The South Glos Post

Video tapes, cardboard boxes and broken furniture – just some of the items illegally dumped in the district which have lead to several people being prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council.

The cases of illegal fly-tippers brought to book include:

Martin Collins, of Hardy Lane, Tockington, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping waste near the railway station in Pilning on 17th March. During a clean up operation, council officers found correspondence addressed to Collins and when interviewed by police he fully admitted the offence. He was convicted of fly-tipping black bin bags containing household waste, sheets of insulation, video tapes, cardboard boxes and plastic electrical wire casing. He was also fined £65 and ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of around £415.

Council officers saw Emily Evans, from Southmead Road, Bristol, fly-tipping pieces of broken furniture at Berwick Lane, Easter Compton on 5th April. Evans pleaded guilty to the offence and now has a conviction for fly-tipping. She was fined £65 and ordered to pay the council’s costs of around £500.

And an off duty police officer stopped to question Owen O’Brien, of Jordan Walk, Bradley Stoke, after he saw him acting suspiciously in Hoovers Lane, Iron Acton on 28th March. He had fly-tipped two black bin bags full of waste. He admitted the offence and was fined £100 and ordered to pay around £414 costs

Video store waste dumped in Bath and in North Somerset »

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Longwell Green residents, MP Chris Skidmore and local councillors Christine Price and John Calway are celebrating after saving the local Green Belt from being bulldozed by developers after a hard-fought community campaign.

The long-running campaign collected nearly 1,000 petition signatures and a protest demonstration was held with over 200 local residents turning up to show the strength of support for their local Green Belt.

The victory comes as an independent Planning Inspector dismissed an appeal for 83 houses on a Green Belt site at Williams Close, Longwell Green, following a four-day appeal hearing.

Cllr Christine Price (Con, Longwell Green), who attended the appeal hearing, welcomed the news:

“The tireless efforts of local residents made a huge difference in terms of demonstrating the strength of local feeling that there was against this hugely inappropriate application.”

“The Green Belt is there for a reason and I am pleased to see that the inspector has exposed as nonsense the developer’s claim that special circumstances existed for such a damaging development.”

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Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

A group of councillors in South Gloucestershire is claiming that the local Council is missing out on recycling a large amount of plastic.

South Gloucestershire Council recently introduced collection of plastic bottles from residents’ doorsteps as part of a new recycling programme. The authority has subsequently withdrawn plastic recycling banks from a number of locations across the area claiming that they are not needed.

However, with the new doorstep collection regime, residents can only recycle plastic bottles and SITA, the Council’s waste contractors, will not empty residents’ plastic recycling bags if they contain anything other than plastic bottles. Previously, residents could use the recycling banks to recycle any plastic containers made of Type 1 (PET) or Type 2 plastic (HDPE) – the plastics that most bottles are made from.

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Source: Labour Councillors on South Gloucestershire Council

A call is going out to all volunteer groups and businesses across South Gloucestershire urging them to spring into action in a few months time to help clean up their neighbourhood or open spaces, helping to transform South Gloucestershire as part of National Spring Clean 2011.

South Gloucestershire Council is supporting the Big Spring Clean Campaign 2011 which runs from 1st March to 30th April and is encouraging everyone to join them. From schools to scouts and voluntary group to businesses, all are invited to take action against litter. Groups are being asked to register their interest early so litter picking equipment can be organised ahead of the campaign.

Cllr Heather Goddard, South Gloucestershire Council’s executive member for communities, said: “The Big Spring Clean is the Big Society in action and is always hugely popular in South Gloucestershire, which is undoubtedly down to the fact that people are really proud of the district as a place to live and work.”

“We want to encourage as many volunteers as possible to take part in the Big Spring Clean. This event can make a big difference. By reducing the litter we will improve the quality of the environment and make the green spaces of South Gloucestershire even more inviting to visit and enjoy.”

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council