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The Eastney and Craneswater blog

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Welcome to the blog of Portsmouth City Councillor (and former Deputy Leader) Luke Stubbs

(Election time legal requirement : published by Luke Stubbs of 3 Clearwater Apartments, 38-42 South Parade, Southsea, PO4 0SN. Hosted by Hostgator)

Seafront road open again at last

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Published on Monday, 28th September 2020

Thankfully it’s done. Who knows what will happen next year or the year after though?

Tags: Seafront

Pyramids closure shock

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Published Monday, 28th September 2020

Out of the blue the council has announced a plan to close the Pyramids pool. Instead it wants to turn it into an enlarged gym and a soft play area.

As the only fun pool in the city, the loss of the Pyramids would be a big blow to leisure in Portsmouth. The music venue will also be axed.

Money for the works will be taken by scrapping plans for a flexible office space on the upper floor of the old M&S building in Commercial Road, by withdrawing funding from plans to improve the Kings Theatre and by raiding the money put aside for the City Centre Road Scheme.

Residents are going to be denied the chance to have any meaningful say as the plans are rushed through and done before the next round of local elections. The administration intends to make all the decisions through the Cabinet.

Any plan of this scale will have been under consideration for months, but it’s all been kept under wraps until the last possible moment in the hope that the public won’t notice.

Tags: culture, Pyramids

All parking to go to make way for two cycle lanes in Elm Grove/Kings Road?

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Published on Monday, 28th September 2020

The council wants to install segregated cycle lanes on both sides of Elm Grove. This would mean the loss of all parking in the road, although a small number of delivery bays would be retained and there would be a small taxi rank. The changes will be made under a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order, meaning another decision would be required before the changes can be made permanent.

The council’s cycling strategy includes a cycle lane along Albert Road and this could end up linking to that. Of course while these changes will benefit cyclists, they will make parking harder and are a threat to already struggling local businesses.

The council is running a consultation, which closes on Monday 7th October. Go to https://travel.portsmouth.gov.uk/schemes/elm-grove-and-kings-road-cycle-lane/ to take part.

Tags: transport

Closure of the seafront. Fine for now, but the council may make it permanent, which would push a thousand cars on to surrounding streets

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Published on Friday, 15th May 2020

Today marked the first day of the temporary closure of parts of the seafront. The stretches between the D-Day car park and Clarence Parade and between St Helen’s Parade and St George’s Road are now closed to cars and other powered vehicles. The length of the closure is indeterminate; legally it could last for 18 months.

 

With traffic volumes reduced, commercial premises closed and leisure travel being discouraged, this is reasonable. It will also make social distancing easier and potentially it will be safer for cyclists.

 

However a permanent loss of parking would be a cause for concern, with the potential to displace huge numbers of cars on to residential streets and to make it very difficult for businesses to survive.

 

Two Labour councillors have written to the News on this, saying ‘Longer term, after this has been in effect for a year or so, the council can consult residents, local business and visitors to the city and ask whether they want this to continue’.

 

In an email, the councillor in charge of transport, Lynne Stagg, seems to agree, saying ‘The closure may not last 18 months or it may be made permanent depending on how successful it is.’

 

Both these imply that even if social distancing rules are removed, the parking will not be coming back and further that this restriction is not solely about COVID 19, but rather is about climate change and phasing out cars.

 

That’s all very well, but in reality few visitors are going to cycle to Portsmouth, even if all visitor parking is removed.

 

Tags: COVID

COVID cases in Portsmouth

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Published on Friday, 15th May 2020

 

Some good news from the city’s council care homes: there have been no new COVID 19 cases for more than two weeks.

 

Serious outbreaks in two of the three council-run homes had cost the lives of some thirty elderly people. Now though through a combination of testing people before admission and through raised hygiene standards things seem to be under control.

 

The official government figures have identified a total of 311 cases in Portsmouth. The rate per hundred thousand of population is about a third below the national average, with infection hot spots seemingly randomly scattered across the country.


