Hand in glove

Hallelujah! The long-awaited consultation on the sale/lease of public land to property developers Squarepeg has finally begun. And when some poor PhD student decides to write the history of dishonest and sham 'community consultation' excercises, I am sure it will be top of their list of case studies.

A casual reader of the consultation website might think that this excercise was being carried out by Bristol City Council themselves. After all, we are talking about the fate of the Bristol-Bath Railway Path, which the website claims is 'an outstanding urban escape route' (whatever that may be). OK, so they did try to turn it into a bus lane not so long ago, but we're a Cycling City now, doncha know? So you'd be forgiven for thinking that listening to local views would be something they'd want to do themselves, having cocked it up so spectacularly less than a year ago.

Er...no. The eagle-eyed, prepared to click through to a PDF file and scan the small print, will notice that the consultation is in fact being run by PPS. Sounds pretty innocous? The investigative blogger's friend reveals that they are in fact, drumroll, 'the UK's... foremost supplier of lobbying, communications and consultation advice to the property industry'. Oh.

Satisfied clients include Barratt Homes, George Wimpey, and Persimmon Homes. And no wonder. As PPS's website astutely notes:

Pre-application consultation on major schemes is fast becoming a fact of life for all involved in development...[We] have enormous experience of how to make the provisions of the 2004 Planning Act work for you. Get it right and you can bring the community with you. Get it wrong and you will face heightened local concerns.

So, you may ask, how exactly can legislation be 'made to work' for multi-million pound developers? What exactly does 'getting a consultation right' involve? The Bristol-Bath Railway Path consultation isn't a bad place for a masterclass.

1. Create the appearance of democratic legitimacy by giving the impression that the consultation is being run by a public body.

2. Prejudge the issue by praising the development as 'much needed' and listing its many virtues.

3. Include pictures of the derelict factory site rather than the historic hedgerow that the development will destroy.

4. Base the consultation around spurious, quasi-rhetorical questions such as:

• Do you believe the area should remain as it is, or receive further investment?
• Is regeneration important for Easton?
• Do you believe development can co-exist alongside green spaces?
• What would you like to see happen to the two plots of land?

It is important that you ignore the fact that it is perfectly possible to answer yes to the first three and still be against the development in its present form. The object of the exercise is to blackmail residents of a deprived area into giving up scarce green space for private profit.

5. Pretend that green space in Frome Vale is relevant to residents of Easton and Lawrence Hill.

6. Ensure that the consultation period falls over Christmas and New Year, effectively giving interested parties only three weeks to respond.

This consultation is biased beyond belief in favour of the developers. Pinch yourself and remember that it's being run on behalf of the council. And we're paying for it.

All power to the imagination

An excellent rabble-rousing post on the On The Level Blog on Bristol's Top Ten Traffic Debacles.
Depressingly, most of them seem to have happened in the last six months.

Also, news of the illegal destruction of a wood beside Eastville Park. It seems the owner of the land may be prosecuted, but we shall see. It will also be interesting to see whether this incident is taken into account if and when a planning application is made for this site.

Sometimes it feels as if things are going from bad to worse.

But luckily there are also clever people with good ideas to stand up to all the crap. Pete Goodwin's petition for a transport hub on Plot 6 at Temple Meads is far too useful and practical an idea to ever be championed by the likes of the West of England partnership. Likewise, Josh Hart's proposal for a Cycle Expressway from Clifton to Temple Meads would be a far better use of the Cycling City money than farting around with Princes Street Bridge.

Be realistic. Demand the impossible.

A nod and a wink

An interesting comment by Gary Hopkins over on Charlie's blog on what we all seem to be calling "Red Trouser Gate":

"I unlike the blogger or some others am not shocked that a developer,of whatever shade of green or none, should do his best to secure the best deal for his development.
It happens all the time and I would be suprised if any developer were not trying to lobby.It is the council officers job to act in line with council policy and in the interests of Bristol residents.
Three things though are being suggested
1 That council policy has not been followed.There is genuine concern here and whilst it has been common practice for many years at Bristol CC.it is not acceptable and it does undermine political accountability.It has been confirmed that the piece of land was part of the green space strategy and I have confirmation that no exceptions were written in to the plan. (This was in answer to queeries about Filwood park)
2 That the action is not in the interests of residents.The point of loss of accountability is that it becomes almost impossible to test this.
3 Something illegal has occured. I have seen no evidence of this but would support openness as a matter of principle.Getting basic information out of this administration is a real problem ,even for a determined questioner like myself, and a secretive administration will inevitably become a bad one even if it does not start that way."

