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New Parking Charges in Gloucester – Bold move
Published February 20, 2012 | 
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There has been many complaints that Gloucester is just not accessible enough for families wanting to go into the City because public transport is too expensive, and Parking was not much better. However it seems that the City Council has taken the message on board and has made the Parking Charges in its car parks much more accessible.
I think this is a bold move, with many critics already lining up to rubbish it, but it will be welcome by business owners who have shops and outlets in the centre. It means that people will be able to use the city for shorter term visits and not have to pay all day. In reality, it is not changing the hourly rate, what it is doing is allowing users to pay more precisely for what they use. The minimum unit was £2 for 2 hours, where as now you can pay £1 (or in some places £1.30) for 1 hour and £3 for 3 hours. This has to be better for the user, especially in these cash strapped times. By the same token, it will enable spaces to have better throughput which will enable more people to
park throughout the day.
The danger could be is if it is not allowed to “bed in”. Many people will wait a few weeks then pull a lot of figures out to show that it has not improved things, but that would be a bad approach. It should be seen as part of an overall regeneration of attitude towards business within Gloucester and a recognition that we need to do all we can to make the centre as accessible as possible. That way, businesses will thrive and we will gain much more revenue for the city than the few quid that the parking pulls in per person.
Personally, if success can be shown longer term, then I would like to see further reductions to provide more access, as well as a much more family friendly public transport network priced in a realistic way which would really open up the City Gates”
Related articles
- Gloucester growth – What business do we want and how do we get them? (barrykirby.co.uk)
- Every Business need found within Gloucester (barrykirby.co.uk)
Asda on Kingsway – The Consultation
Published February 14, 2012 | 
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The proposal to have an Asda on the entrance to Kingsway took another step forward last weekend when there was a consultation held to inform the public and to take on concerns. I attended on the Friday and I was very pleased to see that the initial concerns I had raised were being tackled front and centre and not just sidelined. I had a number of concerns to take along, some were my own, but others were what had been raised to me by residents using the Kingsway Blog and a number of phone calls and emails. While not everything was exactly as I’d like, I think the whole presentation was very positive and a really strong base to work from.
The major issues for me were around 3 main areas, these being Access (Road and pedestrian), Aesthetics and being a Quality Neighbour. However there were a lot more issues discussed as well.
The issues around access are twofold, firstly the A38/Kingsway is a very busy junction and already we have had a number of accidents and near misses, with careless drivers jumping the lights etc. So one of my major concerns is just how much will having Asda there will increase traffic flow, and will people (pedestrians) be more at risk? Coupled with that, if people are turning from the A38 to get into Asda, will that hamper people leaving the estate from Woodvale? What I was pleased to see was they had spent a lot of time modelling the junction and predicted traffic flows. What was an important point was that this should generate no new traffic as such, those cars going to the supermarket are already travelling somewhere. I did raise the fact I had no wish for it to look like the Asda in Gloucester, with traffic queuing up the dual carriageway, and the modelling did highlight that this should not happen. We also discussed the future predictions of housing growth in Kingsway, as well as Hunts Grove. These need to be taken into account alongside the current demand from Quedgeley and Hardwicke. My fears of traffic throughput have been allayed somewhat, but will be keeping an eye on it.
The second access issue is around pedestrians. Kingsway has been developed as very pedestrian and cycle friendly and I would wish to see any future development continue in this vein. To this end, they are ensuring that there are enough pedestrian access points and that the Store is easily accessed. I have a niggle that more could be done to ensure pedestrian access as it crosses Woodvale but again they are putting in the widest crossing they can, so short of making it a “shared space” (which would be in keeping with other parts of Kingsway) then they have done all they can. They are also putting in a lot of bike racks, both for staff and residents which is good. Working with the Highways and public transport people in the council, they aim to provide bus shelters which is a good thing too.
The Aesthetics issues are largely based around how the physical building will sit in the local area. It will be the first thing that people see of Kingsway coming in from the A38 and therefore it needs to be sympathetic and not be glaringly encroaching onto the residents homes. To this end, they are doing a lot of landscaping and ensuring that while they have their branding, it is not over the top. They are mindful of the need to ensure their lighting schemes do not encroach on the houses opposite.
