Residents asked how to spend £500 million to 'transform' Knowle West
PEOPLE in Knowle West are to be asked their views on how £500 million could be spent to give their area a massive makeover over the next 20 years.
The facelift would be the biggest in the area's history, with the prospect of building hundreds of new houses, developing new shops and creating up to 700 permanent full-time jobs.
One of the suggestions is to create a new shopping centre on Leinster Avenue, nearly opposite Broadbury Road police station.
The centre would provide a small-scale supermarket together with other shops, similar to the regeneration project at Symes Avenue in Hartcliffe, and would replace the rundown shopping centre at Filwood Broadway.
Another early suggestion was to demolish all the houses in Inns Court and rebuild the homes in four squares, dissected by a road and "greenway" through the estate to link up with Hengrove Park.
For years, Knowle West has suffered from crime, unemployment, anti-social behaviour and some of the worst social deprivation in the country.
But, during the past 18 months, residents and interested groups have been working with council officials to draw up a vision for the future.
The next stage kicks off next week, when council officials start asking locals how they think this vision should be achieved.
The vision sets out 13 main aims which range from creating jobs, improving people's health and well-being, build new homes, refurbish existing housing stock, improve schools and education, improve transport and develop more facilities for young people.
Lib Dem cabinet councillor Anthony Negus said: "Knowle West has seen little improvement for a long time.
"There has been some investment but there has not been the chance to address some of the deep-seated issues which have faced the area for a long time.
"We've been talking to people, listening to why they feel it has not been working and looking at ways of re-shaping the area, not just tinkering with it.
"We cannot say there is any money available to carry out any work at this stage but we have to make sure we are in the best position to bid for funding, once we see an upturn in the economy.
"The council hopes to eventually win up to £100 million from Government sources for the regeneration project. But council officials hope this will have a knock on-effect which will encourage private housebuilders to develop some sites.
Although the UK is suffering from the effects of a recession and the prospect of public spending cuts, the council is keen to continue with this project so that once there is an upturn, the Government can be asked for funding.
Council officials say doing nothing is an option but this would only lead to the area suffering from further neglect and decay.
Mr Negus said work on the facelift might not start for a few years, but it would be phased over two decades so that it could be speeded up when the economy improved.
He said the facelift might start with small changes that don't cost much money but send out a message that bigger improvements were on the way.
The council has organised drop-in sessions in a few weeks' time where people can find out more about the regeneration plans.
31 Comments
View all
by PHIL, KNOWLE WEST
Sunday, October 03 2010, 7:31PM
“HEARD IT ALL BEFORE.FROM THESE FOOLS .ALL TALK AND DO NOTHING FOR THE LAST THIRTY YEARS BULLS££T”
by Steve, S.West
Wednesday, September 29 2010, 9:09AM
“Four Years ago I was co-running a project in Filwood. At the time statistics showed that 48% of the electorate in the Filwood ward were claiming benefits.We would try to encourage our students/service users to attend College to "better themselves" So often we would hear "our Dad don't work and we dooze alright"
The key to improving peoples lot has to be education, so they can find a job, have some money and self worth. On the 22nd of Oct we will all hear about the savage spending cuts about to hit us. I am sure that education will take a big knock. Now in my 50s I grew up on the council estate at Stockwood. I often cycled to Knowle to buy Cage birds from the many bird fanciers there. Whilst Stockwood has deteriated it is nothing compared with what I see as the deteriation in Knowle. I think the iron lady has much to answer for allowing the manufacturing base of South Bristol to die in the early 80s.The area has never recovered from the mass loss of unskilled and semi skilled jobs that went. Some of the lads that attended our project were destined to be the 3rd generation of male unemployed in their family. The whole area needs a massive injection of "ringfenced" cash to rebuild, and provide education and opportunity. This has been denied for too long, hence the current situation.”
by like Roger Smith, for example
Wednesday, September 29 2010, 7:36AM
“Personally, I think the area needs a whole lot of education.... the web toed, curly teethed inbred idiots ruin it for the others. You can't polish a t*rd...”
by Elaine, Knowle West
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 9:51PM
“Having only lived in KW for a mere 8yrs unlike my neighbours who have lived here 40 yrs plus and having lived in areas in the past that are deemed to be more affluent, i can only speak as i find.
