Preservation Society News

Annual Report

Following on from the notice in last month’s edition that the AGM has been postponed because of on-going concerns about ‘Covid’ and potentially crowded indoor meetings, here is my report.

Winterbourne Parish Council (WPC) has considered the usual range of planning applications - from tree works through extensions & alterations, increasing in scale right up to the final phase of the hospital redevelopment, known as “Phase 3B”, which has a ‘P17…’ (ie; 2017) reference number. This phase is at the eastern end of the Lime Tree Avenue around the quarter circle of Public Open Space, facing towards Frenchay Park House & the Old Stables, with a number of sensitive conservation issues. Although the Parish Council is a ‘statutory consultee’, the final decisions on appearance etc., will be made by South Glos Council as the planning authority after several years of design development with Redrow.

On the other side of Lime Tree Avenue is the main area of ‘Voluntary Village Green’ which also wraps around the eastern end of the new development, past the new school site & nature reserve and back along the southern edge of Malmains Drive towards Tanners Court. There have been several cordial liaison meetings between North Bristol (Health) Trust and WPC during 2021; it is hoped that the next meeting (later this autumn) will set a date for final handover, with all outstanding legal issues finally resolved and ‘Frenchay Parklands’ secured for ever…

Meanwhile, at the western end of Lime Tree Avenue, the Museum is still exploring further options for an extension and how the setting of ‘West Lodge’ will change with highway alterations & ‘improvements’ from the mini-roundabout to serve the car park and Frenchay Beckspool Building.

Traffic Calming along Beckspool Road is still on the radar and the four Frenchay members on WPC were recently able to offer some comments to our South Glos Councillor Ben Burton on final details near the Unitarian Chapel.

The close working relationship with Frenchay Residents Association has continued to develop during 2020-21 and much of the ‘heavy lifting’ previous done by FPS is now in the very capable hands of Adrian Collins and his team. We are currently exploring the idea of a joint meeting next spring when ‘covid’ concerns are hopefully settling down into some kind of longer-term perspective.

Hugh Whatley (Chair, FPS)