Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on Monday March 21st 2022

Minutes, News

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on Monday March 21st 2022 at Batchley Community Centre

Those Present

David Dallaway                              DD

Lynn Dallaway                                LD

Stephen Siddle                               SS

Mike Vincent                                  MV

Julie Vincent                                   JV

Mark Whitworth                           MW

Redditch North Worcestershire County Councillor: Brandon Clayton (BC)

Guest: Huw Moseley – Arts Advisor RBC & BDC (left after agenda item 2.)

The Agenda

  1. Apologies
  2. Subway Art Project
  3. Actions arising from previous meeting on June 30th 2021
  4. Notice Board for Pointers Way/Meadow View
  5. Wildlife Project
  6. Finances
  7. Holyoakes Field First School
  8. Speeding on Pointers Way/Meadow View/Salters Lane
  9. Salters Lane ‘Slow Down’ sign
  10. Membership List
  11. Dog Poo Bins
  12. Litter Pick, AGM & Quiz Night
  13. A.O.B.
  1. Apologies

Apologies were received from Sylvia Collinson and Councillors Gemma Monaco (GM), Lucy Harrison (LH), Nyear Nazir (NN) and Salman Akbar (SA).

Nyear’s and Salman’s absence was due their attending a Licensing meeting.

Gemma and Phil Moore have tendered their resignations due to work commitments.  However, Mike Vincent has now been co-opted on to the Committee. 

2. Subway Art: Project

The idea of having a mural painted on the subway wall adjacent to Brockhill Park/Wetlands was first conceived by MW several years ago, when he discussed it with Pattie Hill.  Recently a member suggested the same idea, so it was decided to hold a competition for the best design and thus gain ideas from the community as to what they would like to see painted on the subway wall.

We invited Huw Moseley, Arts Development Officer for Bromsgrove District and Redditch Borough Council, to the meeting for advice on how to go about organising the project.  He said he would email us with details of artists he could recommend.  Huw had already had a tentative conversation with Peter Rose, a director of the Redditch based company Tiller Research Ltd., who would be able to advise us.  SS asked if there would be funding available for the project and Huw replied that grants could be made available if local communities were involved.  There is a charity, Arts in Redditch, who we could contact via their Secretary Philip Roberts.  JV said she would make contact with him shortly for his advice also.

Before departing Huw was thanked for his attendance, advice and contribution to date.

3. Actions arising from previous meeting on 30th June 2021

The invoice for the Pointers Way notice board had now been sent to DD.  This would be discussed further in agenda item 4.

NN had emailed committee members to confirm that unfortunately a gentleman called Bill, the Community Champion, was unable to make us a bench.

SA had agreed to investigate the installation of a more effective barrier at the end of pathway in Brockhill Park, where it meets Salters Lane.  In the absence of SA we were unaware if this has been carried out.  We will be contacting SA for an update.

BC had added the repair of the wooden posts around Brockhill Park to Persimmon’s pre-adoption ‘snag list’.

JV had contacted Richard Aldington of RBC regarding the spraying of gutters on Brockhill Drive with weed killer. This was carried out a few weeks later.

NN had emailed committee members with contact details of the Police’s new Safer Neighbourhood Teams including those for Batchley and Central.

4. Notice Board for Pointers Way/Meadow View

GM has been in touch with Matthew Mead at RBC, to ask what was causing the delay in the installation of the new notice board.  Following receipt of an invoice from RBC, the balancing payment of £2,000 had been paid by DD on 1st September last year.  The funds had originally been obtained from Fortis Housing by former committee member Claire Ivins.  On 9th March Matthew emailed DD to confirm they were preparing to install the notice board and sought confirmation of the location.  Matthew advised that the minor works team would carry out installation, but they might have to alter the location if underground services were found to be present.  However it was suggested that a David Shipley could meet DD on site to confirm the location.  DD provided Matthew with his ‘phone number in order that David Shipley could arrange a meet up.  DD still awaits contact.

On 21st March GM emailed Peter Liddington and Richard Aldington of Bromsgrove & Redditch District Council confirming the location of the board.  She copied in an email from Persimmon Homes indicating where it should be sited so that it did not impede the s38 works or affect the visibility splays.

 (Post-meeting update – on 29th March DD received a message on his answerphone from Neil Hunt of Bromsgrove & Redditch District Council wishing to discuss installation.  He said he would ring back shortly but despite DD having tried to return his call, no further contact has been made.)

5. Wildlife Project

MW gave an update of his work on the public open space at the end of Appletree Lane, where he and his team of volunteers have been planting fruit and birch trees together with native flowers.  He has put his wood working skills to good use by making bird boxes, a bat house and a bug hotel.  These were installed in surrounding trees a few weeks ago and another fruit tree has also been planted.  He is holding a plants sale on Monday May 2nd to raise funds for an oak tree in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.  Our local MP Rachel Maclean will be invited to attend the planting.

MW has also been given a bench to renovate by Richard Aldington that was previously owned by Richard’s late mother Margaret.  MW asked if RBC would be able to help with its installation.  BC suggested we should ask if this could possibly be done on the same day that the new notice board is concreted in.  MW added that he would like to obtain a plaque for the bench to commemorate Margaret.

MW expressed his concern regarding public liability if there were, for example, an accident following somebody falling off the bench.   BC said the installers would in effect be liable and doubted whether the Council would take on this responsibility.

