SHIREHAMPTON COMMUNITY ACTION FORUM
Planning Watch –16 February 2017
News:
BCC Newsroom 9.2.17: Mayor promises further council improvement as independent financial report is published
Bristol’s Mayor Marvin Rees has promised to continue getting a very firm grip on Bristol City Council’s finances and the way it is run following the publication of an independent report on its financial position.
The report, written by former Audit Commission Chief Executive Steve Bundred, finds that the underlying financial pressures were not of the council’s own making. He cites large cuts to government grant income, legislative changes and the increasing cost and unavoidable demand for council services.
It does, however, say that there has been a collective failure of leadership in achieving past savings and in how the council managed the process. It notes that many improvements have been made in the past six months and that people can be confident in the council’s proposed budget plans for 2017/18, but highlights a number of serious issues. These include a failure to deal with issues early enough or accept the need for challenging cuts, an unwillingness to accept ‘bad news’, weaknesses in skills, reporting and governance and the failure of the council’s efficiency-based ‘Single Change Programme’ to deliver the savings it had planned between 2014/15 and 2016/17.
It acknowledges that the council has more recently taken many steps to put things right, with regular and stronger financial reporting, more involvement of elected members and changes in senior management. This includes recruiting a new permanent Director of Finance and making them a full member of the council’s Senior Leadership Team. Whilst Mr Bundred gives credit for this, he notes that more improvements will be necessary and that change must be made over the long term under the council’s new Chief Executive.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol said: “I inherited a deeply troubling financial challenge and promised this independent report to help us understand the causes and how we could put things right. We are undoubtedly making fast and strong progress already. We know where there are issues and are already putting many of the fixes in place. This means the public, our partners and councillors can be confident in our budget plans for next year, something which the report confirms.
“We have new senior finance officers, an excellent Interim Chief Executive and incoming permanent Chief Executive, so we are in a good position to improve performance, change the council’s culture and be open about our challenges.“The report suggests that in the past the political leadership was too complacent in trusting that savings could be made without making really hard choices. Scrutiny was focused on our pressures rather than on the savings which needed making. This report proves that our current approach to making savings, whilst very difficult, is absolutely necessary and that we have improved political oversight of our work.”
Stephen Hughes, Interim Chief Executive of Bristol City Council said: “We are very grateful to Steve Bundred for his report. In my short time with Bristol I have worked with the Mayor, his Cabinet and our officers to make improvements. I am confident that our political administration, incoming Chief Executive and Director of Finance provide strong leadership to keep up this momentum. “However, on behalf of the council I am sorry for its collective failure to do well enough in the past. Whatever the reasons or intentions of those involved, many of whom have not been part of preparing this report and have not put their case to Mr Bundred, the fact remains that Bristol City Council as a whole did not achieve what it should have and did not show the leadership which people have a right to expect. I know that improving the council and tackling these issues will be the top priority of the new Chief Executive.”
Mr Bundred’s report concludes with 12 formal recommendations across a broad range of topics. They include strengthening the council’s Finance department, improving the council’s approach to writing reports and business cases, managing documents and making specific departments accountable for savings. Also listed are the need to improve management culture over the next three to five years, keep backbench and opposition councillors better informed, and maintain more frequent financial reporting to Cabinet, something which has been a regular feature during the past financial year.
BCC Press Release 2.2.17: Government funding awarded to improve travel journeys in the West of England
West of England councils have received a welcome boost to help improve sustainable travel thanks to a £7m government grant.The funding is from the government’s Sustainable Travel Access Fund for 2017-20 and will help Bristol City, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset councilsimprove how people travel within the region, connecting them to jobs, education and training.Community schemes supported by the money will focus on increasing and improving walking, cycling and public transport journeys. The £6.9m grant will help fund:
• Free bus vouchers and loan bikes for people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) to help them get to interviews, training and work placement opportunities
• Working with local primary and secondary schools to encourage more pupils to walk to school
• Six-month electric bike loans for businesses to ‘try before they buy’, supporting a shift to low emission technology
• Match-funded grants for businesses to help them invest in onsite sustainable travel facilities such as secure cycle parking
• Support for the Family Cycling Centre in Hengrove, Bristol, which provides all abilities cycle training
• Improving multi-modal travel information through Travelwest.info to help people plan their journeys and timetabling information at bus stops
• Working with a range of community groups to encourage more people totake up sustainable travel.
Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, Cllr Matthew Riddle, Leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Cllr Tim Warren, Deputy Leader of North Somerset Council, Cllr Elfan Ap Rees, and Cllr Mark Bradshaw, Cabinet Member for Transport at Bristol City Council, which led the bid for the funding on behalf of the West of England councils, said:
“The West of England area continues to grow faster than the national average and we need to meet the scale of the challenge this brings, supporting growth while encouraging more sustainable travel. With more people to accommodate on our transport networks we need to embed healthier travel habits to ensure we improve access to work, education and training opportunities.
“We don’t have an unlimited road network so the best way we can improve journeys for everyone is to give people more options. That’s where better walking and cycling routes, and public transport comes in to help free up some of our travel network and make journeys easier, which will help to tackle traffic congestion, particularly trips to work. We hope to use this money to continue working with our partners to provide support services and incentives to take up active travel habits, particularly for shorter journeys.”
Transport Minister Andrew Jones said:“We are committed to improving how people travel and this investment will ensure that people’s journeys are cheaper, safer and better for the environment. It will help people to become more active and better transport planning will reduce congestion on our roads – particularly at peak times.“This investment will also help people access jobs, education and training - specifically targeting those looking to get back into work, as part of our relentless drive to make this a country that works for everyone.”
The funding will be split between the four councils. Bristol will receive £2.64m, Bath and North East Somerset £1.05m, North Somerset £1.25m and South Gloucestershire £1.65m. The councils will now decide how the specific measures will be shared within the West of England region.ENDS
BCC Newsroom: 23.1.17 Final decision due to be made on park byelaws
New byelaws that aim to help people enjoy Bristol parks and green spaces are one step closer to being introduced. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has given approval for Bristol to implement new byelaws, with the final decision now resting with the council.
More than 800 people took part in a public consultation last year, with 58% agreeing that byelaws would help them to enjoy Bristol’s green spaces and almost a third stating it could make them more likely to visit green spaces that they currently avoid.The byelaws will give Bristol City Council and its partners more flexibility to tackle nuisance and other anti-social behaviour in the city’s green spaces. Public support for the principle of introducing byelaws was shown in 2013, when 77% of consultation respondents welcomed their introduction.
The 24 proposed byelaws - refined during 2015 following feedback from the Council’s cross-party Neighbourhood Scrutiny Commission - focus on ensuring everyone can continue to use Bristol’s parks responsibly, considerately and safely.
Bristol City Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Cllr Asher Craig, said: “Having taken on board recommendations by Scrutiny earlier in this process, these revised byelaws achieve the right balance between enabling people to enjoy our parks and being able to address inconsiderate or nuisance behaviour if we need to. “We are hugely grateful to all those individuals, community groups and special interest groups who took time to respond to the consultation. Their comments, along with the input of Scrutiny, have played a crucial part in shaping these final proposals.”
The Bristol City Council’s deputy Service Director for Neighbourhoods and Communities, Gemma Dando, said: “Sensible interpretation of these byelaws means that most activities people currently enjoy can continue across the large majority of parks and green spaces. “In some cases the council might require that people seek consent for an activity, or some areas may become designated for a specific use, such as barbecues. But overall the emphasis will be on encouraging responsible use of parks, with enforcement only being used where efforts to educate and advise have run their course.”
As part of the proposed roll out of the byelaws, police neighbourhood teams will continue to work alongside council officers to take a supportive, informative approach to encouraging people to enjoy the city’s green spaces without adversely affecting other users and the natural environment. In a two-year period from 2011 to 2013 the council received a total of 3,157 complaints about nuisance in parks which were specifically about issues that could in future be addressed via byelaws. More than 200 sites were affected.
Many of the consultation respondents in 2016 were supportive of the proposal to allow barbecues in the majority of public green spaces, providing certain conditions around responsible use are met. A number of respondents also asked whether these proposals meant that foraging could be banned across parks. Foraging such as berry picking will continue to be allowed providing it does not cause real harm to wildlife or wildlife habitats. Even some instances of commercial foraging may be considered acceptable providing it is done in a responsible, sustainable manner.
