Avon and Somerset Police have announced the selection of a preferred bidder for a package of building projects that includes a new custody centre and police station on the former Bensons site on Gloucester Road in Patchway.

The custody centre, housing 48 cells, will be one of three centralised units across the force and will be used by officers in Bristol South Gloucestershire and parts of North Somerset.

A specialist crime investigation unit will also be located at the complex, which the force hopes will enable police officers to return to their communities quicker.

The new police station, replacing the one at Elm Park, Filton, will contain an enquiry office for members of the public and will serve the communities of Filton, Patchway, Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke, Stoke Gifford, Frenchay, Winterbourne, Severn Beach, Almondsbury, Easter Compton and Hambrook.

This site is expected to house approximately 280 officers and staff who are currently based in custody centres across Bristol and South Gloucestershire as well as those based in Filton police station. It will have 140 parking spaces for police operational vehicles, staff vehicles and visitors’ parking.

The wining bidder has been named as the Blue Light Partnership, led by Bilfinger Berger Project Investments and comprising Miller Construction, Cofely (facilities management) and designers Haverstock Associates, Ryder Architecture and Scott Wilson.

An allocation of over £129 million of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits will be made by HM Treasury in order to deliver the force-wide programme.

More: Partnership will give preference to local suppliers »

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South Gloucestershire Council has started a second consultation on traffic management measures proposed to be implemented in Shellmor Avenue, Stoke Lodge.

The Council ran its first consultation in October/November 2011, when local residents were asked to decide which of five proposals they preferred – ranging from completely blocking of Shellmor Avenue at its junction with the A38 Gloucester Road to doing nothing.

The most popular option, announced at the Southern Brooks Area Forum meeting on Tuesday 29th November, turned out to be ‘option 1’ – which involves prohibiting the left turn off Gloucester Road into Shellmor Avenue but still permitting traffic to turn out onto the main road.

The project was duly awarded £15k of funding by the Area Forum, to also include “investigation works to improve the Stoke Lane/Shellmor Avenue junction to improve the access”.

The latest consultation, bizarrely presented as “a consultation on consultation results”, gives residents a further chance to comment on the ‘option 1’ proposals.

More: ‘Option 1’ was not a clear winner, figures reveal »

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A Patchway man has been jailed for 18 months after he pleaded guilty to growing cannabis for “self-medication”, reports the Bristol Evening Post.

Luke Bickford had been arrested in September 2011 following a police raid that discovered 48 cannabis plants growing in a back room at his Bradley Road home.

The raid followed a tip-off and a check by the police helicopter, which detected a “warm roof” at the property.

The plants found were said have a potential yield of 3.9kg, valued at £39,000.

Bristol Crown Court was also told that the electricity meter at the property had been bypassed.

The judge ordered the drugs and growing equipment be destroyed.

Read more: Rugby player jailed for growing drugs (Evening Post)

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Patchway residents who have unwanted or broken electrical items lingering at home have an opportunity to recycle their small waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) for free tomorrow (Tuesday 24th January) at an event being staged by South Gloucestershire Council’s recycling and resource management contractor SITA UK.

Toasters, irons, kettles, games consoles, DVD players, electrical toothbrushes and similar small electrical items (anything with a plug or that uses batteries) can be taken to the car park at Coniston Community Centre [BS34 5LP] between 8am and 4pm.

Sarah Ottaway, Waste Minimisation Manager at SITA UK, said:

“Too many unwanted electrical devices still end up in landfill, and so in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council we are holding four events in popular locations where people can bring their surplus small electricals for recycling – if it has a plug on it or uses batteries then we can get it recycled.”

“If you have an unwanted electrical item still in good working order, then why not find it a new home with a friend or relative? If that’s not possible, or if your item is at the end of its life, then please do the next best thing and bring it along to one of our events for recycling, where you will help prevent waste and enable new items to be produced with less need for fresh raw materials.”

Larger items, such as fridges, washing machines or microwaves should be taken directly to one of the four South Gloucestershire Sort-It! Centres, the nearest of which is in Little Stoke.

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