Community
Our Monthly roundup of the chatter in the Dings. Its a bit Quiet so included also are the Minutes from the AGM/Community meeting.
Service changes in the West of England from 7 April 2024
Improvements to the overall bus network in the West of England, are part of a bi-annual review of routes, and will come into effect from Sunday 7 April.
Popular store to open in former Bristol Wilko unit
A popular food store is moving into a former Wilko unit in Bristol.
Farmfoods is set to open in the premises at Avonmeads Retail Park in mid-April.
Dings community meeting minutes
- Welcome to all
- Welcome to all our guests, PCSO Luke Scadding – PCSO6688; Tom Gent, inspector – Al beat manager for St George, Barton Hill.
- Yassim Ali, Lawrence Hill ward councillor
- Amal Ali, Frome Vale councillor
- Apologies from Elena, Louis and Tania (Youth Club), Ali Hender (Vice Chair.
2. Youth Club
We have been funded! £3000 for the next 6 months from Sir Robert McAlpine. A Massive Thanks to the Pasty Emporium for donating us enough money to run the junior Youth club for a month!
Current sessions:
- Youth sessions 11+ Thursdays 4:30 – 5:30. Football outside in summer, boxing inside in the winter with help from Empire sports. Thanks to Courtney Young who used to attend this youth club as a child.
- Friday sessions 4:30 – 6:30 for ages 8 – 11. Continuing the range of outdoor and indoor activities, sport, craft, cooking, life skills.
- Wednesdays after school tutoring. The Hub starting in February. Bristol Uni students volunteer their time to tutor the young people. Induction and meeting the tutors on the 21st February. Tutoring 28th February until the 20th of March from 4:15 – 5:15 on a Wednesday. 1 on 1 tutoring. For whatever you need help with. For primary and secondary . If you want to do it, contact Nola and she can put you in touch with the Bristol Hub, (Nola Hersey via Facebook). If you have any contacts – businesses, charities, individuals, we need more funding for the youth club to be viable for the long term.
Improving the safe ‘Ouse
The council has viewed it and has some ideas – they have a limited budget but there is a building agency that employs ex-prisoners that can make some improvements including a sink in the main room which will increase its usefulness.
3. Treasurers report
bank balance approx £5000. Including the £3000 awarded for the youth club, £500 awarded for the fun day for this year. We are receiving some extra income from two closed groups happening Friday evenings and Saturday daytime who are renting the safe ‘ouse.
4. Bleed Kit training
We will be getting a bleed kit to help stop serious wounds to be kept in the Safe ‘Ouse. Sal has done the training and will pass this on. If someone has a bleed in the area, then emergency services can direct the caller to the nearest bleed kit.
5. Gardening and litter-picking monthly
on the first Sunday of the month come along from 11am. We have Gardening equipment, gloves, litter pickers etc – you are welcome if you are a keen gardener or with no experience and a willingness to help.
6. Chair
Sal will be stepping down as chair in May. We must have a chair and a secretary to continue as a limited company. We recognise that Sal does a lot of things herself and this would be too much to expect a successor to do. Some of these things need to be done by others if we want the community to stay vibrant and involved. If you would like to help in any way, please get in touch – everything will take a job off the shoulders of the next chair.
7. Dominus Development
Development of Calor-Gas site (Kingsland road bridge). They have submitted an application for student accomodation, light industrial workshops, a community centre and possibly a supermarket. They have listened to some of our concerns about the height of the building for a more harmonious look. They have told us that the invisible circus and various other tenants are able to stay for the moment. Facing challenges from the council who want it to remain light industrial. They have asked for a letter of support and for someone to come and speak on behalf of the Dings.
8. Watkins Jones
(developer from the building at the back of the tunnel) wants to know what work we might want done as a contribution e.g. help with the tunnel, the park, anything that needs doing in the Safe ‘Ouse. Sal to contact.
9. Temple Quarter Plans
can we get an organised response? A lot of questions are about being based on nothing that is there already. The developers are asked to consider the infrastructire, needs for dentists, GP, School access, pharmacy etc. Yassin trying to get developers to meet all together. We can pass our concerns and questions onto the councillors as well.
10. CIL has awarded us approx. £22000
To fix table tennis table, outdoor gym, put a gate on the park, fix the swing, traffic calming by the barley mow. Hooray! Yassim to follow this up with the parks team.
12. You can hire out Jump Fit for £25 per hour
13. You can hire out our very own Safe ‘Ouse – it has a bathroom, kitchen area and can be used for meetings or recreation.
14. The road outside Emmaus on Oxford Street is becoming rutted and damaging cars. The council has not been able to fix this due to limited amount of money. Yassim to chase. There have been a lot of deep puddles where water is not draining on Oxford Street.
15. Fun Day will be happening later in the year. Police have been invited.
16. Lights – trying to get the lights fixed for the basketball court. Will check with SAFER team about CCTV. Hopefully this will be fixed in the next couple of weeks.
