BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Minutes of the Committee Meeting Monday held on Monday September 26th 2022 at Batchley Community Centre
Those Present:
David Dallaway DD
Lynn Dallaway LD
Gemma Monaco GM
Stephen Siddle SS
Julie Vincent JV
Mike Vincent MV
Mark Whitworth MW
Redditch Borough Councillors: Joe Baker (JB) & Lucy Harrison (LH)
The Agenda:
- Apologies
- Actions arising from previous meeting on March 21st 2022
- Skittles Evening
- Notice Board for Pointers Way/Meadow View
- Holyoakes Field First School
- Persimmon Homes section 106 monies
- Lowans Hill Farm Development
- Wildlife project
- Finances
- Membership List
- AGM
- A.O.B.
- Apologies:
Apologies were received from Sylvia Collinson (SC), RBC Nyear Nazir (NN), WCC Salman Akbar (SA) & WCC Brandon Clayton (BC)
2. Actions arising from previous meeting on March 2st 2022:
Philip Roberts was contacted by JV via Huw Moseley, for his advice on the Subway Art Project. He was due to attend our next meeting, but we have since found out that the subway has not been adopted by RBC. It is unlikely that the area will be adopted by RBC because the structure has not been built to the required standards. We have therefore abandoned the project for the foreseeable future.
Salman Akbar was contacted for an update on the possibility of installing a stronger barrier at the end of the pathway leading from Brockhill Park on to Salters Lane. He is still waiting for a decision to be made as to what would replace it in order to prevent children racing out on to the road on their bicycles or scooters.
BC was to check with the police as to whether they had conducted their safety checks on Salters Lane and the Pointers Way and Meadow View estates, ahead of the introduction of speed restrictions. LH told us that she has since found out that roads that haven’t been adopted by the Council, i.e those on Pointers Way and Meadow View, cannot be considered. In the absence of BC, we are still waiting to hear if the Salters Lane speed checks have been carried out.
BC was to arrange for the re-erection of the ‘Slow Down’ sign in Salters Lane, near to the Wetlands/Brockhill Park. We have assumed this was done as the sign in question has been put back up. We will keep monitoring this in case the fault lies with the foundations.
JV wrote to Mainstay to complain about the lack of dog poo bins being emptied around the Pointers Way and Meadow view estates. Mainstay replied to say that they would increase their efforts to empty them more often. The problem seems to be under control at present.
BC met with MV to inspect the sink hole and flooding near to the field gate on the public open space, close to the subway into Brockhill Park. He agreed that it needs to be inspected properly by WCC engineers and has now arranged for an inspection to be carried out. We are still, however, waiting for a date to be confirmed.
JV contacted Richard Aldington at RBC to arrange the borrowing of litter picking equipment. Unfortunately,it did not arrive as arranged and a last minute rally round for equipment was undertaken by BC with it arriving in the nick of time from Bromsgrove District Council. DD thanked JV for her efforts in organising the Litter Pick. He expressed his disappointment at the lack of support from Association members for what is a most enjoyable and rewarding couple of hours. We have over 500 registered members and, excluding committee members and councillors, only four other members attended on 14th May.
MW wrote to Mainstay to inform them of an area in Appletree Lane which had been a pathway until the bund was replaced on the public open space near to the Appletree/Brockhill Drive traffic Island. It had been left as grassland and had not been maintained. He has requested that it be reinstated as a pathway.
3. Skittles Evening:
The Beer and Skittles evening was planned for Saturday October 8th. Tickets went on sale two weeks ago, but as yet, only a few tickets have been sold. The venue is the Batchley Community Centre and the skittles and balls are being borrowed from the HDA Sports & Social Club next door. We are hoping to raise much needed funds towards our running costs. Membership of the Association remains free even though we incur sizeable annual costs such as the hosting of our website and domain name registration fee. We have been unable to hold any fund raising events since the Quiz Night of almost three years ago due to the COViD pandemic.
JV has contacted local businesses to see if they would kindly donate prizes for the raffle. LD had also sent a request letter to Sainsbury’s.
