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Part of Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre
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The RAC tower, a local landmark
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Three Brooks Lake, a man-made lake and nature reserve between Bradley Stoke and the M4
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Bradley Stoke is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, on the northern side of the city of Bristol. Named after the local Bradley Brook and Stoke Brook streams, the town was first planned in the 1970s and building began in 1987. The town is mainly residential aside from a number of retail and commercial areas.
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About
Although there is some provision for local employment, such as the businesses at the north of the town and the two supermarkets, it is effectively a bedroom community, with many people working in the local businesses parks and at the main high-tech businesses in the nearby Aztec West business area]. The planned population is 25,000 and it is close to this now. Many parts now converge with Little Stoke, Stoke Gifford and Patchway, and further growth is restricted by the M5 motorway and M4 motorway. Due to the increase in interest rates in the 1990s and the following housing slump and the high proportion of middle-class home ownership in the estate, it became nicknamed "Sadly Broke" by some Bristolians due to the rising levels of negative equity within the area. The large number of contractors employed in building the estate contributed to the variety of different house designs found there. Bradley Stoke is also twinned with Champs-sur-Marne in France. Bradley Stoke has become synonymous with large-scale, soulless housing developments, albeit without the social problems historically experienced by many older estates. While this reputation may be undeserved, the original planning was built around domestic residence and the car, providing little in the way of public space and other facilities normally found in an area of comparable size and population such as parks, playing fields and public houses. Many of the differences between Bradley Stoke and Bristol area can be attributed to either the difference in demographics, or local political geography. While Bristol has a wide ranging demographic expected from a populous city, Bradley Stoke in 2001 was largely made up of white, owner-occupier, young families[1]". Nevertheless, Bradley Stoke is generally perceived as a large residential suburb of Bristol rather than a town in its own right, especially since it is only 10 km (6 miles) from the city centre and has no central business district / town centre of its own to speak of. Although Bradley Stoke has a population of almost 20,000 inhabitants and lies in a separate local government authority to Bristol, Bristol is still regarded as its 'post town' by the Royal Mail. Most local householders use the official Post Office address 'Bradley Stoke, Bristol' (with a BS32 postcode) as opposed to the more technically correct 'Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire'. This is one example of the settlement's identity being inextricably associated with Bristol. As of 2007, the town is 20 years old, an occasion that was marked in several different ways, including the one-day only 'BBC Radio Bradley Stoke', organised by BBC Radio Bristol, that was broadcast on the station's medium-wave frequency.
Facilities
There are 6 primary schools, a leisure centre with a swimming pool and library, an emerging district centre, and a secondary school (Bradley Stoke Community School). The secondary school opened in September 2005 and will eventually cater for 900 students. The school is also home to one of the youth football teams: Bradley Stoke Youth. Plans for a new Tesco supermarket, at its present site, were approved by South Gloucestershire Council on 13 November 2006. The plans for expansion, which includes some smaller retail units, a restaurant and a hotel, will form the town's centre. Plans were met with opposition by the local community, who felt the development may worsen traffic issues in the area, although accepting the need for a town centre with additional shops and services. Plans and copies of the discussion can be found online on the South Gloucestershire Planning Applications website. In addition the town is served by 2 Tesco Express stores, and from Summer 2007 an Aldi store (on the former Somerfield site) [2]. As of June 2006, the Bradley Stoke Community school had 216 year seven pupils, with expected expansion as there were 2 year groups the following year, continuing until all 5 year groups have pupils.
Business
Employment is particularly found along the Great Park Road including at the Almondsbury Business Park, as well as at the near-by Aztec West development. This can cause increased traffic congestion in mornings and evenings.
See also
- Longwell Green, another estate in South Gloucestershire
References
External links
- Bradley Stoke town council website
- Bradley Stoke street map
- Bradley Stoke Examiner
- Bradley Stoke Matters
- Bradley Stoke Community School
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School
- Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre
- Church of Christ the King website
- Holy Trinity Church
- Bradley Stoke Evangelical Church
