Was it Bolton Wanderers fans who formed their own political party, fought in a local election and won, with the sole aim of getting permission to build the Reebok? Why can't we do something similar?
As I understand it,we own the land,we have got planning permission from from Bristol City Council,North Somerset Council,we have the finance in place for the development and building of the whole project,existing premises and land agreed for sale and development,both of the developments would create jobs,civil taxes,pleasure and leisure for the whole community for a generation to come.. Unbelievable country we live in....
As I see it, the nimbys will keep fighting so the council had 2 choices 1 carry on till the end, racking up a huge sum of money. All to the tax payers expense, good for us we get the ground but other projects suffer! Think of the city not city 2 hand the power back to SL to fight, will put more time and effect into this and probably get an outcome to suit all. As said the council was put into a corner by a minority, so to save face option 2 was the beneficial solution to all.
Pirate; Agree totally with your last statement except it is bordering on Utopia to expect that Bristol will get the good shake up it needs. All the main arterial roads (Whiteladies, Gloucester, Bath, Wells & Kingswood) are still identical to when I was driving buses in the mid 60's plus even more parking than then. The largest site for indoor public performance of music etc is now over 60 years old (Colston Hall 2,000 capacity) No tram system / No Arena / No athletics stadium / Rovers & Bristol Rugby in a patched up Mem (I see Hewlett Packard are the local substitute there for the Ashton Vale VG'ers) / City in a ground that has one end built in the 1920's and covered in early 1930's / Glos CCC refused planning for rebuilt stadium / Airport without motorway or rail link and very prone to fog / A fountain-water feature in the City Centre that is even worse that totally pathetic (nearest town to my home in Portugal has at least three which are ten times better with a population of less than 40,000) The idea of an elected mayor along the American lines seems OK but looking at the Boris/Ken show in London does not fill me with any more hope than having the leader of the majority party as the top person in the Council. I hope you have better progress with your new stadium, but don't forget that South Glos turned the A4174 ring road from 2 lanes into one for a bus lane that caters for about 5 /6 buses an hour. So they appear to be just as useless as Bristol. So there is only one solution. City and Rovers apply to join the French League, buy some land for a new stadium. The French way on new projects is:- Government / Local Authority tell the public what we propose to do; the public have six months to consider/complain/ fight against it. Then Government / Local Authority do what they said they were going to do!
Or we can do what the Spanish have been getting away with for years. Just show up with a bunch of workmen and several cranes and build it illegally and then let the courts decide whether they are going to knock it down - works every time, and if you don't believe me then go and see for yourselves. More than one way to skin a goat!
Better stil we could join the Spanish La Liga as Real Bristol and our friends on the other side could become Roverlona.
But not as many as we used to have by a long way YOBG........ Where I live we've lost inumerable pubs over the past 20 years and the few remaining are overcrowded and frankly unpleasant due to the clientelle. Pubs that have been lost in South Bristol include The Happy Landings The Antelope The Little Thatch The Talbot The Fighting Cocks The Glasscutter The George The Baccy Jar and more.....
Baccy jar still there, just renamed John Harvey arms.. You must live close to me Angelic i have used all those pubs in times past.
Pubs are unfortunately a dying trade. Not really down to councils or areas. My mate runs a pub in Gloucester, and he says that the supermarkets and the smoking ban hit trade hard. They say 10 pubs on averaging closing a week. Sad times that in years to come they will be like the states, more restaurant types bars.
to be fair the happy landings was a right dump. Although i wish they would doe something with it, waste of space Imperial is the best pub by me, although not to happy about there recent price change on drinks