So it seems Hopkins, former Cabinet member for sustainable environment and neighbourhoods, sees nothing wrong with developers energetically lobbying council officers.

But what is abundantly clear from the FoI emails is the power imbalance between middle-ranking council officers, feverishly pinging emails around the Council House as they try to negotiate the procedural labyrinth, and exuberant local bigwigs who are able to breeze in between trips abroad and charm the (hopefully metaphorical) pants off off-the-pay-scale council executives over cafe ristretto at Goldbrick House.

(Please note: the preceding scenario is a mere figment of Greengage's fevered imagination and any resemblance to actual events or personages is entirely accidental.)

Council policy is never going to be followed under these conditions, and the idea of any kind of genuine accountability to the people of Bristol is a complete joke.

Newspeak

War is Peace...

Freedom is Slavery...

Ignorance is Strength...

And Bristol is one of the greenest cities in Europe.

Doubleplusgood! Bristol has been shortlisted as a possible 'role model' for other 'green capitals' across Europe.

As others have already pointed out, this is quite some achievement for a city where the powers-that-be are intent on tarmacking over its premier cycle route, whilst pissing £11 million up the wall on a 'Cycling City' project that can charitably be described as 'ill-thought-out' (or uncharitably described as unwanted, undemocratic and a criminal waste of public money).

In fact, I can only conclude that this has all been a terrible mistake, and there must be another Bristol somewhere in Europe. A Bristol with cheap reliable public transport and safe cycle routes, where walking is easy and enjoyable. In this Bristol, politicians probably contribute more than meaningless gestures and populist campaigns. And it's hard to imagine that their senior public servants would sell off public land to the best-connected bidder.

Sounds nice. Shall we move there?

(In the meantime, please sign Pete Goodwin's petition for a transport hub at Temple Meads. It would let you get from one side of the city to the other by bus, and you might even be able to get a bus from your house to the train station. I know, it's a crazy plan, but what the hell? It might catch on. They've probably got one in the other Bristol already.)

No but no but yes but....

Great story over at the Bristol Blogger about the council's secret sell-off of bits of the railway path to property developers Squarepeg. The Freedom of Information documents are an object lesson for would-be property moguls. Want to get your mitts on some public land? If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again.

Knocked back once? Put in another request. Still foiled by pesky council officers wanting to protect an important wildlife site/keep their options open for BRT (delete as applicable)? Nil desperandum! Get a self-important red-trousered architect to go right to the top, then get your laywers to inform said hapless bureaucrats that the sale is in fact going ahead.

Sorted.

New kids on the block

Two new blogs from stalwart Bristol Greens:

Stockwood Pete, from Peter Goodwin (who has a splash on the Temple Meads transport hub in the Evening Post this very day), and Rosso-Verde, by Nick Foster, St. George West candidate.

Both have a shaming (for me) feature on the blogrolls where the most neglected blogs sink to the bottom. If that's not an incentive to post more, I don't know what is...

Trams not jams

Bristol City Council and the West of England Partnership Arse Things Up (Again)

See also: Buses Down the Railway Path, 'Cycling City' status

Coming soon: Congestion charge

So, the consultation for the South Bristol Ring Road commences. Clearly inspired by all the M32 has done for Easton and St. Pauls, it will cut through Hartcliffe, Highridge and Bishopsworth. As a sop, the WOE are offering a Bus Rapid Transport route which will serve the houses due to be built on greenbelt land between Long Ashton and Dundry. (Shades of the "Railway Path BRT" to Emersons Green.) Whoopee!

The Transport for Greater Bristol Alliance think the money should be spent on a tram system instead. If you agree with this eminently sensible proposal, please sign their petition here.

Just A Worker Waiting In The Pouring Rain

The dearth of cycling facilities at Cabot Circus has already been noted, but what about pedestrians? Even in Bristol, you might think that walking around a shopping area should be pretty straightforward. In fact anyone walking from the 'Circus' (the middle-market bit) to Quakers Friars (the posh bit) or towards Broadmead has no choice but to cast themselves into a neverending stream of traffic. No zebra crossings, no lights, nothing, nada, nichts.

