Forest villagers stage protest over road safety concerns
Plus some good news about a Stroud District pub and a 'bridge to nowhere' in Tewkesbury
Dear readers - welcome to another roundup of news from across Gloucestershire.
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My latest featured piece from this week involves residents in Gloucester upset with actions by the neighbouring University of Gloucestershire putting fencing around a green space. More on the story below. 👇
News does not stop in Gloucestershire as the latest roundup below shows.
Local politics does not sleep either, something you can either feel switched on or off about. The issue of devolution remains high on the minds of our elected councillors, MPs and maybe some readers of this newsletter. Gloucester’s current Labour MP Alex McIntyre and his Conservative predecessor Richard Graham are in disagreement on whether or not the county should be split into two unitary councils.
Many voices from all party colours are making their voice known, already clear resentment that this is actually happening and disappointment that local elections in May are potentially delayed but not entirely cancelled. Liberal Democrat leader of Gloucester City Council, Jeremy Hilton, has announced a ‘Greater Gloucester’ plea arguing that any reorganisation of local government in the county must not separate the city from its surrounding areas such as Upton St Leonards, Brockworth, Hardwicke and Longford.
The government’s unveiled plans in December to shake-up local government across England will lead to the eventual disappearance of our district councils including Tewkesbury Borough Council, which this week saw councillors vote not to proceed in changing its name. Lib Dem council leader Richard Stanley said that due to the government’s plans, retaining the name was “a sensible choice.”
In other news, local tourism representatives in the Cotswolds have showed off the beauty and heritage of the national landscape to Japanese tour operators. Why? Japanese tourist numbers have dropped post-pandemic so there is hope to try and get back to a pre-pandemic average of 25,000 a year, a vital contribution to the South West economy.
Below is the full roundup of news…
🍺PUBS: Plans have been unveiled to reopen a historic pub near Stroud. The Old Neighbourhood in Chalford Hill closed two years ago with a community campaign working hard to try and get the venue back to its former glory. Wes Birch, who runs the Ship Inn in nearby Brimscombe has revealed all.
🚦ROAD SAFETY: Residents in a Forest of Dean village have used a pop-up zebra crossing to express their concerns about a lack of safe places to cross the road. Tutshill villagers want a permanent crossing and have also raised concerns about speeding. This is not the first time residents in the community have felt ignored.
➕ELSEWHERE IN THE FOREST: Calls have been made for a recurrent flooding issue on a road near Newent to be fixed for good AND Labour MP Matt Bishop has met with government ministers to discuss a new bridge over either the River Severn or Wye to ease local congestion. Traffic problems on the A48 between Gloucestershire and the Welsh border are well-known including strong talk over many years calling for a Chepstow by-pass.
🐕 ANIMALS: A Gloucester veterinary hospital has reopened after a major transformation. The project at Wood Vets took nine months to complete and has been described as bringing improvement to the experience of pets and clients.
♻️ CHELTENHAM TIP: Gloucestershire County Council has announced it will not be taking on a closed recycling centre. The news follows Cheltenham Borough Council’s decision to close the Swindon Road Household Recycling Centre temporarily on January 10 due to a desired £1m funding boost to comply with environmental regulations.
🚧 TEWKESBURY: Government funding has been secured to finish the design of the so-called “bridge to nowhere” over the railway line near Tewkesbury amid fears it will make traffic congestion worse.
🚑 AMBULANCE DELAYS: Health chiefs have been grilled over persistent “shocking” delays in ambulance response times in rural parts of Gloucestershire such as the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean compared to urban areas. County councillors say they have “lost patience” in asking what solutions are needed to close the gaps.
🚓 CRIME: 59-year-old Winston Allen has been jailed after he admitted to burgling a house in Cheltenham and climbing onto the roof to evade police.
🚼 NURSERY PLANS: Residents in Cam have objected to plans to expand a nursery due to fears about ‘dangerous’ and ‘chaotic’ parking. The planning application for the Woodfield Road Co-op Childcare nursery were submitted in November.
🎉 COTSWOLDS: The Churn Project based in Cirencester has been awarded money to help support their work for the next three years. The charity supports people who struggle with poor mental health, wellbeing and employment issues. IN OTHER COTSWOLD NEWS: A hunt has apologised after hounds broke away from a pack and ran past homes in Bourton-on-the-Water on January 25 AND resident of three decades in Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh, Philip Morris celebrated his 100th birthday with a card from old school friend SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH!
😋 FOOD: A family-run business serving cuisine from Southern India has joined the street food market at Five Valleys in Stroud. IN OTHER FOOD NEWS: An ice cream-making business based at Rodborough Common is celebrating its 100 year anniversary with events planned for May. Winstone’s will be launching a new flavour to mark the occasion.
🎭 THEATRE: Emmerdale actor James Moore has backed a campaign to protect the Cheltenham Playhouse, where he acted in many productions as a teenager. Marking its 80th year, the Playhouse hopes to raise £80,000 after its reserves were used up during the pandemic.
Another good round up. Thanks Will, the bit about the bridge is particularly interesting and would deserve further investigation, because it definitely smacks of interference by building companies. The problem is not the bridge itself, or the proposed housing estates, but the very simple fact that there is absolutely no way that any further traffic can come through Northway without causing massive problems. They should get the necessary road infrastructure in place before any further building takes place.