February 2006
A revised planning application for the proposed cycle path through Redland Green has been made. The application number is 04/04418/FB/N.
Unfortunately the drawings will not be made available on the planning website
but we have been sent a copy of the new proposals and have taken some
photographs of them which you can see here
The RCAS planning group will be making a response to the application shortly. Our position is that we are not happy about the safety aspects of making a cycle path through the green. We do not think that the topography is suitable for a shared cycle and pedestrian route through an area that should be a safe area for everyone to enjoy, with especial consideration for the safety of children, disabled and elderly people, and dogs! Cyclists will find maintaining a safe speed down and up the hills difficult, and will have to avoid conflict with other users, some of whose movements, for instance those of small children or dogs, will be unpredictable.
However, as the school has been given permission on the basis of a safe cycle route being provided, the RCAS have worked with Bristol Parks Dept. to establish as safe a route as possible, without changing the rural feel of the Green. We have not therefore pressed for a segregated pedestrian/cycle route as it would need a 3 m wide path to accomplish this. We have also not suggested different coloured track surfaces and central barriers, which we think would ruin the park.
We have however pressed the issue of safety where the cycle route passes in front of the entrance to the play area. Proposals to remove some of the hedge to increase the visibility splay along the path for people exiting from the fenced play area do not, in our opinion, improve safety. Small children are not able to judge speed and distance of moving vehicles however clearly they can see them. Bristol Parks are also very concerned about this aspect of safety.
We have therefore agreed with them that a dedicated cycle route running along the back of the existing play area is a solution to this problem, with gates being installed across section of the path that runs past the fenced play area gate. In order to make this restriction work some additional fencing to enclose the area of tarmac which used to have climbing frames on it, and is now used by small children for cycling practice, and skate boarders for their activities.
We have some reservations about the exact line of the proposed new cycle path and about the height and position of some of the fencing that is proposed. We will be putting together our proposals in response to the new application and will update this website shortly.
Please let us know what your thoughts are.
Alison Bromilow
January 2005
Planning application no 04/04418/FB/N - Case officer Alison Straw
Unsegregated cycle/pedestrian route through Redland Green
RCAS criticised the proposed cycle path through Redland Green as part of the NNBI application. Although this is now a separate planning application, it has been made a condition of the approval for the school. The comments that we can make now on the proposed cycle route can be little more than a damage limitation exercise. Whatever scheme is adopted will have a major impact upon the park and we have made our concerns known about this and about the safety of a combined cycle and pedestrian route. The construction of a segregated cycle route could have greater overall impact on the appearance of the park but less impact on the safety of other users. We understand that the byelaws prohibiting cycling in the park have lapsed. The provision of an official cycle route makes it essential that a new bylaw is imposed to limit cycling to approved paths.
We are therefore discussing two possible schemes with the planning officers and the parks department, one of which would include a partially shared cycle/ pedestrian route and one which would be almost entirely segregated.
The shared route would run along the existing path, which would be widened, to 3m in the Dell, with an improved access from Metford Road and Cossins Road at the entrance by the electricity substation, where cyclists and pedestrians/pushchairs would have separate paths down to the shared section. A new railed-off cycle path would be constructed to run along the boundary of Alderman's Park, taking a small strip off the play area. Some additional railings and gates would prevent cyclists using the path that runs past the children's playground area.
The alternative segregated route would involve the construction of a new cycle path running from the furthest north entrance to the park off Cossins Road to the fence along the back of the St Oswald's Road houses and joining the access road to the farm and thus to Redland Green Road. This approach would include additional landscaping along this neglected part of the park. The advantage of this route is that the vehicular and cyclists routes do not cross over and cyclists would have no justification to use any other paths. However, for technical reasons it now seems unlikely that this option would be feasible.
We are aware that there will be members that are opposed to either or both of these schemes; please let the planning officer know. We are not going to choose which scheme to promote to our members, only help to identify options. The cycle path is only proposed because of the NNBI scheme; we are therefore pointing out that the school budget must pay, not the Parks Budget which is already overstretched. We have also asked that any additional lighting for this path is the same as the Victorian style lighting that has recently been installed in the Park.
At the Planning Committee meeting on 24th November 2004, the proposal to build the new North Bristol Institute was approved by the committee of 11 councillors by a majority of 9 to 2. Click here to see the RCAS statement to the Planning Committee.
After the statutory period for consideration, the Government Office for the South West have decided not to call the project in for determination by First Secretary of State.
Click here to read our submission to the Government Office for the South West, making our case for Calling-in this application.
INFORMATION
Called-in planning applications
Although most planning applications are decided by local planning authorities, the First Secretary of State does have the power to call-in an application for his own determination. This means that he takes away the responsibility for deciding the application from the authority, under Section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. However, the Secretary of State exercises this power sparingly and normally only when issues of far more than local importance arise from the application.
Potential call-in cases may include those which in the opinion of the Secretary of State:
 |
may conflict with national policies on important matters; |
|
give rise to substantial regional or controversy; |
|
could have significant effects beyond the immediate locality; |
|
raise significant architectural or urban design issues; or |
|
may involve the interests of national security or of foreign governments. |
Once an application has been called-in, an inquiry is usually held, by an Inspector of the Planning Inspectorate. Following the inquiry the Inspector sends his report to the Secretary of State, whose decision is prepared by the Planning Central Casework Division in the headquarters of the ODPM.
November 2004 Update
In early October, revised plans and information were made available for comment. RCAS has reviewed this in detail and sent updated comments to the planners. The most significant changes to the proposals - all aspects of concern to local residents - involve access, parking and traffic:
|
The car park for staff has been reduced from 116 spaces to 89. |
|
The pedestrian access from Cranbrook Road across the allotments has been abandoned, apparently because the Council had no right of access over the private road. |
|
The traffic calming and highway-widening in the roads leading to the site have been considerably simplified. The road across Redland Green to Woodstock Road would no longer be closed, and 10 mature plane trees in the church avenue no longer have to be felled. These changes are to be welcomed, but the justification for now omitting these previously essential safety measures for students and other pedestrians is not given. |
|
Peak hour cycle lanes (no parking) are proposed for Kersteman Rd (south side) and Redland Court Rd (west side). |
|
The 3m wide shared cycle/pedestrian footpath across Redland Green has been reduced to 2m. |
|
One hard surface play area has been moved to the west side of building. |
Some further technical information was supplied, though not all that was requested. Other documents are designed to justify the original site selection and design. This includes factors that had not been previously mentioned.
The latest information does not change our view, expressed at Feasibility Stage, that no architectural solution can overcome the inherent and adverse impact - visual, environmental and practical - of an establishment of this size on this site. We have therefore repeated our objection to the planning application.
Click here for a summary of the RCAS objections to the revised scheme (about
25k)
Click here to download the full final RCAS submission on the revised scheme (about
75k)
July 2004 Update
The Planning Application for the new school has now been submitted. The application documents are voluminous. There are 23 drawings and 9 A4 reports which are:
The Design Statement
The Education Case
Reconciliation of the playing fields provision
Scoping report for the environment statement
Environmental Statement Non-technical summary
Environmental Statement
Environmental Statement Appendices
Transport study Main Text
Transport study Appendices
The RCAS Planning Group, headed by Alison Bromilow, has carefully examined the application and made a detailed submission to the Planning Department.
You may download the text of the submission from this page, but before doing so you may find it helpful to read the following summary of the scheme and our general position. In particular, the maps and diagrams will assist understanding of many points raised in our official response.
There is not space here to reproduce all the documents and drawings, but we highlight a few areas of particular concern:
(This is a complex matter, and due to the detail of this information some parts of this page may take a little while to download - please be patient)
| Pedestrian Access | Cycle Path | Traffic Management | Visual Impact | Application to amend Local Plan |
OVERVIEW
The new school is for 945 pupils age 11-16 years, approx. 400 over 16, and 50 Special Learning Difficulty / Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty pupils
Since the feasibility study, changes have been made to the proposed form of the building, which now takes the form of a ‘street’ running across the site from the main entrance on the Redland Court Road cul-de-sac curving towards the S-E corner of the site. There has been an increase in the overall area of the building, which is 14,500 m2, compared with 13,398m2 in the feasibility study.
Click to download a more detailed, printable version of this drawing
The building now rises to 4 storeys, rather than the 2 storeys shown in the feasibility study. This affects the distant views of the site and the views from houses and allotments on the perimeter of the site. The building at the top of the site, where the main entrance is located, is single storey. The photomontages of the proposed buildings show the effect on distant views, for instance from St Andrew’s Park. The height of the building on the S-E is between 14.6 and 16.55 m above external ground level. The height of the main block of flats now called Alderman’s Park is 16.5m.
The site is designated a ‘prominent green hillside’ in the Bristol Local Plan. The site is also a playing field site. The English Sports Council opposes any development which would lead to the loss of a playing field unless there is excess provision in the catchment; the development is ancillary to the use as a playing field e.g. changing rooms; it is on land incapable of forming a playing pitch or the playing field would be replaced by one of equivalent or better quality in a suitable location. None of these conditions applies.
The car park capacity has been reduced to 116 cars with garaging for 4 minibuses rather than the 230 cars in the feasibility study.
Click to download a more detailed, printable version of this drawing
It is proposed that two fenced paths for pedestrian and cycle access are formed from Kersteman Road and Cranbrook Road. There will be a loss of statutory allotment land, which will require the permission of the Secretary of State. These allotments are popular and heavily used. The new paths will sub-divide the allotments into four separate lockable areas. The paths will rise very steeply up slopes of 1 in 8.7 and 1 in 4.5.
The RCAS is concerned that proposals to create a 3m wide cycle path through Redland Green have not been properly considered to take account of the impact on the Green and its present use. We are also concerned that Redland Green will become a gathering area for children from the school during the school day. This will impact on the use of the Green by the local residents.
Click to download a more detailed, printable version of this drawing
The RCAS is concerned about the impact on the Conservation Area of the proposed traffic management measures.
The proliferation of signs and raised table platforms at the junctions, the priority road narrowing pavement build outs and the changed priority junction at the top of Kersteman Road will have a major impact on the area; as will the proposal to widen the carriageway on Redland Green Road and to close off the road across the Green leading to Woodstock Road.
The increased traffic in an already heavily used route will cause many problems for existing users and residents. We will be studying the figures given in the Transport Statement to assess this aspect of the proposal.
Click to download a more detailed, printable version of this drawing
Key:
Gateway Feature Signs to inform of entry to school zone and 20 m.p.h.
speed limit combined in some cases with table platforms across junctions.
Table platform Raised area of roadway of different material to
indicate pedestrian crossing points and to slow traffic.
The section of the application dealing with the visual impact of the development on the landscape appears to omit the Appendices which contain the visualisations. The RCAS has therefore prepared the following montage to show the south elevation as seen from houses on the north side of Woodstock Road looking over the rooftops of houses in Redland Court Road. |
|
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Click this picture for a larger view (160kb)
Click here for the RCAS submission on the original Planning Application (15 A4 pages, about 75k)
There is also an application to amend the Local Plan.
This site is at present designated a NE2 ‘prominent green hillside’ in the local plan. The full description of this reads:
NE2 Prominent or strategically important landscape features which make a significant contribution to the landscape character of the city, including green hillsides, promontories, ridges, valleys, gorges and man-made landscapes will be protected. Development which would have a significant adverse effect on identified features of importance as defined on the Proposals Map will not be permitted.
This classification has only recently been reinforced as a result of the loss of the Appeal against the construction of the blocks of flats on the old St John Reade halls of residence site [now called Alderman’s Park]. The planning team involved in that case were made aware of some deficiencies in the drawings in the Bristol Local Plan and the site was reappraised and redrawn so as to protect it better.
We do not have a response date for this application as yet, so if you are going to write it would be as well to do so promptly.
