Mud Dock Deli

Simply Southville popped in to the new Mud Dock Deli that has just opened the other side of Gaol Ferry Bridge. Not only is this a welcome addition to the local food and wine scene, but this new development opens up a pedestrian route from the bridge to the M Shed.

You can read more about the deli on the Bristol Culture blog. People of Southville enjoy!

March date set for new Sainsburys application

The planning meeting to consider the latest application for a giant new Sainsburys for Ashton Gate is now confirmed for 2 March 2011. So if you want to object to the proposed store you must do it as soon as possible. You can send them in by writing to:

Development Management
City Development
Bristol City Council
Brunel House
St George’s Road
Bristol BS1 5UY

Or you can email them to development.management@bristol.gov.uk

Along with your objections you must include your name and address and quote planning reference 10/04777/P

Evening Post backlash at Sainsbury decision

You can just imagine it can't you? Evening Post office on Wednesday night preparing to pop the champagne and claim 'It was the Post that won it' on Thursday's edition. Maybe they started to sweat a bit when the planning meeting passed ten o'clock in the evening. And then the unthinkable, the supermarket proposal at Ashton Gate is refused.

In Thursday's edition they just manage to get the decision on the front page, but not too much more. Damn those deadlines. The hacks must have been pretty miffed. Bet they couldn't wait for today to unleash their finest on the Ashton Gate scandal (could this be Aston Gate-Gate?).  Mike Ribbeck, Ian Onions, Andy Sloan and Uncle Tom Cobbly all had their say on the story. Pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 and the back page all cover the story. Come on guys, don't you think you're going a bit over the top? Balanced reporting? Well let's just say the Post has maintained its pro supermarket, sod the local community stance.

Through all the froth and frenzy my favourite quote was Cllr Mark Bradshaw (Labour Bedminster) who said: 'Suggestions that everyone in Bedminster was opposed to the development are about as fanciful as suggesting that most of my constituents can afford to do their weekly shop in North Street'.  Having read this I immediately contacted Aldi (in North Street) to check they haven't doubled their prices. I was assured that they hadn't and would continue to provide excellent value for money for the local community.

And so the saga rumbles on...

What next for Ashton Gate?

So now the Sainsbury’s planning proposal has been turned down what happens next?

Well if we are to believe the rhetoric coming out of Bristol City last year, then no new superstore means no new stadium. So that’s it then? We all pack up and go back to how things were?

Of course there could be an appeal against the decision but there is no guarantee the outcome will change. They could revise down the size of the new site, but then you start to ask why Sainsburys would want to move. Or City’s Chairman could find another buyer for the site and raise the shortfall in funds for the stadium elsewhere.

Let’s not forget $teve Lansdown, who upped sticks earlier in the year and moved to the Channel Islands to avoid paying tax, has amassed a personal fortune of £452 million. He knows how to cut a deal to bring in some cash. So perhaps, just perhaps there could still be a happy ending. Ashton Gate gets redeveloped bringing much needed affordable housing and small business units that would complement the community. A new stadium gets built and England win the bid for 2018 World Cup.

Although a blow has been dealt to the supermarket proposal this isn’t the end of the story. We’ll have to wait for a few more days to see what action City and Sainsburys take next.

At Simply Southville we are proud of our local community and the green credentials of the city we live in. The Sainsburys' proposal doesn't fit, it's not right and this website will continue to oppose it.

Sainsbury's reveal giant store plans for Ashton Gate

Well the first news is out on Sainsbury’s proposed store for Ashton Gate. And it’s a whopper! At 9,000 sq metres it is far bigger than its current store and Tesco’s previous proposal for the Gate. There will be a public exhibition at Sainsbury’s Winterstoke Road store and also at the Southville Centre between 22-24 January 2010. Read more on the Evening Post’s website.

So we now know that the Council’s planers had recommended refusal of the Tesco’s proposal, so is this even bigger tin shed doomed to fail? On the face of it the answer seems to be yes. So is Sainsbury wasting its money? Well it wins either way. If the store gets approved it ends up with its biggest shop in the South West. If the planning application fails its wasted some money, but has kept Tesco out of its patch. Perhaps a price worth paying in the long run. No to Tesco 2009, no to Sainsbury 2010? Let’s wait and see what the New Year brings.

Ashton superstore on the election agenda.

So the election campaign has kicked off in Southville with a couple of electioneering leaflets stuffed through the letterbox of Simply Southville Towers.

First one on the mat was the Southville Rose the organ of ‘Your Labour Team: working hard in Southville and Ashton’. Is it just us but does ‘Southville Rose’ sound like a hooker you’d find in an old wild west saloon. ‘Howday partner, my name’s Southville Rose, can I show you a good time?’

Our MP Dawn Primarolo is now in favour of the proposed Sainsbury’s development at Ashton Gate describing it as a ‘win-win situation’. So Dawn’s in favour despite not seeing the planning application. Bit of a turnaround from the Tesco application when her silence was deafening for months. Young Sean Benyon says: ‘On the face of it these proposls make much more sense.’

Comedy quote from Southville Rose is Young Sean commenting on the new 20 MPH zone for Southville saying: ’ Locally, Labour have been campaigning for lower speed limits for years.’ So why didn’t you introduce them when Labour was in power in Bristol, preferred to wait until the Lib Dems took over? Please rearrange this quote: ‘on jump bandwagon the’.

