1 Oct

West Quay Pedestrianisation: Residents and Traders meet with Council Reps

west_quay_meeting04Two years ago when the West Quay wall collapsed, the West Quay action group, formed by residents and traders from the stricken waterfront, made the case for Pedestrianisation in order to give the area a new lease of life upon completion of the repairs works. The Town, District and County councils backed this, being in line with their own ‘Bridgwater Vision’ plans. Now with a completion date given as the 23rd October it was high time for the movers and shakers of the local Authorities to sit down and face the people who have suffered from the catastrophe for these past 2 years and to get some answers to last minute questions.

A meeting held on Tuesday 1st October, facilitated by Westover Ward councillors Brian Smedley and Kathy Pearce and hosted at Homecastle House, situated on the junction of West Quay and Chandos Street, included representatives from all the authorities. Alison Griffin (SDC Corporate director), Steve Gooding (SCC engineer), Tom Dougal (SDC Transport Officer) and Bridgwater Town Council Clerk Alan Hurford were joined by some 30 residents and traders. Continue reading “West Quay Pedestrianisation: Residents and Traders meet with Council Reps”

1 Oct

Six Months After Planning Consent TESCO Moves The Goalposts

Six months ago the Multinational Megastore Tesco was granted planning permission to build on the green open space yards from peoples homes around the Brewery Field in Westover ward. People were incensed then and opposed it, yet the Planning committee approved it whilst laying down some firm conditions to limit noise nuisance. Six months later and Tesco are back again to vary, amend or delete some of those conditions and extend their opening hours from 7am to 6am. Again local people were angry and opposed this, backed by their local ward councillors. Again, Sedgemoor officers recommended supporting Tesco.

At the Development Control committee today, October 1st, Ward councillors Brian Smedley and Kathy Pearce joined residents spokesman Nick Gibson and Bridgwater Town Clerk Alan Hurford in appealing to the Planning committee not to give way again and to insist that their original conditions be met. Continue reading “Six Months After Planning Consent TESCO Moves The Goalposts”

18 Sep

West Quay Pedestrianisation – Is It a One Way Street?

West Quay
West Quay

As the completion of the West Quay pedestrianisation scheme approaches, residents and traders alike are concerned at County plans which show two way traffic on what many had assumed to be a one way street.

County Engineer Steve Gooding who took over the project in June of this year has confirmed the plan is to open the Car Park as a two way thoroughfare and rely on the existing on street parking provision as a traffic calming measure. Continue reading “West Quay Pedestrianisation – Is It a One Way Street?”

5 Sep

Bridgwater Post Office Move Delayed

27 Eastover
27 Eastover

The Post Office today announced the relocation of Bridgwater Post Office has been delayed following the discovery of asbestos at the new site.

Building work to prepare the site at 27 Eastover, Bridgwater, TA6 5AW has uncovered asbestos. Specialist contractors are currently assessing the extent of the problem and preparing to remove the material and ensure the unit is safe for customers and staff.
A new date for the relocation of the branch will be communicated as soon as it is known.

The temporary branch at Mount Street, West Car Park, Bridgwater, TA6 3ER will continue to operate, maintaining Post Office service to customers. Continue reading “Bridgwater Post Office Move Delayed”

23 Aug

Bridgwater Town On The Up: “A real Buzz around the place” says Chairman

Westover Ward Town Councillor Pat Parker became Chairman of Bridgwater Town Football Club last year. This summer has seen major changes at the Club and these have been reflected in the results giving a boost to the town, the club and it’s supporters.

Speaking today at a regular Bridgwater Town FC Friday stall in the towns Fore street market, Pat told us, “There’s a real buzz around the place at the moment. We’ve won seven friendly matches and two league games and our odds on winning the League have gone from 50-1 to 8-1.”

One of the big changes is new manager Richard Fey, former assistant at Chippenham Town, who started his career as a goalkeeper on Bristol Rovers books and went on to play with several other clubs around the region including Frome, Clevedon and Mangotsfield. A host of new signings from a wide variety of clubs have left Bridgwater with their strongest looking team in many seasons. On start day of this season Bridgwater beat Bishops Cleeve 5.1 and followed this up with a 2.1 against Clevedon Town. Continue reading “Bridgwater Town On The Up: “A real Buzz around the place” says Chairman”