Brislington Community Partnership – Land Survey Zone 7.2

Allison Road

Wick Hill Lane

Birchwood Road

7 – Nightingale Valley

Keywords/phrases: Nightingale Valley, Brislington Brook, green space, prefabs

Summary

Another large area within Brislington dedicated to green space and where the natural environment thrives, despite the poor man-made interventions.

The large area of land occupied by a few prefabs to the east of Nightingale Valley is a contentious issue. Originally they were designed with garden allotments to provide a self-sufficient environment for a small community after WWII. Most are now empty and the few remaining members of this once thriving community are being pressured to move. This is a very large and potentially valuable piece of land and must be carefully developed and the needs of the existing residents sensitively addressed.

Topography

The Nightingale Valley dominates much of this area with the Brislington brook dictating the shape of the low laying central land.

Bristol Hill and Broomhill rise out of the valley on the east and west sides with Birchwood road, Wick road and Allison road defining the perimeter.

1. St Peters Methodist church

There was a hive of activity surrounding this church on both occasions of the survey. It is well kept and well used by the community who appear to arrive mostly by car and occupy many of the surrounding streets.

2. Land behind Allison Avenue

Towards the back of Allison Avenue is a large area of green space that is accessed by a small track. It borders the prefab estate to the east and is defined with a row of trees to the east and north, to the west is BCC owned social housing. It commands good views over the Nightingale Valley and beyond and is itself owned by BCC.

3. Prefabs on Latimer Close

Fenced off vacant land Boarded up prefab housing

Situated directly to the east of the land behind Allison close are around 50 prefabricated post World War II houses with garden allotments, most are now empty and some derelict.

Currently there are about 7 occupied with 5 appearing to be in private ownership according to BCC Infocus records.

This is a large piece of land to the east of Nightingale Valley and its future is a very contentious issue with the remaining few occupants resisting any attempts by the Council to develop the land. The community that live here would benefit from having more involvement with the Brislington Community Plan to have a positive say in the future of the land they own or occupy.

4. First Avenue

First Avenue is an appropriately named street with some fine period housing existing on this road, arguably the best residential street in Brislington. Again in the eclectic Brislington style no one style dominates and there are a range of periods, styles, eras, and designs.

The wide tree-lined road adds an air of grandeur to the large mostly detached residences that make the street.

5. Station Road entrance to Nightingale Valley

Once the station and main access for ‘Brislingtonians’ on the Bristol-London mainline, now an interesting lane towards the northern entrance to the Nightingale Valley. There are some character cottage style properties with old stonewall perimeters here although many of the larger open spaces are being used for the storage and dismantling of cars and engines. Although it has huge potential to be a very picturesque location, it is blighted by the trains roaring past on the mainline.

6. Nightingale Valley

Nightingale Valley, yet another hidden gem within Brislington. The valley is located about 20 metres down from the main road and has an abundant array of flora and fauna.

It is primarily accessed from St Annes to the north and Allison Road to the south although a smaller path cuts across the walk behind Wicklea Community Centre and Woodcroft Close.

The entrance at St Annes is old and tired and requires updating, in fact the same could be said of much of the man-made interventions within the park. Most suffer from vandalism or abuse of some kind. However this does not detract from the unique nature walk that this is, situated right within the heart of Brislington and the City of Bristol.

There is an abundant amount of bird song to be heard and animal life to be seen walking from one end to the other. During the summer months this walk would be heightened further with the arrival of summer plants and flora.

One of the major drawbacks to the park is its inaccessibility, it is situated in a deep cut to the north and to the south there are wooden styles to negotiate and mud paths during winter. There are few steps on the step slopes and fewer handrails to help those who may require them. It would also benefit from more benches in strategic rest points.

7. Land at Wick Hill Lane

The land at the southern end of the Nightingale Valley highlights the potential possibilities for imaginative and creative developments that would highlight some of Brislington’s unique features and local character.

The Nightingale valley itself is an obvious choice for an environmental cleanup and the development of small sensitive works like the existing small stone bridge and a general cleanup to identify the natural route definitions throughout the park. However at the

southern end, the park comes to an abrupt halt because of the crossing of Allison Road.

Here we find a reasonably large swathe of land that is nicely kept on the north side of the road and totally disregarded to the south where there is much evidence of fly tipping, discarded shopping trolleys and household goods. One of the proposals from undertaking this land survey is the sensitive development of a pedestrian and cycle path and route linking the Brislington from north to south along the banks of the Brook. This area would provide the potential for an exciting small-scale development offering recreational, refreshment or mixed use facilities at this junction. Care must be taken to highlight that any future development is carried out in a way so as to promote the area and not detract from it.

8. New Brooklea Allotments

A pleasant and well-kept allotment site, particularly good for growing grapes as the south facing hill is steeply sloped in parts!

9. Wick House

Wick house, which is City owned, is currently being used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. It is a shame such a magnificent building as this is used to house people on a temporary basis and excludes members of the community and public at large access to such a fine building. Considering its age, history and relative state of disrepair it may well not be the ideal building to house people coming from stressful environments abroad. Some of the land to the rear is also derelict and unused with many of the lock ups burnt out and seemingly forgotten about. With imaginative and creative use this building could provide a focal point for the benefit of all of the community and an alternative purpose built accommodation built to the rear or elsewhere for the current residents.

Burnt out land behind Wick House Old Barn with dismantled ‘Bristol’ cars in front

10. Private house on Wick road

Wick Road has some grand houses locked behind some even grander walls and gates.

11. Brooklea Shopping and newsagent

The diversity of shopping and services on Wick road and Langton Road corner is poor; 2x carpet sales, closed computer repair shop, paint-artists store, 3 vacant and a newsagent on Langton Road corner.

12. Wicklea Community Centre

More information about the community can be found here:

The Brooklea Community Centre is located on the Wick Road and is the monthly meeting place for Brislington Community Partnership amongst other community-based activities such as judo training and dancing.

Towards the rear of the building there is a large piece of land that originally had planning permission for recreational development but it is now a forgotten piece of wasteland that is difficult to access.

A large mound of earth (10ft high) on the south fringe cramps the small and very narrow access road to a row of lockup garages and because of the road width it is ironically difficult to access these garages by car.

The land overlooks the Nightingale Valley and could provide an interesting community service or improved access point to the valley for the benefit all of the community.

13. Brooklea vacant Land

Adjacent to the Community centre is a small plot of land that has some well established mature trees to the front. No planning history was located for this plot.

14. Brooklea health Centre

The local health facilities.