June 2008

CYCLE PATH SAVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BRT Plans Shelved for the Foreseeable Future

Sometimes we say it best when we say nothing at all. The campaign to save the Bristol-Bath cycle path from being turned into a busway has been quietly beavering away since the council vote on April 1st (see below), readying itself for the consultation to come.

But now it looks as if there won't be one. As the front page of the Evening Post puts it, 'Cycle Path Plans A No Go' full story here.

So, though no absolute guarantees have been given, it does look as if the path is safe barring a change of administration in Bristol. But this is the third time in a generation that the people of East Bristol have had to pull out all the stops to save the path, so the Green Party and also the Save the Railway Path campaign and other organisations are now calling for the path to be given Town Green status in perpetuity so that it will be protected forever, and perhaps even expanded and improved.

For now, though, a big thank you to everyone, and there are so many of you, who helped in the campaign. For once the good guys won!!!



2nd April 2008

1,500 STRONG DEMONSTRATION BUT STILL NO COUNCIL SUPPORT TO SAVE THE PATH

Labour Wrecking Amendment Sees Supposed Labour and Tory Rebels Melt into Thin Air

The latest on the path following the Council meeting. Basically the celebration on Sunday was a great success with over 1,500 people marching, but a Labour wrecking amendment last night means that... (click here for more)



28th March 2008

LIB DEMS FINALLY COME OFF THE FENCE

Green refusal to accept a fudging amendment forces them to reconsider

Just a quick update ahead of Sunday's demonstration and Tuesday's vote:

1) The Lib Dems finally threw their weight behind the campaign to save the path today. Having had their first amendment, which would have watered down the motion to save the path, leaving it as an option to be considered, rejected by ourselves and the Save the Railway Path campaign, they finally caved in and put forward a second amendment which keeps the clear rejection of the path as an option but adds a few extra details to make it look as if they're doing something. Rather cheeky on their part, but a small price to pay for their 31 votes in the council chamber on Tuesday.

2) This means that only 4 Labour or Tory councillors supporting the motion, or 8 abstainers, or somewhere in between, will be enough to save the path. Mark Bradshaw, the Labour politician pushing the BRT plans, has released a bizarre rambling video... (click here for more)



15th March 2008

DETAILS OF MARCH 30TH AND APRIL 1ST PROTESTS FINALISED

Critical mass of Bristolians to protest at Council House on these two dates

The final details of the two events are as follows:

1) Sunday March 30th, 2.30pm on - The First Annual Celebration of the Bristol-Bath Railway Path

Please join the Save the Railway Path campaign on Sunday March 30th for a fun family day celebrating railway path and the benefits it brings to walkers, cyclists, disabled people, schoolkids and everyone else in our community.

All Welcome!

Bring your banners, musical instruments, fancy dress and friends to show that we love the path as it is.

The procession will start down the path from Fishponds (by Morrisons supermarket) at approx 2.30pm - simply join us as we pass your bit of the path (eg Devon Rd bridge c.2.45)!

(Cyclists will be pushing their bikes alongside pedestrians, rather than riding them, and stewards will be keeping non-protestors using the path ahead of/behind the procession well warned of what's going on.)

Or meet us at the bottom of the path in Newtown Park (St Phillips, near Trinity centre) at 3pm where there will be refreshments available, a samba band, a Playbus and other stuff going on.

Note that these times could well slip as we are expecting a lot of people and therefore possibly a slower than expected procession! If we're not at the places above at the times above, please just hang on - we will get there before too long!

We will then continue from about 3.30pm via Old Market, Castle Park and Baldwin Street, reaching College Green at 4.30pm. There, in front of the Council House, a rally with speakers will take place to give a voice to the vast majority of Bristolians who are opposed to the proposed plans to destroy the path by running buses down it.

Note that the clocks go forward the night before!

2) Tuesday April 1st, 5.45pm on - Charlie Bolton's Motion to Save the Path

Whether you can make March 30th or not, please consider coming along to Council House the following Tuesday, when Bristol City Council will be voting on a motion to reject the proposed plans to run buses along East Bristol's 'linear park'.

