On Thursday 28th August, Yate turned 60! And what a party we had! Alongside our pop-up beach, visitors were treated to a host of performances from tribute acts as wide ranging as George Michael to Kylie and Ed Sheeran to Dua Lipa! The crowds sang and danced, and a good time was had by all – especially our lucky prize winners! Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the Yate story for the last 60 years, we have a fabulous community and you make Yate the special place that it is. We can’t wait to see you again soon!

Throughout this summer, join us for a series of celebrations to commemorate our 60th year!

Cast away those winter blues, dust-off your buckets and spades and get ready…..the beach is back, returning to Yate Shopping Centre on Monday, 26 May for a full 13 weeks!

Following very successful spells in recent years, the beach will be in-situ for longer than ever this year and ready in time for those long warm drawn-out summer days.

As the Centre’s Marketing Manager says, it will make the ideal opportunity to get plenty of practise in for the summer holidays: “The beach is without question the most popular of all our Centre events. This year we have decided to make it an almost permanent summer fixture, giving people the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and make the most of the summer months”.

The beach will be sited in the central square at the Shopping Centre and will be open during the Centre’s trading hours from Monday, 26^thMay until Monday, 1^stSeptember.

Yate Shopping Centre is pleased to give support to the Chipping Sodbury Lions humanitarian operation to bring Ukrainian refugees from Poland to the United Kingdom.

Also supported by Turners Coachways and the Wootton-under-Edge Lions, the Centre has offered use of an empty unit at 16 North Walk to collect food and medical supplies for delivery to  the Kyiv Lions warehouse in Krakow, Poland.

Andrew Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager, said: “We have already assisted the local Lions in collecting £2,000 in a local fund raising day and are now pleased to be able to help them collect further supplies to go to Eastern Europe and, importantly, bring refugees home to this country.

“The Shopping Centre is always pleased to assist local charities and projects, as best it can and when it is able to.  It is an important part of our community contribution. We hope that people will drop by the Unit on Wednesday, 25th and Saturday 28th May to contribute to the cause which will leave Yate on 30th May.

Yate Community Bike Hub is set to launch this Saturday 28th May in Yate Shopping Centre.

With support from the Centre, the Hub is opening a pop-up shop in the Centre’s North Walk to encourage people to get on their bikes this summer. Manned by volunteers from Climate Action Yate and Chipping Sodbury, the hub will host information, events and a volunteer bike workshop to help people learn basic maintenance skills and to refurbish donated bikes for distribution to families in need.

Andrew Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager, said: “With climate change high on the agenda, it is important that we join forces with Climate Action Yate and Chipping Sodbury to encourage people to take more interest in cycling and even visit the Centre by bike. We have ample secure bicycle racks in the Centre so for every person who uses a bike, it is one less car on the road and less stress on our parking facilities.

“We are pleased to host the project in our unit at 7 North Walk at no cost to them for use as a bike hub, an equivalent donation of £7,000 to their cause. I hope people will take this opportunity to drop by to brush up on their skills or even take a new interest in getting on their bikes!”

Rebecca Bennett, speaking on behalf of the Climate Action Group, said: “We hope to open every Saturday in 7 North Walk between 28th May and July running crafts and children’s activities and generally making a welcoming space where anyone can pop in to find out more about our activities and, importantly, bicycles!

“If people want to get actively involved, we are looking for volunteers to support the hub, both in the refurbishment workshop and front of house greeting people and answering questions so if you have a passion for moving about on two wheels and some time to spare, get in touch”.

Group activities will include:

Free e-bike and cargo bike hire schemes

Bike security, including bike register events with the Neighbourhood Policing team on the 28th May and 9th July

Ideas for getting around without a car, especially if with children or a disability

How to check a bike is ready to ride and where to go to get help from local bike shops if a bike needs fixing.

As part of the Group’s mission to repair and recycle accessories, there will be a kit donation station to match bike related items in good repair such as helmets, clothing and accessories with new homes. They will also be accepting donated bikes in good condition, subject to availability in the Group’s community workshop.

Further information on the Action Group is available on their Facebook page so to keep up to date with news from the Hub go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/434042914180675/ or you can contact them at climateactionycs@gmail.com to get involved.

The new owners of Yate Shopping Centre have started work on a new business plan and vision for the future since they acquired the asset last month.

Since Magnetar Capital and Northdale Asset Management bought the Centre last month, they have been working with the existing Management Team to familiarise themselves with the locality and Town’s future shopping requirements.

A spokesperson for the new owners said: “We are very pleased to have acquired an asset of such high quality and look forward to further strengthening the links to both the town and its residents through developing the existing Centre and improving the shopping experience.

“Only recently Yate Shopping Centre was recognised nationally for its retail offer and we believe one of the centre’s prime attractions is that it is an integral part of a well-liked town centre which is well-suited to the needs of the local community.

“We look forward to engaging with customers, tenants, residents, Yate Town Council & South Gloucestershire Council in the coming months to understand how we can increase activity and interest in the centre”.

Andrew Lowrey, Centre Manager commented: “The Team is excited to start work with the new owners in delivering the next phase of Yate’s evolution as an established and successful shopping centre and is looking forward to seeing further investment in the town centre.”

