July 2021 Newsletter

For community news from Hotwells, Cliftonwood, Spike Island and wider Bristol view our latest newsletter here.

We are always looking for contributions to the Newsletter and would love to see more input from the community, such as local stories or matters of interest. If you would like to contribute pictures, comments, stories please email [email protected] 

The Town Green, Clifton Wood

The Town Green, Clifton Wood, otherwise known as Ambra Vale East Community Garden is a small area of land which was first claimed for the community in 1980 and registered as a Town Green in 2004. Now restrictions are easing, we have been able to resume work on the garden. More information is available here.

Come Rain, Come Shine: 18th July 2021, 1-8pm

On the 18th July we held a community event to celebrate local people and offer a chance to get together after distanced times. 

We created murals, sculpture, planters and painted skate ramps, and met up with friends and neighbours for curry, cakes and chats. At the event we held exercise classes, offered massage, made some kefir, participated in gardening, pottery, poetry workshops, skate demos and music into the evening organised with local young people.

For more information and details of the event see Art Under the Flyover

Liveable Neighbourhoods

Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Association hosted the inaugural meetings of the Hotwells & Harbourside Liveable Neighbourhoods Group to discuss how we could update our community traffic strategy, introduce low traffic streets and generally campaign for a more 'liveable neighbourhood'. The meeting was held online on 24th March and 30th March.

For more information on our Liveable Neighbourhoods page please click here

There are Liveable Neighbourhood groups springing up all over Bristol and some wonderful examples nationally that you can see here https://liveablebristol.org.uk/

For further information about past community ideas and aspirations, please see

https://www.hotwellscliftonwood.org.uk/hotwells_cliftonwood_community_traffic_strategy

Community Survey

Thank you to all of you who completed the survey. There is plenty for the Management Committee to think about in the responses. First we thought it appropriate for you to be able to see a summary of those responses and you can find those here. In the New Year the committee will look in more detail to decide what we can do, what we might do and what we can't do and we aim then to produce a plan of action which we will share with you.

Coronavirus and our community

We are very aware that lives for everyone in our Community are being severely affected in one way or another during this pandemic. We want to wish everyone in our community the very best of health in this difficult time. We would be pleased to help anyone in our community if we can. So if you, or someone you know, needs help in any way please feel free to contact us and we will do our best to assist.

You can contact us by phoning 0117 929 1883 or send an email to [email protected]

We are deliberately not providing advice on Coronavirus as this changes almost daily, and advice can be found at www.bristol.gov.uk/ or www.gov.uk/ or www.bbc.co.uk/news/coronavirus

Neighbourhood help groups have been established to assist those most in need, and just to support each other. It is our belief that help is most easily provided by those closest to each other, whether that is geographical, or as members of related families. We hope there is a help group within your reach.

You might also find one of these Facebook pages useful.

• BS1 group: www.facebook.com/groups/223634625694691
• BS8 group: www.facebook.com/groups/549575592341916

To sign up for our e-bulletin/newsletter (if you are not already receiving these) please click here.

If you are part of a neighbour help group, and would like the HCCA to assist in advertising your group, then please get in touch and we can place information in our bulletin and/or on relevant noticeboards. Also if you think of things the HCCA could do to help people or groups in our community please do get in touch.

Stay Safe. Keep Healthy.

Church Lane/Mardyke steps

Many of you will know that these steps have been closed for over a year now, due to a partial collapse of some of the wall on the upper South side of the steps. Unfortunately during the period of closure, the damage has got worse, perhaps influenced by the quantity of water which comes down Church Lane.

The difficulty in securing a quick solution relates to ownership, and at present the Council’s determination to try and identify ownership and obtain an agreement re-costs of repair, which (not unnaturally) the Council does not wish to bear alone. Also, it has to be understood that in order to make this path as safe as reasonably possible it will be necessary to access the owner's land to build it back up again. The expense will be considerable and will be beyond any funds available in the community pot through the Area 1 Committee.

We are in contact with Councillor Paula O’Rourke who is leading on trying to get this up the agenda and get the Council to consider repairing first and claiming after. Those of you who have lived in this area for some time will know how problematic the issue of walls and ownership is.

We will keep pressing to try and secure an early solution.

The Mardyke Steps can be seen on Google here.

April 2021: Bristol City Council publish their brief for hiring consultants to to lead, commission and deliver a programme of local and city-wide inclusive engagement with Bristol citizens and stakeholders. This engagement exercise is expected to begin early June and go on till November. We must take this as real evidence that the Council have taken a step back from the failed engagement of 2019 on the road network. This will be everyone's opportunity to contribute to the ideas for this area.

The Community Association and the Cumberland Basin Stakeholder Group will do everything they can to try and ensure that everyone who has an interest in this idea for "Western Harbour" will have a chance to have their voice heard and to contribute into the discussions that will come.

The Council has now added a page to their Western Harbour site with Frequently asked Questions and their answers. This can be found here.

If you should think that there are questions that have not been answered please use the opportunity on the Western Harbour page to share your views or write into HCCA and we will try and find the answer/s.

For the latest information on the Cumberland Basin or "Western Harbour" please click here.

Here is a copy of the Western Harbour Feedback sent to Bristol City Council from the Hotwells and Cliftonwood Community Association and the Cumberland Basin Stakeholder Group on possible road network changes

Here is a copy of the Western Harbour Feedback sent to Bristol City Council from the Hotwells and Cliftonwood Community Association and the Cumberland Basin Stakeholder Group on possible road network changes

We are setting up a 'Friends' group to meet for gardening days, plan local events and share ideas and aspirations for this community space. The Friends group might also like to join in conversations about longer term developments that the council are consulting on. Follow this link to receive regular news and invitations.

We're welcoming any locals but if you have friends or family you think might be interested they are welcome. Our first event is Sunday 19th May 12-4pm opposite the Rose of Denmark pub. We'll be filling our new planters and doing some general gardening and chatting. Cake provided!

Please bring something to drink as we have no water onsite

Contact [email protected] if you have any questions

Friends of Hotwells Piazza social media pages are being created, but in the meantime you can like Art under the Flyover on Facebook or visit http://artundertheflyover.com