Tags: COVID

Traffic levels now back to half regular level

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Published on Friday, 15th May 2020

 

The council monitors vehicle movements on three major routes out of the city: Eastern Road, Kingston Road/Fratton Road and the route through the city centre.

 

The COVID 19 crisis initially saw traffic volumes drop by about two thirds. Numbers have since crept upwards, but are still about half the original level.

 

There is little sign of things returning to normal – and with millions of people still furloughed and schools still closed, that’s unlikely to change in the near future.

 

Tags: COVID

  1. Coronavirus: the local response
  2. Leaflets
  3. Water refill stations
  4. Painting the Spinnaker

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Latest News

  • Seafront road open again at last
  • Pyramids closure shock
  • All parking to go to make way for two cycle lanes in Elm Grove/Kings Road?
  • Closure of the seafront. Fine for now, but the council may make it permanent, which would push a thousand cars on to surrounding streets
  • COVID cases in Portsmouth

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News archive

  • ► 2020 (8)
    • ► September (3)
      • • Seafront road open again at last
      • • Pyramids closure shock
      • • All parking to go to make way for two cycle lanes in Elm Grove/Kings Road?
    • ► May (3)
      • • Closure of the seafront. Fine for now, but the council may make it permanent, which would push a thousand cars on to surrounding streets
      • • COVID cases in Portsmouth
      • • Traffic levels now back to half regular level
    • ► March (2)
      • • Coronavirus: the local response
      • • Leaflets
  • ► 2019 (10)
    • ► October (3)
      • • Water refill stations
      • • Painting the Spinnaker
      • • Council set to benefit from government cash
    • ► June (2)
      • • Kings Theatre-area residents’ parking scheme likely to be rubberstamped on Monday
      • • Blank wall of student tower
    • ► March (5)
      • • Planning application for Fraser Range
      • • 480 responses to MD consultation
      • • Council’s local plan can no longer be used to refuse planning applications
      • • Citywide parking petition
      • • parking petition
  • ► 2018 (48)
    • ► December (3)
      • • New emergency department for hospital
      • • Mixed news from Charlotte Street
      • • Pub numbers bearing up
    • ► October (3)
      • • Botched residents’-only schemes to bring new parking problems
      • • Social care grant
      • • Lighting in Guildhall Square
    • ► September (3)
      • • Annual beach clean tomorrow (Saturday)
      • • Damaging residents’ parking schemes move forward
      • • Police station flats plan revealed
    • ► August (6)
      • • Flood defences – last chance to comment
      • • Micropubs – a possible new use for old shop buildings
      • • Decision over power interconnector to be taken out of the council’s hands
      • • Plug pulled on energy company
      • • New country park might finally be about to be built
      • • Court ruling takes some of the pressure off social care
    • ► July (1)
      • • Residents’ parking debacle: how we’re going to get the short end of the stick
    • ► June (3)
      • • Planning update: new use for old cinema and shared living proposed in Old Portsmouth
      • • Residents’ groups should be consulted on flood defences
      • • Portsmouth on leaked list of Mothercare stores set to close
    • ► May (7)
      • • Phone boxes to go to appeal
      • • Rail replacement works
      • • Redundant office block set to become student accommodation
      • • Election results
      • • Boost for Southsea shelter project
      • • Sunday opening at Southsea library
      • • CCTV in allotments
    • ► April (4)
      • • New butcher’s shop in Albert Road
      • • New water feature proves popular
      • • New signs at Canoe Lake
      • • Fruit importer enters new market
    • ► March (8)
      • • D-Day Museum reopens
      • • The homeless shelter
      • • Possible redevelopment option for the Royal Mail sorting office put forward
      • • Cumberland House gets funding boost
      • • Decking application for pier
      • • Fire service to stay separate from the Police and Crime Commissioner – at least for now
      • • Affordable housing around the country
      • • University's only bookstore closed today
    • ► February (7)
      • • Apprenticeship numbers up again
      • • New special school nears completion
      • • Business rates and the High St
      • • New environmentally friendly lighting now being installed
      • • Congestion likely as Network Rail replaces bridge
