Growing Local Food in Westbury and Henleaze

Image via Wikipedia Know any land suitable for growing food on in the area?

The Council's Land Use Consultation comes to BS9 this month with an open event at Trinity Henleaze United Reform Church, Bradbury Hall on 20th September. Members of the public with an interest in seeing more land released for local food production are invited to drop in any time between 12.00 noon and 8.00 pm.


An identical event for Henbury & Southmead will run on September 27th at the Greenway Centre, Doncaster Road, Southmead.

Information and opinions gleaned during this city-wide consultation will, apparently, help to inform decisions on land use in the city for the coming decades.

Here's my off-the-top-of-my head list of possible food growing sites in the area:

• the Dairy Garden at Blaise Castle Estate
• part of the Arnall Drive Open Space at Henbury
• a corner of the field at Henbury School
• the front garden at Elmlea Junior School and the back garden at the Infants' School
• the grounds of the former Elmfield School on Greystoke Avenue
• the hidden valley between Channell's Hill and Bowness Gardens (might be a bit steep?)
• the small plot adjacent to the Westbury on Trym surgery
• a slice of the Coombe Dingle Sports Centre field

Where have I missed?

For an introduction to the rationale of growing and consuming locally produced food, there's a short introductory article here.

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Will Primary Academies Change Bristol's Schools for a Generation?

The government's desire to allow primary schools to become academies, and its desire to increase their number, may have significant implications for the provision of primary education in Bristol.

Under the coalition's proposals - outlined in this week's Queen's Speech - primary schools which have been rated "outstanding" by Ofsted will be assumed to be ready to become academies, without having to go through the current lengthy application process.

It is worth pausing to consider what Bristol schools might look like if all or many of its primary schools currently rated "outstanding" chose to go this route. In such a world, the following primaries would be eligible to become academies (independent of local authority control) straight away - possibly as soon as September 2010. These schools would be free from the requirements of the national curriculum and able to set their own non-selective admissions and staffing policies.

In each case, the link from the individual school is to it most recent Ofsted report:

St Peter and St Paul RC Primary, Redland


St John's C of E Primary, Clifton


Christ Church Primary, Clifton


Henleaze Junior School


Ashley Down Junior School


Elmlea Junior School, Westbury on Trym


Westbury on Trym C of E Primary


Stoke Bishop C of E Primary


Our Lady of the Rosary RC Primary, Lawrence Weston


Several points seem relevent:

1. The geographical concentration of possible primary academies

Although it could be argued that the varying standards of primary schools in Bristol are already a matter of public record - with schools in the north and west of the city tending to be rated more highly that those in the centre, south and east - the emergence of multiple academies would be a powerful and visual symbol of this educational imbalance.

Existing primary schools, if oversubscribed, already apply a geographical element when allocating places, according to the City Council's admissions policy document. This fact tends to lead to the creation of local property hot spots as parents move into parts of the city where they are more likely to be allocated a place at the school of their choice.

It is unclear whether such hypothetical future primary academies would operate geographical admissions policies. The evidence form Bristol's existing secondary academies is mixed. While City Academy in Whitehall and Oasis Academy in Hengrove do have a local geographical bias in their application process, Colton's Girls' and Cathedral School do not.


2. The high incidence of church schools in the list

It is a nationally-recognised fact that Britain's highest performing schools at both primary and secondary level contain significant numbers of church schools. This provides a range of challenges and opportunities.

On the one hand, secular members of the middle classes often express dismay when they find such schools operating a faith-based admission policy. Attempts to minimise the overt Christian influence on such schools seems perverse, as if the character of such schools can be detached from its spiritual ethos and worldview.

Having said that, it is perfectly understandable that tax paying families may feel disenfranchised by a system that denies their child access to high performing schools because they are not church attenders - a situation that is currently true for several of the voluntary aided schools on the list.


3. The inevitability of a downgraded LEA

If (and of course it's a big if) a number of "outstanding" primaries became academies, controlling their own budget, curriculum and staffing policies, the LEA would be left with, well, to be frank, the less-than-outstanding schools. Some may see this as a good thing. It would certainly make it easier to justify job cuts within the council's education department as its remit was significantly reduced.

However, such a development would also have major implications for the nature of the state education system. I wonder, for instance, how we would feel if this approach were applied to doctor's surgeries or old people's homes. It's one thing for individuals to "go private" with their medical or retirement needs. It's another to have two types of public service offering the same thing (primary schools) but paid for from different pots and serving, in practice, two different groups of the public - broadly speaking , the haves and the have nots.