Next on the mat was the Bristol Reporter from the Lib Dems, well at least we think it’s the Lib Dems as they’ve decided to put out their four page newsletter with a blue masthead. What’s wrong with your goldy, yellowy, wee in the snow colour? Perhaps you think Tory voters are so stupid that they’ll be tricked into voting for you?

One things for sure you you’ll know that ’councillor’, ’south Bristolian’, ’prospective Lib Dem MP’ , ‘local campaigner‘, ‘south Bristol’s next MP’, ‘astrophysicist’, ‘astronomer’ Mark Wright is standing for parliament for the Lib Dems. There’s even eight, rather cheesy, campaign pictures of Dr Mark so you can see what he looks like.

On the Ashton Gate superstore saga Dr Mark says: ‘The effects of moving Sainsbury’s there will depend on how big the new store is. If it is huge, it would be little different to the Tesco plan. If it is more modest [ed - do you get ‘modest’ superstores?] there might not be any problems.’ Oh come on. It’s going to be bigger than the current Sainsbury’s store (that was just a bit smaller than the proposed Tesco Extra) and will still have the same problems about transport, air quality and being against the Council’s own core strategy.

As for the Tories, nothing from them yet. Will they becoming out to play in Southville? And nothing yet from the Greens, perhaps they are still deciding on whether the environmental impact of producing election leaflets is against their core beliefs?

What a week!

Last week battle lines were drawn and all sides of the 'Tesco at Ashton Gate' debate were preparing for a final push before Bristol City Council's planning committee meeting on 5 November. Well what a major change in such a short period of time.

$teve Lansdown and City decide that they want Sainsbury not Tesco for Ashton Gate. Planning meeting postponed and then the application is withdrawn. Planners recommend a 'yes' to the stadium but not all the housing that goes with the scheme. And BERATE decide its work is done and announce it is disbanding.

Simply Southville would like to pay tribute to BERATE and especially Chris and Tom who have given so much time to the campaign. BERATE wanted to stop Tesco and a third superstore in greater Bedminster. It did it.

We will have to see what the Sainsbury application brings and there will still be community concerns about traffic, pollution and the impact on local stores. Simply Southville will be watching! However, it has to be better than what was originally proposed by City and Tesco.

Will there be a BERATE2? Who knows?

More twists and turns in superstore saga

We find out today that the planning application for a foodstore at Ashton Gate (but not Tesco) will now be heard at the Planning Committee meeting on 11 November, rather than the 'special' meeting that has been cancelled on 5 November.

Here's a statement on Bristol City's website.

It's game over for Tesco!

It's all change on the superstore front! Last night the council announced that the special meeting to consider Tesco's planning application on 5 November was cancelled without an explanation given. This was followed up today with the Evening Post suggesting that Bristol City has now struck a deal with rivals Sainsbury's. It wants to relocate it's Winterstoke Road store to Ashton Gate. Struth what a 24 hours! So did $teve Lansdown know that the Tesco proposal was likely to fail because the area already has enough supermarkets?

So for the immediate future its good news that the Tesco proposal looks to be dead and buried. But we will have to wait to see what Sainsbury's want with the site. It looks likely that any planning proposal from Sainsbury's won't materialise until spring next year.

You can read the full story on the Evening Post website.

New petrol station for Southville

The Asda supermarket on Coronation Road has started work on a new petrol station in its car park. Here at Simply Southville we have mixed views about the development. On the plus side it will mean a cheap supply of petrol for local residents. On the minus side it means a loss of spaces in the car park, which can get very busy at times, and may lead to more trips into the area as motorists seek a cheaper fill-up.

Can't help thinking is Asda trying to protect its customer base, with the threat of a Tesco at Ashton Gate (complete with its own petrol forecourt)?

Tesco planning application submitted

Details are a little sketchy at the moment, but Simply Southville has learnt that the planning application for the giant Tesco superstore at Ashton Gate has arrived at the council. What's known so far is:

'Supermarket floor area: 8,400 sqm net [ed- that's about 90,000 square feet!], plus 2,000 sqm covered service yard and petrol station at southern end of site - 539 car parking spaces, 20 - 30 cycle spaces. The plans would feature 2 vehicular accesses: at the south of the site (onto Winterstoke Road) and at the northern end of the site onto Ashton Road [ed -Ashton Road entrance not in the original plan]. At our request (city council) a pedestrian / cycle footway is incorporated along the western boundary of the site, next to Colliter's Brook.
The application is in outline with access and layout specified. All other matters (appearance, landscaping and scale) are reserved.'

The council should publish full details on its website in the next couple of days. We'll be watching!

Double bar boost to North Street

The recession might be setting in but two of the bars in North Street are being revamped. The ever popular Lounge is currently expanding into a third shop. It currently occupies 227/229 North Street and is in the process of extending into 231.

On the other side of the street at 220, the old Quba Ice bar has been extended out the back and is being completely refurbished. When it reopens it will be known as the Terrace Cafe.

Something fishy going on in North Street?

Last month I reported on my first 'taste' of Fishminster, the new chippy on North Street and as a punter I was very pleased. However, not everyone is happy with the new establishment.

A new air vent from the shop has angered neighbours as has the planning 'process' according to a letter published in the Evening Post.

Great new chippy

After what seemed a long, long wait, Fishminster at 267 North Street is now open. There was a big queue there on Saturday night and I'm pleased to report the cod and chips was very good.

The new chippy is part of a small local group which has sister restaurants Rucola in Clifton and Ceiturica, 277 North Street, Southville.

It's also going to sell fresh fish. A welcome edition to North Street.