Minutes of Meeting Thursday March 8th 2018 held at Alestones

Minutes, , , ,

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of Meeting Thursday March 8th 2018 held at Alestones

Those Present:

David Dallaway                                   DD

Lynn Dallaway                                      LD

Julie Vincent                                          JV

Tish Greenway                                      TG

Gemma Moore                                     GM2

Stephen Siddle                                     SS

Apologies from Pattie Hill (PH), Emma Fletcher (EF), James Doble (JD), Sylvia Collinson (SC) and Gemma Monaco (GM1)

Guests in attendance: – WCC Brandon Clayton (BC), RBC Anita Clayton (AC) and WCC Robin Lunn (RL)

The Agenda:

  1. Actions arising from meeting on 16.11.17
  2. Nature Reserve adoption
  3. Speed calming measures at Oak Tree Avenue/Salters Lane junction
  4. Meadow View development & Community Building
  5. Holyoakes Field First School
  6. Carthorse Lane chicane tightening
  7. Deep dip in pavement at top of Lowfield Lane
  8. Murder Mystery Evening
  9. Bicycle auction
  10. Brockhill Committee emails and Members’ List
  11. Broken fence in Appletree Lane (at the Dairy Lane end) Public Open Space
  12. Brown Hairstreak butterfly
  13. Brockhill football team
  14. Brockhill Park litter bin
  15. G.M.
  16. O.B.

 

  1. Actions from last meeting not covered in main agenda:

The litter bin on the pathway adjacent to Greenford Close, requested via PH, had now been installed.

Safety improvements at the bottom of the steps leading from the Nature Reserve down on to Brockhill Lane remained an outstanding issue. This will be left in abeyance until after PH’s recovery from illness.

RL informed us that there is still no commencement date for building of the new Holyoakes Field First School.

BC checked with RBC Planning Department on the position of the new school’s entrance.

  1. Nature Reserve adoption:

RL is still awaiting confirmation as to whether the Nature Reserve, bordered by Brockhill Lane and Plumstead Close, has been adopted by RBC.

  1. Speed calming measures at the junction of Oak Tree Avenue/Salters Lane

RL had spoken to Maurice Carlos, a Highways Officer at WCC, who has approved the construction of a crossing at this location. It will consist of bollards and markings on the road warning motorists to slow down. RL managed to secure the cost at half the original price and the monies will be provided from his WCC discretionary fund. He will inform us of the start date when given.

  1. Meadow View development & Community Building:

BC had met with the Planning Department of RBC and a Persimmon Planning Officer to discuss the Community Building to be provided from section 106 monies. The Association would be able to use the building for community activities. This would be a temporary measure until a Community Hall is built near to the school. The Committee Members will need to enter into a legal entity agreement to cover for any legal or insurance matters that may arise. BC said that this needs to be done a.s.a.p. He suggested that we take advice from B.A.R.N. (Bromsgrove and Redditch Network) based in Easemore Road as they have experience of these matters. DD pointed out we would require the input of JD whose knowledge and expertise in this area would be invaluable.

  1. Holyoakes Field First School:

Notice has been served on Persimmon by John Hobbs, Director of Economy and Infrastructure at WCC, as they are in breach of contract with regards to the building of the new school. The school should have been built before the second phase of the house building started. We were told the delay was due to a small piece of land, not belonging to Persimmon, that they were trying to obtain from the landowner. The Head of Holyoakes Field First School has received a letter from Persimmon to explain the delay. It would appear that Persimmon communicate better with the school’s Head than they do with Ruth Bamford, RBC’s Head of Planning and Regeneration. Jeanette Beckett from Place Partnership has also been trying to assist with negotiating a start date.

  1. Carthorse Lane Chicane Tightening:

The chicane in Carthorse Lane was very slightly tightened in January, but not enough to have the desired effect. Drivers still do not need to slow down to pass through it. RL had put traffic cones in place in an attempt to tighten the configuration but these were removed by a resident who disagrees with the work being done. GM2 told us that she replaced the cones on a couple of occasions only to find them removed again. Eventually she confronted the individual who claimed that placement of the cones was illegal. GM2 explained that the work had been sanctioned by WCC. RL has since contacted the disgruntled resident to explain why the work was being done and that it had already been approved. RL will let us know when the workmen will return to tighten the chicane further.