The academy model was originally designed by the Blair government to help lift "bog standard comprehensives" out of the doldrums by enabling them to be rebuilt and form dynamic partnerships with motivated and resourceful private and charitable bodies with an interest in education. Bristol's City Academy in Whitehall (supported by Bristol City FC) is a classic example of this approach.

In the brave new world of multiple primary academies, there is every possibility of significant fracturing of the provision of education and the reinforcement of social and educational inequalities across the city.

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Conservatives Win Westbury-on-Trym Council Election

As well as securing the Bristol North West parliamentary seat in yesterday's general election, the Conservatives also held on to their seat in Westbury on Trym in the City Council election held on the same day.

City-wide, the Conservatives remain the third largest party on the Council after the LibDems consolidated their power base, gaining seats in Horfield and Kingsweston, while Labour gained new seats in Avonmouth and Brislington East.

The official result in Westbury on Trym was as follows:

Candidate	Party		Votes	%
Alastair Peter Lindsay Watson	Conservative		3124	46.69
Graham Christopher Donald	Liberal Democrat		2280	34.08
Claire Louise Cook	Labour		790	11.81
Alex Dunn	Green		407	6.08
Stephen Michael Wright	English Democrats		90	1.35

Turnout was a whopping 79.33%.

Source, Bristol City Council.

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Elmlea Neighbours Organise Action Group

Parents and neighbours of the Elmlea Junior and Infant Schools have formed an action group to seek greater community engagement with the planned demolition of the infant school and its rebuilding on the junior school playing field.

Action for Community Involvement in Elmlea School (ACIES) is claiming a lack of meaningful consultation with parents and members of the local community over the planned development and have raised number of concerns with it:

• the two year building project will see pupils bussed off site for outdoor sports, a costly option in terms of time, money and traffic emissions
• after school clubs which currently use the field will be homeless for at least two years
• concerns for 100-year old trees on the site, some of which house woodpeckers and owls
• a badger set exists in the copse on the western side of the field
• no budget allocation for the construction of a new playing field (on the site of the demolished infant school)
• the permanent loss of the current field forever

ACIES claims that members are concerned that Bristol City Council appear to be fast-tracking the planning proposals with limited consultation and process.

With amalgamation being stated as official council policy since at last September 2008, though never formally announced to parents, the group appear to have a point.

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Is Elmlea to Lose its Playing Field?

Residential neighbours of Elmlea Junior and Infant Schools in Westbury on Trym have received letters informing them that building work is to start on the school site in 2010 resulting in the demolishing of the existing Infant School and its rebuilding on the site of the Junior School playing field.

A meeting has subsequently been held at the Junior School to which local residents and parents were invited.

After repeated questioning and despite initial denials by the school management, the meeting was eventually informed that the rebuilding plans formed part of a larger scheme to amalgamate the two schools in 2013.

It is curious that the ambitious Miss Clare Galliers, Head Teacher of the recently-enlarged Junior School should be so reserved about announcing this scheme. Amalgamation has been Bristol City Council policy since at least September 2008 and is clearly revealed on its public web site. It's on page 37 of the Primary Review Strategy here:

"Elmlea Infants: Proposed changes "Amalgamation with Junior School."

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Bristol Council Elections: Predicted Results

As polls have closed across Bristol, Trym Tales is pleased to announce its predictions for the results of the city council elections held today, Thursday June 4th.

Actual results will be updated throughout Friday. By the weekend, once all results are announced, readers will be able to make their own assessments about the skill (or lack thereof) of the political science department within Westbury on Trym's leading independent online media outlet. The ward, predicted result and actual result are as follows:

Ashley	Green (just)							LibDem (Greens 2nd)
Avonmouth	Con							Con
Bishopston	LibDem							LibDem
Cabot	LibDem							LibDem
Clifton	Libem							LibDem
Clifton East	Con							LibDem
Cotham	LibDem							LibDem
Easton	LibDem							LibDem
Eastville	LibDem							LibDem
Frome Vale	Con							Con
Henbury	Con (just)							Con
Henleaze	LibDem							LibDem
Hillfields	LibDem							LibDem
Horfield	LibDem							LibDem
Kingsweston	LibDem							LibDem
Lawrence Hill	Lab							Lab (by maj of 9 votes)
Lockleaze	Respect							LibDem
Redland	LibDem							LibDem
Southmead	Con							LibDem
St George East	BNP							Con
St George West	Con							Lab
Stoke Bishop	Con							Con
Westbury-on-Trym	Con							Con

So, results in and Trym Tales got 18 of 23 predictions correct. I think Nick Robinson can rest easy in the knowledge that he does not have a serious rival yet.

