Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hotwells News - Autumn 2005
Hotwells News - Autumn 2005
Campaign Success
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
HOTWELLS&CLIFTONWOOD
NEWS
Published by Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Association, Hope Chapel, Hope Chapel Hill, Hotwells, Bristol, BS8 4ND
The owners of ‘Va Va Voom’ that opened up in Hotwell Road in No-
vember last year, have finally been told to go, following their unsuc-
cessful appeal against the Council’s decision to refuse retrospective
planning permission for the business.
About a dozen residents attended the public hearing in the Council House on
July 5th to give their support to the Council’s fight and a number were given the
opportunity by the inspector to speak. Jim Brown from Ambrose Road pre-
sented the main arguments for local people, which included noise and distur-
bance caused by 24 hour opening, the loss of a retail site and the appearance
of the premises which has lost the former shop window and acquired a bright
neon sign.
As well as holding a demonstration in
December, more than 30 people had
written letters objecting to the mas-
sage parlour. The Inspector referred
to this local opposition specifically in
his report so it seems clear that all the
local pressure made an important
contribution to the final outcome.
Congratulations to all concerned!
The owners of ‘Va Va Voom’ now
have 90 days to comply with the decision to close the business. If they fail to
do so by October 15th then they can be prosecuted through the courts.
This case highlights the plight of local retail business. A vigorous retail and lei-
sure environment in Hotwell Road seems the best defence against this kind of
unwanted intrusion. All ideas on how we might encourage this are welcome.
With a growing affluent population, it shouldn’t be difficult to sustain some de-
cent shops, should it? Ray Smith
when an excavator slipped off the side of a low loader while being delivered to the site on
Granby Hill. As well as damaging a road sign, demolishing part of a retaining wall and blocking
the road for most of the day, traffic had to be diverted on the busy Hotwell Road while heavy
lifting gear was brought in. Residents, now beginning to feel the impact of the closure of
through traffic on Granby Hill for at least 18 months seemed mainly stoical in the face of this
latest disruption.
In this edition:
Community News 2
Recycling feature 3
Community Forum 4
Meet Your Neighbour 5
Events & Activities 6
Transport 7
Contacts 8
1
h&cca
HOTWELLS & CLIFTONWOOD
Community News
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION New Administrator Land at Cliftonwood Terrace
O117 9291883 We now have a paid administrator to help The Council are proposing to offer the up-
Admin@hotwellscliftonwood.org.uk
the CA with some of the projects that we per portion of their site below Cliftonwood
are due to deliver this year. Her name is Terrace site on the open market on the
Now, all the news Camilla Kesterton and she lives locally in basis of a 999 year lease, subject to a cove-
that’s fit to print -in Clifton Vale. Camilla will be working from nant restricting the use to open space pur-
the office in Hope Chapel, mainly on poses. The adjoining site, currently used as
colour! Wednesdays and Thursdays. (see back an Esso petrol filling station, will not be
We hope you like our new full- page for contact details) marketed at this stage.
colour Hotwells News. Having The property will be advertised, inviting
discovered that the cost of Pool closure threatened bids for the site, by a specified date –
printing is affordable, we de- probably not before November. The
cided that the better quality Council cannot give us any indication as to
production of photos and bet- price but ask us to bear in mind that they
ter opportunities for advertis- are not obliged to accept the highest, nor
ing, made it worthwhile to indeed any, bid received.
switch. Let us know what you For more information contact Emma Peddie
like and don’t like. After all, (see back page )
this is YOUR newspaper!