A few weeks ago DD became aware of widening work being carried out on the chicane in Butlers Hill Lane. He had referred this to RL who confirmed it was a tiny and very long overdue change to enable a resident to turn onto his drive going north, rather than having to turn round up the road and enter going south. RL had been trying to get this done for years, as it was not put in properly originally by the developers.   It should not make the chicane any less effective but certainly improve things for the resident.

  1. Deep dip In pavement at top of Lowfield Lane (opposite Rhymes Nursery School):

RL was under the impression that the work here had been carried out. JV assured him that it had not. He said that he will find out what is causing the delay. The tarmac on the path has sunk so low as to be a hazard for pedestrians, especially wheelchair and pushchair users. The path is opposite a Nursery School and more likely, therefore, to be used by mothers with pushchairs and children on bicycles and scooters.

  1. Murder Mystery Evening:

This event arranged by SS, who is a member of the Alvechurch Dramatic Society, is taking place on Friday and Saturday 9th & 10th March at Alvechurch Village Hall. SS told us that ticket sales were doing well. B.R.A. will share the profits with three other charities thus providing us with welcome income to help with our running costs. We will report on how much we receive in the next minutes

  1. Bicycle auction:

JV conducted the auction of a child’s bicycle donated by one of our members, Robin Dennis, who runs a business of assembling and selling bicycles and accessories. We thought it would be of interest as an ideal Christmas present. Details were displayed with a photograph on our website, Facebook page and both notice boards in the run up to Christmas. Also all members were emailed alerting them to the auction. Unfortunately no bids were received so JV will re-auction it in the spring.

  1. Brockhill Committee emails and Members’ List:

DD added this to the agenda before we knew that EF was unable to attend the meeting. As the maintainer of the list of members, he wanted to ask her for the names and postal addresses of new members who had registered recently. At present all that he receives is an email address. He also wished to confirm which committee members were included in ‘committee@brockhill.org.uk’ and ‘post@brockhill.org.uk’. DD will now contact EF outside the meeting.

  1. Broken fence in Appletree Lane adjacent to Public Open Space (at the Dairy Lane end):

We reported this to RL several months ago but it has still not been replaced or repaired. RL said that he will chase it up again for us. He couldn’t understand why it hadn’t been done, especially as workmen had been in the area last week.

  1. Brown Hairstreak butterfly:

B.R.A. had received an email from a representative of the “West Midlands Butterfly Conservation”. They are searching for the presence of the rare Brown Hairstreak butterfly – the closest location to Brockhill where its eggs have been found so far is Foxlydiate Wood. We have agreed to display posters requesting the reporting of any sightings on our noticeboards in the summer, to coincide with the flight period of this rare butterfly.

  1. Brockhill football team:

We have received an email from a member who wishes to form a Brockhill football team. Initially the aim would be to start up a men’s team to play in either the Redditch or Bromsgrove Sunday league. Longer term it would be hoped to open this up further as the community grows, to maybe have a ladies’ team, youth teams and a veteran’s team if there were sufficient interest. We have agreed to help by displaying promotional details on our website, Facebook page and notice boards. Anybody wanting to play or willing to help should email ‘brockhillfootball@yahoo.com’.

  1. Brockhill Park Litter Bin:

One of our members has requested a replacement litter bin to be placed near to the subway by the entrance to Brockhill Park. A bin existed there a few years ago but it was vandalised and hasn’t been replaced. AC said that she would put in a request.

  1. G.M.

We discussed when to hold this year’s A.G.M. We usually hold it in April, but with the Easter holidays and our Councillors being busy with the local elections in May, we decided to postpone it until June.