The idea of being a Quality Neighbour is my concern that any business that comes to Kingsway is a good neighbour in the estate. At a minimum I would hope that any business looks after its own areas and frontage etc, but the more they can become involved in the local community then, in my mind, they become a much better neighbour. The Asda representative was keen to highlight all the community things they do (and backed it up with evidence). In terms of jobs they have assured me that the 230 jobs are all on site jobs (not construction) and they recruit as locally as possible. In terms of full and part-time job ratio, while it will depend on who they employ, it should roughly work out at 2:1 (2 part-time for every 1 full-time). That means roughly 77 full-time jobs and 153 part-time. That could be a welcome boost to those local residents who want the part-time flexibility to fit with family life. In terms of being good for the community they were making all the right noises which was very encouraging, though as with anything, the proof will be in the actions, not the words.
Other issues are things like Trollies. They are fully aware of the need not to have trollies littering the estate and they have assured me that the trollies will either be coin operated or a stopping mechanism in place. The deliveries will be done in such a way as to ensure noise is kept to a minimum, including a sound proof wall and making drivers switch off the units when stationary. There was also talk of a Petrol Station, however this site is deemed to probably be a bit too small, however there was a thought about having one, but siting it on another part of the Kingsway Business Park, so it could be a possibility.
Overall a very encouraging consultation. Its key to remember that this piece of land has never going to stay green, it was originally destined to have a huge office block on it, so having something that is going to be useful to residents can be seen as a more positive improvement.
Related articles
- Kingsway/ Quedgeley ASDA consultation – What do YOU think? (barrykirby.co.uk)
Posted in Kingsway | 
Asda, Business, Gloucester, Kingsway, Pedestrian, Quedgeley, Store, Transportation and Logistics | 
Leave a commentSo what if Greece did go bankrupt?
Published February 13, 2012 | Waking up to the scenes from Greece, public reaction to the austerity measures erupting in violence and Greek MPs
passionately debating the actions needed to get the bailout fund from the EU. My gut reaction was surely it is simple, they have to suck it up and deal with it, but is that right?
The basic question hit me, what would actually happen if Greece did go bankrupt? Who would it really affect? If you or I were to go bankrupt, we would be judged by the court to be bankrupt, your card is marked and it all gets sorted out and the people who are really worst off are your creditors. So what is different for a country? Personally I think that is it, it’s not about Greece per se, it’s all about Europe, and the fact that the Euro Zone can’t afford to let Greece fail. If the Greek Economy fails, there is a real risk of a Domino effect across Europe. The UK Government will need to really work hard to ensure we are not swept into the bailouts!
Though if the Euro Zone can’t let the Greek economy fail, they need to be aware that they seem to be going very close to breaking the heart of the country, and if that happens, what’s the point of the economy anyway?
Stroud Core Strategy – Why Quedgeley needs to be aware
Published February 9, 2012 | 
The border between Stroud and Gloucester around the Quedgeley/Hardwicke area is becoming a rather congested area without the sustained infrastructure development. With Sellars Farm, and the Incinerator as huge areas of contention, you think that Stroud District Council would be keen to give residents around there a bit fo a break, but it seems not. The desire to dump houses on the border and leave them for Gloucester to cope with seems set to continue!
In Gloucestershire there is a plan to look at the provision of housing across the county and this is called the Joint Core Strategy. It’s a plan that has been agreed to ensure that future development is done in the right place. Which sounds good, except it’s not the whole county, Stroud District Council have opted not to take part in the JCS and have their own strategy instead. Initially they came up with a wide range of options, and consulted on them. The feedback has whittled it down to 3 options which thankfully did not include further development on the Quedgeley/Hardwicke border, however in reading the document further, it seems that Stroud is not content with that and is wanting to further develop the border anyway.
This could mean the current development of Hunts Grove (currently planned for just under 2000 houses) being further expanded with another 750 homes. Which may not sound a lot, though it could mean an extra 2000 people in the local area. It’s all very well to say that it’s in Stroud District, but it is the Quedgeley resources that will take the brunt of the expansion and there are already complaints that the local networks are suffering with the development of Kingsway and other smaller packets in the pipeline. From bitter experience, people who live in Kingsway know how hard it is to live without local amenities, and Quedgeley residents have seen places like the local Doctors become seriously over subscribed.
This is the big failure of SDC when they decided not to engage in the JCS, they believe they can just largely dump homes on the borders of the district and not have to worry too much about it!
In my response to the Joint Core Strategy, I was quite strong in the fact that Quedgeley has seen enough development in the past few years and should now be left alone to adjust to its new size and it seems that this message is being heard. However it could be seriously undermined if Stroud is left to just dump more new houses on the other side of the border without sufficient thought to infrastructure and amenities.
