The hustings was attended by about 70 people interested to see what the prospective MPs had to say on environmental issues. The Horfield hustings was part of the national Ask The Climate Question campaign.

Charlotte Leslie, the prospective Conservative MP for Bristol North West, said that the hustings was an ideal opportunity for the main political parties to show that there is a consensus on some of the most important issues of our times.

“The consensus was extremely encouraging,” Charlotte said. “Climate change is an issue which supersedes political affiliations and we need a long term answer for. The consensus was that climate change is a vitally important issue which needs to be taken very seriously indeed.”

Charlotte and the other candidates were all in favour of a lagoon system for the Severn barrage. Charlotte said: “This would particularly help jobs in Avonmouth and I would like it to happen quickly. In seeking new solutions to the energy crisis, we have to make sure that our version of sustainability is sustainable.”

Charlotte has already shown her strong green credentials, actively campaigning against possible development on both the Daisy Field and Lamplighters land in Shirehampton, the Crow Lane open space in Henbury and the Purdown open space in Lockleaze.

Charlotte said: “I strongly hope that the warm words of the council regarding these open spaces will actually lead to a real solution, in order to preserve all our wonderful and valuable green spaces in north west Bristol.”

She added: “I would like to thank Greenpeace for organising this hustings, and for the knowledgeable audience for raising some very important issues.”

For more information on the Bristol Greenpeace group, visit here.

Shirehampton Primary School suffers from a lack of green space where children can play games safely. However, local campaigner and Prospective MP, Charlotte Leslie has approached the Council on behalf of the school, and is working with the school and residents to secure a piece of neighbouring waste-land for school use, and at the same time improve the land for residents bordering the area.

Shirehampton Primary School has a need for green space so that its pupils can play games such as tag-rugby, and exercise without fear of injury from falling.  Charlotte Leslie has approached the Council to enquire about the feasibility of the school using a derelict piece of near-land-locked green-space near the school.

Charlotte met with Shirehampton Primary School Council and governors to discuss whether and how pupils would like to use the land. From this meeting, Shirehampton Primary School pupils composed a letter to residents, explaining their thoughts, and seeking a meeting to discuss how the land could best be used. The children’s aim was to improve the land for residents’ use, while establishing it for school use for games lessons and sports day.

Several residents attended a meeting held by the school, with a council representative present, and negotiations are now taking place about the school taking use of the council-owned land next year.

Reporting back, Charlotte Leslie said,

” If we can find a use for this piece of waste-land that improves it for neighbouring residents, and also provides Shirehampton Primary School with some much-needed green-space, we can count this a great success.

I attended a school council meeting where the children told me about their hopes for a little school vegetable garden where they can learn about fresh produce and gardening. It certainly would greatly improve these children’s school experience and I’m hopeful we can find a plan for the land which will please everybody.”

A young resident toasts the Daisy Field tree in traditional style

Thanks to the efforts of local resident Caroline Penny, Shirehampton’s peaceful Wassail protest against the Council’s possible development plans for the Daisy Field was a great success.

Almost 150 people turned out to enjoy a special wassail brew of apple juice and spices, and watch local dance troupe Rag Morris perform their traditional dances on Shirehampton Green. They then led a march down to the Daisy Field where they toasted the trees and invited on-lookers to partake in a Morris Dance themselves.

The event was organised to demonstrate the community’s need for the land, and to dissuade Bristol City Council from including the site from sites listed as at risk from development or sale, in their Parks and Green Spaces Strategy consultation document. The document was going to be published this month, but has been postponed until after the local elections, in June.

You can watch some footage from the event below.
Saving the Daisy Field

Morris Dancing and toasting the trees

If you’d like to find out more about the Morris Dancing, go to www.ragmorris.com!

The Daisy field is enjoyed by many residents from Shire and beyond

against the Council’s possible plans to build on The Daisy Field.  Caroline Penney is organising wassailing, on Sunday 17th January, to demonstrate how much the community values the Daisy Field Land.

Charlotte Leslie is encouraging as many residents as possible to come and attend the event, whatever the weather.

The event is on Sunday 17th January,  2pm, starting on Shirehampton Green.