  1. O.B.

We are pleased to see that the undergrowth of brambles and long grasses has been cut back in Brockhill Park. The ground should recover, when the better weather arrives, from the damage caused by tyre marks from the work vans which were needed to transport the equipment necessary to do the job.

Undergrowth has also been tidied up in the pond by the pathway leading from Carthorse Lane to Appletree Lane, according to GM2, who lives nearby.

A non-member of the Association had recently asked if we could help advertise his newly set up business. DD had responded to say that unfortunately we were unable to promote private business interests and had turned down previous similar requests from some of our members.

Actions from this meeting:

RL to continue with his attempts in determining when the building of the Holyoakes Field First School will commence.

RL to find out when the chicane in Carthorse Lane will be tightened or if there is an alternative traffic calming measure to be taken.

RL to chase the investigation and repair of the deep dip on the pathway leading off the top of Lowfield Lane near to the last barn conversion on left hand side, opposite Rhymes Nursery.

RL to find out when the fence on the public open space in Appletree Lane (Dairy Lane end) will be repaired

AC to request a replacement litter bin by the subway on the Public Open Space near to Brockhill Park.

JV to contact B.A.R.N. for advice on setting up the Community Building.

Meeting ended at 9.15 pm.

Download your copy here: 

Committee Meeting Thursday March 8th 2018.

 

 

A Murder Mystery Evening in Alvechurch

Murder Mystery Evening and Bring your own drinks make it a cheap night out.

We are pleased to invite you to a Murder Mystery Evening on the 9th and 10th of March in Alvechurch Village Hall (www.alvechurchvillagehall.co.uk), which is being presented by Alvechurch Dramatic Society to raise funds for ourselves and other local charities. We are assured that these evenings are always great fun and you are invited to bring your own drinks as the refreshments on sale will be limited to tea and coffee.

Tickets can be obtained locally from

Stephen Siddle 07977 140088/01527 62930 or

Julie Vincent 07870 880128/01527 585321

 

 

Guidance on Clearing Snow and Ice

Worcestershire County Council is continuing to encourage householders to be ‘good neighbours’ and help keep highways safe this winter.

With the experience of recent winters very much in mind and the possible approach of severe weather once again, the Council is keen for residents to help keep highways clear for all users by clearing snow and ice from public footways or pavements fronting their properties.

The Council recognises that popular concern over a ‘compensation culture’ and possible legal liability has discouraged a lot of householders from clearing snow and ice from footways in the past.

In fact, we believe that case-law does not justify significant cause for concern and shouldn’t put people off, provided they take reasonable care.

Any householder who takes reasonable care when clearing a footway and ensures that its condition does not create a greater hazard than before is highly unlikely therefore to be faced with a successful claim from pedestrians who may suffer injury or loss as a result of that clearance.

Reasonable care would include following the government advice on how to clear footways safely shown below, although we are happy for salt in grit bins to be used to clear pavements forming part of the highway.

Government advice from https://www.gov.uk/clear-snow-road-path-cycleway supported by the County Council: Clear snow from a road, path or cycleway You can clear snow and ice from pavements yourself. It’s unlikely that you’ll be sued or held responsible if someone is injured on a path or pavement if you’ve cleared it carefully.

How to clear snow and ice

When you clear snow and ice:

 do it early in the day – it’s easier to move fresh, loose snow

 don’t use water – it might refreeze and turn to black ice

 use salt if possible – it will melt the ice or snow and stop it from refreezing overnight (but don’t use the salt from salting bins as this is used to keep roads clear)

 you can use ash and sand if you don’t have enough salt – it will provide grip underfoot

 pay extra attention when clearing steps and steep pathways – using more salt may help

How to clear the snow properly.

PC advice re Ice and Snow policy 2017

 

 

Minutes of November’s meeting 2017

Minutes

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Committee Meeting Thursday November 16th

Minutes of Meeting Thursday November 16th 2017 held at Alestones 

Those Present:

David Dallaway                                                      DD

Lynn Dallaway                                      LD

Sylvia Collinson                                                      SC

Julie Vincent                                          JV

Tish Greenway                                      TG

Gemma Monaco                                  GM1

Gemma Moore                                     GM2

 

Apologies were received from Pattie Hill (PH), Emma Fletcher (EF), James Doble, Stephen Siddle (SS) & Anita Clayton.

