delivering prosperity for bristol

7/30/2019 Delivering Prosperity for Bristol

1/7

Independent

Mayor for Bristol

DELIVERING PROSPERITY FORBRISTOL

A Plan For A Better City

www.facebook.com/TimCollins4Mayor

Photo The Post (Bristol)
http://www.facebook.com/TimCollins4Mayorhttp://www.facebook.com/TimCollins4Mayor


2/7

Introduction

The upcoming election for a new Bristol Mayor is your chance to decide how

you want our city to be shaped as we go into the future.

I want to share with you my plan to make Bristol the UK s best regional cityto live in, to work in and to enjoy and be proud of.

I have lived in Bristol for 49 years and in this time I have grown to takeimmense pride in this great city. We have always shown ourselves to be

entrepreneurs, industrious engineers, scientists and artists that have madeus world renowned.

But we are living in turbulent times. If we are to recapture the spirit andatmosphere that will put us on the atlas once again, we need a newapproach . We need the authorities that govern this city to foster anenvironment that is based on self-sufficient economic growth to take us outof recession in the best possible position.

Unlike other independent candidates, I have experience of working in thecouncil as an Avon County Councillor. In my roles as chair of the Planning,

Highways and Transport Committee and subsequently as a planningconsultant, I learnt how to work around the politics and turn plans intoreality. I believe my experience and enthusiasm can help Bristol get

designing, building and working to its best ability.

I hope you share the vision I put forward in this document and put your faithin me as your servant and leader.

Tim Collins


3/7

Filton Airfield

At the heart of my policies for economic

resurgence is an asset that Bristol hasloved and lived by for over 100 years.

It has driven much of our economicdevelopment over the years and isimportant both locally and nationally because it is one the main UK sitessupporting the successful aerospace industry.

Nationally, this sector has a turnover of 24.2bn and directly contributes11.4bn to the UK s GDP. Civil aerospace in particular remains in a stronggrowth phase, with revenues increasing by 5.1% in real terms in 2011.Traditionally this sector has been supported by localised aviation capacity.No Airbus manufacturing site is currently without an operating airfield forthis reason .

In May 2011, the owners, BAE Systems, proposed to close the airfield inorder to redevelop it for housing. I believe this is a cynical, short-termdecision to redress BAE s own financial problems at the expense of thefuture growth for Bristol s high-value economic output.

Bristol City Council has so far failed to take a proactive role in the debate

and this must change it is not a subject outside our control.

With 4,500 direct local jobs and a further 12,000 local jobs in the supplychain currently dependent on aerospace and aviation activities, it is not anissue we can shrug off.

I promise to lobby Westminster and local authorities to put plans in place to

encourage aerospace and aviation business to Bristol and prevent Filton s

closure.


4/7

Economic Growth

By concentrating on getting businesses of all types and size to form and

locate in Bristol, we can generate the wealth that we need to continuallyfund projects and infrastructure to make our inhabitants proud and happyto live here.

This requires a coherent approach to governing the city. I propose and will

lobby for a Greater Bristol authority, based on a growth coalition involving politicians of all parties, the public and private sectors to encourage the

inward investment my plans would need.

Careful planning of enterprise zones will ensure we can nurture ourknowledge-based industries whilst retaining the income from business taxeslocally, to benefit those businesses and the people who work here. Usingwell-considered spatial planning, placing like-minded businesses in thecreative, scientific and technology industries close to one another stimulates

a critical mass of innovation and export income.

But it s not just big businesses I want to encourage. I want the council to bea friend to small and medium enterprises as well. Many businesses havecomplained that Bristol isn t conducive to doing business. That needs tochange. We need the education, infrastructure and support to catalyse thisinnovation. I will set up a team to provide practical support to such

businesses, coordinate industry partnerships and develop local small-business financing models.


5/7

Education

We need to ensure that the citys secondary and tertiary education is geared

towards targeting local needs and the enterprises that will flourish. I will co-ordinate education task teams to work with schools, colleges anduniversities to help develop curricula that will hone both academic andvocational skills to support a healthy supply of jobs for our children in years

to come.

Transport

To facilitate this planned resurgence of economic activity, it is imperativethat we design and implement a truly integrated transport system that

serves the public how, where and when they want. I will use my experienceto ensure that transport hubs are properly connected using the technicallybest solutions. We need to look to the rest of the country and the world

to see where good practice has yielded an approach to public transport thatworks for everyone.

I want to lobby Westminster for a true Greater Bristol Integrated TransportAuthority the Prime Minster has promised to consider this if the argument

is strong enough one that is independent of party political whims and isheaded up by professionals in the field to drive the research anddevelopment of a high-frequency urban rail network, replacing congested

and slow bus routes where feasible.

I want to avoid the folly of opting for second-rate solutions such as the BRT,for the sake of chasing limited promises of quick-fix cash.

We need environmentally and public friendly vehicles running routes based

on demographic demand and road policies that dont penalise any particular

group of users.


6/7

Planning and Tourism

We must use the opportunities afforded by private sector development

around the city, and in particular around the Temple Quarter to improve ourgateway to the city. At the moment, it presents a poor welcome to vistorsarriving at Temple Meads station.

By redesigning the remnants of the overbearing Redcliffe Way dualcarriageway and the psychological barrier that is Temple Circus and by re-zoning nearby land, we can both encourage people to make journeys into

the city by rail and make the built environment lessforbidding. This would allow a European-stylepiazza to be developed around the immenselypretty, but much hidden St. Mary Redcliffe churchgiving it the vistas it deserves.

I would also like to create much-needed plans to

enhance the very centre of the city, with a spatialstrategy to open up the corridor betweenBroadmead and Lewins Mead to pedestrians andzero through-traffic (i.e. essential movements only)

in the very centre of the city. I would like to seethe Frome released from its concrete encasement under the centre andreplaced with an inviting riverside linear parkland leading into the

harbourside.

I would like to see outstanding and sympathetic examples of architectureand urban development for our city. Bristol is a British gem - we need toshow it off to the world!


7/7

Arts, Leisure and Culture

The key to a successful city is ensuring its inhabitants are catered for with a

full range of facilities and pastimes.

When I sat on the Avon Economic Development committee, I championedthe arts in Bristol, helping deliver 250,000 in annual grants for Bristol sfamous Old Vic theatre, for example. Facilities such as these put Bristol onthe map and prevent economic and cultural drain to other cities.

However, Bristol lacks modern facilities for major touring shows andmusicians. I would include plans for the Temple Quarter enterprise zonewhich combine a major regional arena which can generate revenue for thecouncil, alongside other leisure facilities, including a modern replacementfor the lost Ice Rink that previously occupied the Frogmore Street site. Thiswill provide spectator seating for ice hockey matches and other revenue-generating activities.

I want to see a city that entices people to walk and cycle, but we need toplan and implement infrastructure by looking to European cities wherecycling provision works well with free-flowing, part-segregated routes.

With a growing economy and facilities to match our status, Bristol can once

again become a city that the country and the world looks to as a fineexample of planning and vision.

Prepared for and on behalf of Tim Collins (Independent) 12B Eastlake Close, Bristol, BS7 9XQ

delivering prosperity for bristol

Documents