Kingsdown Conservation Group

We are hosting an evening of presentations from past and present charities which our Homegrown festival has supported. It is on:-

Wednesday 30th June 8 – 9.30 in St Matthews’s Church hall

It might not be well know, but the Kingsdown Homegrown has given up to £1000 the past three years to various charities from 3 different continents. Each time we have had a link with a member of the Kingsdown community. So on Wednesday, Annie Syrett will be giving us news of what remarkable things she has achieved with the street children of Bolivia; Hilary Green will be reporting from Sri Lanka and Donald Sammut will show us what amazing things he has already been doing for leprosy in Promise Nepal. We will have refreshments and nibbles on offer and music from around the world.
Do come. All welcome

Bedford Steps – are finally open.

Horfield Road abandoned garden - the planners say that the expected planning application to build houses on the former garden is UHB’s last opportunity to start work and remove the hoardings. There is an agreed timeframe, which includes dates for the planning application, sale and construction. A Planning Enforcement Notice will require UHB to remove the hoardings by the end of November. The Council’s legal department have completed the initial stages to prepare the notice for service. KCG has replied to say that the response was inadequate because vegetation is coming over the fence.

New entrance to BRI – 10/01545/F – KCG supports the application to put a new entrance on the Maudlin Street front of the BRI.

New Terrell Street wards – 10/01505/F – UHB will build a new ward block between the King Edward Building (E) the Heart Institute (N) the Queen Elizabeth Building (S). It will be visible only from Horfield Road. KCG supports the application but it wants the Council to impose a planning condition to lay out and manage the public areas. . The public space includes Terrell Street, Alfred Place, the Oncology car park, Bedford Steps and Cottage Place. More vehicles will use the area because, in addition to the vehicles, which will put down and pick up at the new Ward Block, UHB wants a one way route for delivery vehicles from Marlborough Hill, through Alfred Place to Horfield Road. This is a welcome safety measure. There is a lot of pedestrian traffic. Patients, visitors and staff use this area behind the BRI as do the public who walk along the historic streets. KCG supports separation of traffic and pedestrians where this is possible.

Westmoreland House Planning Appeal – The Planning Inspector dismissed the developer’s appeal but there are no current proposals to redevelop this eyesore although the Council says that the problem is under active review.

Residents’ Parking Scheme – On the 25^th March, the Cabinet decided to proceed with the Kingsdown scheme. The Council will proceed to the statutory consultation stage next.

15 Kingsdown Parade – The owner says that he intends to replace the existing oriel window with a like-for-like replacement. This is excellent news because of the oriel’s contribution to the street scene.

Montague Green – Committee members met, the central area parks manager who agreed to provide an estimate for the cost the removal of the rose bed and to replace it with a paved area and one or two seats, which will enjoy a view down Marlborough Hill.

The next committee meeting will be on Tuesday the 1^st June. If you wish to meet the committee or bring any matters to their attention, please contact the secretary@Kingsdown.org.uk.

Here’s an extract from the latest HomeGrown newsletter. If you want to join the HomeGrown email group, then just send an email to

kingsdownhomegrown+subscribe@googlegroups.com

The preparations for this year’s HomeGrown (on September 11th) start on Saturday 17th April with another ‘Bee Day’

Thanks to Ruth Rimmer for this link to the BBC website.

Graham Syrett from neighbourhood Watch writes:

Could I please remind you  that there will be a Kingsdown Neighbourhood Police Meeting at The Centre for the Deaf, King Square, Kingsdown at 6:30pm on Thursday 25 March 2010.

As I indicated previously, this meeting will be similar to our old style local PACT meetings but will be primarily for discussing local police/crime/concerns and issues.

University Hospitals Bristol are holding a drop-in session on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 2.00 pm – 8.00 pm at the Ark Cotham Road South, Kingsdown BS6 5TZ

The purpose is to display the drawings and seek opinions, prior to Planning Application Submission on 6 April 2010

You can download the drawings here: UHB Poster – Public Consultation 300310

There will also be a presentation at the KCG AGM this Thursday, 18th March, which starts at 730

At The Ark, Horfield Road/St Matthewʼs Road

There will be a presentation by University Hospitals Bristol about the Terrell Street Wards Development & Councillor Mark Wright explaining the future of Neighbourhood Parnerships

All are welcome. So please join us; meet your neighbours; have a glass of wine; talk over local issues and find out whatʼs going on. You can find more details on one of the four local noticeboards.

The hospital authorities are developing a new scheme for building on the land at the west (city centre) end of Kingsdown Parade. The previous scheme was withdrawn after we objected, and this time the hospital let us know of their plans before their formal application for planning permission.

KCG does not oppose the idea of developing the site, but we still think the current proposal would put too many houses there and we are unhappy about some aspects of the proposed design. We also want a planning condition to ensure that the house at the very top of Marlborough Hill, on the western side, is not destroyed as it is one of the very oldest in the area.

You can read KCG’s full response to the architect here, in Word format: Preapp response.