There will be a rally and photo call on College Green from 5.45pm on, prior to the start of the Council meeting at 6pm. At that point, we will all go in to the public gallery to hear the various statements that have been submitted opposing the plans read out.

Then, at around 9pm, the vote itself will be taken - if it's won, the plans that threaten the path will be history... (click here for more)



6th March 2008

PARTY LINES THREATEN ATTEMPT TO SAVE PATH

More and more Bristol politicians are joining the campaign - but without direct action the April 1st vote could still be lost

Following requests from Bristol's lone Green councillor, Charlie Bolton, both Labour and the Lib Dems have committed themselves to allowing his April 1st motion, which calls on the Council to oppose the BRT plans, to be discussed fully.

Furthermore, some leading Bristol political figures have lent their names to the campaign during the last week. Stephen Williams, Lib Dem MP for Bristol West, has effectively said he opposes the plans, while Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy has also expressed concern, albeit in a way that still falls well short of actually opposing the proposals. Her reluctance to commit, and Stephen Williams' tardiness in doing so, is in marked contrast to Green candidates Daniella Radice (Bristol West) and Martin Cottingham (Bristol East)'s immediate strong backing for the campaign back in January. Like the rest of the Green Party... (click here for more)



25th Feb 2008

PRESSURE ON LABOUR AS THEY AGREE TO A FULL DEBATE OF CYCLE PATH MOTION

Local Easton Councillor Abdul Malik also comes out against the plans

As part of the Save the Railway Path umbrella group, a non party political group of people concerned at the plans to run buses down the Bristol-Bath cycle path, several Green Party members attended the Council's cabinet meeting on Thursday. At this meeting, the StRP group read out a statement outlining the reasons behind that campaign. In response, the leader of the Council, Labour's Helen Holland, gave an express undertaking that the Green Party motion of April 1st (see below) would be "fully debated".

Meanwhile, local Easton councillor Abdul Malik has... (click here for more)



13th Feb 2008

GREENS ATTEMPT TO FORCE COUNCIL VOTE ON CYCLE PATH

Only Lib/Lab/Con machinations can stop Bristol's councillors from being forced to show support or opposition to the plans

The Green Party in Bristol, in the form of councillor Charlie Bolton, have submitted a motion on the controversial proposals from local uber-quango, the West of England Partnership, to run buses down the East Bristol railway path.

The motion, currently top of the list for the next full Council meeting on April 1st, reads:

'Council notes the strength of feeling expressed by citizens of Bristol against the proposed Bus Rapid Transit route along the much loved Bristol-Bath cycle path. Council further recognises that cycling is a more sustainable transport solution than the use of public transport.

'As such, while recognising the vital importance of improving public transport in Bristol, Council regards the use of the cycle path for Bus Rapid Transit as an inappropriate solution.

'Council calls on... (click here for more)



7th Feb 2008

CYCLEPATH VICTORY IN SIGHT!

Electoral maths looks bad for Labour as Lib Dems finally jump on the bandwagon

Two weeks after everybody else, but better late than never, Bristol's Liberal Democrats have finally come out publicly against the plans to run buses down the cycle path.

Obviously impressed by the turnout and strength of feeling at the public meeting on Tuesday, and/or the prospect of losing councillors at the next local elections in 2009, the Lib Dems have broken their official silence with a press release.

What's more, local Labour figures... (click here for more)



6th Feb 2008

SAVE THE CYCLEPATH CAMPAIGN MEETING IS A LOCK OUT!

Bristolians queue round the block to protest against the Bus Rapid Transit con

The campaign to save the railway path is front page news in the local press, and last night's meeting was another unmistakable show of East Bristol's, and indeed the whole city's, opposition to the plans. Anyone who didn't get there early was left listening outside through the window as the organisers locked latecomers out to comply with fire regs.

Speakers included Pip Sheard of FoE and Jon Grimshaw, chief exec of Sustrans. There was also an excellent presentation on exactly why the cycle path is such a bad idea.

