Zone A is the piece of land on the lower part of Wells Rd, next to the Bush Pub and opposite the YMCA building. It was sold to TACA by the City Council for a nominal fee after plans for a proposed church were shelved, on condition that the land was set aside for use by the community. This was in the 1970's and the land has been sadly neglected since then as various schemes for its use have foundered.
In the past few years there has been disagreement within the community of the best use for Zone A. TACA successfully fundraised enough money to create a landscaped green on the site. But the sale of the YMCA building where community groups traditionally met, raised questions about whether this was the best use of the land. It was argued that a community centre was vital for the area, and that the time was right to raise funding to achieve this. Zone A, as land owned by the community association was seen as the most suitable site. However, this would mean returning the money raised to landscape the area, as the grant had a tie-in clause that meant the project had to be preserved for a significant period. After much debate that can only be described as lively, and a split vote at TACA's AGM, the TACA committee decided to consult the community.
In a hugely successful consultation exercise during Jan '04 that got close to 600 responses, the majority of replies supported the plan to fundraise for a community centre. As this would clearly take a few years to achieve, Zone A would still be landscaped on a temporary basis with a smaller grant. This is where things stand at present.
The Zone A landscaping group are confident that a grant from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers will enable some landscaping to be done this Summer. The City Council have already aided by clearing the land in preparation. However, volunteers are desperatly needed for the work, which it is hoped will commence soon and promises to be good fun. Anyone interested can call Clive Gurman on 9048403.
Meanwhile the Totterdown and Neighbourhood Community Centre Group are pulling out the stops to raise the money to build a community cente. If anyone wants to help or has any questions about this they can call Danny Burns on 9099681 or Ian Phillips on 0790 4097065
Report on Neighbourhood Partnership meeting on Thursday 22nd May at the Southville Centre.
A meeting was held on Thursday 22nd May 2003 at the Southville Centre to discuss Neighbourhood Partnerships, and TACA sent a representative. There were a large number of people there - mainly employees of the Council and Councillors. There was however, also quite a contingent from the police. The aim of the meeting - which was chaired by Ben Barker - was to try and understand the concept of Neighbourhood Partnerships and how they would work in Bristol. It is planned to have a partnership that covers what is known as the Greater Bedminster Area, which is the wards of Southville, Bedminster and Windmill Hill. The meeting divided into groups of around 5 people and went on to discuss how the Neighbourhood Partnership could work. Each group contained a wide variety of experience and knowledge. The general conclusion was that Agencies at present do not communicate very well, and as a first step there would need to be a directory of who deals with what in the city. It was hoped that by setting up a Neighbourhood Partnership this would be a first port of call when problems in the community arose. A report will be issued on the conclusions of the meeting in due course. It is intended to have another meeting in the Autumn.
Extract from leaflet issued by Bristol City Council.
What are Neighbourhood Partnerships?
The major aim of Neighbourhood Partnerships is to increase public involvement in local government and to give people more power at a neighbourhood level. All local authorities are being asked by central government to develop area committees or neighbourhood forums to encourage this work. Responses by local authorities across the country have been very different. Some local authorities have opted for Area Committees covering a number of wards, having councillors as the membership and meeting within a formal structure. These area committees have then needed to construct other ways of consulting widely within people within the wards they cover. Other areas have gone for very informal forums with a very wide membership covering a much smaller geographical area. Some partnerships have a number of devolved budgets whereas others do not.
How will they look in Bristol?
The intention in Bristol is to set up partnerships mainly of two wards but some of three wards. These partnerships will act as a vehicle for people to raise issues and concerns and to provide a better opportunity for cross agency response to local priorities. They will provide a way for local people to influence service provision and planning. These partnerships will be made up of ward councillors, local people, representatives of City Council departments, other agencies (such as police and health), communities of interest, business and traders and faiths. Each Partnership will evolve in a way that fits most effectively and sensibly with other forums and partnerships that already exist in the neighbourhood. A first meeting will examine how this could develop in the area and the shape and regularity of meetings as well as highlighting what people feel the major issues in the area to be.
Outline planning permission has been granted for this controversial scheme to go ahead. Details of the scheme can be accessed through the Broadmead website here.
Although the YMCA have "downsized" and sold their prominent building, they are leasing back part of it to continue their work. They currently run a youth club and they are hoping to expand their community involvement. They hope to open a youth cafe, music studio and TV/lounge area, with computer access, primarily for young people of the area, but also where possible to include the whole community.
We understand that TESCO have taken over the One Stop shop chain. This has led to speculation that a TESCO Metro will be established in Totterdown. From TACA's perspective, whatever people feel about supermarkets, we welcome any improvement to this area and also to the car park. We would however wish to see assurances about the long-term future for Totterdown Post Office.
You can always tell when an area begins to be regenerated. A Wetherspoons pub opens up. The new pub which has opened up in the square by the ferry terminal is called the Knight's Templar and is well within walking distance of Totterdown. I had a chance to sample their fare recently. Whatever people feel about Wetherspoons pubs (some people maintain that they suck a lot of trade away from traditional pubs) it has brought a bit of life to the Temple Meads area which up to now has been particularly drab. The food was good and cheap and the staff were friendly. Real Ale is available, and they have a guest beer. It was a bit like having a drink in an office block, but then I quite liked the modern architecture. I felt it was well worth a visit, and it is hoped that the Temple Meads area becomes a more lively place that befits a major terminus.
Back to the Home Page Website updated by the Welsh Wizard on the 28 May 04