The story in Bristol seems to be one of LibDem and Conservative gains at the expense of Labour and the failure of the minority parties to see significant electoral breakthroughs despite the public anger at the issue of MP's expenses.

Turnout was also higher than expected.

Full results ward by ward can be found on the City Council web site here.

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It's All Happening in the Village

Right.

There's quite a lot going on in Westbury on Trym over the coming days. Here are some highlights:

• the Rockleaze Rangers Invitational Football Tournament, Sunday 14th June at the Coombe Dingle Sports Complex. It never fails to amaze me how many people turn up for this massive end of season tournament which sees dozens of teams from across the region compete in age groups from 7-11. Great family entertainment with the usual array of bouncy castles, bar b q and candy floss, not to mention high-energy football from Westbury's premier club. It runs all day and there is, I believe, no admission fee unless you're parking on site.

• Saturday 27th June, 9.00 - 1.00, local produce market in the medical centre car park on Westbury Hill. The home made chicken pies are a particular favourite.

• Village Hall Anniversary Fayre. It's 140 years, no less, since local benefactor Henry St. Vincent Ames built the village hall on Eastfield Road for "lectures, readings, music, exhibitions of art, science, industry, agriculture, horticulture and public instruction, and generally with a view to the promotion of innocent recreation and social and moral improvement." Good for him and good for us in Westbury on Trym who can go along on Saturday June 6th between 12 and 5 for a bit of a celebration fayre (with obligatory "yre" to signify the historic resonance of the event.)

• I believe there are also elections taking place on Thursday June 4th. Polling stations in the Westbury-on-Trym ward are located at the Library on Falcondale Road, the Methodist Church Hall on Westbury Hill and the Scout Hut in the Baptist Church car park on the corner of Reedley Road and Bransfield - which, due to the wonders of Google Street Map can now be seen below in all its glory.

View Larger Map





The results of the last local elections in Westbury on Trym on May 4th 2006 were as follows. Turnout was 54%.

Candidate	Party		Votes	%
Ashley Peter Fox	The Conservative Party Candidate		2319	52.01
Michael Henry Popham	Liberal Democrat		1505	33.75
John Alexander (commonly known as Alex) Dunn	The Green Party		331	7.42
Annia Summers	The Labour Party Candidate		304	6.82

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The S Factor

Just posted an item over on Guide2Bristol on Bristol's Somali community, in light of the news that a Somali-born candidate will be standing for election in the local elections in June.

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Council Finishes Project Before Starting it

Last week, without warning, the gentle folk of the Hillsdon and Southdown Road areas of Westbury on Trym, were all astir at the arrival of bright yellow signs on lampposts informing residents that the two roads would be "surface dressed" (whatever that means) between May and September.

Excellent, I thought as I surveyed these well-placed and colourful signs. If I were ever going to surface dress a road (whatever that means), I also would do so during the summer months when the weather is fine.

Happy, though slightly surprised, at receiving such advanced notice, my fellow citizens and I went about our business for several days, secure in the knowledge that the inevitable upheaval of local road works would not begin for at least a few weeks, possibly months.

Imagine my surprise, therefore, when on waking this morning I heard not the cooing of the wood pigeon but the thumping of the petrol generator, signaling the start of major surface dressing (ibid) in the road.

The workers had arrived and by this evening they had placed barriers and no entry signs willy nilly around Westbury on Trym's favourite cut-through (with the possible exception of Chock Lane).

It appears that our local streets will have their surfaces dressed (ad nauseam) before the planned start date of the project - an achievement for which the city council planning and surface dressing department should be applauded.

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Bristol Credit Union Gets Council Cash

Was interested to see that the city council has invested £30,000 into Bristol's Credit Union, which recently relocated to a prominant position in Stoke's Croft.

Credit Unions are co-operatives which provide many traditional banking services to their members.

I think they are an idea whose time has come and that, as the global financial crises causes many to question the traditional institutions we have used up to now, we will see increasing numbers of individuals using credit unions for some or all of their financial needs.

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What's Happened to the Downs?

Driving a guest to an appointment at Bristol University last Sunday morning, I couldn't help noticing the terrible state of the Downs near the water tower following the previous night's firework show which took place despite the appalling weather.