 

Guests in attendance: – WCC Brandon Clayton (BC) and WCC Robin Lunn (RL).

 

DD welcomed GM2 to her first meeting.

 

The Agenda:

 

  1. Actions arising from meeting on 27.7.17
  2. Pointers Way progress with Persimmon
  3. Anti -social behaviour near to derelict barns
  4. Update on new Holyoakes Field First School
  5. Carthorse Lane tightening of chicane
  6. Deep dip in pavement at top of Low Field Lane
  7. Murder Mystery Evening
  8. Quiz Night profit
  9. O.B.

 

  1. Actions from last meeting:

 

The litter bin for the pathway adjacent to Greenford Close remained an outstanding issue. PH will be asked to pursue.

The blocking in of the gap under the gate at the top of the steps leading from Brockhill Lane into the Nature Reserve has now been done. PH was thanked for expediting this. There is however another problem at the bottom of the wooden steps. After a period of rain one of our members descended the muddy and slippy steps. When she got to the bottom two steps on the flat that are not covered with anti-slip metal wiring, she slipped and fell. This resulted in her sustaining considerable bruising, a painful coccyx, sprained arm and soft tissue damage. In addition to the two steps not being non-slip, the lowest step leading into the road is also slightly angled pointing downwards so again making it easier for an accident to happen. PH has since spoken to the injured person and will investigate what can be done to improve the safety of the steps.

Adoption of the Nature Reserve continues to be held up, seemingly by Persimmon’s lawyers. It was commented that Persimmon and its staff are becoming increasingly difficult to contact and obtain feedback from. One of our members is threatening to report the procrastination to the press.

DD is now in possession of a copy of the parking covenant for Pointers Way residents.

The website hosting had been renewed with the same supplier but at a substantially discounted rate compared to the previous year.

The support grant of £250 from Worcestershire County Council had now been received. BC was thanked for this generous donation.

RL confirmed that speed measures etc. had now been carried out for the crossing near the junction of Oaktree Lane into Brockhill Park. He now awaited notification of a start date.

JV had duly booked the Batchley Community Hall for the Quiz Night.

  1. Pointers Way progress with Persimmon:

GM1 met Olly Pocock, a Persimmon Planning Officer, a few weeks ago. She led him on a tour of Pointers Way to point out, amongst other things, the appalling state of the land between Burrington Close and Mettis Aerospace. They talked about having a new spur in the path that runs alongside the wasteland, as at present the path leads nowhere. Several residents came out to speak to the officer when they realised who he was, asking him about Persimmon’s plans for the area. Not surprisingly he then endured somewhat of a hard time!

A few days later workmen cleared the wasteland and deposited topsoil to make it look better. Several more speed bumps have been installed along Burrington Close to slow down traffic since the next phase of the housing development has now started. Two new dog litter bins have been installed and the lamp posts, which had not been working, now have electricity connected to them. A new path with kerb stones has also been constructed. GM1 informed us that the Marketing Suite is now open for ‘Meadow View’ as the new development is called. Plans for the site are now on show there. RL expressed surprise that the next phase was now imminent as it was not scheduled to start until after the new school had been built. He asked to be notified the moment the first brick was laid and will contact Kevin Dicks, RBC’s Chief Executive, with regards to the section 106 money that is paid by the developer to the Council for the benefit of the area. (See also item 4. Below)

GM1 was congratulated for her ‘never say die’ attitude in the pursuit of obtaining action by Persimmon.

 

  1. Anti-social behaviour near to derelict barns:

We have received reports from residents, walking their dogs on the land near to the derelict barn on the edge of Pointers Way, of youths on scrambler and quad bikes who were causing a disturbance and setting fire to the barns. Firefighters and police have attended the scene on several occasions. The owner of the land has been contacted by Richard Waterhouse, Redditch Community Safety Projects Officer. It is hoped that the owner will repair existing or install better fencing, as at present the entrance to the barn is still easily accessible.

