[26th March '08] New bus timetable
The new timetable for the No94 bus service timetable for the duration of the works on the A36 has now been published.
[19th March '08] Outline planning permission secured for the shop!
The Bath & North East Somerset planning committee granted outline planning permission in principle for the proposed shop on the edge of the field next to the Village Hall in Freshford, now referred to as the Galleries Shop. This followed extensive lobbying from residents and the Parish Council, as well as another great turnout at the meeting itself. The vote was 8:3 in favour. A geat community result!
As a "departure" from the Local Plan's greenbelt policy the application needs to be rubber-stamped by the Secretary of State but this is largely a formality, taking a maximum of 21 days.
Much remains to be done but this is a major step forward, giving everyone new energy to get on with the work of business planning, detailed design, and fundraising.
[March 2008] A36 Closures
As previously reported on this page, the A36 at Limpley Stoke will be closed for slope stabilisation works, starting on March 31st. Further information on these works, including maps, leaflets, and update reports will be published here.
[20 February 2008] 50 lobby planning committee
The Freshford Shop Project's planning application for a new build in the field next to the Guildhall was considered by the planning committee on 20th February - see press coverage before here and after here. Officers had recommended that the application should be refused! The room was packed with a coach load of residents and councillors listened sympathetically to presentations from Freshford Parish Council, Limpley Stoke Parish Council, the Freshford Shop Project and local councillor Neil Butters. They then decided they needed to come out and have a look before making a decision. They will be considering the application again at the next committee meeting, on Wednesday 19th March. A coach will once again take residents into town to attend the meeting, leaving from outside the school at 1 pm on 19th March. Anyone able to come please call René Closuit on 01225 723343 or email him.
[January 2008] List of Promises published
A fabulous list of promises has been assembled for the 2nd February Auction to benefit the Community Shop. Tickets for the evening are sold out but anyone can bid! Click here for a list of promises and instructions of how to make a sealed bid if you can't be there yourself.
[January 2008] Promises Auction and Moroccan-style dinner to raise funds for Community Shop
Freshford Shop Project are organising a fundraising event on Saturday 2nd February at 7.30 pm for 8 at the Freshford Village Hall. It's £15 per head, bring your own wine.
A delicious meal will be served, courtesy of Maureen White, and there will be many exciting promises and prizes! Watch this space for what will be on offer.
Come and enjoy a great meal and the fun of the auction. If you can put together a table of 8 that would be great, but we will find you a good table to share if you just buy your own ticket.
Tickets are available from the temporary Post Office, Tuesdays and Fridays 9-1, or telephone 01225 722 524, or email freshfordshop.project@gmail.com. And if you have a promise or prize to offer, we would love to hear from you, also!
[January 2008] Letters of support for community shop hit 100 - and not a single voice of dissent
Letters of support written to the Council have passed the 100-mark.
With luck, the application might be decided at the Wednesday 23rd January planning committee meeting; failing that, at the committee's meeting on Wednesday 20th February.
[January 2008] A36 closure at Limpley Stoke
Major work is required to stabilise the slope and retaining wall of the A36 at Limpley Stoke. This work will commence on Monday 31st March 2008, and last for a period of approximately 12 weeks. Full closure of the A36 will be required, resulting in diversions for through traffic, and restrictions for local traffic. Further information is available on the Highways Agency Website. In addition, two drop-in events are being organised on Tuesday 15th January from 15:00 to 21:00 and Wednesday 16th January from 12:00 to 17:00 at the Limpley Stoke Village Hall, where further information will be made available.[December 2007] Outline planning application for a community shop - support needed
An outline planning permission for a new community shop in the Galleries Field right next to the Village Hall car park was made on 29th November. This application needs strong support from residents to overcome the planning obstacles. (The site is in the green belt and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so that the application goes against some policies in the Local Plan.) Click here to submit your comment.
Some 500 households will benefit from the community shop. Our target is 100 favourable comments. The formal consultation period ends on 24th December. But even after that date your letters will still be taken into account and reported to the councillors at the committee meeting where the decision is made.
[December 2007] Village Plan Update
On November 21st, a public meeting was held to report back the findings of the sub-committees of the Village Plan group. The presentations given on that evening, and their accomanying report, are available on the Village Plan webpage.
[October 2007] Traffic Problems in Freshford
As a resident are you affected by traffic congestion, and parking problems? Do you feel that the speed limits within the village are inadequate? Are you concerned about pedestrian safety?
Freshford Parish Council receives more complains and requests for intervention over traffic problems than any other parish matter. Radical new solutions are urgently needed and, if any one of the questions posed above rings a bell or raises your hackles, please try to attend a public meeting on the issues to be held on Friday November 9th at 7.30 in the Memorial Hall.
Following on from an extensive appraisal of the Freshford situation, there will be a presentation by Hamilton-Baillie Associates, experts in innovative solutions and the "shared space" concept. Their ideas are interesting and extremely relevent.
[September 2007] Temporary Post Office open!
A temporary part-time Post Office opened its doors on Tuesday 11th September. It is located above the Surgery, just around the corner from the original PO. Its opening hours are Tuesday and Friday mornings, 9 am to 1 pm. BBC Bristol came along and interviewed the first few customers.
Roger Jacob, the Hinton Charterhouse postmaster, is providing this service for us, helped by his assistant Ian. Members of the Freshford Shop Project are providing coffee, tea and biscuits - free of charge during the month of September.
Some 40 people have visited the Post Office on each of the three mornings it has been open, and the seating corner has proven very popular - with people happily greeting fellow residents they haven't seen for months!
This Post Office provides ALL THE SERVICES the old Post Office did. Click here for a full list.
[September 2007] Community Shop to go by Village Hall
Following consultation at the Freshford and Limpley Stoke Village Fete in July and further research into the three proposed alternative sites (see Shop Project page), two of the three options have been ruled out, in favour of the Village Hall location. The shop is now to go into a new timber building in the Galleries Field next to the Village Hall car park. Here are some pictures of how it might look:
- picture showing the location
- an impression from Freshford Lane
- a computer-generated aerial view.
More pictures are on display at the temporary Post Office, and will be at the Parish Plan meeting on Wednesday 21st November.
This is only a first stab. The greatest hurdle will be obtaining planning permission. Planning officers may object to this plan in principle, or may insist on changes, such as reducing the building in height or size. Village support will be crucial in this, and there will be an opportunity for residents to comment on the final design.
[August 2007] New pillar box by school
Freshford Shop and Post Office closed at the end of June and the owners asked for the letterbox to be removed from their building. Post Office Ltd have provided a lovely new pillarbox in a good central location - by the entrance of the school. Official collection times are as before: Monday to Friday 5.15 pm; Saturday 11 am; and Sunday 9.30 am. Unspecified additional collections are made throughout the day during the week.
The new pillarbox has a larger opening, convenient for A4-size letters.
[July 2007] Freshford Shop Project Update
This section has been brought up to date with the latest developments:
With the existing shop and post office having closed, a temporary part-time post office is being set up, due to open on Tuesday 11th September. Planning permission for the change of use has just been granted.
Your comments are wanted on what services you will most miss from the shop - to see if they can be provided temporarily somehow. Click here for more detail.
Also, the Fresford Shop Project group are now looking at three alternative sites for the community shop. Again, comments welcome! Click here for all the detail.