The combination of thousands of people, heavy rain and numerous lorries, fairground rides and other heavy vehicles has left the Downs looking like a dirt bike track rather than a green field.

I don't know the answers but I do have some questions:

1. Who made the decision to proceed with the event despite the heavy rain? I have personally attended on previous years when the event has been put back 24 hours. Why was this not done last Saturday?

2. What are the financial arrangements, if any, between the organisers and Bristol City Council?

3. How long will it take before the Downs will be usable again by the general public and, if necessary, who will pay for any repairs that may be needed?

Just asking.

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Tiblisi, Georgia and Bristol

As events unfold in the Caucuses, Bristol residents may be unaware of the link that has existed for 20 years between their city and Tiblisi, the capital of the now war-torn nation of Georgia.

2008 is the 20th anniversary of the Bristol Tiblisi Association and a variety of events are being held to mark the fact, including The Falcon and the Unicorn - a cultural and literary exhibition currently running till October at the Central Library.

Stoke Bishop Councillor and former Lord Mayor of Bristol Peter Abraham made an official visit to Tiblisi in 2007 where he was hosted by the city's first elected mayor, Gigi Ugulava, tipped by some as the next President of Georgia (Russian invasions notwithstanding.)

It seems a timely opportunity to become better informed about the links between the two cities.

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Tesco Targets North Street

Charlie Bolton, Bristol's only Green Party Councillor, is attempting to prevent the opening of a Tesco store on North Street, Ashton (or is it Southville?)

His reasons are coherent and sensible and can be read on his blog here.

They are also unlikely to succeed - unless there is a massive movement from grass roots consumers to (a) oppose the plan and (b) to refuse to use the store if it does open.

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Bristol Cycling City

Thank goodness for the independent media.

Without such robust reporting and campaigning as that evidenced by Trym Tales (if clicking a mouse may be considered a political act) Bristolians might still be choking in their own traffic fumes.

Thankfully, the powers that be - including the Department for Transport, Sustrans and Bristol City Council - have clearly been reading this blog and have responded promptly to a post this February calling for a bike sharing scheme to be implemented in the city.

In fact, they have gone a stage further and designated Bristol as England's first cycling city, a move which will see over £20 million spent on bike-related infrastructure.

In happily wallowing in its own self-congratulation at this impressive result, Trym Tales would like to make clear that at no time did it call for either of the following related cycling initiatives to be implemented, both of which are apparently part of the grand scheme:

• Cycling buddies assigned to help novices
• Door-to-door, one-on-one advice in some areas
  

On the latter issue, I was somewhat perplexed to read that, according to the BBC, this advice will involve Council officials going "door to door in low income areas evangelizing about the benefits of cycling." I wonder why Lawrence Hill rather than Sneyd Park will be targeted in this way, the former having far fewer cars per head than the latter.

Political correctness not withstanding, the scheme is of course welcomed. At its best, it has the potential to effect a significant and positive shift in the Bristol traffic scene.

Since Trym Tales is clearly punching above its weight in this area, I will offer my additional contributions to the debate, safe in the knowledge that they will become public policy within months. The question is, what would cause a flabby, middle-aged suburbanite (not thinking of anyone in particular) to cycle more in Bristol? Two factors would be decisive:

Secure, monitored cycle lock up areas

I hate having stuff stolen. Having lost numerous children's bikes, scooters and a moped from my property over the years, I just hate being the victim of this kind of crime.

Bike repair shacks located throughout the network

It's no use telling me it's easy to learn - people have tried with me for decades. Fixing things, including repairing tires, is a life skill that has sadly passed me by. A shed where I can get my puncture fixed on demand at a reasonable price would make a difference between using or not using a bike.

Right, campaigning done. Back to the football.

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Drinks Cartons Can Now be Recycled in Bristol

Bristol residents keen to recycle have historically been frustrated by the problem of waxed drinks cartons, which have been rejected from black box collections as unsuitable for recycling.

Bristol City Council's announcement that 5 collection points for drinks cartons have been installed is therefore welcome news.

The new sites are at:

• Asda Bedminster (East Street)
• Asda Whitchurch (Oatlands Avenue)
• Tesco Eastville (Eastgate Centre)
• Tesco Brislington (Callington Road)
• Tesco Golden Hill (Kellaway Avenue)

Drinks cartons are typically made of 74% paper, 22% polythene and 4% aluminium and have traditionally been regarded as difficult to recycle.

The new sites are the result of a partnership between the Council and Tatra Pak, one of the largest suppliers of waxed drinks cartons. All bands of cartons are accepted at the new facilities.