The crossing point (such as it is) from the Circus* to Quakers Friars is particularly dangerous, as traffic backs up from the lights by Harvey Nicks. It's just a matter of time before a pedestrian dodging through the traffic gets broadsided by a bike or motorcycle coming up the other side.


*As I walked around Cabot Circus, Erasure's excellent 'The Circus' (YouTube) started up unbidden on my internal jukebox. The lyrics seemed rather apt, so in true Kerry McCarthy style I'll be cannibilising them for post titles on this lofty subject. Although with apologies to Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, perhaps this one should be 'Just A Walker Waiting In The Pouring Rain'.

Cabot circus: special commemorative quiz

For those of you who haven't yet had the privilege of visiting Cabot Circus, I think it's only fair to give you a idea of what to expect. Simply answer one simple question, and enlightenment will be yours.

Which of the following statements do you most identify with?

a. When I heard they were opening an Apple Shop in Bristol city centre, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

b. I am a 19 year old art student with a trust fund, but I can't find my way to Urban Outfitters on Oxford Street.

c. I can't wait to queue outside Patisserie Valerie to spend £7 on coffee and cake, just like in London Town.

d. I am Mike Norton, editor of the Evening Post.

e. None of the above.

Answered a, b, c or d? Congratulations, Cabot Circus will rock your world.

Answered e? You may find yourself underwhelmed and/or reminded of Reading city centre.

Cry 'God For Harry, England and St. George!'

The near-collapse of global capitalism, the near-collapse of Gordon Brown, the opening of some shops in Bristol city centre: there's a lot going on at the moment. So I'll let you off if you're not yet up to speed with the St. George West byelection.

Sadly, Labour councillor John Deasy died suddenly last month. There will now be a contest to fill the vacant seat.

St. George West is easily the most underrated area of the city. In fact, it's a miracle that it hasn't already been overrun by members of the National Trust/National Childbirth Trust (delete as applicable). As the election approaches, I'll be bringing you some of the highlights of what you'll soon be calling the 'Poor Man's St. Andrews'.

Plus, the inside story of the election, featuring imploding Tories, 'local boys' from Chippenham, and much much more.

Polling day is October 9, and the Green Party candidate is the excellent Nick Foster.

Hedge fund

There is a nice explanation of the threatened piece of railway path and why it matters here:

http://thestoryofahedge.blogspot.com/

Squarepeg in a round hole

According to the 'Transportation Assessment' submitted with Squarepeg's Chocolate Factory application, the site is 'a unique opportunity to [sic] a development that is highly sustainable in transport terms'.

In fact, Greenbank is something far from 'unique' in Bristol: a transport black hole.

Yes, the cycle path runs past the site, but many people won't use it after dark, ruling it out for winter commutes.

Local buses are poor, and Stapleton Road train station is a bracing 10-15 minutes away. To describe the Severn Beach Line trains as 'frequent' (as the 'Transportation Assessment' does) is being somewhat frugal with the truth.

Faced with these options, most people are going to drive, making a bad local traffic situation worse. Royate Hill is prone to horrible snarl ups and the M32 clogged with commuters and Ikea shoppers.

Is it too much to ask for an honest assessment, rather than the usual meaningless hype about 'unique opportunities' and 'sustainability'?

There are good arguments for developing the chocolate factory site, but Squarepeg's 'greener than thou' bullshit makes me long to hand it over to crazed Easton hippies for intensive lentil farming.

For what it's worth, I'd like to see a development which leaves the railway path well alone, is as close to carbon neutral as possible, rewards car-free living, and provides larger properties for families and flat-sharers, not sterile one-bed bolt holes.

But given this is Bristol, not Freiburg or Rotterdam, that probably ain't going to happen.

Ain't nothing going on but the rent

[Shuffles back in, looking embarrassed.]

Luckily for the state of the nation, some bloggers have actually got the hang of this regular posting lark. Chris Hutt on the Green Bristol Blog in particular has turned up some very interesting information on the Squarepeg plans for the Elizabeth Shaw Factory, including the fact that what planners designated a wildlife reserve in 2000 is now likely to be built on without so much as even an Environmental Impact Assessment.