Following the Secretary of State’s decision, the council has published a notice of intent to make new byelaws in the local media. This is a final opportunity for any comments on the byelaws proposal.
The final decision on whether to implement the byelaws will then be made by Full Council at its meeting in March. If Full Council approve the byelaws, they will come into force on a date to be fixed.For more information and to make a comment visit
BCC Newsroom 20.1.17: Empty council houses brought back into use:
Almost 150 extra empty council homes were brought back into use during 2016 after the new administration identified the need to reduce the number of vacant properties as a key priority.New procedures within the council’s housing department have enabled the process of re-letting properties to become much quicker, therefore reducing the back log of empty homes in the city. Properties must remain empty for a certain period when a tenancy ends and before a new tenant moves in to carry out necessary works and make sure the incoming tenant has a decent home to start their tenancy.
But a lot of work has been done to speed up this process and get homes back into use much quicker.
In 2015/16 1,392 council homes were re-let and in the first three quarters of 2016/17 1,068 properties were re-let. During the third quarter of 2015/16 the team reduced the average repair period from 52 days to 38 days for major works and 38 days to 21 days for standard repairs.
Councillor Paul Smith, Cabinet Member for Homes and Communities, said: “'Reducing the number of empty homes has the same impact as building more housing. “We have got half way to our target of bringing 250 homes back into use in less than one year. This means more homes available for local people, more rent collected and reduced costs of empty homes. “Having houses sat empty is a ridiculous waste when the city is in the middle of a housing crisis and we have to do all we can to reduce the amount of time properties stand empty.”
The time a property will stay empty will vary depending on the level of works required to bring it up to standard. Sometimes there are also reasons homes may appear empty, for example if the council has to take legal action to end a tenancy when the previous tenant has abandoned the home. The new ways of working in the housing service aim to keep tenants in their homes and reduce ‘unnecessary’ tenancy turn over and failed tenancies.Improvements have also been made to make things more efficient when a tenancy is coming to an end. This involves the inspection process and issues such as managing storage.
New Applications:
Reference / 17/00567/FAlternative Reference / PP-05799200
Application Received / Wed 01 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Thu 09 Feb 2017
Address / 122 Portview Road Bristol BS11 9JB
Proposal / Proposed demolition of existing storage building and erect 6no. flats
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00585/X
Alternative Reference / PP-05802510
Application Received / Thu 02 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Thu 02 Feb 2017
Address / Sevalco Ltd Chittening Road Bristol BS11 0YU
Proposal / Variation of condition 6 for planning permission. 16/04250/F - Install a 24MW Energy Storage System (ESS) comprising of 20 containers and associated electrical works on ex-industrial land
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00575/COND
Alternative Reference / PP-05801126
Application Received / Thu 02 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Thu 02 Feb 2017
Address / Land Adjoining Pitchcombe Gardens Bristol
Proposal / Application to approved details in relation to conditions 4 (Site Investigation) of Appeal decision APP/Z0116/A/2220325 of application 13/05387/F Erection of 2 dwellings, with associated vehicular access from Pitchcombe Gardens; provision of private gardens, new landscaping and works to existing trees.
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00732/COND
Alternative Reference / PP-05823307
Application Received / Fri 10 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Fri 10 Feb 2017
Address / Land Adjoining Pitchcombe Gardens Bristol
Proposal / Application to approved details in relation to condition 7(Hard and Soft Landscape) of permission Appeal Decision APP/Z0116/A/14/2220325 planning permission 13/05387/F Erection of 2 dwellings, with associated vehicular access from Pitchcombe Gardens; provision of private gardens, new landscaping and works to existing trees.
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 16/05180/X
Alternative Reference / PP-05506800
Application Received / Mon 26 Sep 2016
Application Validated / Fri 27 Jan 2017
Address / Land Adjoining Pitchcombe Gardens Bristol
Proposal / Application to vary conditions 2 (List of Approved Plans), 6 (Protection of Reptiles Method Statement), 9 (Bird Boxes) and 10 (Badger Protection) attached to consent granted under app. No. 13/05387/F - proposed amendment to conditions 6, 9 and 10 to comply with approved plan and amended plans to reflect changes to development (Condition 2).
