RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

                                                    Annual General Meeting Thursday April 3rd 2014​

​​​​Venue: Tardebigge Community Hall

 

 

Committee Members Present:

 

Peter Merricks ​​​

Sylvia Collinson​​​

Doug Wilks​​​

Julie Vincent​​​

David Dallaway​​​

Lynn Dallaway​​​

James Doble​​​

Brenda Quinney​​

 

Apologies: Lisa Laurent

 

Guest: WCC Robin Lunn

 

The Agenda:-

 

 

The Chairman, Peter Merricks, opened the meeting byintroducing the Committee to the disappointingly fewmembers present.  

 

 

A copy of the previous AGM’s minutes was distributed to members and agreed.  Their adoption was proposed by Robin Dennis and seconded by Graham Haynes.

 

 

Copies of the end of year accounts were distributed to members.  Sylvia Collinson informed the meeting that a BACS payment of £300 had been received today from Worcestershire County Council.  This payment had been arranged by CC Robin Lunn to assist in the running costs of the forthcoming ‘Party In The Park’ to be held on Saturday 28th June.  We are also awaiting the outcome of our third attempted application for a Community Grant of £300 from Redditch Borough Council.

 

 

 

 

Peter Merricks informed the members that one of our main concerns this year has been the adoption of theroads in Brockhill as, in some cases, this has taken 14 years or more.  CC Robin Lunn has been working extremely hard on this matter in the last year, resulting in the majority of roads now being adopted.  He will continue to work towards getting the remaining roads adopted in the coming year.

 

Another main concern has been to increase our membership numbers. Leaflets were delivered to houses, with instructions for people to pass them on to their neighbours, thus reducing time and money.  We had intended to have more leaflets printed and distributed, had we been successful in our Grant Application, and this is something that we hope to do in the coming year.

 

There has also been successful liaison with the Chief Executive of RBC, Sue Hanley.  She has helped in getting a hedge trimmed back at the junction of Butlers Hill Island and also has organised a schedule of work to be carried out in the area now known as Brockhill Park(the nature reserve area where the Swans are).

 

We reported an incident to RBC when a resident, whilst walking her dog, hurt her hand on the gate whichaccesses the nature reserve from Brockhill Lane. Following the accident the gate was padlocked by RBC to prevent its use.  However, thanks to the efforts of Brenda Quinney and Robin Lunn, the old entrance will shortly be replaced by a kissing gate. This will obviate the need to enter the nature reserve via Plumstead Closeonly.

 

The Quiz Night held in October raised a few funds enabling the association to register the website plus ensuring its back up.  The website proves to be our best form of communication at present, given the lack of a Community Hall and Community Notice Boards.  In a previous poll, members had voted for Quiz Nights to be held on a quarterly basis.

 

I attended a meeting at the Town Hall last month,arranged by CC Graham Vickery, to inform residents of the intention by RBC to reduce street lighting to residential roads.  Batchley and Brockhill will be the first areas to have this implemented.  A “one in three” method will be put into practice, i.e. out of three adjacent lampposts, one will be on fully, the second will have reduced lighting and the third will be off.  Plans are on display in Tesco’s store in Oakenshaw and Morrisons in the Matchborough area of Redditch.

 

 

In line with the Constitution, three committee members must resign each year, albeit they are eligible for re-election.  This enables new committee members to be elected who may have new ideas and will thus helpstrengthen the association.  The three members resigning are Chairman Peter Merricks, Membership SecretaryDoug Wilks and Legal Adviser James Doble.  Those members present were asked if they would be able to volunteer their services.  Tish Greenway offered her services and was then proposed by James Doble and seconded by Lynn Dallaway.  Her role will be discussed at the next committee meeting.  Nobody else came forward but Peter Merricks said that whilst resigning from the committee, he would help with the website and members’ database.  James Doble said that he will continue to give legal advice when required.

Jean Vranic thanked Peter Merricks for all his hard work in the last year.

 

 

The next organised event is the Quiz Night on Friday April 25th at the Tardebigge Community Hall at 7.30p.m.   We are hoping that more members, family and friends will attend our second Quiz Night.  Further details to follow shortly.

 

We are also hoping to hold a ‘Party In The Park’ on Saturday June 28th.  This will also be held at the Tardebigge Community Hall, not a park, as we need electricity and kitchen facilities.  Further Quiz Nights will be held quarterly, Friday July 18th and Friday October 17th.  

 

 

Matt Collinson told us that he had been talking to a resident in the Carthorse Lane area whose house backs onto open space.  He had been told by RBC that he could buy a small plot of this land, which was being divided up into plots for sale at £500.  Matt said that he didn’t think that the Council should be selling land that was for the use of residents for dog walking and leisure.  At the veryleast, RBC should inform residents of boundary changes.

 

Jim Uphill raised his concerns over how long it has taken RBC to adopt the roads in Brockhill.  He told us that he has lived in Brockhill for 18 years and that he could remember seeing the original plans for development in Brockhill that had included shops and a pub, but nothinghad been built.  Jean Vranic asked CC Robin Lunn howRBC managed to get out of adhering to the plans and still be able to get the plans of new developments passed.  Robin and James Doble confirmed that each planning application had to be judged on a “stand alone” basis.  Regretfully the failings of and unresolved issues of previously approved developments could not be considered when assessing new applications.

 

Jim also told us about the Batchley and Brockhill PACT meetings that he attended and that he didn’t know why they were always held in Batchley. Brenda Quinney said that the Police and other official bodies found it more accessible.  We all agreed that it was more likely due tothere being no hall in which to meet in Brockhill.  Jim also said that very few people turn up to the meetingsand thought that, if they were held in Brockhill or at Tardebigge, they would be better attended.  

 

Peter Merricks stated that as Brockhill is becoming such a large area, with all the new housing development, we should have a candidate who lives in Brockhill standing for election as a Councillor. Anyone wishing to stand for election needs to submit the papers by April 24th.  Peter said that he will draft a document to put on our website in case any members may be interested in being nominated.

 

The meeting was concluded at 8.45p.m.