The community spirit here is second to none and full of honest, hard working people who would like nothing more than to improve the area they live in. To be able to tell someone they lived on KW and not have that person taking a step back like they have the plague.
Many of the derogatory comments made are very insulting to most of us KW residents and totally unnecessary , we are human beings.
So down to the nitty gritty, unfortunately there are a minority who give KW it's bad name but what can be done about this is the problem. I am all in favour of improving the area i live in and welcome the proposed plans with open arms but i believe that you have to have respect for yourself, your family, your neighbours and yours and their property.Sadly this is not always the case and as usual the minority spoil it for the majority.
The road i live in is close to local shops and take away's, so my pavement is littered with can's, take away cartons, chips, spilled drinks and anything that can be thrown on the ground rather than put into a bin (which there are none of, even directly outside the shops). When walking up the road you have to dodge the dog mess and often have deposits right outside my front gate.
So what can be done to improve this...i really don't know, all i know is if as i said before, you have to have respect for you neighbours and their property to see these plans come to fruition.
I hope to be around in 20years time and see the regeneration plan completed, i love living here but it could be better....for everyone.
I am playing Devils advocate but speaking with an open and honest mind,”
by col, Bristol
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 3:55PM
“Most "blighted" areas of this country, are only so because of a handful of scum and KW is no exception. The courts refuse to jail them for several reasons, like the jails are full and if we jail them how are we going to make a living when there's no crime. Answer. build a jail in KW and force the people who do make money out of crime (lawyers, judges, etc) a compulsory new home in KW, I think the jail will be full before the first new residents move in.”
by bagpuss, At work
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 8:38AM
“Sorry - meant to say FILWOOD Broadway - not FILTON....”
by Bagpuss, At work
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 8:35AM
“KW is a long established community with a vast majority of folks making an honest living. Part of the reason that there are unsavoury characters is that it is easier to accomodate them in areas such as this as the local populace do not have the same finaincial clout and say as as the more well to do in places such as Clifton and Sneyd Park. There is enough outcry at students - but can you imagine the uproar that would be created in trying to place families known to be unemployed and drug users in areas such as this.
Those in Knowe West who work an honest day for an honest living would probably rather not have to live near such unsocial people - but cannot buy their way out to live in other areas of Bristol.
Having said that - there is a real sense of community in Knowle West - people that do go out of there way to help others and try and make KW a better place to live.
The Symes Avenue development is a huge success. The same people used it as before but it also loooks well cared for and is a real hub of activity - with the community centre being a good social centre. Filton Broadway could be the same - it could help to re-install a sense of civic pride.”
by julie, inns court
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 12:07AM
“some of the people who have commented and slagged us knowle westers off need to realise just because we live in a run down area we are not all druggies,thieves and inbreds so yeah give us a break some of us want a better way of life.”
by Snakes, KNOWLE
Monday, September 27 2010, 10:40PM
“Personally, I think the area needs a whole lot of education. There are plenty of good people in the area, but the web toed, curly teethed inbred idiots ruin it for the others. You can't polish a t*rd...”
by Steve, S.West
Monday, September 27 2010, 8:58PM
“What I wonder does the local M.P. Dawn have to say. At a time when the Chancellors coffers were overspilling with cash/taxes we put a proposal to her. It involved using a redundant elderly persons home as a training centre for young people in her down at heel constituency. She dismissed our idea as "Hypothetical, we have no way of knowing it will be money well spent" she said. So, come on Dawn, what do you make of these plans/suggestions now you are in opposition.
Oh, and by the way I'm a lifelong Labour voter (dismayed like millions by "New Labour") ....”