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00482/F
Alternative Reference / PP 05654369
Application Received / Mon 23 Jan 2017
Application Validated / Mon 23 Jan 2017
Address / Bristol Water Waste Treatment Works Kings Weston Lane Avonmouth BS11 0YS
Proposal / Replacement of existing 70m3 temporary lechate tank with a permanent 70m3 leachate storage tank on existing reinforced concrete tanker delivery are complete with transfer pump, pipework, controls and power supply to facilitate discharge of waste into existing reception channel.
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00568/F
Alternative Reference / PP-05626897
Application Received / Wed 01 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Fri 03 Feb 2017
Address / Grandeur Point Fourth Way Bristol BS11 8DY
Proposal / Installation of canopy structure for unloading purposes.
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00456/COND
Alternative Reference / PP-05777483
Application Received / Fri 27 Jan 2017
Application Validated / Fri 27 Jan 2017
Address / Nisbets Avonmouth Way Avonmouth Bristol BS11 8TB
Proposal / Application to approved details in relation to condition 2(Tree Protection) and 4 (part) (Remediation Scheme) of permission 15/05832/F Extension of the existing building and reconfiguration of existing site layout with associated works and creation of a second access onto Avonmouth Way
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00550/COND
Alternative Reference / PP-05797650
Application Received / Wed 01 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Wed 01 Feb 2017
Address / The Willow 24 Grove Road Coombe Dingle Bristol BS9 2RL
Proposal / Application to approved details in relation to condition 2 (Contamination) of permission 13/05391/F Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of 2 dwellings, with relocation of vehicular access, provision of private gardens, new landscaping and works existing trees.
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00730/COND
Alternative Reference / PP-05809085
Application Received / Fri 10 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Fri 10 Feb 2017
Address / 24 Grove Road Coombe Dingle Bristol BS9 2RL
Proposal / Application to approved details in relation to condition 7(Landscaping Scheme) and 10 (Tree Protection) of permission 13/05391/F Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of 2 dwellings, with relocation of vehicular access, provision of private gardens, new landscaping and works existing trees.
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00743/VP
Alternative Reference / PP-05825897
Application Received / Fri 10 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Fri 10 Feb 2017
Address / The Willow 24 Grove Road Coombe Dingle Bristol BS9 2RL
Proposal / 1x English Yew (T01) as indicated on dwg No 769-01F fell.
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00371/COND
Application Received / Fri 20 Jan 2017
Application Validated / Fri 20 Jan 2017
Address / 24 Grove Road Coombe Dingle Bristol BS9 2RL
Proposal / Application to approved details in relation to conditions 11(sustainable urban drainage system) 13 ( Submission of samples) and 14 (Further details) of permission 13/05391/F Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of 2 dwellings, with relocation of vehicular access, provision of private gardens, new landscaping and works existing trees.
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00217/COND
Alternative Reference / PP-05751387
Application Received / Fri 13 Jan 2017
Application Validated / Mon 16 Jan 2017
Address / Land At Moorend And Packgate And Poplar Lawrence Weston Road Bristol
Proposal / Application to approved details in relation to condition 11(Floodlights) of permission 11/05258/R Application to extend the time limits for implementation of planning permission 06/03199/X Industrial development within use classes B2 and B8: Variation of condition No.1 attached to Planning Application 02/00928/X to allow "Application for approval of Reserved Matters to be made to the Local Planning Authority before the expiration of 5 years from the date of the permission." (Major application)
Status / Pending consideration
Reference / 17/00569/COND
Alternative Reference / PP-05780945
Application Received / Wed 01 Feb 2017
Application Validated / Wed 01 Feb 2017
Address / 1 Chittening Industrial Estate Bristol BS11 0YB
Proposal / Application to approved details in relation to conditions 2 and 3 of permission 16/04424/F Surfacing of site (approximately area of 0.77 hectares) to provide open storage space for light vehicles and cars (Use Class B8) and ancillary buildings
Status / Pending consideration
Decided Applications: