After residents contacted me about the grass on the verge along Podsmead Road, I contacted the city council and Gloucestershire Highways to ask when it might be cut.

I also asked about the grass by the bus stop. I will feedback the response.

I know that in some parts of the ward such as round Tuffley Park, some of the grass has been left long to encourage biodiversity. I have seen examples of this in other parts of the city too, where some grass is kept shorter for people’s use, and some on verges or in out of the way areas is left a bit longer.

In general we need to strike a balance between neatness and the need to help species that need long grass to survive and thrive.

The Milton Avenue project will help towards improving biodiversity in our green spaces and there will be others in the future such as Blackbridge.

In particular we need to encourage bees, and I will work with the community and council to achieve this.

There will be a community litter pick in Podsmead on Sunday 29th August at 11am. This has been organised by local resident Ang Trigg and Podsmead Big Local.

Meet at the Podsmead Big Local Hub on Scott Avenue. Equipment will be provided.

After a resident contacted me about the poor state of the pavement on Scott Avenue, I sent some photos in to Highways who have responded to say work will be carried out:

Issue: General Footway Issues 
Location: pavement outside the shop/fish and chip shop/grill on Scott Avenue  

Arrangements have been made to repair the identified issue and work will commence within the required fault repair time – please see the Highways Policy for further details. 

We will keep you up to date with progress. 

Thank you again for taking the time to report the above issue. 

Gloucestershire Highways Customer Services Team

*****

I look forward to seeing this work done and will be reporting back on this.

I would now like to see the road surface at Scott Avenue done properly, rather than constant patching. I will continue to press the county council to resurface our pavements and roads in Podsmead.

If you know of any highways issues in Podsmead please let me know.

New business Next Wheels and Tyres are open on Bristol Road, Podsmead.

We had a tour and saw the excellent facilities and range of equipment.

Do support them if you need wheels, tyres, or some mechanical work.

Their website has more information.

The blackberries are ripening now. I took this photo of some blackberries at Milton Avenue the other day.

I reported the damage to the glass in the bus shelter on Podsmead Road.

The team have already attended and made it safe, pending a full repair.

We had a site meeting at Milton Avenue with council officers, myself and Lisa Jevins (Podsmead Big Local lead).

We looked at the work that’s started on site with the European funding, and made lists of actions that we think can be achieved in the next few months and years.

These will include:

? replacing/upgrading the play equipment

⬆️ making pathways

? planting sympathetically to enhance the area

? removing the damaged bollards

? planting trees where possible

This will be an important project for Milton Avenue and I look forward to helping it to come to fruition.

The dangerous sink hole on Podsmead Road has been repaired this week after I and residents reported the problem and urged action.

If you see any other highways issues in Podsmead do let me know.

I have received confirmation from Gloucestershire Highways that the patch I reported outside Poet’s Pantry will be repaired soon.

Part of their email reads:

‘Arrangements have been made to repair the identified issue and work will commence within the required fault repair time – please see the Highways Policy for further details.

We will keep you up to date with progress. 

Thank you again for taking the time to report the above issue. ‘

I will report back to residents once this defect has been repaired. If you know of any other defects in the pavements or roads around Podsmead, please let me know.

A drone video has captured the £5m transformation of Kings Square in action, with a film of the site showing the progress made by local building firm E G Carter.

The video was commissioned by the Gloucester based firm which was appointed by Gloucester City Council in autumn 2020 to take forward the plan to totally transform the city centre square.

Features in the new square will include sweeping granite seating areas, which can already be seen taking shape in the video, alongside fountains, trees, and atmospheric coloured lighting. The design concept takes inspiration from the Severn Bore – a spectacular tidal surge that occurs along the River Severn.

The vision is to transform Kings Square into an inspiring and enjoyable destination for city residents and visitors which can be used for events and entertainment, as well as for outdoor dining, and markets. 

It is intended that a full programme of events and activities will be planned for the square to attract visitors throughout the year.

Kings Square forms the centrepiece of a wider £85million scheme by the council, working in partnership with developer Reef Group, to regenerate the Kings Quarter area to create The Forum – a new social and digital campus for the South West, designed to act as a catalyst for the emerging digital and cyber sector. Work to construct Phase One of The Forum is currently on site.

Completion of the Kings Square project is expected in late 2021. Watch the video here: https://egcarter.co.uk/news/kings-square-drone-footage-construction-progress.