More support is being given to people who live and work around the B4063 between Gloucester and Cheltenham to encourage them to walk or cycle under a new Gloucestershire County Council initiative.

Using funds allocated from the Department for Transport’s Capability Fund, the county council’s Thinktravel team will be encouraging residents and commuters to get in their daily step count and dust off their bikes using new cycle paths and pedestrian crossings being built by the council.

The campaign aims to encourage people who go to work or school in West Cheltenham, Staverton, Churchdown and Longlevens to travel by foot or bike. It began in January with the launch of the Active Business Gloucestershire Network, which aims to get organisations working closely together to promote active travel.

Grants of £2,500 are being made available to businesses with match funding to help support their active travel plans.

A travel survey is being conducted with residents and businesses in spring/early summer to find out their travel patterns and if they face any barriers to active travel. Other events planned include cycling activities, organised walks and cycle training sessions.

The initiative comes as a new flagship walking and cycling route is being built along the B4063 between Gloucester and Cheltenham, and as the council completes a new off-road cycle route along the A40 as part of the West Cheltenham Transport Improvement Scheme.

Walking and cycling help to improve air quality in the area, reduce traffic congestion and have mental and physical health benefits.

To encourage people to give walking or cycling a go, some events are taking place for people to take part in, including the Big Walk and Wheel. It is being run by walking and cycling charity Sustrans from 21 March to 1 April 2022and aims to encourage more families to travel to school actively.

There are prizes to be won and schools in Gloucestershire are being encouraged to take part by signing up at https://bigwalkandwheel.org.uk/

Another event being launched by cycling group Love to Ride, called ‘Ride Anywhere Week’, is being held this week (21 – 27 March). Riders are challenged to pick a pledge and complete it within a week. More details are available at www.lovetoride.net/gloucestershire

For more information about the B4063 walking and cycling route see www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/B4063

If you would like to find out more about cycle training sessions please see www.thinktravel.info/bike/bikeability-training/

Active travel will help us work towards a Greener Gloucestershire by reducing carbon emissions from transport. To find out more follow #GreenerGloucestershire on social media, visit Greener Gloucestershire – Gloucestershire County Council and sign up to receive updates via our Greener Gloucestershire newsletter.

The Liberal Democrat group on Gloucester City Council are proposing a motion on Thursday, praising the #bouncingback project which painted 75 electrical and BT boxes in the city centre. Jointly funded by the Gloucester Business Improvement District and the City Council, it successfully brightened up drab looking street furniture and celebrates aspects of our story.

Liberal Democrats would like to see more of this brightening up, including in the wider city. Hopefully all councillors will support our motion, which won’t commit the council to any extra spending.

The full motion reads:

Council notes the recent #bouncingback project, which was jointly funded by Gloucester BID and the City Council.

Council notes that this project sought to enhance the street scene by ‘converting often unkempt street furniture into bright points of interest’. 5 local artists were involved in painting a total of 75 boxes, including electric and BT boxes, with the agreement of the owners. 

Council commends this project which has delivered some excellent public art,

commemorated aspects of Gloucester history, and provided a talking point. 

Council records its thanks to those who organised and took part in the project. 

Council resolves to examine ways to expand the project in the future, such as encouraging members, residents and community groups to identify street furniture or appropriate sites in their wards to be brightened through painting, cleaning or planting, and inviting submissions of historical figures, events and logos to be commemorated. 

Council further resolves to apply for any suitable funding from government or other sources to expand this work, and to work with the BID and other local partners to ensure that this project is fully publicised, promoted and celebrated in the future.

There is some good news that the Crypt School are supporting the Poet’s Pantry with a donation of £500. This will help to pay for a dishwasher, and to support the ongoing food provision.

I asked Headmaster Nick Dyer a few weeks ago if the school could help out and I am delighted that they have been able to.

Podsmead Big Local will be writing to thank the school, and I add my thanks here.

Museum of Gloucester has been awarded almost £400,000 to help carry out repairs and improvements to the Grade II listed building. 

The museum is set to receive £387,500 to protect the building and its collections through the Government’s £18.8 million Museums Estate and Development Fund (MEND) which is being given to museums to undertake vital infrastructure and maintenance work.

 

MEND which is administered by Arts Council England is part of the Government’s £48 million Cultural Investment Fund.  

 

Work will include repairs and improvements to the roof and drainage as well as the installation of LED lighting to reduce the building’s energy usage and reinforce the city’s commitment to its environmental responsibilities. 