Organiser Caroline Penney and Charlotte Leslie talk to BBC Radio Bristol about the event:

In a letter to the Evening Post, Charlotte writes,

“It would be a tragedy if this land was lost to Shirehampton. The community, including the group Shire Greens, have invested time and effort in planting bulbs and trees on the land, showing just how much this land is worth to residents. This is the kind of community cohesion that the Council says it wants to encourage, but at the same time will not remove the threat of concreting over the community’s efforts.

But  this is perhaps hardest to swallow: While the Council still refuses to rule-out building on the Daisy Field, the derelict site of Shire’s beloved swimming pool which the Council (undemocratically) demolished still lies empty, and undeveloped – a gaping hole in the village.

If the Council really is listening to the people, it must answer this glaring injustice, and exempt the Daisy Field from future development.”

How the Evening Post reports the victory

Local campaigners are celebrating the news that a piece of community land in Shirehampton, known as “The Lamplighters” has been saved from possible sell-off and development by council.

The much-loved community land was under threat of development under the Council’s “Parks and Green Spaces Strategy”. The strategy aims to identify land of ‘low value’ to the community, for possible sell-off, with a view to enhancing the remaining land.

The news follows a long campaign to save the land, led by local campaigner, Charlotte Leslie and Cllr. Siobhan Kennedy-Hall. Over the summer, Ms. Leslie and Ms. Kennedy-Hall organised a petition against the council’s plans, as well as “Shire’s Big Picnic”, attended by hundreds of local residents as a peaceful protest, and a public meeting with council officers in September.

The land has been saved thanks to the results of a soil-test which was requested by Cllr. Siobhan Kennedy-Hall at the public meeting organised by local campaigner Charlotte Leslie, chaired by Cllr. Kennedy-Hall.

At the public meeting in September, local residents flagged up their concerns over the council’s possible proposals to build in the land. One issue that was raised was the fact that the land was previously a land-fill tip and may contain toxic substances that would be disturbed if developed. Council officers agreed to Cllr. Kennedy-Hall’s request to conduct a soil test with all speed.

The soil test results reveal significant heavy metals beneath the Lamplighters land, making it unsuitable for development. The Council have now confirmed that the Lamplighters Land will be excluded from development consideration, in a Parks and Green Spaces consultation document due to come out in January 2010.

However, the report also reveals that another piece of much-loved community land, The Daisy Field, in Shirehampton, has not been saved from possible development plans.  Charlotte Leslie, who is also the Prospective MP for Bristol North West, and Cllr. Kennedy-Hall have vowed to keep campaigning to save the land.

Charlotte Leslie said,

“I am delighted that after all the hard work of local residents, the Lamplighters Land is now safe, and will even be enhanced. We said all along that the campaign for the Lamplighters was to ensure it did not even appear in the council’s consultation document, and we have done that.

“However, the battle is not over. The Council has stripped Shirehampton of so many amenities in recent years. The Robin Cousins Centre is still closed and derelict, and Shire’s lovely swimming pool is now sadly demolished, thanks to the Council. I will be fighting with residents to ensure that the Council does not strip Shirehampton of yet another much-loved community amenity – The Daisy Field.  If the Council is really listening to residents’ voices, they will take the Daisy Field out of the list of at-risk land as well.”

Cllr. Siobhan Kennedy Hall added,

“Local residents have been fighting all the way for this result. It was their input at the public meeting in September which has really forced the Council to think again about their ill-thought-through plans. I’d like to thank everybody who has signed my petition, came to the picnic and made Shirehampton’s voice heard at the public meeting. Together we have won a real victory, and together we will work to make sure that the will of the people really does win through.”

The Council’s Parks and Green Spaces Strategy Consultation is due to be published in January 2010, and will include a list of Bristol green-space under consideration for development. Residents will have the chance to respond to the consultation and object to land included in the list for development, which is likely to include Shirehampton’s Daisy Field.

Cllr. Kennedy-Hall’s petition against building on the Daisy Field and Lamplighters Land is still open on the Council petitions website.

Residents turned out in great numbers  for a public meeting called by Prospective MP, Charlotte Leslie, and Avonmouth Ward Councillor Siobhan Kennedy-Hall, to ask council officers questions about their possible plans to sell off the Daisy Field and Lamplighters land for housing development.