Please continue to report crimes and council issues to ensure resources are allocated to the area.
Police issues:
To report a crime:
- Call 99 in an emergency – if people are causing trouble, are abusive, threatening, or you are feeling ‘alarmed, harassed or distressed’, this is the number to call.
- The police assess the risk to the caller so if you and the people you can see are safe, there may be less of a response. Call 101 or report on the website to report non-urgent crimes. http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/report.
- Go into as much detail as you can.
- Currently there is nowhere to upload photos or video evidence, you can state that you can supply this on request, people have used other methods e.g. uploading onto YouTube privately and sending the link (as long as it doesn’t violate YouTubes terms of service). PCSO Scadding is keen to get in contact with people who have more information to pass on. You can report in any language online.
- You will be given a crime reference number.
- Once you have a crime number, you can also email our local councillor Cllr.Yassin.Mohamud@bristol.gov.uk (or Frome Vale Cllr.amal.ali@bristol.gov.uk) with the crime reference number.
- If you want to report a crime you can go to Avon and Somerset site and report in any language.
17. Caravan on Union Street
and people trying car doors – ctive investigation. A recent uptick in vehicle crime. Usually one or two individuals funding their habits. Once these people are caught the crime rate will most likely decrease.
18. Oxford Street
Is a bit quieter but vehicles are waiting at the park. Concerns re dealing and casing houses. People going into the park from midnight to 4am playing music, loud shouting. Waking residents up on the other side of the road. Often behind the Safe ‘Ouse and disturbing peoples sleep. People throwing their rubbish over the street. Activity behind the bushes. In summer noticed people leaving and coming back later. We will be cutting these buses back. Young people going up and down the road with shopping trolleys, causing damage to cars, also Voi scooters. (Oxford street) race Hate crime reported from Deliveroo Hop Driver. Was identified but left the country.
19. Positive: previous drug dealers around the park have moved on
Police have stopped and searched people and found drugs in the vicinity, not enough to arrest but enough to discourage.
20. There are less Nox canisters around since they have been made illegal
21. The Zone – people have been stealing parcels and taking drugs. They are getting into the private security in some of the buildings. Still some problems but now paying for security. Ratcliffe Court and the Plaza and the Atrium. Certain residents are letting people in, hard to get them out. Some kids are scared to go in. A lot of dark alleyways e.g. down Gas Lane caused by hoardings from the alleyways which don’t feel safe.
22. Barton Vale (city space)
Someone renting out several AirBnB’s, suspected sex work – men coming and going at all times. 5 houses that are AirBnB and several flats in the area. If leasehold this may be prohibited. Can report to the police, they can do safeguarding and ensure no-one is being exploited.
23. Concerns around community
How do we retain and spread a sense of community when so many places are short term rents such as AirBnB. We have tried taking to developers with limited success. No limits on how many AirBnB’s in the area.
24. Sainsburys
They have had a LOT of shoplifters in there – found to have been selling goods to a shop in Easton. £50000 worth of chocolate and alcohol seized which have been stolen from shops around Bristol. Dog attack by Sainburys, The dog has been identified and seized. CCTV viewed and deemed a risk to the public. No-one identified yet as a registered owner of the dog (not owned by the person it was with). It is a legal breed – American Bulldog. The person who’s dog was attacked didn’t want to come forward, the police are encouraging them to do so.
25. Caravan at the top of the cycle path
Is still there – Dog is still there with a man and a woman. Police are doing welfare checks.
26. Council house in Barton Vale has been empty for 6 months
It looks like it has been fixed up, concern that dealers will move in again if not tenanted soon. Yassin to look into why it isn’t rented yet. There are currently 500 houses unoccupied waiting on repairs so pressure on housing. Kte Dudd (Housing) will let know tomorrow.
Date of Next Meeting 23rd May 6:15 for 6:30-8pm
Development News
Grosvenor Hotel left half demolished as works stop
Demolition work has stopped on the former Grosvenor Hotel near Temple Meads station in Bristol – and Bristol Live understands the owner does not intend to start it up again to demolish the entire building. The back half of the former hotel has been left standing, after a weekend which saw demolition crews pull down the original 1875 front part of the hotel, which was badly hit by fire in the autumn of 2022.
Now, it appears that what will be left is an even worse eyesore than before, with the 1930s curved rear extension to the building still standing.
Have your say on the Old Market Quietway improvements
The key improvements include:
- creating a segregated two-way cycle lane
- removing on-street parking spaces
- improving pedestrian and cycle crossings
- improving wayfinding on the route
These sorts of improvements can help promote healthy travel choices, reduce emissions, create safer environments, and help grow the economy.
Bristol City Council are keen to hear what residents and stakeholders from across the area think of these early ideas.
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/oldmarket2024
https://www.ask.bristol.gov.uk/active-travel-fund-4-schemes