A scrambler bike rider has also been seen riding up to the fields surrounding the barn. He appears regularly from Wheelers Lane and roars up Cookridge Close wearing no helmet and without lights, even though it is normally dusk or night time when he ventures out on to the public highway. On occasions he has also been seen speeding down the public open space from the barns down to the Red Ditch, an area regularly used by walkers. PH has informed us that the police are aware of this and have been patrolling regularly.

The issue of the young scrambler bike riders in the Nature Reserve appears to have been resolved satisfactorily following a visit by PCSO Edward Wood to one of the residents in Plumstead Close.

  1. Update on new Holyoakes Field First School:

RL had met with the Head Teacher of Holyoakes Field First School on 27th September to discuss the building of the new school. We had been told at July’s meeting that there were problems with the land where the entrance to the School should be, as it did not belong to Persimmon. RL said that he had been told at a planning meeting that this was not a problem as Persimmon still own enough nearby land to be able to divert the entrance slightly. BC said that he thinks that the entrance will be in Dovecote Close but will inspect the plans at the Town Hall this week. RL said that now that we know that Phase 2 is due to commence and the Marketing Suite has been erected, he will be able to contest how the developer has been granted the authority to proceed, when the school hasn’t even been started and as the plans state it should be built before the next wave of houses. It may be that the Marketing Suite has been set up, but the houses will be sold from plan. RL said that a colleague of his, Nigel Wilson, has a good rapport with Persimmon and would ask him to see if he can find out when the building of the school would commence.

  1. Carthorse Lane tightening of chicane:

BC has been in touch with a new WCC Engineer, Paul Green, who has informed him that the work to tighten the chicane in Carthorse Lane has been agreed and should be completed before Christmas. There will also be some ‘Slow’ signs painted on the road on both approaches to the chicane.

  1. Deep dip in the pavement at top of Low Field Lane:

RL was reminded that the dip in the pavement near Rhymes Nursery still had not been repaired. He was under the impression that the pavement had been investigated and repaired. RL will now report back to the Highways Department and progress the matter.
Murder Mystery Evening:

SS had informed JV by email, as he was not available to attend the meeting, of details for the Murder Mystery evening. JV said that the event will be held on two consecutive evenings, Friday March 9th and Saturday March 10th 2018, at Alvechurch Village Hall. The two performances would be for the benefit of four separate organisations or charities and consequently, if we sold all our allocation, we would receive a quarter of the total proceeds. Ticket prices are expected to be £8 per person and attendees will be able to bring their own drinks, although tea and coffee will be available. The capacity of the hall with the audience seated is 80, so teams of 8 people at each of the 10 tables will be set up. The aim will be, therefore, to sell a total of 160 tickets over the two nights. BRA’s target sales would therefore be 40 tickets. Clearly the fewer the tickets that are sold overall, the less are the shared proceeds. Members are asked therefore to keep one of dates free to support what will be a most enjoyable evening and provide additional funds for the Association.. All members will be contacted about the event early in the New Year.

  1. Quiz Night Profit:

The Quiz Night held on October 16th was a success, thanks to our Quiz Master DD and his assistant LD. Six teams of six and one of four people had an enjoyable evening with a variety of topical questions put together well by our host. A bar was served by two of our members, Matt Collinson and John Dallaway, and that, together with ticket sales and raffle ticket proceeds, raised a profit of just over £200. JV had sent out letters of thanks to our raffle prize sponsors and arranged for an article to be printed in the Standard Newspaper.

DD did however express his disappointment regarding the number of members who attended this annual fundraising event. The profits go a long way towards enabling us not to have to charge a membership fee. Of the seven teams, two were organised by DD and consisted totally of non-members.  JV and BC both provided a team and the team of four people included SC, TG & RL. That meant at least five of the seven teams were organised by committee members and councillors.

