BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting

Held at Batchley Community Centre on Monday November 21^st 2022

In Attendance:

Committee: David Dallaway, Lynn Dallaway, Julie Vincent, Sylvia Collinson, Mark Whitworth,  Gemma Monaco and Mike Vincent.

Members: Maureen Mole, Steve Mole, Claire Ivins, Jade Taylor and Colin Badger.

Councillors: Leader of RBC Matt Dormer and WCC Brandon Clayton. 

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: 

Apologies were received from RBC Lucy Harrison, RBC Nyear Nazir, WCC Salman Akbar, Stephen Siddle, Matt Collinson and Shirley Jobson.

ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS AGM:

The minutes of the last AGM held on 5^th November 2019 had been available on the Brockhill Residents’ Association website for members to read and were adopted forthwith.   Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had been unable to hold an AGM until now.

TREASURER’S REPORT: 

This report includes the presentation and if approved, adoption of the accounts for each of the 12 months ending 29^th February 2020, 28^th February 2021 and 28^th February 2022.

David Dallaway provided members with a copy of the Income and Expenditure Accounts and Balance Sheets for each of the 12 month periods, together with the current period to date.  Since the end of February 2019, Association funds have decreased slightly from £1,342 to £1,156.  Income in that time was £321 from the 2019 Quiz Night, donations totalling £2,000 towards the Wildlife Project from Councillors Akbar and Clayton, Fortis Living’s donation towards a new notice board of £2,000 and Mark Whitworth’s and Shirley Jobson’s plants sale of £301.  Expenditure incurred was £596 on website costs, £1,970 on Wildlife Project purchases, £2,006 on the new notice board, £164 on room hire and costs of organising the Quiz Night and Skittles Evening and £70 on the printing of membership leaflets.

Councillors Akbar and Clayton were thanked again for their generous donations from their discretionary funds.  Sylvia Collinson has sent a note of thanks to Fortis.

The Accounts were received, adopted and approved by members.   
  

UPDATE ON ISSUES AND EVENTS SINCE LAST AGM   

The new notice board for the Pointers Way/ Meadow View estates was finally installed on 12^th May this year.  We had been waiting for over a year for its installation.   As previously mentioned a large donation towards its cost had been made by Fortis.  Former WCC Robin Lunn had, whilst in office, kindly arranged for any excess expenditure to be funded from his discretionary fund.

Litter picks, organised by Julie Vincent, had been held on 5^th June 2021 and 14^th May 2022.  Attendances at both had been extremely disappointing with very few people other than committee members and councillors turning up.  The lack of enthusiasm is difficult to comprehend as it is a most enjoyable and rewarding couple of hours spent on a Saturday morning.  On the latter litter pick fifteen bags of rubbish were collected from Brockhill Park and surrounding areas.

Proposed traffic calming measures by the postbox in Carthorse Lane had been rejected by the police.  The reason given was that the road was straight and speed bumps often encourage cars to go faster.

The pot holes in Hewell Lane had now been repaired.

Mark Whitworth and his neighbour Shirley Jobson have set up Wildlife Project.  They, together with a group of volunteers, are looking after its development on the public open space in Appletree Lane.   Mark’s and Shirley’s well-attended Plants Sale held on 2nd May had raised £301 and both were thanked for their efforts.  Mark is planning to hold another sale at the end of May next year, to give his cuttings longer to grow and hopefully fetch a better price.

Brandon’s and Salman’s grants had helped fund the purchase of some fruit and replacement birch trees.  Also an oak tree to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee was planted on 26^th October.  Native bulbs have been planted in the area and Mark had made some wooden bat and bird boxes together with a bug house, to encourage the wildlife in the area.  Evidence of these being used has already been seen which is gratifying.

Leader of RBC Matt Dormer has offered the use of a turf cutter from Dormer Hire, to prepare the land for the planting of additional bulbs.  Mark will send an email to the volunteer group for their assistance when required.

SmartWater kits were offered to all residents in March 2021.  David Dallaway asked Councillor Clayton if he knew why there were no signs on lampposts etc. to denote that it was a SmartWater area.  He responded that this would be because an insufficient number of people have registered their kits to date.

The children’s play area at the top of Owlham Close by the new school is now up and running.