Argyle Place Park
A Prize Draw is being organized by the Ar-
Pub Licensing Hours gyle Place Park Fundraising group to raise
There is a lot of confusion money for new play equipment. Prizes in-
about how the new licensing The ageing portfolio of nineteenth century clude a free interior design service, a por-
laws will operate and in par- swimming facilities in Bristol needed to be trait photography session, personalised sta-
ticular, disquiet concerning rationalised. However, there was a firm tionery, Bristol Zoo tickets, a meal for two
the application by The understanding in the Council’s own Swim- at The Lion pub, wine boxes, and various
Pump House to extend their ming Strategy report that a Central area cash prizes. The draw will be held at the
opening hours to 1 am on pool would be created, or failing that the Hope Chapel Market on Saturday 17th De-
weekdays and 12 on Sun- site of Bristol South pool would be refur- cember. To buy tickets contact Kate
days. Many people, espe- bished as the best alternative candidate Strange on 927 6973.
cially in Rownham Mead, within a kilometre of the City Centre.
think it is too close to a resi- Now the Council has reneged on that un-
dential area. dertaking and we face the closure of our Sue Stops writes..
We hope to carry out a sur- “Hotwells is feeling the loss of the Post
nearest neighbourhood pool.
vey of all the pubs in the Office in many ways. It had become,
It is saddening that a great City such as
area to find out their inten- with Brenda’s the greengrocer, the
ours has such poor swimming provision in
tions later in the year but
the central area; the natural transport and meeting place for many local people.
meanwhile, If you want to
leisure hub and that decision-makers seem This social side of Hotwells has almost
comment on any application
blind to this obvious anomaly. If you feel disappeared and local people are being
you should e-mail:
strongly about this there is an e-petition forced into cars to go to do their shop-
'licensing@bristol-city.gov.
you can sign at www.bristol-city.gov.uk/item/ ping elsewhere. It is a sad reflection on
uk'
epetition.html. The full council meets to society today and on planning”.
discuss this proposal on Sept. 29th
Can I get any extra help to reduce or store my rubbish? – Yes, you can
arrange a visit from a Waste Doctor, who can visit your house and give you ad-
vice on how to reduce your rubbish. If you live in a very large household, you
may be eligible for a larger wheeled bin. If you have physical difficulty in mov-
ing your wheeled bin and / or black box out to the kerbside, the Council can
make extra arrangements for you. If you have a garden, then discount compost Auricular Acupuncture
bins, for kitchen and garden waste, are available for £17 (including delivery). &
Free lids for black boxes are also available. For any of the above, please call
the helpline (922 3838). Reiki Practitioner
• · Initial Consultation F.O.C.
What about furniture and large items? - The Sofa Project (954 3567) will • · Home visits can be arranged
collect re-usable or repairable items if they are suitable for resale. Alternatively, • · Groups Facilitated
try Emmaus (954 0886 – they also sell second hand goods to the public), Sue
Ryder (924 4910), the Missing Persons Charity (944 4648), SPACE (955
For more details please contact:
5755), or the Kingswood Project (961 6226). If it is not suitable for re-use, call
Chris Beard on 07780 714612
the City Council on 922 3838 to arrange a disposal collection (they will take up
to three items, there is a £15 charge except for people on benefits).
Chrissyroz@hotmail.co.uk
3
Community Forum - How to support your
community (even if you haven’t got the time!)
Hotwells & Cliftonwood has an enviable reputation for being a friendly and caring community
but, like people in any urban neighbourhood we can each probably think of a dozen things,
small or large, that could be done to improve the quality of life for everyone living here.
Your Community Association has worked for many years to represent the interests of local people to the
City Council and other agencies but the area is changing rapidly with much new housing, new people and
new challenges. Some residents may feel they have no way of expressing their views on local problems and
annoyances. Some may feel they are not being adequately consulted by the CA or the City Council about
changes that affect them. Some newcomers may be unaware of the excellent work that is already going on
through organisations like Community Links to try and resolve problems in our area.
To try and improve this, the CA is setting up a new body Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Forum.
We believe that a new, active and more representative body will help us to strengthen our arguments for
more resources for our neighbourhood.
