1,000 signatures reached
To: Bristol City Council
Re-think the Stoke Park path
We petition Bristol City Council to stop their proposal to put a wide mixed-user track across the top fields of Stoke Park, particularly if it is to follow the route of the historic carriageway
Why is this important?
Many users of Stoke Park value it as our little slice of 'countryside' in what is an ever-increasingly developed area of Bristol. We don't want that green space criss-crossed with wide modern tracks. We are concerned that this path will be the first of many, and will lead to the urbanisation of Stoke Park as the council seeks to turn it into a “destination park” (words they have used to describe their longer term aims). There is a valid argument for providing some form of improved access to the park for those people with mobility issues, or for parents with buggies and/or toddlers.
However, if this is to happen then it should cause the absolute minimum of visual impact via a different route (i.e. not their proposed routes) and provide the added benefit of linking up to the existing woodland paths, to maximise the benefit to those users. We feel that the council have presented their idea and consultation in a very steered way in order to single-mindedly pursue what they want, and are concerned that transport mitigation money is being used in this way. Although the council have consulted on their specific route proposal, they could of/should have engaged with the community much earlier in the process, to seek ideas about where any path should go and what it should achieve. We are therefore expressing that we object to the council's proposed path and the consultation process which they are using to support it.
See an alternative proposal that some local community members of Friends of Stoke Park came up with - https://www.facebook.com/stokeparkpath/
Council proposal for 'active travel connection' - https://travelwest.info/projects/stoke-park-accessible-path-proposal
However, if this is to happen then it should cause the absolute minimum of visual impact via a different route (i.e. not their proposed routes) and provide the added benefit of linking up to the existing woodland paths, to maximise the benefit to those users. We feel that the council have presented their idea and consultation in a very steered way in order to single-mindedly pursue what they want, and are concerned that transport mitigation money is being used in this way. Although the council have consulted on their specific route proposal, they could of/should have engaged with the community much earlier in the process, to seek ideas about where any path should go and what it should achieve. We are therefore expressing that we object to the council's proposed path and the consultation process which they are using to support it.
See an alternative proposal that some local community members of Friends of Stoke Park came up with - https://www.facebook.com/stokeparkpath/
Council proposal for 'active travel connection' - https://travelwest.info/projects/stoke-park-accessible-path-proposal