  1. O.B.

JV informed Committee Members that Robin Dennis, one of our members who has a bicycle sales business, has most generously donated a brand new small girl’s bicycle for us to auction again this year. Bidding will start at £40 and will have a cut- off date of Thursday December 14th. This will make an ideal Christmas present for a lucky little girl. The contact details are on our website and on the posters displayed on our notice boards. Also JV will request EF to email all members with the details.

JV was talking recently to a disabled lady who rides a motorised wheelchair around Brockhill Park/Wetlands. She was having difficulty to get her wheels up on the tarmac surface on the bridge, as it has dropped at the one end. RL said that he will put in a request for the tarmac to be raised.

GM2 told us that the pond, at the side of the pathway leading off Carthorse Lane by the post box, is full of overgrowth and rubbish which needs clearing out. BC said that this is a job that is done over the winter.

 

 

Actions from this meeting:

  • PH to chase up the long outstanding request for a litter bin on the pathway adjacent to Greenford Close.
  • PH to pursue the possibility of making of safety improvements at the bottom steps leading from the Nature Reserve down on to Brockhill Lane.
  • RL to find out when the building of the Holyoakes Field First School will commence.
  • RL to chase the investigation and repair of the deep dip on the left hand side of the pathway leading from the top of Low Field Lane near to the last barn conversion by Rhymes Nursery.
  • BC to view the Meadow View Housing Development plans at the Town Hall, to confirm where the entrance to the School will be situated.
  • JV to run the auction of the donated bicycle.
  • RL to request the repair of the sunken tarmac on the Brockhill Park/Wetlands bridge.

Meeting ended at 9.35 pm.

 

 

 

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION BRAND NEW GIRLS BICYCLE AUCTION

Fund Raisers

Date extended – the cut off date is now Wednesday 20th please, submit all offers to Julie

mail julievincent1@sky.com or

Telephone:- 07870 880128

 

We are holding an Auction for this Bicycle which has been kindly donated by one of our Members, Robin Dennis.
The proceeds will help with our running costs.
Bidding starts at £40 and the Auction will close on Friday December 14th 2017. Offers can be made by e mail julievincent1@sky.com or Telephone:- 07870 880128

ANGEL GIRLS BIKE WITH 12in WHEELS & STABILISERS, finished in pink.
• BMX sloping top tube design frame
• side pull front and rear calliper brakes
• Adjustable brake levers
• stabilisers INCLUDED
• 8.5in frame for inside leg 13.5 to 16in

Minutes of meeting

Minutes,

Minutes of Meeting Thursday July 27th 2017

Please find minutes of our latest meeting.

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of Meeting Thursday July 27th 2017 held at Alestones

 

Those Present:

David Dallaway

Lynn Dallaway

Sylvia Collinson

Julie Vincent

Tish Greenway

James Doble

Stephen Siddle

 

Apologies were received from Pattie Hill, Emma Fletcher and Margaret Mole.

 

Guests in attendance: – RBC Anita Clayton, WCC Brandon Clayton (both in attendance from 8 pm) and WCC Robin Lunn (in attendance from 8.40 pm).

 

 

The Agenda:

 

  • Actions arising from previous meeting on 13.2.17
  • Welcome to new committee members and discussion of their roles
  • Update on new Holyoakes Field First School
  • Website hosting
  • Pointers Way and progress with Persimmon
  • Salters Lane traffic calming measures and new crossing near junction of Oaktree Lane into Brockhill Park
  • Carthorse Lane speeding issues
  • Deep dip in pavement near to Rhymes Nursery
  • Murder Mystery Evening
  • Quiz Night
  • O.B.

 

Actions from last meeting:

 

As Robin Lunn was unable to attend the last meeting, David Dallaway emailed him on 16th Feb requesting updates on outstanding matters from our 13th July 2016 meeting.

 

The litter bin for the pathway adjacent to Greenford Close has still not been installed. Pattie Hill would again be asked to pursue this.

