HARBOURSIDE DEVELOPERS IN HERITAGE SLUM SITE HORROR
Bristol Harbourside developers CREST NICHOLSON have deliberately created a sprawling putrifying rubbish dump slum on land they own at Baptist Mills alongside the main M32 gateway into Bristol. A local resident described Crest's involvement in this way "This is the firm that are posing as public benefactor's in developing the Harbourside site! I think BAPTIST MILLS might be a truer reflection of what they are really like when not under scrutiny".
The site is on the immediate Easton side of Junction 3 of the M32 along Lower Ashley Road. It resembles a cross between a third world scavenged rubbish dump and a Mad Max film set - with banks of furniture and rubbish piled high amongst stark demolition sites and derelict buildings. Crest Nicholson have owned most of the site for several years with the smaller third of land owned by Bristol City Council. During this time they have deliberately fly tipped rubbish and debris all along the site which has remained an eyesore for years with no council action being taken. They have pushed ruthlessly to take over the three remaining occupied houses in this time - one unfortunate owner virtually barricading himself into his house as he feared eviction up till the time of his death. Now these two houses have been demolished leaving only one incongruous timber propped up occupied house left amongst the moonscape garbage surroundings. So just what are Crest Nicholson up to? In a letter to local councillors this week local campaign group LIVING EASTON may well have come up with the answer:"It is widely believed locally that this deterioration is a deliberate strategy by Crest Nicholson who are allowing the appearance of the area to grow worse so as to further their aims of developing the site". The Bristolian can now exclusively reveal that Crest Nicholson have plans to develop "a major leisure facility on the site". They have indeed employed a deliberate strategy of running the area down so as to "persuade" Bristol City Council to sell them their share of the land at a knockdown price so their "leisure facility" will be seen as a solution to the area's problems - which they themselves have deliberately created!!! WE INVITE ALL OUR READERS TO VISIT THE AREA THIS WEEK TO SEE FOR THEMSELVES WHAT A CREST NICHOLSON/CITY COUNCIL PARTNERSHIP TRULY LOOKS LIKE!
Even at this late stage with only one resident left Crest Nicholson are continually reneging on their promises. A ten-point action plan to tidy up the area agreed a year ago has seen only one point implemented - the demolition of the two houses. No doubt they seek to force the remaining resident out by rendering living conditions intolerable. Representations by the local shop, garage and pub to Crest Nicholson, City Councillors and the Evening Post have continually fallen on deaf ears. BUT NOT ANY MORE!

Your caring Bristolian says: THE SITUATION AT BAPTIST MILLS IS AN ABSOLUTE FUCKING DISGRACE !. At the major Gateway to our City, Crest Nicholson and the City Council have deliberately created a rat infested slum environment which looks like Kandahar after a daisy cutter hit! The situation is even worse because of the major historical importance of the Baptist Mills site, which instead of being a rubbish tip should be an industrial heritage centre on a par with Ironbridge, because of its importance in the industrial revolution. The Abraham Darby works, the J J White Company and most importantly the BRISTOL BRASS COMPANY developed new industrial processes here that changed our world. Any other place aspiring to city of culture status would celebrate this history rather than burying it under a rubbish dump and allowing a property developer to run amok on the site to further its profits and create some god awful "leisure facility". Crest Nicholson must be called to account and their role in the harbourside development halted immediately and Bristol City Council turfed out of office - but not before we find out how many have received "hospitality" from Crest Nicholson over the past two years.
VISIT CREST NICHOLSON'S SHOW SITE AT BAPTIST MILLS ANYTIME TO SEE HOW HARBOURSIDE WILL LOOK - no appointment necessary! Express your congratulations on this superbly landscaped development to the man responsible: KEITH ARCHER FSVA, Development Executive, Tel: 0117 9236262, Mobile 0421 748243.
For further info on the historical significance of the Baptist Mills site check out the Living Easton website:
www.csm.uwe.ac.uk/~rstephen/livingeaston/


CREST NICHOLSON-CITY COUNCIL CARVE-UP SHOCKER: FURTHER ASTOUNDING REVELATIONS THAT WILL SHAKE BRISTOL!