The secondary balancing pond parallel to Burrington Close is now surrounded by safety fencing.

The sewage pumping station’s leaks have all been attended to with no recent issues – literally!!

Richard Aldington, RBC Grounds Maintenance Manager, had kindly given us a bench owned by his late mother, Margaret.  After renovation by Mark Whitworth it was installed in the Wildlife Project area this spring by RBC.  It bears a small engraved plaque in memory of Margaret.

A resident in Dairy Lane had suggested to Mark Whitworth that it would be nice to have the subway, leading to Brockhill Park/Wetlands area, painted with a scenic design by a professional painter.  This would hopefully deter anti- social youngsters from making a mess of the walls.  We held a competition to involve the community, for the best design.   Arts Development Officer for Bromsgrove & Redditch, Huw Moseley, was contacted to seek his advice on how to run an Art Project.  He attended a meeting with the Committee on 21^st March and was able to recommend a professional artist who had painted several other underpasses in and around Worcestershire.  He also recommended a Project Manager whom he had worked with before.  Unfortunately it has since transpired that although we had been told that the area had been adopted by RBC, this was not the case.  Adoption had not taken place because the underpass had not been built to the required standards.  We have therefore put the project on hold, while Brandon Clayton makes more enquiries to Persimmon Homes North.

We were due to hold our first fund raising event, since the outset of Covid, in October this year. A Beer & Skittles Night was proposed as a change from our previous Quiz Nights.  However despite it being well advertised, most disappointingly the vast majority of our members chose not to support us.  Reluctantly the event was cancelled although a s few costs had to be borne in so doing.  We have therefore been unable to raise any funds this year, as reflected in the accounts just presented in the Treasurer’s report.

DISCUSSION OF THE FOLLOWING ONGOING ISSUES:

1. Holyoakes Field First School parking
2. Persimmon Homes and section 106 monies
3. Lowans Hill Farm Development
4. Speeding on Pointers Way/Meadow View
5. Emptying of dog poo bins by Mainstay
6. Weeds in gutters and on pavements
7. ASB issues at Brockhill Park

1. Holyoakes Field First School:

The new school finally opened in September.  Brandon Clayton said it was of a blueprint eco design, which will be copied for all new school buildings in Worcestershire.  It has been built with facilities for the pupils to engage in eco-friendly activities, to teach the importance of caring for the environment. 

Parking at the school however is proving a problem.  The situation has been severely exacerbated by the laying of new water pipes by Severn Trent Water and their installation in September of temporary traffic lights at the junction of Cookridge Close and Burrington Close.  Congestion from car parking outside houses in the surrounding roads of any school is to be expected at drop off and pick up times.  However, Brandon added that once the roads have finally been adopted, the Highways Department will look into painting double yellow lines along Cookridge Close.  They will be on the opposite side to the houses to avoid double parking.

A copy of a letter from the new school’s Headteacher regarding a Safety Petition had been posted on The Association’s Facebook page.

2. Persimmon Homes and section 106 monies:

The Association’s former Chairman had met with Head of RBC, Matt Dormer, and Councillor Lucy Harrison last month to discuss what progress RBC had made in obtaining the thousands of pounds due to be paid over by Persimmon.  The payment is long overdue and has been highlighted by several articles in the local press.  Matt informed us that Persimmon had advised the delay is now due to a backlog with Land Registry.  He said that RBC would be seeking interest in addition to the total monies owed.

3. Lowans Hill Farm Development:

The proposed development on the land adjacent to the school, where the derelict barn is situated, is of concern to the Headteacher, Mrs Koser.  The plans being submitted are for 17 new homes to be built, which will cause severe disruption to the school.  An online petition has been raised by Mrs Koser, which is on the school website, for residents to complete to raise their concerns.  We had originally been told by Persimmon Homes Planning Director, Kate Tait, that the barn would be renovated to become two luxury barn conversions.  The Committee will attend the planning meeting to question this and to support the Headteacher.

4. Speeding on Pointers Way/Meadow View:

Residents on the two new estates have reported that car drivers are still speeding, despite the speed bumps in Burrington Close.  Brandon informed us that until the roads are adopted, no other speed reducing measures can be taken.  After adoption, Lucy Harrison’s ‘Speed Watch Project’ will be able to be undertaken.  

