I have contacted council officers to urge them to clean up two street signs in Burns Avenue, Podsmead.

I have said that in my view they do not need replacing – just a clean to remove the mould.

If you know of a damaged, faded or dirt-covered street sign, please let me know.

I have called for the branches on the Epney Road and of the red bridge from Podsmead Road to Epney Road to be cut back.

These are not nearly as bad as the other end which I got cut back recently, but nevertheless they will grow over time if not checked.

If you know of any branches or hedges overhanging the footway, please let me know.

I was contacted by residents asking when the grass on Byron Avenue would be cut.

It had been partially done but some patches still remained.

On contacting officers to check whose responsibility it was I also asked when it would be done fully. It has now been cut completely.

This land is maintained by Amey for the city council, although the verge along Cole Avenue is Highways.

In general, the grass is being allowed to grow slightly longer to reduce costs and encourage wildlife. Long-term, there will hopefully be some meadow and grassland in Podsmead, for example at Milton Avenue. This will encourage biodiversity. At a time when nature is under threat, this can only be a good thing.

Calling community craft groups and craftivists who want to
make a difference in Gloucestershire this autumn.

We are looking for local makers to join a clear face mask project. Come together to support your local community and in solidarity with people who rely on lip reading and facial expressions across our county.


This is part of the Let’s Be Clear campaign coming soon…

a Barnwood Trust partnership project with
Gloucestershire Deaf Association,
Inclusion Gloucestershire, Age UK Gloucestershire,
Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees,
University of Gloucestershire,
Diocese of Gloucester & others

If you are interested to find out more, or if you are already a part of a group
creating clear face masks, we would love to hear from you….
Please get in touch with tara.smith@barnwoodtrust.org
or penny.hulbert@barnwoodtrust.org

tara.smith@barnwoodtrust.org or penny.hulbert@barnwoodtrust.org

On my recent walkabout with the city council tree officer, we identified a number of tree works to be carried out.

One area where the officer agreed that work was needed was on Podsmead Place, where the trees are overhanging the footpath through the fence.

These trees will be pruned as soon as schedules allow. If you have an issue you would like to make me aware of, please get in touch.

Yet another pothole has opened up on Scott Avenue, or rather the same one that has been filled several times now, has reopened.

I have reported this latest pothole to Highways and have received a reference number.

Scott Avenue is now starting to look like a patchwork with all the various potholes that have been filled. What it urgently needs is a full resurface.

I’ve called for this many times, but in February when I asked the Conservative cabinet member for Highways why this road wasn’t on the schedule, I was told it didn’t meet the threshold for a resurface.

Maybe even more potholes will have to appear before the Conservatives at Shire Hall deem it necessary to arrange a resurface.

I contacted council officers a while back to ask for some street signs in Podsmead to be replaced as they were damaged.

I am pleased to see that this work has now been done.

If there is a street sign near you that needs cleaning or replacing please let me know.

A Podsmead resident raised the issue of the damaged kerb at the corner of Calton Road into Tuffley Avenue. A child they know nearly took a tumble because of the cracks in the slabs.

I have reported this to Highways and called for it to be made safe ASAP. There are some measures being proposed to calm traffic and make it easier to cross, coming in hopefully next year. Find out more here.

Back in the summer I was contacted by a resident who had a concern about the alleyway from Burns Avenue to Eliot Close.

There was a lot of debris on the path, the pavement surface was poor and there were a number of trees overhanging the pavement, some with quite low branches at head height.

I contacted the city council and Highways to see what we could get done. I’m delighted to see that the paths have been cleared and the trees have been tidied up by the council.

If you know of an area that could do with a bit of attention, please let me know.

This week I had a walkabout in Podsmead with the city council’s tree officer.

We covered a lot of ground in the Tuffley Park area of the ward, and noted down a list of issues.

Whilst we get lots of contact and requests for tree works, there simply isn’t the budget or manpower to undertake everything we could do. Priority is given to dead, dying or dangerous trees. In general, healthy trees will be left alone as long as they are not a health and safety issue.

The storms earlier this year have also had a big impact on the tree team and their capacity, as well as of course Covid, which has delayed works.

Nevertheless, there are some works in the pipeline, which I will be informing the residents who contacted me about.

We also made plans for planting some new trees from the council allocation. This will need to be done with care and the help of the local community. I am delighted that Podsmead community groups are expressing an interest in helping with this.