(Post meeting update: very regretfully the event has had to be cancelled because of exceedingly low ticket sales and lack of interest from members)
4. Notice Board for Pointers Way/Meadow View:
The new notice board was finally erected on 12th May at the corner of Cookridge Close/Burrington Close. Persimmon Homes had to approve where it could be erected by RBC maintenance employees, to ensure that vision splay was avoided. DD said that regretfully it is named just “Brockhill” rather than the full title of the Association that our other two boards bear. Also it differs from the other two pinboards in that it is magnetic. Consequently we had to buy magnets to attach all the leaflets and this does not appear to be as effective an attachment method as the good old pin. However we are grateful that at long last a board has been installed. SC emailed Fortis Living to thank them again for their kind donation of £2,000 towards the costs.
We still receive occasional requests from members, and even residents who are not members, to display leaflets advertising their businesses. However all such requests are declined as our ethos is not to support commercial activities of whatever kind.
5. Holyoakes Field First School:
The new school finally opened its doors to pupils at the start of the academic year in September. There have already been complaints about school traffic from residents living in Cookridge Close, Fairweather Close and Dovecote Close. Concerns have been raised about parents parking on the junction of Cookridge and Fairweather, with cars being parked on either side of the junction. This makes it almost impossible to see what is coming either up or down Fairweather Close.
A problem was always likely as the planning committee at RBC did not insist on a better drop off area at the school. GM said that double yellow lines were definitely needed and should be sought once the roads were eventually adopted by RBC. Problems have been exacerbated by the work currently being undertaken by Severn Trent Water, and these have overrun for reasons of which we are unaware. Temporary traffic lights have been introduced whilst stronger underground water pipes are installed. The lights keep failing which encourages drivers to ‘chance it and jump them.’
Problems are further compounded by construction and other traffic tending to use Cookridge, Fairweather and Dovecote Closes rather than Burrington Close in order to avoid its speed bumps. GM pointed out that the situation will not improve until the secondary exit on Weights Lane is opened up. This would obviate the need for construction traffic to use Burrington Close thus enabling the removal of the speed bumps. Regretfully however this is extremely unlikely to happen soon as yet again we are in the hands of Persimmon. LH had informed us that Persimmon have recently put up some signs directing construction traffic to go along Burrington Close and claim they are doing what they can to stop it travelling up the aforementioned Closes.
There has also been a complaint about litter being dropped along the route to the school, due to a lack of litter and dog poo bins. LH said that she would put in a request for some to be installed.
6. Persimmon Homes section 106 monies:
The Association’s previous chairman has been vigorously pursuing this matter for some time. The amount due to be paid over by Persimmon is several hundred thousands of pounds. He has been in regular email contact with both LH and JB and also Redditch and Bromsgrove’s Principal Solicitor. LH said the matter was currently sitting with Land Registry.
7. Lowans Hill Farm Development:
Lowans Hill Farm is an area near to the school which was sold to Persimmon several years ago. The derelict barn had a preservation order put on it, but this only lasted for five years and now that it has expired, Persimmon Homes have sold the land to Claremont Property Group. It is planned to build 17 two storey houses of various sizes there. Persimmon have allowed the derelict buildings to become dilapidated and RBC planning department have not enforced the original conditions.
Several of our members have expressed concern about the proposed development’s adverse effect on the surrounding landscape. LH had advised that people should write to the Case Officer at Redditch Borough Council Planning Department with their objections. This advice had been posted on our Facebook page.
8. Wildlife Project:-
DD reported that the Plant Sale in early May, organised by MW and Association member Shirley Jobson, raised £300.75. He thanked both for their efforts. The proceeds will help fund the purchase of bulbs, to plant ready for next spring, and a new birch tree from Burcott Nursery. The tree will cost in the region of £190. MW has made contact with Anthony Lovell, a tree surgeon and also an RBC Councillor. He has been very helpful with his advice on what trees are best for the area concerned. MW said that he is still planning to have an oak tree planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy and will invite MP Rachel Maclean to the planting ceremony. Shirley Jobson has acquired wildflower seeds which she will be scattering this autumn.
MW also told us that there was evidence that the bat boxes and bird houses had been lived in this year.
Council Leader Matt Dormer has agreed to lend MW a rotovator and turf digger from his Dormer Tool Hire business.
The bench donated by Richard Aldington and owned by his late mother Margaret, has been renovated by MW. It is has now been positioned at the side of the path that runs around the Dairy Lane/Appletree Lane Wildlife Project area. IIt has been installed on to a hard core standing by RBC’s environmental maintenance department. Shirley Jobson purchased a small plaque with the name Margaret engraved in her memory.
9. Finances:
DD advised that since our last meeting in March, we had received income of £300.75, being the profits from the Plant Sale previously discussed. Expenditure in that same period was £264.82, of which £169.93 was for the annual web hosting and domain name fees. The net profit of £35.93 has increased our current funds balance to £1,798.
As previously mentioned, the Beer and Skittles Evening was to be our first fund raising event for almost three years due to the COVID pandemic. The cost of hiring Batchley Community Centre for our meeting or events is currently £24 for each occasion. SA and BC have kindly agreed to reimbiurse such costs from their discretionary funds. They have advised that rather than submitting a separate claim for each hiring, we should await until several have been incurred and then apply for the total amount. JB advised that we contact the new Holyoakes First School about using their meeting room facilities in future. He believed that other schools in the Redditch area normally did not charge for such services.
The details of the Association’s finances will be laid out in detail at this year’s AGM.
10. Membership List:
DD reported that currently we had 518 registered members. He expressed his ongoing disappointment that we continue to receive several email requests and postings on Facebook from residents who are not members of the Association. SC has now posted a message on Facebook encouraging such people to join and outlining the benefits of so doing.
11. AGM
This year our AGM will be held on Monday November 21st at Batchley Community Centre, in Cherry Tree Walk, Batchley at 7.30 p.m. This is a chance to meet the committee and our local councillors, who will be pleased to assist our members with any local concerns. This is the first AGM since the COVID pandemic, so members are encouraged to come along and show their support.
Under the terms of our constitution, one third (or the number nearest one third) of the elected Executive Committee Members are required to retire at each AGM – those longest in office retiring first. DD announced that after 10 years’ service he and LD would be standing down and not offering themselves for re-election.
12. A.O.B.
JV asked JB if the bench that faced the bushes in Brockhill Park before its removal, would be returning to a more suitable position.
LD said that her son had been told by the Severn Trent Water workmen that they would not be completing their work in Burrington Close/Cookridge Close until Xmas.
LD wondered how long it will take to get one or more new post boxes installed on Pointers Way/Meadow View now that both are essentially completed. The houses on these two estates are more than one mile away from the nearest box, a distance that Royal Mail has previously informed us is their qualifying requirement.
JB told us about the latest water drainage scam going around, mainly to mobile phones.
MV asked the Councillors if they could get a copy of which areas in Brockhill were still unadopted. This would help to prevent a repeat of the recent problems encountered when trying to arrange repairs and improvements to the subway leading into Brockhill Park.
MW requested that replacement of the three non-working lights in the aforementioned subway was chased again by the Councillors.
MW requested that white lines be painted at the Appletree/Dairy Lane junction. LH will ask SA to progress this.
DD mentioned the continuing vandalism around the basketball court in Brockhill Park and also the damage done to the Association’s notice board.
Actions from this meeting:
SA to provide an update on the need for a better barrier at the Brockhill Park crossing on Salters Lane.
LH to contact Persimmon to request additional litter bins for Cookridge Close.
LH to find out when Severn Trent Water plan to complete the laying of new pipelines.
LH to obtain a plan of unadopted roads and public open spaces in Brockhill.
LH to contact Persimmon about the faulty lighting in the subway.
JB to find out when the bench is being returned to Brockhill Park/Wetlands.
JV to obtain raffle prizes from local shops for the Skittles Evening raffle.
NN to chase up the the repair of the damaged notice board in Brockhill Park.
SA to provide update on painting white lines on the Appletree/Dairy Lane junction.
The meeting ended at 9.15 p.m.