News in brief
Tufa Field: Pictured is a photo taken of a bird of prey at the de facto nature reserve of Tufa Field off Englishcombe Lane. Residents have fought a long campaign to keep the field free from development as it provides a green lung linking the woods above the field to the residential area below. It’s an area rich in wildlife with deer, badgers, voles and slow worms all inhabiting the geologically significant site. A plan to build homes on the sloping field was eventually dropped when the new council leader Kevin Guy took his oath of office this year but he has admitted some form of development is still possible. For details of the campaign visit https://tufafield.ddns.net/
Creating a buzz 1: The Shadow Environment Secretary Luke Pollard met Dave Roberts and fellow beekeepers in Radstock last month with West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris to discuss the problems of the honey gathering industry. They urged consumers to buy locally produced honey to fight the ‘foreign honey fraudsters’ who add sugar syrup to their product and flood the market with cheaper low quality honey.
Creating a buzz 2: Avon Wildlife Trust has welcomed the news that the granting an emergency authorisation for the use of a banned neonicotinoid on sugar beet has been refused. Tests have found that the level of virus infection forecast is 8.37%, which is not enough to meet the threshold for the use of the neonicotinoid, thiamethoxam, to combat the virus which affects sugar beet.
Creating a buzz 3: A reminder that St John The Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in South Parade has taken delivery of four bee hives on the bank of the river, near Our Lady’s Garden. The Church said it is an experiment to see if the colonies would settle there and they were far enough away from the public to cause any stinging issues.
Creating a buzz 4: If you are interested in learning more about beekeeping visit the Bath Beekeeper’s website and help save the planet by encouraging bees and the pollination of plants: https://bathbeekeepers.com/
Cat killer: Bath City Farm said they had suffered from vandalism again leading to their hens being let out of the coop. Some of their chickens were killed by a local cat causing considerable distress. They announced they are launching an appeal to raise £400 to secure the Feathered Friends enclosure with new fencing and a new gate. To donate to the fund to improve chicken security go to https://localgiving.org/donation/bathcityfarm and put the words Feathered Friends in the message.Lane closure. Weston Lane near the RUH is closed until 22 September.
Bristol overflow: Up to 300 students in Bristol will be housed in Bath this term due to the numbers applying for University there.Planning controversy: The redevelopment of the former BMW and Mini showrooms on the Lower Bristol Road have been given the green light despite 70 objections. The plans are for more than 300 flats with accommodation for 335 students. Cllr June Player opposed the plans while Cllr Paul Crossley proposed the flats. Objections included ‘too much student accommodation already’ and a lack of parking.
For more on Bath visit http://www.harrymottram.co.uk/bath-voice/bath-news/
More news of Bath’s chic community in Bath Voice magazine – now out – or read online at https://issuu.com/harryfmottram/docs/2021_09_september_bath_voice
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