Right—new paving in
Dowry Parade
4
MEET YOUR NEIGHBOUR
Maggie Flanagan
h&cca
HOTWELLS & CLIFTONWOOD
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
O117 9291883
Maggie lives in Cliftonwood where she brought up her son Will who now lives in Admin@hotwellscliftonwood.org.uk
Canada. When I interviewed her she was shortly going to join him on a canoe-
ing holiday on the Great Lakes. This will seem quite tame in contrast to her
VSO work in West Bengal, India. SHOOTS FLOATING
Maggie trained as a teacher and retired at 60 after her last job which had been fifteen years BAR & RESTAURANT
at Hengrove Primary school. Retirement didn’t mean sitting back and relaxing as she con-
tinued as a volunteer both at Hotwells Primary and Brandon Hill schools.
This didn’t pose enough challenge however so she took
up a two year VSO placement in rural West Bengal,
from 2002, working for projects to improve the lives of
the mostly low caste community. This included an educa-
tion programme set up to provide training for teachers
for ten pre-primary centres for village children. Each cen-
A la Carte dining Mon - Sat evenings
tre had an average of forty children aged 3-6 years, with Traditional Sunday lunch.
two teachers and an assistant. The children attended for join us for a drink in our panoramic bar
three hours a day from 6.30am to avoid the heat. VSO . Tel:0117 9250597
had been asked to send a teacher trainer (Maggie) to
work with the teachers, encouraging them to introduce a
child centred way of working, eg. to use low cost materi-
als to make teaching aids and resources and aim to raise
the attendance at the schools especially amongst girls.
Maggie had found the teachers working with the children on forming letters only, in formal
classroom style, so she encouraged seating in circles rather than straight lines and praise for
achievement, introducing simple creative work using natural materials found around them in
the village. Not surprisingly attendance figures went up.
Maggie herself wore local costume, lived in a brick building which was a NGO campus, so
had her own ( not very private) room and could cook for herself. She did get fed up with
the constant rice diet and lost 2 stone in weight but otherwise enjoyed the variety of tropi-
cal fruit. There were excavated ponds which were used as fish farms as well as the local
baths, for people and cows! Mosquitoes were an all year round risk of malaria and her
electric fan was unreliable in humid temperatures of 40 degrees. Phones and electricity
were erratic so Maggie would visit Calcutta once a month to phone or e-mail.
Nevertheless Maggie wants to go back! She plans to go this autumn for three months and
would appreciate donations from the Hotwells and Cliftonwood community to sustain the
schools as they rely on charity. Currently they exist on small contributions from the chil-
dren’s guardians, and the teachers never receive a regular monthly wage. (which is just £5
when they do get paid) It is mainly through their goodwill and dedication to their communi-
ties that the centres remain open.
Maggie gives the following reasons for trying to ensure that these educational centres re-
main open: They give a positive experience to young children especially girls and low caste
children, ensuring that they continue in education. This means the literacy and numeracy
levels are raised. Their parents are able to work in the fields and gardens where they sup-
plement their food and income with crops such as rice, vegetables, chickens and a cow.
Village women are trained to be teachers giving them employment and status and the cen-
tres also provide a meeting place for the community.
If you would like to help, send cheques to Maggie at 27 Ambrose Road, payable to the
Bristol based ‘Youth Education Service’, Charity reg. No: 289848 which will act as a banker.
Helen Smith
261-263 Hotwell Road, Bristol BS8 4SJ tel: 0117 987 7796 fax: 0117 987 0380 5
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Book Clubs Brunel 200
?
Hope Centre Club Next year marks the bicen-
This is a very flexible book club tennial of Brunel’s birth and
(one might say it has soft covers) Bristol Cultural Development
and the only 'rule' is that we meet Partnership has a fund for pro-
on the third Wednesday of every moting arts events in Bristol to
month in the Meeting Room at mark the occasion. We
Hope Chapel at 8.00 pm. now know that, thanks to Sue Stops, we have
Titles to be read are selected by obtained some of this money for our own lo-
consensus at each meeting and we cal celebrations. This will probably include an
normally choose contemporary Art Exhibition at CREATE and a repeat of the
Tel: 0117 9292118
Email: bristoldance@btconnect.com fiction but sometimes also revisit popular ‘Art on the Railings’ event that was
www.bristolcommunitydancecentre.co.uk
previous decades. held a couple of years ago. Sue hopes we will
We welcome new members; men round it off with a massive street party.
