By Brenda Massey.
New Southmead Forum: The first of the new Southmead Forums was held recently and there was a very good turnout of local people. There were a number of table discussions about key issues in Southmead, with representatives from the Police, Youth Centre, Bristol Waste, and BS10 Parks & Planning. Lots of comments and good ideas came from this and there was a real buzz in the room. I took away lots of issues to raise, including: what has happened to the waste bins whilst the bus stops are being upgraded; whether we can get a NO street drinking zone in place around Arnside to stop the unpleasant scenes that have taken place there for some time; a request for a new pedestrian crossing by Gosforth Road; and the perennial issues about the state of the road surface in the area!
Public Noticeboards: You may have heard that after many years of trying it is likely that we will be getting a number of public notice boards in Southmead where information about issues and events in the area can be placed. The sites are now being finalised, but we are hopeful that it will not be too long before this is all agreed.
Litter Drive: Lydia from Bristol Waste came to the Forum and told us about the Autumn Litter Blitz. We are hoping to clean up around the Trym Valley as there is a lot of waste being dumped by the entrance in Shetland Road which completely spoils the area. I have reported this many times, but it would be great to have a really good clean up around there, so please do come and join us!