Charlotte Leslie called the public meeting after around 200 residents were turned away from a closed meeting to discuss the controversial plans, in June.

The meeting, attended by council officers and chaired by Cllr. Kennedy Hall, was an opportunity for residents to tell Council officers directly about the issues surrounding the plans.

Key areas of concern included the contamination of the land, which was formerly a rubbish tip. Members of the community recalled planning applications made by Shirehampton Colts to build changing rooms being turned down by the Council, on the grounds that the land was unsuitable for building, due to what lay below.

Other residents raised the issue of the the Lamplighters land being on flood plain. Several inhabitants of Nibley road described how their houses had been flooded in the recent past.  Concerns were also raised that plans to enhance the play area on the Lamplighters Land, which currently include moving the play area, may be paving the way for an improved access route for potential housing.

Residents overwhelmingly stated that the Daisy Field and Lamplighters land is valued green-space, used and enjoyed by the community, and that the proposed aims of the Council’s  “Parks and Green Spaces Strategy”, to improve access to quality green space, would be best served by maintaining and enhancing these two sites, for the enjoyment of the public.

Council officers emphasised that no definite plans have been drawn up, and that the Daisy Field and Lamplighters Land sites have been part of a scoping exercise to find a list of sites to be classified as of ‘low value’ to the community, to be sold off,  which will go to consultation in the New Year.

Charlotte Leslie and Cllr. Kennedy Hall pledged to take residents’ concerns forward, and to continue to press the council to ensure that these two sites do not appear in the consultation document next year.

Cllr. Kennedy-Hall said,

“I am delighted that council officers  agreed to meet with the public and listen directly to their concerns. Under the strategy, the council say they will be enhancing local facilities – but the council have already demolished Shirehampton’s swimming pool and closed down the Robin Cousins centre, which still lies empty.”

Charlotte Leslie added,

“Local people do not want to be stripped of yet more of their community amenities under the banner of ‘enhancements’. Many residents say that experience has taught them that once a decision goes to a consultation process, it is already too late. That is why we are acting now, while plans are still in early stages.”

If you want to get involved in the campaign,

1. Sign Siobhan’s petition HERE

2. Write to the Council, detailing your reasons for objecting to the possible designation of The Daisy Field / Lamplighters Land as a potential site for sale to housing developers.

The address to write to is:

Rob McGovern
Area Green Space Plan Project Officer
Bristol Parks
Colston 33
Colston Avenue
Bristol, BS1 4UA

Shire's Big Picnic was a roaring success!

I would just like to give a huge thanks to everyone who helped in making Shire’s Big Picnic such a roaring success. On Saturday 25th July, Shirehampton held its Big Picnic – as a demonstration to the Council of just how much local residents value the Daisy Field and Lamplighters Land, and what a travesty it would be to give them up to building development. Well over 200 people came along with rugs, picnics and families – and we even got the sunshine!

I would particularly like to thank Shirehampton Village Bakery for generously donating a large tray of ( very popular) doughnuts, The Lamplighters Pub for their unstinting practical help and support, Shirehampton News for donating their lollipops, everyone who helped publicise the event, and everybody who turned up to make it such a special day.

The Lamplighters land is very much valued by the community

The picnic was not only a fun day out for all the family, it achieved several things:

First, it was a formidable demonstration of how the people of Shirehampton value this land, and what a dreadful mistake it would be to sell it off to developers.

Second, it showed just how much accumulated wisdom is held in the local community. We distributed leaflets asking every picnic-goer to write to the Council with specific, factual reasons why the land should not be built on – and the in depth knowledge about the land and its history that emerged in conversation was incredible – the Council would do well to listen to the real local experts.

Finally it proves that all you need to have a wonderful day out is a bit of sunshine, a rug and a picnic – and some green open space in which to enjoy our beautiful part of the world and the company of your community, friends and family.

Many people said to me that they’d like to see Shire’s Big Picnic become an annual event. Let’s hope that the Council abandons any plans to develop this land, and makes Shire’s Big Picnic possible for many years to come.

If you haven’t already, you can sign Cllr. Siobhan Kennedy-Hall’s petition to protect the land by clicking HERE.