Have a look at what is being proposed here:
And for more in-depth reading, the pros and cons of sites analysis document is here:
Kingsway/ Quedgeley ASDA consultation – What do YOU think?
Published February 8, 2012 | Image via Wikipedia
Starting tomorrow is the Consultation for the proposed ASDA which is to be situated on the A38 entrance to Kingsway potentially by the end of the year. This public consultation is your chance to have your say on the proposed design, and to raise concerns over what you see. The main point is, the opportunity is there to have your say so please take it.
The consultation is being held at Quedgeley Community Centre at the following times
Thursday 9th February, 4:30pm – 7pm
Friday 10th February, 10am – 6pm
Saturday 11th February, 10am – 1pm
I will be there on Saturday and if you can not make it but want to contribute, please feel free to email me with your concerns and I can pass them on (barry@barrykirby.co.uk).
In terms of your thoughts, think about how you would use the store, and your neighbours. What about access, would you walk to it or drive? What sort of shopping would you expect to do, a small shop or a big shop? How will it affect what shops we have already, will it provide positive or negative competition? What do you not know but feel you would like to? Does it look aesthetically pleasing at the entrance to the estate? How will ASDA contribute to the estate and how will they act as neighbours?
Its worth bearing in mind that this was never going to stay a lush green field, if not a supermarket it was going to be an office block or warehouse so “No Change” is not an option, but is a supermarket the right option?
If you don;t want to email me, feel free to just leave a comment here and I will also take them along. Positive comment is just as valuable as negative, but the worst one is if you have a comment but don;t say anything at all, if I don’t know your issue, then I can’t fight for it!
Westminster Priorities – Selective Opposition
Published February 7, 2012 | You have to wonder, in the current climate of Cuts, austerity, Public Services being stripped, pillaged and decimated, you would expect MPs in Westminster to take every moment on the floor of the house to steer our fragile ship through these murky waters, but it seems that some MPs are more concerned with the state of the Grog.
It seems that in Strangers Bar, there has been an Ale called “Top Totty”, with a provocative picture of a lady on the pump. Now, if you were offended by such a thing, surely the right approach is to have a word with the manager of the bar, maybe even a quick note/letter to that effect. Not so for Kate Green MP, she decided to use valuable House Sitting time to bring up the issue and get some action.
Being the Shadow Equalities Minister, I bet she thought she could get some cheap “getting the house in order” points, but personally I think she has made herself look rather foolish and petty. In reality it is an exchange that took not more than a few minutes but as always timing is everything. Labour had been struggling to provide effective opposition, and was just really starting to get some traction and now she has managed to divert the attention from the real issues and highlighted just how out of touch Westminster can be with the problems that are concerning people struggling to survive.
Related articles
- ‘Stunning blonde beer’ too risky for House (upi.com)
- MPs’ ‘sexist’ beer ban: Top Totty ale outlawed in the Commons bar (dailymail.co.uk)
The Barn Own – The new Kingsway Pub – Training days
Published January 29, 2012 | 
Image via Wikipedia
While the new pub on Kingsway, The Barn Owl, is due to open on Monday, they have opened up over the weekend to do some staff training and it was a great opportunity to go and see what the latest addition to the community was going to offer.
The pub is in the Marsdons chain, and they already have a couple in Gloucester already. The interior of the pub does look stunning and it is much bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside.My first mistake was thinking that I had booked a table for 1830h, when they had me down for 1930h. Regardless of who was in error, the staff hardly missed a beat before taking Amanda and I to a table. We ordered drinks (Wine and Pepsi) and then food (Gammon Hock and Pie), all of which was really nice and greatly accompanied by the warm feeling decor. It was also really great to see so many other friendly faces from the estate in there, the potential to be a real community hub was plainly evident.
Because it is a two for one pub, the main emphasis is on food, and apparently normally they are exclusively food, but the management recognises that we need a general pub too, ie somewhere just to go for a drink, therefore the central area are tables where you can just drink. It looks like there will be no standing and drinking like you would get in a “normal” pub, but time will tell, especially with the outside areas in the summer months. I think the management will keep an eye on how the pub is used and will adapt accordingly. There are also kids play areas inside and outside which is good given that many of the residents have young families.