5. Emptying of Dog Poo Bins:

Julie Vincent had written to Mainstay in the spring to complain that the dog poo bins were not being emptied as often as required.  For a short period of time the letter seemed to have worked.  However, we have now had further reports from residents, who are paying for the maintenance of the public open spaces, that again the bins are overflowing.  This results in dog poo bags being scattered on the ground around the bins.  Margaret Mole said that Mainstay was acquired by a company called FirstPort in 2020 but Mainstay’s customers are only just being transitioned into FirstPort.  They have issued new customer account numbers and have asked members to re-register.  This has all been done by emailed communications at the end of September 2022.  We are hoping that this new company will be more efficient.

6. Weeds in gutters and on pavements:

We had reported several months ago that there were weeds growing in the gutters and on the pavements around Wheelers Lane, Dairy Lane, Appletree Lane and Brockhill Drive.  Since then RBC have sent the Parks and Public Open Space maintenance team around Brockhill to spray weed killer on some of the areas.  However not all areas appear to have been treated.  David Dallaway confirmed that the gutters and small paving stones along Wheelers Lane and its side roads are still covered with weeds.  One member of The Association was so distressed by the situation, they purchased an expensive petrol driven power weeder to tackle the problem themself.  However the machine proved to be faulty and had to be returned which in one way was a good thing as no resident should have to fund personally what is the local Council’s responsibility.  Matt Dormer said that he was due a review meeting with Persimmon regarding the ground maintenance. 

7. ASB Issues at Brockhill Park:

The two main areas of concern are the underpass and basketball court, where teenagers tend to meet up.  The underpass has its walls daubed regularly with undesirable wording and obscene illustrations.  The basketball court’s litter bin is regularly set alight and both areas are used for drug dealing.  The Association’s notice board has also been vandalised.  Mark Whitworth queried why the security light near to the basketball court had been taken down.  Matt Dormer said that the cameras are only temporary; they are moved on to another area after a few months.  He advises that our members contact 101 to report any anti-social behaviour in this area and we have been told that the local police team regularly patrol the area at night time.

ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Our Constitution states that one third of the elected Committee Members must retire at each AGM.  As longest servers, David and Lynn Dallaway tendered their resignations and confirmed they did not seek re-election.  Julie Vincent said that she would stand down as Secretary if anybody else wished to take over the role.  We asked if anybody in the room would like to be elected but nobody volunteered.  Matt Dormer gave us a name of a colleague who was volunteering his services as Chairman.  He had been unable to attend the AGM due to work commitments, but if appointed, we would be able to arrange meetings around his shift pattern.

At a previous committee meeting, Stephen Siddle had agreed to take over as Treasurer with David Dallaway resigning from the Committee.

Mark Whitworth and Mike Vincent had both been co-opted on to the Committee after the last AGM and were now officially appointed as full members.

Although not a member of the Committee, Ben Moseley was thanked for his management of the website and it was hoped he would be able to continue with its administration.

A.O.B. & MEMBERS’ OPEN FORUM:

Brandon Clayton had received complaints about speeding cars from residents in Appletree Lane.  They had been disturbed by the noise of cars racing along Brockhill Drive and Salters Lane.  He is arranging for vehicle activated signs to be installed in those areas.

Mark Whitworth asked Brandon if it would be possible to have a pathway constructed on the grassland at the back of the houses in Carthorse Lane/Pennyford Close.  This is a well-used route for dog walkers and residents in general, as there is no path on the main road.  Brandon said that as with other issues, it would be addressed once the area had been adopted and he would arrange for this to be done.

Mike Vincent asked if Brandon had been able to arrange for engineers to inspect the area of flooding near to the entrance into the field at the back of Parklands Close/Dairy Lane.  Mike had reported the appearance of a sinkhole earlier this year.  Brandon had met with Mike and Julie to be shown the area of concern.  Colin Badger commented that the local farmer had been digging trenches in the field to divert rainwater away from his grazing sheep.  We wondered if this had caused water to build up by the gate and had also caused the sinkhole to appear.  With the onset of winter, it was feared that more flooding would occur if nothing is done.

The meeting ended at 9.30 p.m.