18 Nov

Bridgwater Roadworks ‘Under the Spotlight’

Road to somewhere?

There’s a lot of work being down to Bridgwater’s roads, oddly all at the same time. When you add to this the increasing frequency of Motorway closures diverting traffic from one Bridgwater junction to the next and not just through the town but into all the existing roadwork chaos, you wonder  what’s going on and particularly if anyone is responsible for this lack of  foresight. Turns out that it’s Somerset Council. This week there is a chance for the public to find out what exactly is going on from the people who have made these decisions. On Wednesday 20th November from 1230 to 1830 the Town Hall will be used as a drop in for the public to meet the decision makers from the County Unitary plus the contractors and to get some answers. Maybe….

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18 Nov

The Celebration Mile – An Update

The Celebration Mile was an idea that Sedgemoor came up with many years ago. They didn’t really know how or if it would ever happen. Then the Government gave a big pile of money through the ‘Town Deal fund. That allowed the project to happen. It’s now happening. Not everybodies happy. Sedgemoor was abolished and now Somerset County oversees the project. With an ever dwindling staff. Meanwhile here at Bridgwater Town Council we sit frustrated in the middle. This week we called a special meeting of our ‘Town Development Forum’ so that project manager Stuart Martin could answer questions from our councillors and partners. We include the minutes of that meeting in full herein.

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12 Nov

ANOTHER H.M.O VOTED THROUGH AGAINST BRIDGWATER’S WISHES

Bridgwater councillors tried but failed to prevent yet another HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) being given planning permission in the town centre, this time for 30 beds and in a historic conservation area. Bridgwater Town Council’s Planning Panel had already objected to the proposal to turn the grounds of Friarn Street’s Ivy House into a mass residential site for new build and so it went to the Somerset Planning Committee North (the former Sedgemoor area) for a decision. Committee Chair Cllr Kathy Pearce removed herself from the committee for the item to speak against the proposal and fellow Westover Councillor and Town Council Leader Brian Smedley, led the debate within the committee proposing rejection on the grounds of  increased traffic generation and effect on the Historical built environment, including references to overdevelopment and flood risk. He was seconded by Tory Bridgwater Councillor Lance Duddridge (Bridgwater West) but when it came to the vote the objection was voted down 7-3 by out of town Tories and Libdems. Cllr Smedley said afterwards “It’s as if Sedgemoor’s ghost is still with us…”

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4 Nov

Bridgwater History Day 2024 will be Saturday 23rd November

Bridgwater’s popular ‘History Day’ is set this year for Saturday 23rd November and will run from 10am until 4pm at the Bridgwater Arts Centre. No tickets are needed, just turn up, and there’s a free (historical) lunch as well. The event is sponsored by Bridgwater Town Council and Bridgwater & Taunton College and has now been running for 10 years with capacity audiences on each occaision. Different local historians will take to the stage and present aspects of Bridgwater’s interesting history while stalls will be available in the gallery space with a historical theme. This years event includes talks rannging from Bridgwater’s role in the English Civil war to Bridgwater’s place in the Beat Music scene of the 1960’s. Speakers will include County Archaelogist Bob Croft, Bridgwater College History lecturer Sarah Ball and Town Council Leader Brian Smedley. There will also be seevral short films from historians Miles Kerr-Peterson and Tony Woolrich covering Bridgwater in the 1790’s, John Chubb, the Castle and Bridgwater’s oldest pub. Food will be provided by Lesley Gates who this year will do a ‘Civil war’ theme. Town Council Leader Brian Smedley says “Bridgwater people love their history and quite rightly so. This is the town which was the first to call for the ending of the Slave Trade, the first to call for an end to appeasement in the 1930s, the last battle on English soil and the first place where 18 year olds could vote. These evets are really popular and every year there’s something new to uncover in our radical, revolutionary, riveting, rebel past!”

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4 Nov

Bridgwater Together all set for Saturday November 16th

2024 is the 10th anniversary of Bridgwater Together, our annual festival celebrating the diversity of the communities that make up our town. The event will be held at the Town Hall and also at the Engine Room on Bridgwater’s High Street and will last from 10.30am until 3pm.  Activities will include live music, dance, food and drink to share, family and childrens activities, workshops, free food, stalls and face painting. Bridgwater Town Council is one of the key sponsors of the event along with other groups such as Somerset Diverse Communities, CCS, Unite the Union, Bridgwater Trades Council, HPC Community Fund, Bridgwater International, Somerset Council, Somerset Film, Fusion Fostering  and FUSE Somerset outdoor Arts. Town Council Leader Brian Smedley (Labour, Westover) said “We are proud that our town has welcomed such a wide and diverse group of people from across the world into our community and this day is our annual chance to showcase what that means. Our Mayor Jacqui Solomon will launch the day alongside the Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Moody and everybody and anybody is welcome to turn up to the Town Hall to see what’s going on. There will be music from across the world, food, stalls, information, talks and people. People from across the globe who have chosen our town to live in and our community to be part of. This is a day for everyone to meet each other and celebrate each other’s culture and in doing so our own strength through diversity.”

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