Renovation of Norwood Triangle

in 2007, the Association was invited by the Borough Council to comment on its borough-wide Green Spaces Audit. This made us realise that we have no publicly-owned green space in our area. What we do have is a triangular space, at the junction of Gratton Road, Upper Norwood Street and Norwood Road, which is cluttered with a mass of bollards designed by the Borough Council engineers to keep cars off the traffic island. This is a really dismal 'non-space', graced only by two young trees, without shelter or seats. We told the Borough Council that we would like to see it made much more attractive; and we invited one our members, retired landscape architect Frank Shaw whose house overlooks this space, to prepare ideas. These ideas were discussed with officers of the Borough Council and Gloucestershire Highways, and we reached agreement with them on proposals for improvement to this area. These proposals were then discussed with local residents in September/October 2007, and the scheme was adapted in the light of their comments.
The aim of the project is :
" To create an attractive public open space, with trees and improved lighting, in a part of the town which has very few such spaces
" To increase traffic safety by calming through-traffic speeds
" To increase pedestrian and cycle traffic through the space as a result of both the enhanced quality and the reduced traffic speed
" To celebrate the historic role of this space, as a junction on the Cheltenham and Gloucester Tramroad And a focal point of this neighbourhood : 2010 will mark the second centenary of the opening of the Tramroad, and we hope to realise the full project by then.

The overall cost of the renovation will be about £70,000. Towards this, Cheltenham Borough Council has pledged £32,000. The Association has set in hand a fund-raising campaign to raise the remaining £38,000.

Exmouth Arms garden

For some time, we have been concerned about the poor condition of the land behind the garden of the Exmouth Arms, adjoining St Philips Street. This land is owned by Arkells Brewery. In late 2006, without securing planning approval, the tenant scraped off the topsoil and created a clinker-surfaced car park. Local residents, supported by the Association, pressed the Borough Council to take enforcement action against the tenant. This was done, and the clinker was in due course covered over with soil and re-seeded. But the seed had not taken well, the site was still used on occasion by vehicles, weeds had grown on the outer parts, and the trees surrounding the site were in bad condition. The Association therefore asked the Borough Council to do what it can to secure better maintenance of this very prominent site. In 2007, discussions took place between the Borough Council, the Bath Road Traders' Association, ourselves and the owner and tenant of the land. Since then, a new tenant has refurbished the pub and the front garden, and agreement has been reached between the Borough Council and Arkells on action to improve the backland. In April 2008, many of the trees were pollarded. We now (May 2008) await the rebuilding of parts of the boundary wall, the pollarding of further trees and cleaning up of the land.

Trees Policy

At its General Meeting in April 2007, the Association approved a Trees Policy, which records the great contribution that trees of many kinds make to the charm of our area, and which includes action to protect, sustain and bring more trees to the street scene. The policy statement is supported by a record of all the trees, both public and private, in our area.
We are now moving into a programme of action to pursue this policy. This includes discussion with local authority officers about care for street trees and the planting of more such trees where local residents would welcome them; and support to owners of private trees. In February 2008, by agreement with Cheltenham Borough Homes, we planted three birch trees and three mountain ash trees in the grounds of Mellersh House, on Painswick Road. We have agreed with the St Philip and St James Church Council on the nurturing of certain trees in Church House grounds so that these trees can grow in due course to forest height. We have asked the Borough Council and Gloucestershire Highways to devote some of their recently agreed £20,000 budget for street trees to replacement of felled trees in Grafton Road and possibly towards the infilling and extension of the fine avenue of birch trees in Gratton Road.
Every two or three weeks, we receive from the Borough Council notice of applications for permission to lop, top or fell trees which are protected by Tree Preservation Orders or because they fall within the Conservation Area. This may prompt us to visit the owners of the trees affected and to comment to them or to the Borough Council about these proposals.
We welcome comment from Association members and other local residents about trees, and will help where we can. Our Newsletters include tips about planting and looking after trees.

Planning Issues

The Association receives each week a list of new planning applications received by the Borough Council. We comment only where we perceive a significant threat to the amenity look of our area, or where we think that a particular proposal merits our support. The only recent cases are that we chose to express public support for proposed rear extensions to15 and 27 Gratton Road, following earlier difficult discussions between residents of houses in this terrace and Borough Council officers; and that we opposed what we saw as excessive and ill-designed development at 14 Gratton Road.

Local History Project

Between December 2006 and June 2007, the Association worked with Leckhampton Local History Society on plans for an Exhibition and events related to the history of our area. This work was successfully completed, and the Exhibition was held in St Philip and St James Church 21 to 23 June - see report in Events. The aim was to celebrate that history; to attract the attention of the public, and particularly of local residents, to the area's heritage and life over the last 200 years; and, through exciting their interest, to gain further information about the local history. Grants towards the costs of this initiative were secured from Cheltenham Borough Council, Cheltenham Borough Homes and The Mid-counties Co-operative.
Following the success of this event, we hope to arrange more showings of the exhibition in other venues; and to publish a book based on the exhibition and on the extra material which has been offered by people who came to see it.

Maintenance of Streets & Drains

In December 2006, we established a successful programme of cooperation with Cheltenham Borough Council to secure the cleaning of street surfaces and drains on the streets in our area, many of which had not been cleaned for several years. This has now become an annual routine. The actual cleaning is done by Borough Council staff and machines. Our role has been to deliver advance notices to all residents of the streets affected; to offer addresses of residents whose gardens can be used to stockpile 'No parking' cones; and to place these cones along the streets, late at night or in the early morning, in order to discourage parking during the chosen day.