Filton Journal

Filton residents are invited to attend a drop-in event to find out more about the next steps in Network Rail’s plan to upgrade the railway in the Bristol area, including the construction of a fourth platform at Filton Abbey Wood Station.

The event will take place at Filton Community Centre, Elm Park  (BS34 7PS) on Thursday 15th September, between 5pm and 8pm. Members of the Network Rail project team will be on hand throughout to explain the plans and to answer any questions.

Work is due start next month at Filton Abbey Wood Station and in the neighbouring Horfield Cutting as part of the project to double the number of tracks between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway from two to four.

The scheme will allow more trains to operate, reduce journey times and allow for trackside maintenance work to be undertaken without disrupting services, as well as allowing more freight services to operate. It also allows for electrification of the line, which will enable the introduction of a fleet of quieter, greener, faster electric trains.

To accommodate the new trains, a fourth platform will be built at Filton Abbey Wood Station with ramped access to the existing footbridge. To support the embankment, a retaining wall will be built between the new platform and the residential area that backs onto the railway. This phase of the work is due to take a year before Network Rail’s ‘orange army’ will return to extend the three existing platforms and lay the new track.

More: Approved plans available on South Glos Council website »

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Network Rail has announced that it is to set up a temporary compound on the Filton Airfield site, in support of its project to prepare the 130-year-old Patchway and Severn tunnels for the arrival of a new fleet of longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains.

The compound, adjacent to the A38 Gloucester Road, will provide a parking area for the approximately 500 workers assigned to the project, who will work in shifts and travel by minibus to access the track at Patchway and Pilning stations. It will also provide a base for working on sections of new track before they are transported to the tunnels.

Around 30 management staff will be based at the compound and up to 200 workers will arrive and leave per shift (6am, 2pm and midnight).

Work on setting up the compound at Filton Airfield was expected to get under way as we went to press (late June), with the delivery of sleepers and rails commencing shortly after.

Workers and delivery lorries will access the site via the airfield main access gate, off the A38. Wherever possible, deliveries will be planned to avoid the start and end times of shifts at the nearby Rolls-Royce and Airbus sites.

Pre-assembled track panels will be transported from Filton Airfield to the railway access points in the evenings, after 8pm. Local residents are advised that temporary congestion may occur on Station Road in Little Stoke as HGVs travel to and from the Network Rail compound at Patchway Station.

The upgrades required to prepare both tunnels for electrification are extensive and will involve installing conductor beams to power the new fleet of electric trains to run underneath. To install this beam in the Severn tunnel, four tonnes of soot needs to be removed and extensive improvements made to the brick work.

In addition, to accommodate the electrification equipment, the track will be lowered in one of the Patchway tunnels and underneath the nearby Little Stoke Farm bridge (on Station Road, near the Sort It centre), to preserve its historical architecture.

The scale of this engineering challenge together with the type of machinery required to carry out the work means that a temporary closure of both tunnels is unavoidable. This temporary closure will take place over six weeks, from 12th September to 21st October 2016.

Throughout the work, train services to and from South Wales will still be running, but some journeys will take longer and on some routes replacement bus services will be in operation.

Ahead of the closure, passengers are advised to check before they travel through Great Western Railway or National Rail Enquiries.

For more information on railway closures, visit GWR.com/SevernTunnel2016

Photo: Severn Tunnel electrification drilling work.

This article originally appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine, delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,500 homes in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

South Gloucestershire Council is warning of overnight road closures to allow essential resurfacing work to be carried out at the A38 Filton Roundabout between Tuesday 3rd May and Friday 13th May.

The work, which will involve removing the existing road surface and laying a new one, will start at approximately 8pm each day and run through the night until approximately 6am the following day.

Adverse weather conditions may affect the times and dates.

The roundabout was recently resurfaced by an external contractor, however the road surface has deteriorated and no longer meets our standards, so it is essential that these remedial works are completed as soon as possible. These remedial works are being completed by the contractor, not at the public’s expense.

For the duration of the overnight works, the roundabout will be closed and all traffic will follow a diversion route whilst the closures are in place.

Residents have been contacted in advance to request that vehicles are not parked on the road whilst the work is carried out. Access to properties and amenities fronting the site and whose only access is from the closed road will be available at all times, and every effort will be made to keep the disruption to local residents to a minimum.

Whilst the road is closed, additional essential maintenance work in the location is also being undertaken.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Head of StreetCare and Transport Mark King said:

“It’s important that we resurface the roundabout now, before the surface deteriorates any further, and we are carrying out the work overnight to minimise disruption to commuters and local residents.”

“Alternative routes will be signposted whilst the works are in progress, however it is possible that delays may occur on the surrounding network so we advise people to avoid the area if possible.”

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these essential works.”

A council spokesperson added:

“These works will create a significant amount of noise and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.”

Photo: Filton Roundabout (archive image).

A married couple who rent out homes in Filton have been ordered to pay over £6,300 after pleading guilty to housing offences relating to two properties in the town.

Hosam Mostafa, 47, and Shahinaz Mostafa, 45, of Malmains Drive, Frenchay were fined £2,855 and ordered to pay £3,537 in costs at North Avon Magistrates’ Court on Friday 8th January, following investigations by South Gloucestershire Council’s Private Sector Housing team.

The court first heard how Hosam Mostafa had failed to complete repairs at a two-storey terraced property on Charles Road in Filton, before allowing it to be re-let to another tenant. The property had previously been subject to a Premises Closure Order served under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and was in a poor state of repair. An inspection of the property identified a number of hazards including dangerous electrics, ceilings at risk of collapse, unsecure doors and unhygienic kitchen and bathroom facilities in a state of disrepair.

The Private Sector Housing team served a Prohibition Order on Mr Mostafa requiring works to be completed to address these repair issues, which came in to force on the expiry of the Closure Order. This was to ensure that the relevant repair works were completed at the property prior to it being re-let, to ensure the safety of any future tenants. However, further investigations found the property had been re-let to a new tenant before the works had been completed, which breached the Prohibition Order.

The court then heard how Mr Mostafa had also failed to complete relevant repairs at a two-storey terraced property on Hunters Way in Filton, which he manages on behalf of his wife, Shahinaz Mostafa. The property had been previously inspected and found to contain hazards including a front door and an electrical installation in poor repair.

An Improvement Notice was served on Mrs Mostafa requiring work to be completed but this was not done in the required timescale. The defective front door was replaced by the council to ensure the safety and security of the tenants and their family. The costs for this work will also be claimed from the landlord.

More: How to report issues of disrepair that are not being addressed »