This week the City Council revealed its first commercial sponsorship for its bid for European City of Culture status in 2008. ANDREW KELLY, head of the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, announced that PEARCE CONSTRUCTION of Stoke Gifford was backing the bid with an "undisclosed sum" (why should it be undisclosed?) which would entitle the Company "to use the distinctive 2008 logo" on all its own stationery and the Cultural Partnership would acknowledge Pearce's financial support on all its promotional literature until 2008. Leaving aside the totally unnecessary secrecy about how much Pearce have paid we have the fact that our naff cultural bid is to be in hock from the outset to a whole list of corporate sponsors and will be nothing more than a corporate jamboree for the hospitality tent boys. Hey Andrew - fuck the sponsors - what about the fucking culture?!!
But, dear readers, that's not even the half of it! Oh dear me no! For the Bristolian has been investigating PEARCE CONSTRUCTION - Bristol's biggest construction company: Could this indeed be the very same Pearce Construction of Stoke Gifford who were responsible for a major part of the Centre development - including the laying of all the cobbles which had to be re-layed again and again 'cos they kept tripping everyone up. And was it their workers who were seen operating without face masks and ear protection as the firm flouted safety legislation. But your sleuthing Bristolian did not stop there - oh no - though Pearce may wish we did: We looked up Pearce's address in the phone book: And there it was, jauntily winking at us: PEARCE CONSTRUCTION LTD, PARKLANDS, HAMBROOK LANE, STOKE GIFFORD, BRISTOL. Oooh er … we thought that looks a tad fucking familiar. We checked back to our previous Crest Nicholson story: CREST NICHOLSON PROPERTIES, PARKLANDS, HAMBROOK LANE, STOKE GIFFORD, BRISTOL. Yes, dear reader, you've guessed it! CREST NICHOLSON and PEARCE CONSTRUCTION ARE PART OF THE SAME COMPANY!!! We further checked at Companies House and lo and behold: Crest Nicholson Residential (SW) Ltd was known up to 1986 as CH Pearce Homes Ltd! Further sleuthing at Companies House revealed CH Pearce Homes Ltd to have the same Surrey address as Crest Nicholson HQ! Game set and match to your sherlocking Bristolian!
So lets get this straight: Crest Nicholson are developing the whole Harbourside. Pearce Construction have done the Centre development. Now Pearce are underwriting the cultural partnership bid etc etc… THE WHOLE OF THE FUCKING CITY CENTRE IS IN THE POCKET OF CREST NICHOLSON AND PEARCE CONSTRUCTION WITH THE CITY COUNCIL IN TOW!!! How can one company be given so much power in our City?? What Councillors have set all this up but kept us in the dark about the relationship between the companies?? WE ARE OWED SOME EXPLANATION! All information on Crest and Pearce and their relationship with City Councillors and Planning Officers gratefully received!

WHERE'S THE PROSTITUTES' DOSH GONE ? Part 2

St Judes Community Safety Unit, who are responsible for setting up the non-existent prostitution forum and who have presided over an explosion of drug and violent crime across East Bristol, has a budget surplus of around £50,000 for the year. Apparently they haven't got anything to spend the money on! There's only so much that can be spent on meeting coppers in private, tucking in to a buffet and agreeing "plans" for other people's communities, presumably. Obviously, repeated requests for the unit to assist residents' groups in the Stapleton Road West area by photocopying newsletters has had to be consistently refused on cost grounds (200 photocopies costs at least £10 of our money don't y'know!) and not because of the consistent criticism levelled by these newsletters at pathetic policing policies, fully agreed and backed by the CSU, for the area. As for Community Safety supremo Neil "yes Inspector" Burwell, having turned Easton into a haven for muggers, junkies and assorted violent lunatics, he's been promoted to - wait for it - the biggest and best paying quangocracy in Bristol. Yep, you got it, he's Bart Nil "Bureaucracy at Heart" New Deal area's new highly paid Community Safety Officer! Looks like their new deal is more crime, no open meetings, definitely no self-produced newsletters and free lunches all round for Neil and his copper buddies.

LARDASS LUKINS LANDSCAPED!

Communique Received:
"15th November: A month to the day when the headlines of the Bristol Evening Post read "Centre Beggars Banned". This hardline approach and sweeping statements to combat beggars, using the media to stir up hatred, to remind the people of Bristol that if they don't tow the line, nod their heads to the beat of the state, they will end up on Skid Row penniless with the long arm of the state up their arse. "You can visit the Hub" Celia Lukins suggested, Bristol's tokenistic effort to deal with the City's homelessness problem. But the Hub only advises and refers you on and according to well informed Celia "The Big Issue is just a respectable way to beg". Lukins seems to be talking out of her fat arse - she should take some time out and sleep rough. In case she doesn't, we took the problem to her doorstep, her back garden to be precise, because education starts at home. Enjoy the landscaping Celia??? We did!!! Best wishes, Peoples Vengeance Club."

YET MORE CORPORATE STITCH-UPS

(how much more can you take in one week!!)
The patter of cosy relationships between a few big businesses, the City Council and leading quangos that dominate Bristol is exposed yet again by your caring Bristolian. In a major but unexplained management reshuffle the former @bristol Chair NICK HOOD has stepped down to be succeeded by PETER McILWRAITH. McIlwraith is the former West Chairman of international accountants PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPERS who just happen to be @bristol's accountants. So the accountants will in future be auditing the accounts of an organisation headed by their own previous chairman. Well no doubt there's no conflict of interest there then! McIlwraith who will be heading up @bristol's science centre has NO scientific expertise but lots of accountancy expertise, so expect more dubious corporate tie-up deals with companies like Rio Tinto Zinc who will run the science side to suit their corporate PR departments. Truly - it could only happen in Bristol!

POPULAR EASTON SHOP BOMBED

POPULAR EASTON SHOP BOMBED Good Food Plus, a very popular and community minded shop in Chelsea Road, Easton, was subjected to a mysterious bomb attack last Wednesday night. The device exploded at 12.30am and caused substantial damage to the front of the shop. Luckily the owners and family were out celebrating the Duwali Festival at the time so there were no injuries. They are a very well liked people supporting many local causes and the Chelsea Road community has rallied to their support. The shop re-opened on Friday, but as the Bristolian went to press there was no further indication as to whether the motives for the attack were racist or otherwise.


UPDATE

FIGHTING FUND:
This week: £10 - cheers SPAM!
£30 is all it takes to sponsor an issue of the Bristolian.
Record circulation again this week - up to 2,000!

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