Have you signed up to protect the Lamplighters open space yet?

SHIREHAMPTON residents are being encouraged to dig out their picnic sets and unfurl their rugs for a special event designed to help highlight public opposition to possible development of community land.

Local campaigners Charlotte Leslie and Councillor Siobhan Kennedy Hall are inviting people to take part in the Shire’s Big Picnic event, on Saturday, July 25^th.

The event, which will be held at The Lamplighters open space from noon until 3.30pm, has been organised to give residents the chance to show how much they value both the Lamplighters and Daisy Field land, which could be designated as “low value” land by the council.

Under the council’s Parks and Green Spaces strategy, open space designated by the council as ‘low value’ will be sold off and developed, with the intention of enhancing remaining open space in the city. Two of the sites identified as  ’low value’ by the council for possible planning include Shirehampton’s so called ‘Daisy Field’, and part of the lamplighters open space.

Responding to initial public objection to the possible proposals, new Avonmouth councillor Siobhan, with support from Charlotte, set up a petition to allow residents to voice their objections to the council’s plans, which are due to go to public consultation next year.

Now, to further demonstrate public opinion over the possible moves, Charlotte and Siobhan have organised the ‘Big Picnic’ event to help show the level of local support for keeping the green spaces as they are.

Charlotte, who is also the Conservative Prospective MP for Bristol North West – which includes the areas in question – said:

“ The Big Picnic is both a peaceful protest against the Council’s possible plans to designate this land as ‘low value’, and a positive demonstration that this land is highly valued by the community.

We will also be encouraging picnic-goers to submit individual letters to the Council to explain why the land should not designated ‘low value’. This is all part of our campaign to prevent plans to develop this land from even reaching consultation stage. Because residents in Shirehampton say that based on previous experience, they feel that when a decision goes to consultation, it is already a done deal.”

Green spaces are not low value to the people who use them.

Avonmouth’s new Councillor Siobhan Kennedy-Hall and Charlotte Leslie have launched a petition to protect Shirehampton’s Daisy Field and part of the Lamplighters open space from development. Under the City Council’s Green Spaces strategy, these sites have been identified as possible ‘low value’ land. Under the strategy, such areas of low value land are to be sold off for development.

The council consultations are still in early stages, but local residents have reacted strongly against the possible proposals. Siobhan Kennedy-Hall is taking up residents’ concerns and has set up an online petition where concerned residents can register their objection to the Council’s plans. Charlotte Leslie and Siobhan are also encouraging residents to attend consultation meetings and to contact the council, detailing specific reasons why the Daisy Field and Lamplighters land should not be classified as ‘low value’.

Commenting, Charlotte Leslie said:

“The council may consider these areas to be of ‘low value’, but they are certainly not ‘low value’ to the community that lives here.

“The Daisy Field and the lamplighters open space are an integral part of the community, and it would be a grave error to proceed any further with any thoughts to give them up to development.”

Avonmouth’s new councillor Siobhan said:

“These possible plans are in early stages, but I wanted to provide an opportunity for the council to see the strength of public feeling against these plans at the earliest possible opportunity.”

You can sign the online petition HERE or by going to http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/view/greenspaces

Charlotte Leslie with other protesters to stop garden in filling

Charlotte Leslie, Conservative Prospective MP for Bristol North West, has successfully led a campaign to get Bristol City Council to write to the Government to stop so called ‘garden grabbing’.

Backed by Conservative Councillor John Goulandris, Charlotte presented a petition to the Council calling for gardens to be exempt from being classed as brown field sites, and for local Councils to be given the final say over garden-grab planning decisions. Local Conservatives were successful in getting the Council to stand up for local communities against overdevelopment, but the battle to save green spaces continues.

Charlotte said,

“We have taken the lead to save our green spaces and stop over-intensive building in our suburbs. Sadly the Government’s reply to our letter was far from satisfactory. And on top of that, Central Government is imposing more unrealistic building targets on Bristol. More affordable housing is needed, but it must be planned carefully. New evidence shows that building in gardens also increases the risk of flooding. We simply can’t cope with more in-fill. We will carry on campaigning to save our green spaces and communities, and I hope the other parties will support our campaign.”