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.
Monday, 29 September 2008
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
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.
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/
http://thestoryofahedge.blogspot.com/
Saturday, 20 September 2008
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.
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.
Friday, 19 September 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
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.)
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.)
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