We won't reproduce any of the contents here, as the meeting also made another important decision... (click here for more)



25th Jan 2008

Bristol Green Party Demands Answers

10 QUESTIONS FIRST AND THE COUNCIL HAVE TO ANSWER ABOUT THEIR PLANS TO RUN BUSES DOWN THE BRISTOL-BATH CYCLEPATH

Thanks to the hard work of the Bristol Cycling Campaign, and their Freedom of Information request, new plans to run buses down the country’s most popular dedicated cycle and pedestrian path have been forced into the public sphere.

The plans were made by a team of management consultants employed by the unelected local quango, the West of England Partnership. The West of England Partnership is made up of representatives from the likes of the Council, the South West Regional Development Agency and First Group – the very people responsible for the current appalling state of Bristol transport.

So we can be forgiven for not wanting to take their assertions that these plans are the best option for the people of Bristol.

And it seems we’re not alone - over 3,000 people have already signed the petition opposing it.

Unless the following ten questions can be answered properly, this idea is a non-starter. And until these questions are answered to our satisfaction, Bristol Green Party will be fighting the proposals tooth and nail, in the hope that common sense will prevail, and the M32 be adopted as a much better alternative route for the new bus way.

1) Why are partners in the project already identifying ways to make the plans seem more environmental than they actually are in the public consultation to come?

(For example, when discussing whether a ‘guided’ or ‘unguided’ system should be chosen, a technical report made to the Partnership had this to say: ‘The image (of the guided system) can appear more sustainable due to the ability to plant grass between the tracks, which will be useful in softening the perceived impact of the route for consultation purposes'. See page 2 of the anonymous ‘Bus Rapid Transit Technology Assessment – Guidance Recommendation’ dated 1st August 2007, available here, which was endorsed by the Bus Rapid Transport Project Board at its 9th November meeting. While it is unclear who exactly drafted this recommendation, the recommendation was put together following a 15th October 2007 workshop at which representatives from First, Halcrow, Steer Davies Gleave and a third consultancy, Atkins, were present - see item 3 in the minutes for the 9th November meeting). Meanwhile, Business West, another unelected member of the West of England Partnership quango, had a idea. They highlighted the ‘perceived advantages of low emission vehicles’ if such buses were employed on the new route. See item 7 in the minutes from the West of England Partnership’s Bus Rapid Transit Project Board meeting of 9 November 2007, available here)

2) Why is £49 million being spent on this when First are proposing to run only two buses an hour down the track at evenings, bank holidays and weekends, and only provide enough buses to carry 300 people at peak time?

(See page 12 of the BRT Project Board's 'Corridor Options Shortlist Report' from May 2007, available here. The 300 people per hour peak time estimate comes from Save the Railway Path, who foresee an average of 50 people per bus at peak time.)

3) Why is a linear park currently used for 2.4 million carbon free cycle and pedestrian journeys per year seen as more suitable for a double bus lane than a road? Is it simply because it is the cheaper option, or... (click here for more)

BRISTOL EAST GREEN PARTY ANNOUNCES 2009 ELECTION LINEUP

With the ballot for General Election candidate closing last Saturday, Bristol East Green Party is happy to announce its lineup for the next general and local elections. Martin Cottingham has been selected to stand as General Election candidate in the Bristol East parliamentary constituency.

Bristol East GP General Election candidate,
Martin Cottingham

The following candidates have also been selected to fight the seven Bristol wards covered by Bristol East GP:

WARD	2009 CANDIDATE	LAST GREEN RESULT
Easton	Katie Buse	17.25%
Eastville	Martin Cottingham	7.6%
Frome Vale	Nick Foster	6.51%
Hillfields	Leon&Quinn	7.98%
Lawrence Hill	Christine Prior	11.03%
St George East	Adrian Bonds	5.7%
St George West	Josephine&McLellan	7.0%

Martin says: "I’m putting myself forward to stand as Green parliamentary candidate in the Bristol East constituency because I believe our party is the only one with the breadth of vision, ideas and integrity that is so badly needed to challenge the cosy complacency of political life in this country.

"I live in the Stapleton area of Bristol, where I was brought up. I work from home as a freelance writer, editor and project manager specialising in environmental and international development issues. Most of my work is for charities including the Soil Association, Christian Aid, Forum for the Future and Television for the Environment. This year I have written on organic and local food for The Independent, edited reports on hospital food and the carbon footprint of the NHS, and helped to organise a thousand-mile march to highlight the impact of climate change on poor countries. My wife works in a housing advice centre in St Paul’s and we have two teenage daughters who have both been educated at local state schools.