6. Finances

DD produced the accounts for the year ended February 28th 2022 which will be available on our website shortly.  There were only three items of expenditure, being the annual webhosting and domain name charges of £148, the Wildlife Project of £690 and the notice board contribution of £2,000.  Covid restrictions had prevented our normal fund raising Quiz Night and the only income in the year was the second Wildlife Project donation of £1,000.  Consequently expenditure exceeded income by £1,838 thus reducing our funds to £1,763.

The Wildlife Project, granted a total of £2,000 by WCC Councillors BC and SA, has a balance remaining of £668.  MW is hoping to boost the funds at the plants sale on May 2nd.

7. Holyoakes Field First School

The opening of the new school has been delayed yet again, the latest forecast now being September 2022.  BC told us that the school’s interior is complete but a problem had been found with the exterior footings.  It is hoped that this will be put right in time for the teaching staff to get the school ready for opening in the summer holidays and that it will finally open for the new school year in September.

8. Speeding on Pointers Way/Meadow View/Salters Lane

LH had recently emailed the committee to say she was waiting for the police to carry out an assessment and share the results as to whether this could be added to the Community Speedwatch scheme.  LH added she was chasing this regularly.  However it does take a little while as each time a new road is added to the scheme, the police need to risk assess it and put insurance in place on the site etc.  BC said he would investigate whether this has now been completed.

9. Salters Lane ‘Slow Down’ sign:

The ‘Slow Down’ sign on a bend in Salters Lane on the left hand side when driving from the Lily Green Lane end, has been knocked down on several occasions.  We are not sure of the cause but asked BC if he could check how it was erected originally and if it could be concreted in with more strength to avoid a reoccurrence.

10. Membership List:            

DD informed us that there has been a small rise in membership since the last meeting.  SC continues to deliver leaflets to Meadow View whenever she notices that residents have moved in to a newly completed house.  Not surprisingly the number of new members each month now tends to be small as the development reaches its final stages.  We currently have 510 members.

11. Dog Poo Bins

Members who live on the new Pointers Way and Meadow View estates are still complaining that the dog poo bins in the area are not emptied often enough.  This results in dog poo bags being left on the floor next to the bins because there is no room for them inside.  This is becoming an environmental issue, particularly as one of the bins is situated close to the newly opened children’s playground.  Mainstay, the property management agents for the area, are responsible for the emptying of the bins.  They receive an annual fee from the majority of householders on the two new estates to cover maintenance costs.  JV will contact Mainstay and seek details of the frequency with which the bins are emptied.  It will be made clear that that unless a satisfactory response is obtained, the matter will be referred to the environmental health department.

12. Litter Pick, AGM & Quiz Night

We decided to hold this year’s Litter Pick in May, when hopefully the weather is warmer.  A date of Saturday May 14ty was agreed upon.  JV will organise borrowing the necessary equipment from Richard Aldington at RBC.  Advertising posters will be placed on our notice boards, together with postings on our website and Facebook page.

Now that Covid restrictions are considerably eased, the possibility of holding an AGM and Quiz Night in the latter half of the year was discussed.  MW suggested another way to get the community together was to maybe hold a ‘Beer and Skittles’ night.  The Committee will look into whether members would be keen to support this idea.

13. A.O.B

MV told us that a sink hole had appeared on grassland on the public open space near the entrance to the sheep field by Parklands Close/Appletree Lane.   BC agreed to meet with MV the following Friday to inspect it.  MV also raised the issue of the flooding around the gate into the field.  He asked whether a drainage ditch could be dug to divert the rain water into the nearby brook.  BC said that he would look at this at the same time.

DD read out a letter that our past chairman, Peter Merricks, had emailed to the Redditch Standard.   It concerned the recent news that RBC might be facing financial difficulties.   Peter’s letter highlighted the long running saga concerning Persimmon Homes’ continuing failure to pay over a considerable amount of money under the Section 106 agreement.  He pointed out that payment of the sum owing, some £411k, might help fill a few holes in one of RBC’s department’s budgets.  BC said he thought the overall sum due was actually closer to £800k.

MW said a neighbour of his had told him of an area near to her house that had originally been a pathway.  It had been grassed over when the bund was put back in a couple of years ago.  She wondered who was responsible for mowing it.   BC said that she should contact Mainstay, the aforementioned contractors mentioned in item 11 above.  They do all the grounds work in Redditch, not only on the new estates.  It was most likely that they were unaware of the alteration to the pathway.

Actions arising from this meeting:

JV to contact Philip Roberts, of Arts in Redditch, for his advice on the Subway Art Project.

SA to be contacted for an update on the possibility of installing a stronger barrier at the end of the pathway leading from Brockhill Park onto Salters Lane.

BC to check whether the police have conducted their safety checks on Salters Lane, Pointers Way and Meadow View ahead of the introduction of speed restrictions.

BC to arrange the re-erection and strengthening of the ‘Slow Down’ sign in Salters Way.

JV to write to Mainstay to complain about their lack of dog litter bins’ emptying on the Pointers Way and Meadow View estates.

BC to meet with MV to inspect the sink hole and flooding near the field gate on the public open space close to the Brockhill Park subway.

JV to book the Litter Pick with Richard Aldington and arrange the borrowing of equipment.

MW to write to Mainstay to tell them about the area of grass in Appletree Lane which needs to be returned to its original state of a pathway.