 

Pattie Hill had arranged for RBC to carry out an excellent job in blocking in the gaps on either side of the gated entrance at the top of the steps leading from Brockhill Lane to the Nature Reserve. However, there is now an additional request for blocking in of the gap under the gate itself as it is sufficiently large to allow even large dogs to pass through it and descend on to Brockhill Lane.

 

David Dallaway is now receiving names and postal details of new recruits and leavers from Sylvia Collinson thus enabling him to keep the members list up-to-date.

 

David Dallaway had emailed Pattie Hill and Robin Lunn again recently to seek confirmation as to whether adoption of the Nature Reserve had taken place. In addition he had enquired as to whether Persimmon still owns the strip of Public Open Space land between Pink Green Lane and Cookridge Close. Pattie had responded to say the matter had been referred for clarification to Ruth Bamford, RBC’s Head of Planning and Regeneration.

 

All members had been contacted ahead of the AGM asking for volunteers to join the committee. This had resulted in the recruitment of four new committee members – Emma Fletcher, Margaret Mole, Gemma Monaco and Stephen Siddle.

 

David Dallaway had requested a copy of the parking covenant from the Pointers Way resident who had contacted us. Unfortunately there had been no response to the request. Sylvia Collinson said she would see if a copy could be obtained from her son who lives in Cookridge Close.

 

In the absence of Pattie Hill, it was not known whether she had thanked the member living in Brockhill Lane for the fence repair he had carried out himself. James Doble commented on what a good job the member had done.

Julie Vincent had duly booked the Batchley Community Hall for the A.G.M.

 

Julie Vincent arranged to borrow litter picks and bin bags from RBC for the Litter Pick on Saturday July 8th. The event had proved successful with the consensus of opinion being that there was markedly less litter this year than last. A picture and small article had been included in The Redditch Standard on 21st July. David Dallaway commented that the number attending the pick was very disappointing when considering our overall membership level of more than 350.

 

Welcome to new members and discussion of their roles:

An informal meeting to welcome the new committee members had already been held chez Dallaway on 8th May. Emma Fletcher, Gemma Monaco and Stephen Siddle had all attended and apologies were received from Margaret Mole. Of those only Stephen Siddle was present at this evening’s meeting. We explained three vacant positions existed, that of Chairperson, Membership Secretary and Events Co-ordinator. He asked what the Membership Secretary’s role involved and David Dallaway explained that he had taken on the duties of updating the spreadsheet of members’ contact details following the resignation of Doug Wilks. Stephen Siddle said that he was familiar with spreadsheets and would be happy to take on this role if required.

 

Update on new Holyoakes Field First School:

Parents were informed in April that the school would not be able to move to its new premises on Pointers Way until at least January 2019. Robin Lunn announced that since then it has been discovered that not all the land actually belongs to Persimmon Homes. Apparently some is owned by a farmer and a German company. James Doble clarified the legal position regarding Section 106 and planning applications. Brandon Clayton was attending a meeting with Persimmon the next day and would raise our concerns about the delay and let us know the outcome.

 

Website hosting:

We decided at our last meeting there was a need to find a cheaper website host as the current one had become uncompetitive. Sylvia Collinson confirmed that the required advanced termination notice had been given to the current provider. Stephen Siddle had mentioned, at our informal meeting in May, that he had a contact (David) through his drama group who would be able to accommodate our hosting needs at no cost. Emma Fletcher, our new website administrator, has already researched some other hosting sites. As we use WordPress at the moment we probably need to ensure that any new hosting site has this option included. Emma will arrange to meet with David and Sylvia Collinson’s son Jules, the previous administrator. They will compare the services kindly offered by David and those of the other companies that Emma has looked at. We need to have the new host provider set up by September when the current contract expires.

David Dallaway explained that the profits from the annual Quiz Night just about covered the current costs of maintaining the website. Brandon Clayton very generously offered a grant of £250 from his WCC fund to be used towards our running costs.