But hark! Here's local MP Kerry McCarthy, to defend the plans: apparently Squarepeg are the thinking woman's solution to the housing crisis:

"how else would you suggest we find space for homes for the 19,000 people on the council waiting list? Obviously brownfield sites must be the priority, but it's not the entire solution. I'm also concerned about the number of houses being turned into flats, with associated problems re parking, and often anti-social behaviour from the people who rent them. We need family homes - but they've got to be built somewhere."

Kerry, Kerry, Kerry. Where to start? Have you discussed your plans to fill the development with council tenants with George Ferguson? And why the assumption that the development is going to provide 'family homes'? (An assumption which I suspect is shared by many of the development's supporters in Greenbank.) For all the prominence of the 'cycle homes' in Squarepeg's charm offensive, of the 252 planned dwellings, only 52 will have three or more bedrooms - as against 122 one-bed and 78 two-bed flats.

Let's be absolutely clear - almost 80% of the housing in this development will be nasty investment properties of the kind that have "created a buy-to-let desert and a huge waiting list for family housing in the city" (the Bristol Blogger on the same thread).

More rib-tickling creativity with the truth is to be found in the planning application's Transportation Assessment, of which more anon.

Over a barrel

Eagle eyed Bristol bus users will already have seen the posters announcing forthcoming "changes" to fares. I am no Alan Greenspan, but I think it's safe to assume that First's already exorbitant charges will be going up rather than down.

Predictably, First are blaming fuel prices - and offering a "Fuelbuster" deal of six months' travel on their piss poor services for an eyewatering £285. Don't all rush at once, whatever you do.

Funnily enough, they fail to mention some interesting facts helpfully detailed in this week's Private Eye: FirstGroup's fuel for 2008-2009 is fixed at an eminently reasonable $76 a barrel. And even when this truly "fuelbusting" deal comes to an end, a rise in fuel costs of 10% affects total bus running costs by less than 1%.

Maybe if they were as economical with fuel as they are with the truth, prices wouldn't be so high.

Back on track?

An 'all-through academy' for East Bristol was first mooted back in January. Now Bristol City Council's Primary Review has formally recommended that the City Adademy, Whitehall Primary School and the Limes Nursery explore this route. Why, you might ask, is the council so keen on an Academy which makes it onto the government's list of failing schools (These schools have been informed that if they don't hit government targets, they will be closed or turned into academies. Where this leaves the 26 academies on the list is anyone's guess.)

There are only two possible explanations:

1. The City Academy is indeed a failing school and the council's desire to hand over hundreds of tender minds to a school which is likely to face the wrecking ball is nothing short of scandalous.

or

2. The list, and indeed the whole concept, of 'failing schools' is a meaningless hype intended to give the impression of government action. The City Academy is far from being a failing school, but struggles to hit the government benchmarks in English and Maths because these are the hardest areas to improve. As literacy and numeracy are the backbone of the primary curriculum, an all-through Academy is unlikely to see dramatic improvement in this area either. Ergo, Bristol City Council is simply trying to get another time-consuming primary school off its hands.

Interestingly, despite the Academy's keen interest in taking over Whitehall Primary and the Limes, there does not seem to be any intention to allow the little 'uns to kick their heels in the breezy expanses of Packer's Field The school has just submitted a planning application for a vast athletics track which will dominate the westerly end of Packer's and effectively kibosh any expansion of the primary and nursery's woefully inadequate sites. (The Children's Centre based at the Limes is currently operating out of a Portacabin.)

Spot the difference

A tide of greenwash is lapping at the gates of the Packers Chocolate Factory site in Easton. After original developers Persimmon were seen off by local opposition, the site was bought by local 'regeneration company' (hmmm) Squarepeg, self-styled saviours of the site. In true Bristol style, words like community and sustainability featured heavily. Seven months on, it's shaping up in a depressingly predictible way.

As Chris Hutt points out, the much hyped 'cycle houses' are little more than conventional three bedroom noddy boxes, complete with integral garage, with added bicycle storage and direct access to the cycle path. Yes, the cycle houses have a built in garage. That's right up there with carbon neutral Land Rovers.

Since Chris's post, architects Acanthus Ferguson Mann have published more detailed plans and drawings. What's striking is how closely the 'cycle houses' (top picture) resemble the nondescript new build housing a stone's throw away on Greenbank Road (bottom picture).

