Reading George Ferguson’s ‘By George’ column in today’s Cancer – alas not yet online – at least explains why he chose a career in concreting over public park land rather than comic writing.
Southville’s great wit writes about Easter this week:
I challenge Cadbury or Elizabeth Shaw to make an attempt on the world record by building the largest Easter ‘egg’ in the world.
The current record is held by Belgium with a 27 foot high, 21 foot wide egg, the size of a three-storey house.
It would be a fitting challenge to build one at Greenbank, although sadly it would be an early victim of global warming and the ‘bloggers’ would be bound to condemn it as a conspiracy to block the cycle path.
What the fuck is the gormless public school twit on about now? Does this sort of thing pass for humour at Wellington College? I say! These chaps know how to have a snigger, what?
George also – why I don’t know – wants “to develop a special Bristol chocolate-free egg” and is inviting recipes.
How about a shell made of nuts and crackers, then fill it full of shit and call it “a Ferguson”?
“How about a shell made of nuts and crackers, then fill it full of shit and call it “a Ferguson”?”
…and wrapped in green eco-foil in a carton made from recycled hawthorn hedge.
I think that column was printed 10 days late.
The evening post: New lows every day.
It’s interesting isn’t it, how the media have lost all credibility. Does anyone even read any of their crap anymore, much less believe it?
The amusing thing is that newpapers then have the gall to whine about and the growth of the internet and declining cicrulation figures (ie, profits) as if they had a right to our money and attention.
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The reason the Evening Post has more right to our attention than this blog is because it does not by and large base entire articles on ridiculing people for the sole reason they went to one school or another.
Also, I went to (belatedly) have a look at that cycle path the other day. It is a few square foot of scrubland. Who on earth really cares what gets done with it? This blog makes it sound like someone is trying to concrete over Ashton Court.
If Ferguson can use it to do some good then fair play to him. I’ve lived in Bedminster all my life. It was a shithole in the early 80s and the Tobacco Factory has done a lot for the area. Good luck to him.
Steve, that’s not what many people in Easton think about the developement.
We had an expensive “consultation” (see previous articles on the subject, here and elsewhere) and the suggestions by local people were ignored.
It’s not that we don’t want something done to the factory, its just people are angry that local concerns have been ignored as usual.
So Bedminster was shithole until someone opened a fucking wine bar?
Do me a favour.
“It is a few square foot of scrubland. Who on earth really cares what gets done with it?”
There are a great many people who care very much what is done, Steve. Before you comment so hastily and inconsiderately you should read the results of the independent consultation, which can be found in a link on a previous post here:
thebristolblogger .wordpress.com/2009/03/18/red-trousergate-endgame/
The great concern of local people for this area and our affection for the hedgerow, trees, wildlife and peaceful greenspace that are threatened by Squarepeg’s land-grabbing is clear to see in this report, if you take the care to read it.
The Council’s wildlife and biodiversity officer and the railway path officer are both also very concerned about the loss and fragmentation of habitat, as well as the bad precedent it sets for future loss along the path.
“So Bedminster was shithole until someone opened a fucking wine bar?”
I’m exaggerating for effect (a comment not unknow on this blog, I believe) but, yes, it was pretty much. My family moved here in 1977 because it was one of the shabbiest (and hence cheapest) places in the city. Derelict factories, waste ground, delapidated houses, horrible schools where violence and bullying were rife, a picture of urban decay.
And though Ferguson isn’t the sole reason for Southville/Bedminster/Ashton’s regeneration, he’s played a big part. His philosophy of mixed use development – putting housing, shops, leisure and business in the same place – is a breath of fresh air. It’s the antidote to abominations like building the M32 right into the city centre, constructing massive car-dependent out-of-town shopping malls like Cribb’s, and ghettoising communities in dedicated housing estates like Emerson’s Green.
So, yeah. His ‘wine bar’ as you call it (and as you know very well it’s much more than that) has been a very good thing for Bedminster. It’s brought jobs AND it’s helped strengthen the community (always strong even when I was a kid, but now it’s stronger). There aren’t many architects you can say that about.
I’ve no doubt people do feel strongly about the piece of ground near the cycle path. But keep it in perspective.
Whose perspective?
everyones entitled to their opinion, steve 😀
i don’t really care that much about the wildlife side of things nor the fact that it encroaches slightly on to the cycle path.
wildlife will move on elsewhere & i’m sure the cyclists won’t be put out that much.
the biggest issue is, that the land is ‘public’ land, was sold by an unelected officer & that the planning & consultation procedures were dubious to say the least.
i know the area concerned well & i have to wonder how these extra residents will be able to get out & about in what is an already ‘fucked up area’ where road use is concerned 😕
will the council be opening up greenbank rd again to allow the occupants to use?
will the cock up at the royate hill viaduct be redesigned? maybe with traffic lights? (which was unbelievably overlooked in the original planning!! 🙂
or will all the new residents be dedicated cyclists, using the path as their means of escape?? 😀
will all the new residents be dedicated cyclists, using the path as their means of escape??
The last plans I saw had the access to the path via steps, so I don’t suppose they’ll be bothering to carry the bikes out…just hop in the car -plenty of garage and parking spaces in the new development, which will ruin the relatively traffic-free nature of Greenbank…the very thing that makes it an attractive place to live will be destroyed by Fergusons rancid version of mixed use.
Woodburner, too true. This development has little in common with the tobacco factory. The fact is that the squarepeg-in-a-round-hole plans are even more horribly crowded and cramped than the original persimmon plans.
The lovely appropriate name for this process is “densification”.
In other words they are building the slums of the future.
They’d be short-sighted even if they could find their glasses but i’m sure that from steve stevens’ remote perspective it all looks fine and dandy.