The announcement comes at the start of National Recycling Week when WRAP (the Waste and Recycling Action Programme) are urging households and businesses to think about "one more thing" that they could add to their recycling box on a regular basis. While kitchen recycling is high in most households, items from bedrooms and bathrooms are routinely overlooked.

WRAP's research has revealed the top five items that could but are generally not recycled:

1. aerosol containers for deodorant, air freshener or polish
2. biscuit and sweet tins
3. plastic shampoo and toiletry bottles
4. plastic bottles of cleaning products, eg bleach, cleaner or disinfectants
5. glass jars, such as those for cooking sauces

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Redland Green Catchment Area - the Facts

Statistics have emerged on the numbers of families living within the designated area of first priority for Redland Green School who have not been allocated places at the school.

Bristol City Council has revealed that 87 children who live within the catchment area have failed to obtain a place at the new school. This is despite the Council reducing the size of the catchment area in response to the large number of families who have moved house to be near the school and increase their chances of gaining a place for their child.

Further statistics reveal the nature of the school's new popularity:

• 688 families applied for Redland Green year 7 in 2008
• 343 listed the school as their first choice school
• 189 places were available in Year 7 for the same academic year

Statistics for other popular Bristol schools include:

• Cotham School received a total of 672 applications for its 180 places
  
• St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School received 500 applications for 216 places available in Year 7
• Ashton Park, City Academy, Henbury School, St Bede’s and St Bernadette’s were also oversubscribed

For the full list of posts on this site focused on Redland Green School, click here.

For a wider range of education-related posts on this site, please click here.

Individualised programmes in maths and English for all ages and abilities. Redland Kumon Centre.

Plastic Bottle Success

Bristol residents who want to recycle but are frustrated by the difficulty of doing so with plastic bottles may take some small comfort from the city's recognition by the environmental charity Recoup who have described Bristol as the number two city in the country for plastic recycling.

Bristol residents recycled nearly 930 tonnes of plastic bottles in 2007 via the city’s 39 plastic bottle banks. In May, three new banks were opened - bringing closer the aim of all residents living within a mile of such a facility. There are now 42 plastic bottle recycling sites in the city, compared with only 7 in 2004. Sites currently collect over 77 tonnes of bottles a month. A map of the plastic recycling sites can be viewed here.

Nationally, an average household uses 500 plastic bottles a year, of which 130 are recycled. In 2006, the cost of producing these these bottles was £50 million with a further £100 million spent on getting rid of them.

Made originally from oil, plastics remain a key target area for those seeking to reduce carbon emissions at both the manufacturing, transportation and disposal stages. More on the issue of plastics and recycling at Recoup.

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Fly Tipper Fined.

Good.










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Redland Green Catchment Area Changed

Plans to change the designated area of first priority (the catchment area) for Redland Green School have been finalised following an indication earlier in the school year that Bristol City Council was intending to make such a change.

As a result, Westbury on Trym and Stoke Bishop families now find themselves in the areas of first priority for Henbury and Portway Schools respectively.

The Council has also created a new area of second priority which encompasses BS9. Places at Redland Green School will, in theory, be available to children in this area once all families living in the area of first priority have been allocated places. Westbury on Trym residents are therefore effectively excluded from the new school as the area of first priority is already heavily oversubscribed.

Please click here for a map of the new catchment area. The area of second priority can be viewed here.

For news on Portway School, which is in the process of applying to become an academy, please click here.

For all posts on this blog dealing with Redland Green School, please click here.

Individualised programmes in maths and English for all ages and abilities. Redland Kumon Centre.

Avonmouth Wind Turbines - No Brainer

Bristol City Council are consulting on placing two large wind turbines on a disused oil tank site in Avonmouth and want to hear the views of the great Bristol public.

The turbines are designed to supply electricity direct to the council - covering about 20% of its current electricity costs.

Trym Tales says, if we can't place turbines on a brown field site which is surrounded by warehouses and industrial sites, where can we place them? Let's build them and be proud of it.

Whether you agree or not, you can have your say here and see all the background information on the proposal.

On a related note, the Telegraph reports that next week's budget will include measures allowing individual households to generate electricity from wind turbines or solar panels on their roofs and sell it to the national grid at guaranteed prices.

As reported on this blog last week, B & Q are now selling domestic wind turbines at Cribbs Causeway for under £1900 (including fitting). It's surely only a matter of time before they start appearing on roofs across Bristol. None too soon, in my view.

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