On the sustainability front, the plans are equally unimpressive. One might have expected the developers to go from the the carbon neutral gold standard level 6 (which is due to become mandatory in 2016). In fact, they are 'aiming' for the substantially lower level 4/5. If these are really 'some of the most energy efficient in the UK', then heaven help us.

Perhaps the planners have been focusing on the issues that really matter most, like 'mak[ing] sure parking... can be maximised'.

And as for community consultation, Jenny Gee, who heads Squarepeg's 'consultation team', has taken to ticking people off for daring to express a view without visiting their exhibition (which ran for all of two days).

Needless to say, the Evening Post is printing Squarepeg's press releases verbatim demonstrating its usual critical flair. Never fear, I'm sure we can trust (as ever) in Bristol City Council to do the right thing when it comes to the planning application.

Briar convictions

You might be forgiven for thinking things were a bit bleak. Credit crunching underfoot, coal-fired power stations springing up like mushrooms, and only the rotten spectacle of the Bejing Olympics to distract us. Fear not, Greengage is hear to unveil the closest thing we've got to a magic bullet - the humble blackberry.

For starters, the blackberry is the ultimate recession buster. Forget tiny overpriced punnets from Messrs Sainsbury et al, these tasty little devils can be found for free even on the mean streets of Bristol. What better way to get with 2008's frugal vibe than a spot of blackberry picking (or 'brambling' if you are posh).

Brambling

What's more, the blackberry loves climate change. It just can't get enough of our warm wet summers, fruiting earlier and more exuberantly every year.

Worried about the nation's health crisis? Look no further than our thorny friend. A mere hundred grams of blackberries contains 21% of your recommended fibre intake, and 35% of your Vitamin C. Hell, they mightl even make you cleverer, as they're practically bursting in Omega-3.

Blackberries are the ideal crop for the time-poor. Just sit back and let the imperialist of the fruit world take over your patch. When The Man (or your site rep) tries to throw you off your allotment, tell him it's slow gardening.

In short, these delicious morsels express the Zeitgeist in a way that the Pitt-Jolie twins can only dream of. You read it here first: blackberries are the only fruit.

Sad, but true

Bob Dylan dreamed he saw St. Augustine.

Last night, I dreamed I was on a camping holiday with my sister, brother-in-law, and the Bristol Blogger.

Our reactions were not dissimilar, but Bob puts it a bit more poetically:

"I awoke in anger,
So alone and terrified,
I put my fingers against the glass
And bowed my head and cried."

Bristol's leading investigative blogger at work..

Gary Hopkins, England Manager

Things are hotting up on the Bristol-Bath railway path.

The petition is now heading for 7000 signatures.

The Evening Post, until now an enthusiastic supporter of the crackpot BRT plans, is apparently preparing a"major feature" about wildlife on the path. You can email j.hunter@bepp.co.uk with your tales of newts, bats and frogs. Could this be a start of a u-turn?

There are also signs of growing cross-party opposition.

Paul "Mr Bean" Smith has come good on his promise to oppose the plans, although Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy seems to be mainting her silence on the issue.

Meanwhile, we are promised that a LibDem statement on the issue is imminent. While we await this, I'd like to invite readers to reflect on another uncanny similarity.

Could Bristol's former waste supremo and the hapless England manager have been separated at birth? I think we should be told.

Railway path meeting - change of venue

Bristol Cycling Campaign's public meeting about the Railway Path will now take place in Easton Community Centre, not the Cornubia as previously advertised. Same day, same time: February 5, 7.30pm.

BRT: Bus Rapid Transit? Or Bristol's Rubbish Transport?

My fellow footsoldiers in Bristol East Green Party have been wading through the plans to transform the Bristol-Bath railway path into a bus superhighway and have come up with some searching questions for Mark Bradshaw and his merry band of unelected fools.

It seems extraordinary that in months of under-the-boardroom-table scheming, the question of where and how pedestrians might cross the bus route has not even been considered.

Interestingly enough, it seems Bristol Labour Party may not be lining up behind Mark Bradshaw to support this one. Paul Smith, Labour candidate for Bristol West, has come out against it over at the Bristol Blogger. (I am working on the assumption that no-one is sad enough to go round the Internet impersonating Paul Smith.)

