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Keynsham Christmas lights will be turned on by local author Lesley Pearse on Friday 28th November. The evening will start off with a reindeer led procession and will be packed with entertainment including stalls on the High Street and in the Fear Hall, music, stilt walkers, street entertainment, food stalls and much more.

A Shopmobility service will be available from the Key Centre, telephone 01225 481744. This service is available for wheelchair hire.  There will be a free park & ride service available from 6.00-9.30pm, linking the Co-op car park at Broadmead Lane with the Town Centre bus stop behind Somerfield in Ashton Way.

The High Street, bottom of Charlton Road, part of Temple Street, including the Civic Centre car park will be closed to traffic from 4.00pm until 10.00pm.

For more information contact Keynsham Town Council on 0117 986 8683.

The following recommendations were made at the Town Council meeting on Tuesday

28th October 2008.

08/02947/FUL – 11 Amberley Close

Structural refurbishment of exterior of building.

Support

08/02948/FUL – 13 Amberley Close

Structural refurbishment of exterior of building.

Support

08/03760/FUL – Ashmead Road(Jardox Ltd.)

Erection of workshop and store.

Support

08/03766/FUL – 209 Bath Road

Erection of single storey side extension to provide granny annexe.

Support

08/03670/FUL – Courtenay Road (Tyning)

Installation of dormer windows, 2 no. roof lights, hanging bay window, adjustment of eaves overhang, provision of new entrance porch and plinth.  New render facing (resubmission).

Comment – the design of the windows changes the character of the building.

08/03458/FUL – 37 Torridge Road

Erection of a single storey front extension and two storey side extension.

Support

08/03548/FUL – 110 Wellsway

Erection of rear extension (resubmission).

Comment – we cannot see that there is much difference with the previous application.

08/03652/FUL – 201 Wellsway

Erection of a first floor side extension over existing garage.

Comment – re the letter of complaint from neighbour.  Please note his comments about the siting of the property to the boundary wall.

08/03835/TEL - Keynsham Cricket Club

Proposed Vodafone installation

Opposed

At its meeting on 21st October 2008 the Town Council made the following decisions:

It was agreed that the Multi Wheeled Facility Working Party will continue to meet to oversee the project.

Town Council adopted its Training Statement of Intent.

The Model Publication Scheme of the Freedom of Information Act was adopted.

The Council agreed to include £500 in the budget for 2009/10 to support the Kennet and Avon Canal Bi-centenary (the money to go towards a destination panel).

The Council agreed to replace the five town boundary signs.

The Council decided not to have the dead tree in the cemetery turned into a sculpture.

The Governments proposals for the number of new homes, jobs and economic growth that are to be built in the South West over the next 20 years are set out in the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). The Government has recently published its Proposed Changes to the RSS for public consultation.

For the West of England, which includes Bath and North East Somerset Area, the proposed number of new homes and jobs and overall spatial strategy is set out in policy HMA1. In summary the proposals are as follows to:

21,300 homes – 3,000 in Keynsham, 8,000 in an urban extension to Bristol somewhere within an ‘area of search’ between Whitchurch and Hicks Gate

20,200 new jobs in the Bath Travel to work area – any new jobs in Keynsham are included in the figure for Bristol Travel to Work Area

Economic growth at a rate of 3.2% per annum – in recent years economic growth has been about 2.5% and is currently much less than this

Removal of land from the Green Belt to enable urban extensions to be developed and strain on the current infrastructure resulting from new development

B&NES Council and Keynsham Town Council have both responded to these plans. The response of the Town Council is set out below.

• 1. Raise concern that the number of homes for the B&NES area was raised by the EIP from 15,500 to 18,300 and that this figure has now been raised to 21,300. The initial figure was that which B&NES felt was possible given the land use in the district.
• 2. That the number of dwellings built in the B&NES area has averaged 400 per annum. For the government figures to be met this would need to rise to over 1,000 per annum - an unsustainable figure.
• 3. The RSS has indicated a growth rise of 3.2% year on year, yet within this area during the boom years the growth was only 2.8%. How is this higher figure to be achieved over twenty years?
• 4. Green Belt - The RSS says that the green belt between Bath and Bristol will be maintained. In actuality there is a green belt between Bristol and Keynsham, Keynsham and Saltford, Saltford and Newton St Loe, all of which maintain the identity of the different communities. These should be maintained.
• 5. There are concerns that the present infrastructure, especially transport issues, are not currently fit for purpose, the RSS does not say how this will be improved or who will be responsible for paying for the improvements.
• 6. 3000 homes within the Keynsham area are not sustainable without the increase in jobs and yet Keynsham is part of the designated Bristol Travel to Work area so any increase in jobs would not count towards the total required for the Bath Travel to Work Area. Keynsham does not want to be part of the Bristol conurbation.
• 7. Concern was raised that there has been no possible direct input from Town and Parish Councils since the draft RSS was published.

So what can you do to stop these plans ? –

We are now currently in the consultation phase of these plans – you have until 24th October 2008 to make your feelings known and submit your comments to the Government Office for the South West. In order to make sure your comments are considered you need to make it clear which policy or paragraph you are commenting on.

You can do this in a number of ways.

Write to: quoting policy reference HMA1

Government Office of the South West
Regional Spatial Strategy Team
2 Rivergate, Temple Quay
BRISTOL
BS3 6ED
E-mail: rssconsult@gosw.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 0117 900 1705
Fax: 0117 900 1914

If you fail to act NOW it will be too late!