Nightingale Valley: The Future
A report by Geoff Thomas
On Saturday 11th January, Jackie, Jo, Andy and I met with the new owners of the Coach House and Stables and land in Nightingale Valley, Andy Kemp and his business partner.
We met them at Hill Lawn and then walked around the area of the tar barrels while discussing their plans and our concerns.
It was a very cordial meeting, and I think it’s fair to say that there were no points on which we disagreed.
- They assured us without reservation that they are committed to maintaining unimpeded public access to the valley exactly as it is now, and that no development of any kind will take place in the valley.
- They are willing to formalise this commitment by drawing up some kind of covenant to this effect, in perpetuity or at least for the duration of their ownership. This is something we will have to explore with Bristol City Council.
- They have undertaken to carry out some remedial work to the tar barrel site to mitigate any risk to walkers and their children or animals.
We agreed that their development up on the flat land at the top of the valley is not a matter for FoBB, and we did not discuss it. They also kindly offered to pay for renewing our insurance, a necessary requirement when working on non-BCC land, an offer that we were happy to accept.
All the indications are that we have nothing to worry about, and that everyone can continue to enjoy this beautiful place far into the future.