The Mr. Bean lookalike is the only mainstream politician to stick his head about the parapet so far. Local residents won't be expecting a statement any time soon from absentee Labour councillor for Easton, Hotwells resident Faruk Choudhury, who might struggle to find the railway path (or his own ward) on a map. And so far, there's been a resounding silence from the Lib Dem councillors for Easton, Lawrence Hill, and Eastville.

Luckily, thanks to the efforts of the Bristol Cycling Campaign, popular resistance to this idiotic scheme is snowballing. (See the Green Party's statement here.) Over 3200 signatures in less than a week is quite something. At this rate, they won't even need a consultation.

Latest from the railway path campaign

The campaign to save the Bristol-Bath railway path from the clutches of Worst Bus plc is really gathering momentum. As well as the public meeting on February 5 (see below), there is also a petition, which has already got 1350 signatures in less than 48 hours.

Sustrans have come out strongly against the scheme. Bristol Cycling Campaign have managed to get hold of numerous documents under the Freedom of Information Act, which are available here.

Shockingly, three out of the four planned Bus Rapid Transit routes will use existing cyclepaths, even though other alternatives are available (e.g. the hard shoulder of the M32 rather than the cyclepath).

Please sign the petition, and email your local incompetents councillors to let them know your opposition to this scheme, and why you think the railway path is important. It's particularly important to show how many non-cyclists use the path: to walk to work, get kids to school, take the dog out, and so on.

Hostile Takeovers

Hold on to your hats East Bristol.

As if rising flood waters, looming recession and the norovirus weren't enough, it seems that 2008 will feature yet more attempts to wrest public spaces out of public control.

This week alone:

1. Let's hand the Bristol-Bath cyclepath over to First Bus!

So that they can transport people to the airport!
Pushing cyclists and pedestrians out of the way!
Removing one of the only green spaces accessible to people in Easton!
But let's not put any plans in the public domain, because then people might be able to make up their own minds!

(There is more sense in the readers' comments on this story than there is in the last 10 years of transport planning in Bristol. There is also a public meeting in the Cornubia at 7.30 on February 5. More details below.)

2. Let's hand two local schools over to Ray Priest and his pals at the City Academy!

To play at "all through schools"! Even though they are totally unproven, have been rejected twice in Bristol, and nobody in the leafy suburbs of West Bristol would dream of sending their child to one!

Even though the City Academy is only able to get 22% of its own pupils to the required standards of English and Maths at GCSE!

But let's not put any plans in the public domain, because then people might be able to make up their own minds!

3. Let's sell off large swathes of the city's green space!

Oops, we already consulted on this one, so let's change the plans at the last minute! So that nobody really has a clue what and when their local park might disappear!

Happy New Year!

**************************************************

Save the cyclepath!
The Bristol to Bath cyclepath is under threat. The West of England Partnership, composed of local councillors, are submitting plans to Whitehall for funding to use it for a rapid transit bus route from Emersons Green to Ashton Vale, one of three in the scheme. The Bath end of the path is under similar threat.

This is the most popular cycleroute in the UK with 2.4 million journeys per year. The timing of the bus route plan is particularly ironic at a time when Sustrans have just won £50 million for cycling improvements nationwide!

It is a busy commuter route for cyclists and at weekends is popular with families and less confident cyclists.
Although a narrow corridor for cyclists is planned, installation of the bus route will require using most of the path width for an ugly concrete track and consequent removal of all vegetation, destroying the path as a pleasant, green, quiet and ‘fume free’ multiuse facility….diesel buses will destroy that.

The path, sometimes called a ‘linear park’ is also used extensively by local people for journeys on foot to school, to walk the dog, to allotments and other local amenities. People with disability vehicles use it. It will not be possible to maintain this diversity of use on a narrow, fenced in path beside a bus track.

We believe that this plan would significantly reduce the quality of life for many residents of East Bristol, in addition to those from further afield who enjoy this path. We don’t oppose bus rapid transit schemes in principle but it should use roadspace, not space allocated to the most vulnerable and least powerful groups - pedestrians, cyclists and children.

We need to stop this proposal now. To wait until West of England Partnership declare that public consultation may begin, would leave little time to mount a campaign.

Come to the meeting at the Cornubia Pub, Temple St BS1
Tuesday 5^th February 2008 at 7.30 – upstairs meeting room.
Directions: http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubmap/308/
In the meantime, to register your interest, contact savethecyclepath@bristolcyclingcampaign.org.uk