Winterbourne Parish Council Report

2020 has been a challenging time for all of us, and your parish councillors have continued to work to the best of their capabilities, with Zoom meetings and socially-distanced site meetings where necessary. The four Frenchay councillors have been monitoring local issues. The Frenchay Parkland site, in part of the former hospital site, has taken up a lot of our time trying to ensure works are done to the correct standard, prior to the eventual handover to Winterbourne Parish Council to manage for future generations.

The 20 mph zone on Beckspool Road has generally worked well but some areas of the raised grass bunding, which helps protect the Common, has been eroded next to some speed tables, and we have asked South Glos. Council to repair them or to look into a way of protecting them, which they have agreed to do. The community speed watch is continuing to progress, and my thanks go out to local volunteers and FRA members.

The new Frenchay school has been delayed but they are looking to start building in early 2021, which, I am sure, will be very welcome to teaching staff, governors, and children alike. There is progress on what the existing school building may become in the future.

We have discussed local areas where we hope to promote some bio-diversity within the parish. The parish clerks based at the Greenfield Centre in Winterbourne have managed the office and wider community extremely well under the current circumstances, and I wish to express my thanks to them and the rest of the staff. They have tried to keep play areas locally as open as possible and also the public toilets in Flaxpits Lane in Winterbourne next to the Post Office.

I wish everyone a more positive and happy 2021 and hope that the vaccine roll-out is smooth and that we all get back to some form of normality.

Paul Kembery
Chair, Winterbourne Parish Council