 

The heating system will also be upgraded as well as equipment allowing staff to control the humidity to protect the museum’s extension collection, which includes paintings by Thomas Gainsborough, John Atkinson Grimshaw and Thomas Dibdin.

 

Other improvements will see upgrades to the passenger lift to help visitors who use wheelchairs visitors or families with prams. 

The Victorian building which sits in the heart of the city centre, was originally the Price Memorial Hall of the Gloucester Science and Art Society, before becoming the City Museum and Art Gallery when it was taken on by the local authority in 1902.

It was built in 1893 for Margaret Price as a memorial to her husband William Edwin Price and saw a first floor added in 1958.

Gloucestershire County Council have waived its usual fees for street parties for Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June.

Special events, including street parties, that involve closing a road require a legal order to be in place, which requires a fee to be paid to the council.

However, for the Platinum Jubilee weekend of celebrations fees will not apply and licenses can be obtained free of charge.

The Platinum Jubilee will mark the 70th anniversary of the Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. She is the first UK monarch to celebrate this milestone.

Events will take place throughout the year and a four-day Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend will take place from Thursday, 2 June, to Sunday, 5 June.

Applications take a minimum of 12 weeks to process. Anyone looking to host a street party should contact streetworks@gloucestershire.gov.uk with the street(s) affected, the date of the event, and a brief description.

For more information, please visit https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/highways/apply-for/streetworks-licences-permits-and-permissions/road-lane-closures-special-events-filming/.

I had a message today from the city council:

‘Unfortunately today not all recycling collections were completed.

The below list of roads have not had a complete recycling collection today. They have had their food waste collected – this was done by streets and grounds crews. The roads listed will have a double recycling collection next week:

Lime Tree Court

Romney Close

Tuffley Avenue (96-164 Evens only)’

Please would residents bring their recycling back in until next week.

I understand that you can present extra recycling in clear plastic bags.

This seems to be a pattern recently of missing out streets, and I will be submitting some questions to full council about this.

Please contact me if you have any problems with waste collection.

If you would like to print and display a Ukrainian flag you can find one here. Many people across Gloucester are showing their support for Ukraine.

Gloucester City Council is advising residents to pay their Council Tax by direct debit, to make sure they receive the £150 Energy Bills Rebate as soon as possible.

The government has announced that households in Council Tax bands A-D will receive the one-off cash payment in April to help with the increased cost of living.

The money will be paid directly into bank accounts and the government has advised that those who pay Council Tax by direct debit are likely to receive their payment first.

Signing up to a direct debit means the council has all the information needed to make the payment to residents.

Paying by direct debit is also easier and quicker and means Council Tax payers don’t have to remember to make their monthly payments. Any direct debits set up are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee.

More information on how residents who don’t pay by direct debit will receive their Energy Bills Rebate payment will be available soon following government guidance.

The rebate is not available on empty or second homes.

Council Tax payers who already pay by direct debit do not need to take any action. 

Visit the council website to sign up for a direct debit or call the council on 01452 396396.

Please see below forthcoming sessions on offer from WEA.

South West Festival

Stress Awareness Month

Keeping you informed: planning application for remediation works at former gasworks site at Bristol Road, Gloucester, GL2 5YA

Message from NGPL Community Relations

Further to my previous correspondence, I am writing to let you know that we have submitted our planning application for remediation work on the site of our former gasworks on Bristol Road, Gloucester.

Activity on site to date

As you may recall, over May/June 2021, we undertook some initial routine site investigation works to assess the ground conditions on our land. The findings from these works have informed our planning application which we submitted to Gloucester City Council on 21 December 2021. This is an application for us to carry out remediation work that will improve the environmental condition of the site so that it can be brought back into future beneficial use. 

Next steps 

Subject to Gloucester City Council granting planning consent, we anticipate the remediation work starting in April and lasting for around three months.

This phase of work will include remediation work to clean up the land and remove materials associated with the site’s former use as a gasworks, followed by the reinstatement of the site to the original ground level.

Keeping everyone safe

As a responsible neighbour, we have procedures in place to ensure we minimise any disruption to the local community.  We have robust plans for mitigating any odour, dust and noise associated with the work due to take place and we will be monitoring these to ensure that we are working within safe limits. The health and safety of the public, our neighbours and our workers remains our top priority when undertaking any work.  

As the pandemic continues to shift, we are remaining vigilant in maintaining covid-safe procedures. 

Keeping you informed – ongoing communications   

As our team won’t be on site until the summer, should you have any questions about our work, please call our Community Relations team between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday on   0800 1448 904 or via email at NGLPCommunityRelations@camargue.uk.