Within the north fringe of Bristol, plenty of developments and changes have transformed the areas which sit in South Gloucestershire. In addition to developments that will drastically change the appearance of a major part of the outskirts of the city, including that of the Brabazon development, there have been new housing projects which have created new suburbs.
For example, Charlton Hayes is a relatively new civil parish which is located north of the former Filton Airport, having become a parish in 2023. Named after the lost village of Charlton, it has over 2,000 homes providing homes for 6,000 residents. It had previously been part of Patchway.
Patchway is an area which is surrounded by change, north of Charlton Hayes and Brabazon and east of the Bristol Zoo Project which has seen one of the biggest cultural changes in the last few years following the closure of the Clifton site. It is also in the middle of various shopping districts, including Cribbs Causeway to the west and Bradley Stoke, home of the Willow Brook Centre, to the east.
Charlton Hayes is a new parish which formed in 2023 and contains more than 2,000 homes.
(Image: Bristol Live)
Sandwiched between the M5 and the A38, Patchway has a strong community feel which is warmly felt by many residents. One resident, who was with her family waiting to use a local bus, told Bristol Live that everyone speaks to each other casually without any awkwardness.
She said: “There’s quite a big community feel here. We all just talk to one another in the street and there’s that sense of togetherness that you don’t often have.
“I think that people in Patchway are proud to be from Patchway. It’s a great place to live, we have everything we need near to us or a bus route away.”
Rodway Road contains convenience stores, takeaways and other local facilities.
(Image: Alex Driscoll/Bristol Live)
Patchway has long had a reputation for not having anything within the parish, which is untrue, says the residents of Patchway. One resident we spoke to said that things are always improving and that there is enough there.
He said: “I don’t think that Patchway is in the middle of nothing. We have the Parade (home to local shops in north Patchway), Rodway Road (home to more shops and takeaways) and parks.
“Cribbs Causeway is a 10 or 15 minute walk away from here. The Bristol Arena will be located nearby, Bradley Stoke is a short bus ride away and we have connections to the rest of Bristol.
“Patchway is the right amount of peace with the right amount of convenience. It’s untrue that there is nothing here.”
The pedestrian crossing on Coniston Road sits above the former underpass which was filled in.
(Image: Alex Driscoll/Bristol Live)
Patchway has seen a little bit of change however as a result of a roadworks scheme which saw an underpass completely filled and replaced with a new pedestrian crossing. The crossing, on Coniston Road, has been designed to have cyclists and pedestrians occupy different sides of the crossing.
The scheme began in January 2024 and finished in late spring. The crossing connects the Parade to Severn Way and has had a mixed response within the community.
One shopper within the Parade said: “I don’t get it personally, I thought the underpass would be safer than a pedestrian crossing with oncoming traffic,” whilst another shopper said: “It’s slowed traffic down and makes it better-suited for children.”
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