"I have stood three times for the Green Party as a council candidate in Eastville ward. I was first drawn to the party by the depth of its commitment to protecting the environment, but I have since been impressed with its ideas in other areas that are important to me. These include health (my parents were NHS nurses), education (I help run a Friday night youth club in Fishponds) and the economy (where the citizen’s income would be a great antidote to the inequalities that have developed under Labour). I believe we have a credible and compelling set of environmental, social and economic policies that voters should have the opportunity to support in as many constituencies as possible across the UK."

Each candidate will be updating their ward page soon - so watch this space!

PACKERS FIELD - STILL DERELICT



East Bristol's hope for 2016 rowing gold gets some practice in

It seems like yesterday when we were playing in the football tournament at the first Packers Field Fun Day. The day saw hundreds of people come together to show their support for keeping the field a public space.

If you're not familiar with it, Packers Field was sold to the city council by the magnate who owned the land in the 1930s, with the proviso that it be used by local people for recreation.

Despite this, the Council leased it to the new City Academy for 99 years in 2002. Given that the Academy is effectively owned and run by private business people, it's perhaps not surprising that they immediately set about pushing through plans to fence it off from locals and build - of all things - an athletics stadium on it. In all the canvassing we've done in East Bristol over the years, no-one has ever mentioned the area's lack of an athletics stadium as a worry.

So far the fences have gone up, but all they are protecting is a wasteland. Locals have lost a valuable amenity - unless you're a rower!

"It is hoped that local people will feel able to use the facilities for informal recreation purposes" - City Academy spokesperson


For more on the goings on surrounding Packers Field, including schoolkids being made to write letters supporting it in English lessons, and the ultimate New Labour consultation question, click here.

THE BEAT GOES ON

Saturday 6th May saw the first Great Green Benefit Gig take place in Easton!

Around 100 people thrilled to Tom Sastry, Xavier Panades and the Blue Sequoias.

A great time was had by all and £170 was raised for the Bristol East party - a big thanks to everyone who made it possible and to everyone who came!

About Bristol East

Bristol East is the greenest and greatest part of Bristol.

We have loads of green space in the form of Eastville Park, St Georges Park, Troopers Hill, Conham River Park and so on. We have the Bristol to Bath cycle path, the Severn Beach line, some great pubs and the best Moroccan, Indian and vegetarian restaurants in the city.

Of course, we also have to live with the M32, a terrible public transport system, and lots of other kinds of social and economic neglect, not least from the city council. These are all things Bristol East Green Party is fighting to change.

Overall though, our bit of the city's attractions outweigh its problems by a mile. It is the most culturally diverse area in Bristol, with a huge sense of community, people from all over the world and a proud history.

So to find out more about your local ward, click on the relevant link at the top of the page, or see below to learn more about the area, its history and Bristol East GP.

Boundaries and Representatives

At present there is no separate Green Party for the Kingswood parliamentary constituency, so there are no individual ward pages for Downend, Staple Hill, Hanham, Warmley, Oldland Common and Longwell Green. If you would be interested in founding a Kingswood Green Party, please contact us.

As of 2009, Easton and Lawrence Hill wards will become part of the Bristol West parliamentary constituency, with Frome Vale and Hillfields replacing them in the Bristol East parliamentary constituency. Brislington East, Brislington West and Stockwood wards will remain part of the Bristol East parliamentary constituency - for the individual pages for these wards, see the Bristol South Green Party's page.

Local Elections

Bristol East Green Party ran in the following wards in the May 2007 elections:

European Elections

In the last European elections, the Green Party in East Bristol gained 11.1% of the vote. The European election result is significant because it shows our real support base when people feel they can vote for what they believe in (proportional representation) rather than tactical voting (first past the post).

General Elections

In May 2005, our general election candidate received 1,586 votes, 3.8% of the total vote, and a 42% increase on the 2001 result (1,110 votes). At the next general election we fully expect to at least retain our deposit.

ONE WORLD. ONE CHANCE. VOTE GREEN PARTY