A TALE OF TWO CITIES
DATA REVEALS BRISTOL’S BEST CONNECTED AREA... ...AND ITS MOST ISOLATED AREA. BUT WHAT DO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE THINK OF THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD?
THERE is something fitting about the street names in Broomhill. As you head east onto Broomhill Road, the main route through the area, you will come across the residential Guernsey Avenue, branching off to your left.
Carry on walking and you will see another three quiet streets off the main road, each of which are also named after islands – St Helier, Jersey and, albeit slightly misspelled, Aldernay.
Broomhill is itself an island of sorts, as the most isolated community in Bristol, according to a new study by the Office for National Statistics.
When it comes to transport links, accessing schools, GP surgeries, hospitals and shops, Broomhill residents have further to go than people anywhere else in the city.
We visited the district in southeast Bristol and found a mix of views, with some fearing for the area’s future and others more than content with life in Broomhill.
The problem is partly one of geography, with Broomhill Road the only real route in and out of the area. To the north, it is hemmed in by the Avon, which on one hand is a blessing. The hidden gem of Conham River Park, a tree-lined trail where the trilling and chirping of birds fills the air, is right on Broomhill’s doorstep.
But with the less obviously beautiful industrial estates at the south of Broomhill, along with a cluster of fields running down to Bath Road, the area is somewhat enclosed, its only real public transport option is the No. 1 First Bus service.
The bus stops outside a short row of businesses on Broomhill Road. Dominated by a Co-op supermarket, there is also a pub and newsagent, as well as a couple of hairdressers and takeaways.
The shopping area lies next to a building site for new homes on Jersey Avenue. A graffiti scrawl on the barrier to the site reads: “Ur job is making you unhappy.”
One of the takeaways on Broomhill Road is Crown of Jade, which is both a Chinese and a chippie.
Amy Yu, who has run Crown of Jade with her husband for 30 years, is concerned about the future of the business.
She says: “It used to be a lot busier. You don’t see many people around since the post office on Broomhill Road shut a few years ago. It took away the day-time trade. Now people go down to St Anne’s and other places instead. It is quiet at night-time too.
“Only the elderly people come here to shop. It’s getting worse and worse. I don’t know where the young people are going.”
A Broomhill resident herself, she shops at the Sainsbury’s supermarket almost two miles away on St Philips Causeway and says because the bus service is unreliable her husband drives her everywhere.
A couple of doors down from the Crown of Jade is Broomhill Barber
Lounge, where the owner Colin Sanfilippo paints a happier picture.
The 45-year-old, at the helm of the business for 19 years, says: “I live in Bath, but from talking to people here, everyone loves the bus route into the centre.
“Having the Bath Road Park and Ride has benefited the area for people who live round here.
“It’s a couple of miles away to the nearest supermarket apart from the Co-op, so it’s handy having it there.”
Mr Sanfilippo describes business as “great” on Broomhill Road.
He says: “When I started here, there were a lot of drugs in the area. The Co-op always had a 24-hour security guard outside and now it doesn’t, which tells its own story.
“I’ve noticed an improvement in the area with litter and rubbish collection as well.”
Opposite the Crown of Jade is the only pub in Broomhill, the Good Intent. With a large lounge and family garden, it offers a homely and much-needed hub for the community.
The pub’s landlady, who did not give her name, feels the area is well-served by primary schools, describing Broomhill Infant School on Fermaine Avenue as “lovely”.
But she says access to secondary schools is not as good, with Brislington’s Oasis Academy the nearest, a mile and a half away. The publican says this is an issue she will have to deal with when her own children get older.
A 64-year-old man enjoying a pint at the Good Intent tells us he is not satisfied by his GP surgery,
Birchwood Medical Practice on Brislington’s Wick Road.
He says: “It’s a fair way away, so I drive, but the parking is terrible.
“The surgery is too small and it’s always busy. Often it’s impossible to get appointments for days.”
At the bus stop by the shops sits John Mounter, who has walked from his home in Millbrook Avenue
to get the No. 1 bus to the Cribbs Causeway shopping complex – a journey of an hour and 20 minutes.
He says: “I’m 81 and I find it difficult to walk, so I think it’s a great bus service. I think we are wellconnected here.”
A spokesman for West of England Combined Authority (WECA) said its Joint Local Transport Plan sets out a vision for transport up to 2036. He added: “It shows how we aim to achieve a well-connected sustainable transport network that works for residents across the region; a network that offers greater, realistic travel choices and makes walking, cycling and public transport the natural way to travel.”
A spokesman for First pointed out Broomhill’s No. 1 bus operates up to every 12 minutes and from early until late seven days a week.
He said: “Service 1 connects the area with Temple Meads, City Centre, Clifton and destinations towards Cribbs Causeway.
“Our Service 96 also links the area with a number of local destinations and other soperators also serve the area.
“The A4 Bath Road is nearby, where there are frequent services towards Bath and Bristol Airport.”
A spokesman for the NHS said it is committed to ensuring everyone in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire has access to “the right care at the right time, as close to their home as is possible”.
Bristol City Council was approached for comment.