Community
Our Monthly roundup of the chatter in the Dings. Repair cafe, refurbed pubs, lots of development news (when isn’t there!), Dance classes, youth club support and lots of other stuff.
Easton Repair Cafe – courtesy of Helen
Has anyone else been to a Repair Cafe? I went to the pop up repair cafe at Easton Community Centre today with a tent pole that wasn’t slotting together properly and they fixed it easily. You can donate if you want to in return for a repair. They are there once a month in Easton and a few other places. They were doing all sorts of things, electrical, bits of sewing etc. Great for people like me who aren’t too handy.
It wasn’t too busy so if you’ve got something you want fixed, I’d recommend a visit.
Urban Dance classes @ trinity
A splash of History Restored – courtesy of Sarah
How lovely! It’s been many moons since I have seen this without graffiti! Hope it stays that way 
A Splash of History Restored! 
Our incredible volunteer, Hannah, worked her magic by repainting the two murals on the towpath behind the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre.
These murals were originally created in 1991 by an artist called Rodney Harris. Sadly, they had long been over-painted or defaced, until now. Thank you Hannah for stepping in to bring them back to life! 
Youth Club News – courtesy (and thanks to Sal)
Good news, the Dings youth club has received enough funding for the 8-11 youth group to run for the next 5/6 months.
If anyone knows of any initiatives to help support this longer term then please contact us as it benefits the community greatly!
Dog Walkers Warning (shared by Sall A)
Police have issued a warning to dog walkers after a piece of meat was found ‘stuffed with pills’ in the Greenbank Cemetery area. Avon & Somerset Constabulary are urging people to keep a close eye on dogs and be careful about what they allow their pets to eat while out on a walk.
In the warning, Avon and Somerset Police said: “Our PCSOs found a piece of meat that had been stuffed with pills. Whilst we are unsure exactly what it was intended for, please be careful about what you let your dogs eat whilst out on a walk.”
Eastside Community Trust
We’ve not seen a recent post from Lee but it looks like he’s been spotted:
Our amazing front cover is provided by The Dings very own Lee Pullen thank you for generously sharing your images and knowledge.
I’ll drop some off at Hannah More Primary today, but copies will be delivered over the next 2 weeks,
Residents Parking one price increase – courtesy of Helen
Residents Car parking charges are increasing next month
Charges for parking permits in Easton & St Philips Residents’ Parking Area will be changing on 5th February 2024. Please see the new Resident and Visitor permit prices below.
Residents:
- 1st Permits
- Free of charge for CO2 emissions range 01-100g/km / Band A
- £22.50 for CO2 emissions range 101-110g/km / Band B
- £45.00 for CO2 emissions range 111-225g/km / Band C to Band K
- £67.50 for CO2 emissions range 226-over 255g/km / Band L and Band M
- 45.00 for a vehicle registered before 1st March 2001 or any other vehicle acceptable at the discretion of the Council
- 2nd Permits
- All vehicles – £100
- 3rd Permits
- All vehicles – £220
- Visitor Permits:
- First 50 visitor permits – free of charge
- Additional 50 visitor permits – £1.30 each
StreetSafe
Have you heard about StreetSafe? StreetSafe is an online service where you can anonymously report areas of concerns in your local community to us….
Cake anyone (can we ever have enough bakers in the area?) courtesy of Helen
- I discovered another new local bakery today – apparently they opened in December.
- Anna X Pinkmans on Barton Manor (over the Midland Road from Barton Road.
- Cupcakes, pastries, macarons and some lunch things.
- Take out a loan before you go, but this pecan caramel cupcake was delicious! This cupcake was £4.95.
?? by Tom Smith
Did someone bury a pet or something in Dings Park? (note it was in a tidier state today while we were over there!)
Development News
The Crown is being refurbished – courtesy of Nola (the post not the refurb!)
Big changes for The Crown but great it is staying as a pub and not being developed into something else
And that’s where Sam Gregory, the landlord of the Bank Tavern in the Old City and the Bell in Kingsdown, comes into the story, with a private sale now completed and Sam hoping that after a bit of work, he will be able to reopen the Crown in February.
Transformation of iconic Bristol canal gets underway with 706 student flats – courtesy of Irene
The transformation of one of Bristol’s most famous industrial areas into a new neighbourhood with hundreds of new homes and student accommodation has taken a big step forward, as the main contractor for one of the key sites is named.
National firm HG Construction will soon start work on a development of purpose-built student accommodation for as many as 706 students, in a development right next to the St Philips Causeway flyover, on the north side of the Feeder Canal.
New Henry Street Development feedback courtesy of Sal
New Henry Street development proposals update (Calor Gas site-Kingsland Road)
- For the past 12 months or so, we (Nola and myself) also Old Market Quarter have met with Dominus who is the developer for Calor gas site.
- The developer has listened to our various requests, and has been reflected in the proposal
- Dominus has now submitted a second application – a revised version of the original application – which includes those changes.
- These are bullet points from Dominus – the scheme includes:
- A new community centre opening onto Kingsland Road. This would be a flexible space for a wide range of community uses. One of the main functions would be a space to provide learning opportunities for local people, particularly literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, to help improve employment opportunities for local residents.
- The community centre would have a manager – employed by Dominus – whose role would include coordinating the use of the centre to best meet local needs. That person would also look after the students who would live in the accommodation.
- The developer has discussed potentially working with an experienced local charity to help involve the students living in the building with that learning support. Bristol Hub charity already runs some popular local services, and this would be an extension of that type of support. This is a great way to help integrate our residents and the students, giving those students a chance to contribute to Dings community.
- A small supermarket, much-needed in The Dings. This would be on the corner of Sussex Street and Kingsland Road.
- New light-industrial ‘maker spaces’. These would be along Alfred Street, totalling about 1000 square metres, divided up into spaces that suit local creative businesses. This was included at the specific request of the Old Market Community Association. It is likely the space would be provided at affordable rents, and managed by an existing local and experienced Community Interest Company.
- The combination of industrial jobs, retail jobs and operational jobs for the student accommodation would significantly increase the number of jobs on the site.
- Improvements to road safety with a new crossing on Kingsland Road
- A number of townhouses within the development, for students, but better reflecting the existing building types in the Dings.
- A new pedestrian route through the site, reinstating the old Henry Street pattern, as part of extensive public realm improvements, helping create a much more attractive and welcoming place.
- Improvements to the Railway Path cycle route
- The developer is working closely with the existing tenants, including extending leases and helping find alternative locations.
- The revised application has reduced the height of the building opposite the existing homes on Kingsland Road, with the block on the corner of Sussex Street and Kingsland Road now down to four storeys.
- The scheme will be car free, with lots of bike storage space.
Dominus has spent a lot of time working with the Dings community, which is very unusual for a developer, but I feel it has resulted in more and better benefits for the Dings. Above is a link to their website, but I understand the changes made are not shown.
All views are welcome.
Temple Quarter community drop-ins (from Mushtaaq)
The Temple Quarter team is hosting drop-in events to share updates on the project and hear your views.
We will be joined by the University of Bristol, developers working in the area, and the team creating the masterplan for Temple Quarter. We are also developing a long-term plan for jobs and skills, and would love to hear your comments on the opportunities and challenges for employment at Temple Quarter.
Key information:
Thursday 8 February, 3-6pm: Redcliffe Hub, Redcliffe Hill, 4 Waring House, BS1 6TB