Even though the staff were still finding their way around, the service was really good, out of the 40 staff, 37 of them are local to Kingsway which is great for local employment. I think the true test will be seeing if the high standards they have set out with are still there in 6 months time, but given the investment they have put into it and the potential for the pub to be a regular haunt for the local community, then I think it will be a great asset to Kingsway.
So overall, great pub, good food and service and another great step forward for the estate. It officially opens on Monday so it will be interesting to see what everyone else thinks.
And so the new journey begins
Published January 27, 2012 | Yesterday was my final day at BAE Systems and so I had all the fun things like the leaving speech, exit interview and after work drinks. I thought I might start getting cold feet about my new venture, but there was nothing like that, it was all really good. Now its a day off to take it all in before full speed ahead with K Sharp on Monday.
The one thing that did hit me was that I had been with BAE for seven years, in fact it had been over 7 years but in many ways I was lucky in that I had a number of different projects that took me around different parts of the business and doing new things.
Anyway, I had a nice leaving speech and a speedy exit interview to give back the array of stuff I had acquired over the years then down to Bristol for a few drinks. Starting of in Las Iguanas and ending up in Hooters, it was quite good fun especially because of the people who turned up.
So I have a day of unemployment and then onwards and upwards 
Gloucester in Crisis, What if…..
Published January 21, 2012 | 
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Last Saturday I took part in an Exercise at Gloucester North Warehouse which had been organised by Gloucester Safer Communities and was themed around what would happen if a far right organisation applied to have a protest march and rally in Gloucester. Just how would the communities work together and with the police and other agencies?
I have to admit that I could not stay for the whole event, I went in for the morning and had to disappear just after lunch. But int hat morning we got a briefing from the police and Safer Communities team about what were there to achieve, and then briefed on the first bit of exercise and then in our groups we discussed what we would expect from the police in terms of action and also information.
For me, this was a really good event, not only because of the better understanding of the police powers and how they view all these type of events, but also to talk to other community organisations and see how their needs are similar in some ways, but also different in others.
ON the face of it, Kingsway could be seen as not very relevent tot a march in the city centre, but for me it was the more knock on effects on services like policing. IE if they all went to the City Centre to support the main action, would that make us vulnerable. How do we deal with the troublemakers that may be in the city centre but come from our own communities? How can we support the communities that have been hit by issues? Not surprisingly a lot of the actual experience discussion came from the recent riots. It was quite good to have Cllr Kathy Williams on our table as she could give us her experience in that riot and the actions she and the other people took in the very early hours to set about “putting it right”.
A great success on both understanding what happens, but also to really boost communications between the many organisations that exist within the local area. I would look forward to doing another one.
Gloucester Carnival – Lets get stuck in!
Published January 21, 2012 | 
I know I moan a lot, but one of the things that has disappointed me in the past couple of years has been the Gloucester Carnival. This could have been because I have had a fair bit of experience of being involved with Silloth Carnival when I was younger or just the fact that I found the Gloucester Carnival really good in the park, but very uninspirational in terms of a procession. because of this, when Paul James, Leader of Gloucester City Council, made a public statement in essence as a challenge to those who criticised to get involved with it this year, I really couldn’t resist.
Having been involved for the past couple of months, the group leading it has grown from a few sat round a table to over 15 at the meeting last week. What is really great is that is that it’s not just the usual suspects, but many groups have got involved, and also local businesses
as well as a couple of councillors like Tarren Randle. It is chaired by Paul James but really is an “open to any ideas” session.
Some of the changes we have already agreed upon is to make the procession at the start rather than at the end of the day, and then making it start from elsewhere and then end at Gloucester Park, the logic being that you line the streets to watch the parade, then follow into the park to enjoy the rest of the entertainment. Having it at the end, when the parade left, many people just went home.
Also, we are really encouraging everyone to get involved, it is a carnival for everyone, and it is as much fun to be in the parade as watch it, so we want to really push groups and organisations to highlight themselves and contribute to the parade by joining in.
For me, a key thing is the businesses getting involved too. It is a great method of advertising, and getting involved with our community, so we will be encouraging businesses to either take out a sponsorship pack (at very reasonable rates) and/or get involved directly with one of your community groups and give them some cash (or things in kind) to help them put on a fantastic display.
So, its early days, with a lot to do. And for all those who say that the Carnival is rubbish the message is quite simple, to make it better, get involved. Think about how you could make a float or a walking entry. Could you encourage your local pub to g sponsor a few of you, or you employer? It will be as good as we, as a community, makes it!
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