Yate Shopping Centre is asset managed by Ellandi and the property management is headed by Cushman & Wakefield and Savills act as Letting Agents.

Planters in Yate Shopping Centre walkways are being colour coded to assist visitors in finding their way around.

Working with Yate Town Council, the Centre has used dementia friendly colours for the planters with each walkway a different colour to assist visitors and those persons specifically with dementia to be able to remember which walkway they accessed the centre.

Centre Manager, Andrew Lowrey: “To most the Centre’s layout comes naturally but with the increasing number of visitors and new residents coming to Yate, these improvements will hopefully help give some orientation to the Centre.

“The dementia friendly changes are part of the Centre’s on-going work to address inclusivity for everybody and ensure that the Centre is at the forefront of any such measures. We are always keen to work with specialist organisations to ensure a visit to the Centre is an enjoyable and easy experience”.

Speaking on behalf of Yate Town Council, Councillor Jane Price said: “On behalf of Yate Town Council, I would like to thank Yate Shopping Centre for colour coding the planters. This will help people with dementia to navigate themselves around the centre. One of the Council’s aims is to support people ageing better, remaining healthier and more independent in and around the town”.

A Plan for Yate to Flourish and Prosper – Consultation on Masterplan Vision and Options Begins

South Gloucestershire Council, along with our partners, are in the process of developing a Town Improvement Masterplan for Yate, which will set out a long-term, 15–20-year vision for the town.

The Masterplan will be important in helping to shape the future of Yate by setting out we want to work together to help the town change in that time, for the benefit of new and existing residents and businesses, as well as for the next generation.

All the partners want to build on what is already great about Yate, and the masterplan will seek to make the most of the heritage, social, community and economic opportunities to drive and direct investment in Yate in the coming years.

People and community are at the heart of this vision, as changes in the way we live, work and travel will need to inform how we plan for the future of the largest town in South Gloucestershire. We want to make the most of opportunities, including:

Managing and directing growth

Grass roots community engagement

Promoting more walking and cycling

Reducing congestion and enhancing air quality

Meeting the needs of an ageing population

Creating more opportunities for young people

Maintaining economic prosperity

Helping everyone access new jobs, new skills and homes

Maintaining our existing wildlife and creating new habitats

Creating new ways for people to enjoy nature by providing better access

We are holding a 12-week public consultation, so that we can hear the community’s views on our draft vision and the options currently being considered. There are four focus areas for the masterplan, covering:

The town centre

The railway station and surrounding area

The Industrial Estate

Station Road

The Masterplan also includes a ‘Movement Vision’, which is an ambitious plan to deliver to a step change in the choices people have in the way they travel to, from and within the wider Yate area.

In the autumn of 2020, we held a public engagement process to seek views and ideas on how the town of Yate could thrive into the future, and the role the council and our partners could play in that. This latest consultation will run until 13 September, and we are inviting comments and views on the outline proposals that we think could bring about the positive changes the town needs.

Our dedicated Yatefuture.com website, with interactive map, has been updated to enable the local community to view the vision and options for Yate and to offer the opportunity for the public to comment and provide suggestions.

Several recent investments by South Gloucestershire Council demonstrate the ongoing commitment to the town and the Masterplan represents an excellent opportunity to keep up the momentum. For example, work is underway on the £3.6million Yate Park & Ride facility on Badminton Road and the installation of a new cycle lane to connect Yate and Coalpit Heath to the A4174 ring road is also taking place. These two projects will help to alleviate congestion and promote cleaner and active travel for residents in Yate and the surrounding area.

We have also recently completed the purchase of a site on Station Road, occupied by Whirlpool UK Appliances Ltd, and another at 26 North Road, occupied by Yate Disposables Ltd. These are major investments in the town and both purchases have been made on a sale and leaseback agreement with the current occupiers so that they can continue to occupy the sites and trade as normal.

Promoting sustainable inclusive communities, infrastructure and growth is a priority for the Council and we want to ensure that Yate continues to provide a range of employment for residents to live and work locally.

South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Environment and Strategic Infrastructure, Councillor Steve Reade, said: “Yate is our largest town and the Masterplan is an opportunity for us to work closely and constructively with our partners and most importantly the local community to help it achieve it’s fullest potential over the next 15-20 years.

“I am really pleased that the website will allow residents to see what is being considered, not just to read about it, so that they can give their informed comments to us as we consider how to move forward together.

“There have been so many changes to the ways we live, work and travel over the past 18 months, of course, but the trends towards more sustainable travel, to improving our climate and protecting our environment were already key priorities for us all. I am keen to hear what more ideas local people have to help us build on what we know and adapt as we plan for a town that will flourish and thrive into the future.”

Councillor Chris Wilmore, Member of Yate Town Council and representative on the Masterplan Steering Group, said: “There’s been too little major investment in the town for years and to get the money people want for new facilities. This plan offers a chance of getting that investment. We think there are some really good ideas here. But, like all proposals for major change, there will be bits people like and bits people don’t like. At this stage nothing is set in concrete, so we really want residents to have a look and let us know their vision for the future of our town.”