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Bradley Stoke Biography & Facts

Bradley Stoke is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated 6 miles (10 kilometres) north-northeast of Bristol city centre. The town is the northernmost part of the Bristol built-up area. Planned in the 1970s, building works began in 1987. Bradley Stoke was Europe's largest new town built with private investment. It is named after two local streams, the Bradley Brook and Stoke Brook. Bradley Stoke is part of the North Fringe of Bristol, an extensive area of housing and employment developed during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It is bordered by Patchway to the west and Stoke Gifford to the south, but unlike these neighbours, Bradley Stoke has fewer major employers and is primarily a residential suburb, being 40% detached housing. The M5 and M4 motorways form its northern and eastern boundaries, beyond which is the Avon Green Belt. History The area that is now Bradley Stoke was once farmland north of the village of Stoke Gifford near Bristol city. The land was divided amongst the civil parishes of Stoke Gifford, Almondsbury, Patchway and Winterbourne. The area consisted of a number of farms, Bailey's Court and Watch Elm Farm in the south, Bowsland Farm and Manor Farm in the north and Webb's Farm in the middle. Some of the lands were used as pasture. A number of woods also existed, Sherbourne's Brake, Webb's Wood and the large Savage's Wood have all been preserved. Fiddlers Wood, the name of which lives on in Fiddlers Wood Lane was all but obliterated by the M4 motorway. Baileys Court Farmhouse is the only original building that still remains and was used as offices by the town's developers before becoming the Bailey's Court Inn. Watch Elm Farm was named after the Watch Elm, an elm of a legendary size that blew down in the mid 18th century. The Stoke Brook flows through the middle of Bradley Stoke. During its development, the new settlement faced some problems in the wake of a national recession. At the time, Bradley Stoke was reputed to be one of Europe's largest private housing developments and did struggle to develop at first to establish itself as an identifiable town unlike other earlier new towns which were supported by a New Town Development Corporation, as the settlement relied principally on private investment within a restricted statutory framework of the local authority Northavon District Council within the Avon County Council area. A combination of private housebuilders led the development and with only limited input from commercial businesses and the consequent recession resulted in the new town gaining a reputation for being a soulless housing estate with only limited facilities and no town centre, with the exception of a Tesco supermarket. High-interest rates during the early 1990s soon led to the collapse of the property market in the area with many new homes falling into negative equity. This led to the branding of the new town as 'Sadly Broke' until property values and the development market began to recover. Since 1987, the residents of the area were demanding the establishment of a separate Town Council to coordinate the community's civic life and in 1991 formation of the Town Council was in principle approved. On the 1st of April 1992, the newly elected Town Council took charge. Governance The area that covers Bradley Stoke was historically part of Gloucestershire County. From 1974 until 1996, Bradley Stoke was part of the Northavon district of the Avon county. However, when Avon County was abolished in 1996 in favour of unitary authorities, the area became part of the newly formed South Gloucestershire, which covers the northern and eastern parts of the Greater Bristol region. Bradley Stoke forms part of the Bristol postcode area (mainly the BS32 postcode and a few parts of the BS36 postcode). Bradley Stoke Town Council is the primary tier of local government, which has overall responsibility for the local community's well-being. The Town Council’s functions fall into three main categories, 1. Represent the local community 2. Deliver services to meet local needs and 3. Strive to improve the quality of life in the local area. The Town Council has the power to enact and enforce bye-laws for public convenience. As per law, the Town Council provide, maintain or contribute to the following services: Allotments, Promotion of growing fruits or vegetables or domestic produce, Recreation, Leisure facilities, Bus shelters, Car parks, Local Illuminations, Conference facilities, Community Centres, Public buildings, Town Hall, Burial grounds, Crematoriums, Public Cemeteries, Local youth projects, community safety schemes, parks and open spaces, play areas, community transport schemes, Town Planning consultations, Building consultations, Crime reduction measures, Street Cleaning, Street lighting, Litter bins, Drainage, Public lavatories, Cycle paths, Upkeep of Highway verges, Promotion of Tourism activities, Entertainments, Arts, Festivals and celebrations, Traffic calming measures, Traffic signs, War memorials, and many more. Bradley Stoke Town Council liaison with the South Gloucestershire Council, which acts as its principal authority for Education, Community Learning, Economic Development, Electoral Services, Registrations, Housing, Planning applications, Strategic planning, Transport planning, Passenger transport, Highways, Street Care, Parking Enforcement, Adult Social Care, Children's Social Care, Social Services, Libraries, Leisure and recreation, Waste collection, Waste disposal, Recycling, Environmental Health, Trading Standards, Revenue collection, Safeguarding and Community Safety. The Bradley Stoke Town Council in its vision has committed to promoting and developing the interests and diversity of its vibrant community. Bradley Stoke has a Town Council made up of 15 Councillors elected from five wards (3 from Bradley Stoke- Primrose Bridge Ward; 2 from Stoke Brook Ward; 3 from Bradley Stoke- Webbs Wood Ward; 3 from Bradley Stoke- Willowbrook Ward; and 4 from Bradley Stoke- Woodlands Ward) to administer the local issues. The Town Council acts as the primary local authority and is chaired by the Town Mayor and assisted by a Deputy Mayor. The four standing committees for Finance; Planning and Environment; Leisure, Youth and Amenities; and Staffing act as deliberative wings of the Council. The Council Spokesperson and the Chairs of the Standing Committees also play a significant part in the Council's activities. The policies and decisions of the council are carried out by officers and staff, employed by the Council headed by the Town Clerk. Bradley Stoke Town is represented in the South Gloucestershire Council by seven Councillors elected from three electoral wards, namely Bradley Stoke North, Bradley Stoke South and Stoke Gifford (Stoke Brook). Since 2017, there is a West of England Combined Authority (WECA), which spans across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset counties, and is headed by an el.... Discover the Bradley Stoke popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Bradley Stoke books.