HOPE MARKET or women. The current book is Sounds great, so ideas or offers of help are
welcome and watch out for more details
advertised on HCCA notice
nearer the date.
Sat OCT 15th 2-5pm boards.
Any further details if needed
Sat NOV 19th 2-5pm from Paul, tel: 926 4921.
Sat DEC 17th 2-5pm Kick Off Youth Theatre
Cliftonwood Club Since it started, 7 years ago, dozens of
At Hope Chapel young people have enjoyed taking part in
There's a new book group based in
Hope Chapel Hill Clifton Wood - all are welcome. its informal weekly sessions. We don’t
Jewellery, Art, Clothes, Books, We meet on once a month on Fri- audition our members; all we ask is that
Accessories, Cake, Objects and days at 8:30pm in each others they are enthusiastic about making thea-
more… homes. We take our novels seri- tre! The sessions combine drama games
More info or book a stall: hope- ously but not ourselves. Currently with skill-based exercises, script work
market@yahoo.co.uk 0777 we are reading "Housekeeping" by with improvisation, and music with move-
3370698/07840 290225 Marilynne Robinson. ment and dance. We stage at least one
Contact Stephen Perry 0117 production per age group each year,
904 0287 when friends and family are invited to
h.a.n.d.s come and watch everything from contem-
porary plays or modern versions of
Fun games and activities at Shakespeare, to devised pieces. Kick Off’s
Hotwells and Neighbourhood participants enjoy being able to create
Daycare Scheme Tables Together their own material; learning how to
This is a very simple idea. If dramatise a script; and working towards a
Open daily from 24 october to 1 No- you feel like enjoying a meal production for performance. Above all,
vember 2005 from 8.30 am to 6.00 and a few drinks and meet- they enjoy being able to relax and express
pm at Hotwells Primary School. ing local people, just turn up themselves in a friendly and supportive
£16.00 per day at a restaurant at a pre- environment. If you think you would en-
arranged time. The tables joy these things, too, then come along
Tel:0117 926 8372 for more informa- will be put together and you Monday nights at the Hope Chapel,
tion or to book a place for your child Hotwells from September 12th.
pay only for what you eat
and drink. It’s called ‘Tables
Together’ and if people like
SABINA BOWLER-REED the idea it will happen at dif-
BA HONS. ferent local eateries, The
SOLICITOR first is booked for the new
Hotwells Primary School
1, Britannia Buildings, Merchants Road,
Bristol BS8 4QD restaurant at the ‘Rose of Christmas Fair
Denmark’ at 7:30pm on Oc- Come along to Hotwells Primary School,
tober 28th. The menu is Albermarle Row, on Saturday 10th De-
called ‘The Best of English’. cember from 2 to 4pm to buy all your
Why not join us there? Christmas gifts. Presents to suit all
FFI: ring Mark or Marian purses and ages – including stocking fill-
on 9294646 ers, plants and bulbs, jewelry and crafts.
Lots of fun activities to entertain the
kids, too. And don’t forget to buy your
Christmas tree here – on sale in the
playground.
6 EXPERIENCED IN FAMILY LAW
LRT is dead, long live BER!
Some of you may remember the little electric train that ran up and down the quay at Wapping Wharf be-
tween 1998 and 2000. This was the experimental Bristol Electric Railbus and now the Light Rail Transit
scheme has priced itself out of existence the promoters of this more modest enterprise are hoping their
hour has come.
It is claimed BER will cost only £2.4 million to provide a 15 min-
ute service between Wapping Wharf and Ashton on existing
track with 6 stops and only £4 million for the full route to the
City Centre. There is talk of hydrogen power in the proposal
but none about market research. If it were there, would you
use it? All comments welcome.
Bristol
Telephone/Fax:
01179 27 37 00
8 Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Association, Hope Chapel, Hope Chapel Hill, Hotwells, Bristol,
BS8 4ND tel: 0117 9291883 e-mail: admin@hotwellscliftonwood.org.uk