      • • Exercise group for people with breathing problems benefits from lottery cash
      • • Housing scheme for Fraser Range published
    • ► January (3)
      • • Mountbatten Centre gets a new look
      • • Portsmouth one of a handful of areas to get electric car cash
      • • Church initiative on homelessness
  • ► 2017 (62)
    • ► December (5)
      • • New French electricity link may come ashore at Eastney
      • • Ice rink proving a hit
      • • A Christmas dinner for a hundred older people
      • • The 12 Days of Giving
      • • Views of experts on the costs of social housing
    • ► November (6)
      • • Bus usage in Portsmouth  
      • • Eastleigh – a cautionary tale
      • • Mayfield School rebuild
      • • Work starts on new Police Investigation Centre
      • • A bright future for the Outdoor Centre
      • • Southsea flood defences and the government grant
    • ► September (11)
      • • Business rate relief scheme moves forward
      • • New council housing construction continues apace
      • • Changing the funding model for QA hospital
      • • Tightening the rules on Houses in Multiple Occupation
      • • Successful lottery bid for last landing craft
      • • Churches Homeless Action
      • • Guildhall ice rink for the Christmas period
      • • Local plan consultation
      • • Victorious clean up
      • • Hotel planning consent
      • • GPs practices to merge
    • ► August (3)
      • • Coastal path plan unveiled
      • • Pop-up food venues to open this week
      • • Council buys shop to expand King’s Theatre
    • ► July (6)
      • • Free opera this Wednesday
      • • Phone box advert plan defeated
      • • Rough sleepers in Portsmouth
      • • Free bandstand events off to a flying start
      • • New learning disability housing to open
      • • Exciting new proposals for Moneyfields football club
    • ► June (4)
      • • Election result
      • • New shower to be installed in Canoe Lake
      • • Rewarding volunteers
      • • The causes of delayed discharges from hospital
    • ► April (4)
      • • Public access to the pier and licensing hours
      • • Marks and Spencer closure
      • • Cumberland House museum reopens
      • • University launches new nursing training centre
    • ► March (8)
      • • Broadcasting council meetings
      • • Another new hotel in the pipeline
      • • Eastern Road improvements move forward
      • • French exchange opportunity
      • • Pro tennis tournament coming to Southsea
      • • New hotel planned for Old Portsmouth
      • • Good news for local government in the budget
      • • The Housing White Paper and its local implications
    • ► February (7)
      • • Shocking tactics as LibDems falsely accuse council for the moving of the Yomper
      • • City centre redevelopment plans
      • • Council budget
      • • Anstey hotel planning appeal passes
      • • Big boost for capital projects
      • • Seafront shelter to be restored and a boost for the pier
      • • Working with charities
    • ► January (8)
      • • Fire services in Portsmouth
      • • Secondary school rolls rise again
      • • Portsmouth's economy grows
      • • Police and the council tax
      • • Interaction saved
      • • Housebuilding stats
      • • Eastern Road waterbridge
      • • Four-year funding settlement for local government
  • ► 2016 (22)
    • ► December (4)
      • • Request for funding for South Parade Pier
      • • New housing to help the disabled
      • • Consultation on changes to the health and care system
      • • Generating income to offset budget reductions
    • ► October (7)
      • • Prison land deal will make city just a little more attractive
      • • Limiting the numbers of Houses in Multiple Occupation
      • • Last wartime landing craft coming to Portsmouth
      • • Helping the traders in Commercial Road
      • • New student tower for city centre is good news
      • • New student tower for city centre is good news
      • • Planning application for road at Fraser Ranges
    • ► August (4)
      • • Best ever GCSE results in Portsmouth, even while the pass rate falls across the rest of the country
      • • Inside the new Greetham St student tower
      • • University numbers are not rising
      • • New hovercraft arrive
    • ► July (7)
      • • Sharing senior management with other councils
      • • Wild flowers in Milton Park
      • • Building new affordable housing through a council-owned company
      • • New movable café planned for seafront
      • • Council embraces new technology to improve social care
      • • Miltoncross probably won't be able to expand
      • • Thoughts on Kingston Prison