 

Pointers Way and progress with Persimmon:

Gemma Monaco had sent Persimmon Homes South Midlands a fairly extensive report containing photographs highlighting the current poor state of the Pointers Way estate, especially around Burrington Close and the public open space area and boundary facing towards Mettis Aerospace. Their response indicated that they had recently appointed additional resource in order to ensure that estate completions were completed in a more timely manner and this development would be a priority for them. Hopefully some progression/completion of the public open space area and also the footpaths should be seen fairly soon, particularly as phase 2 is scheduled to start in the autumn.

Gemma has been unable, however, to obtain clarification as to who is responsible for the barns. She hopes to elicit this from Persimmon’s MD at a forthcoming meeting. As an interim measure Gemma had yet again tried to get in touch with Kate Tait, Strategic Planning Director of Persimmon Homes, but she was proving to be a particularly hard lady to track down! Brandon Clayton said that he was likely to see Kate at a forthcoming meeting with Persimmon. Julie Vincent asked if he could find out about the land that Persimmon had agreed to sell to those residents whose houses backed on to waste land in Carthorse Lane and Longmoor Close, as several of our members are concerned.

 

Salters Lane traffic calming measures and new crossing near junction of Oaktree Lane into Brockhill Park:

Robin Lunn told us that he has discussed a new crossing with the Highways Department at WCC for which approval has been granted. Hopefully more details of the design of the crossing will be available at our next meeting.

 

Carthorse Lane speeding issues:

 

Gemma and Phil Moore had contacted us regarding speeding vehicles in Carthorse Lane. Whilst it was appreciated that traffic calming measures were in place, they were deemed inadequate. Of particular concern was the pedestrian crossing point by the postbox and community notice board. A meeting at this location was held on 18th July attended by around 40 people consisting of residents, David and Lynn Dallaway, Robin Lunn, Brandon Clayton, Richard Clewer of the Highways Agency and Police Community Support Officer Edward Wood. The following week a door knocking exercise was carried out in Carthorse Lane, and roads there off, by Robin, Brandon, Gemma Moore and a couple of other residents plus David and Lynn Dallaway and Tisha Greenway. Residents were asked for their opinion on three options: –

 

  1. Block off Carthorse Lane with bollards where the chicane is currently situated, thus turning the road into two cul-de-sacs with access to the west via Blackwell Lane and to the east via Butlers Hill Lane.
  2. Modify the chicane to make it more effective of causing vehicles to slow down (it is currently possible for drivers to negotiate it without slowing down or having to turn their steering wheel).
  3. Do nothing and leave things as they are.

Robin Lunn is currently evaluating the results of the opinion poll.

 

Deep dip in the pavement near to Rhymes Nursery:

Following our last meeting in February, Sylvia Collinson emailed pictures of the dip to Robin Lunn. He was under the impression that the pavement had been investigated and repaired. We told him that it had not and he will now report back to the Highways Department and get this looked at.

 

Murder Mystery Evening:

Stephen Siddle had discussed with the Alvechurch Dramatic Society, of whom he is a member, the possibility of our being able to invite members to a Murder Mystery Evening. David Dallaway had expressed reservations about holding this event solely for Association members as around 70 attendees would be required to make it viable. Historically we have struggled to obtain good turn outs at our quizzes, AGMs and litter picks. However it was felt it would be an attractive proposition if we could combine the evening with one or more other organisations. The performance would be held at the Alvechurch Village Hall in February next year. We are hoping that this will be of interest to our members as it will be an enjoyable and good fund raising event.

Quiz Night:

We discussed holding the annual Quiz Night in October again. James Doble said that he would be able to provide a sound system and David Dallaway said that he could provide the quiz questions. Some of the profits arise from our bar and snacks sales and we will therefore stress to members attending that there will be no admittance to people bringing in their own food and drinks. Julie Vincent will organise the booking of the Batchley Community Centre.

 

A.O.B.

Nobody had any further issues to raise.

Actions from this meeting:

  • Pattie Hill to request a litter bin for the pathway adjacent to Greenford Close.
  • Pattie Hill to request the blocking in of the gap under the gate at the top of the stairs in the Nature Reserve.
  • Pattie Hill to seek clarification from Ruth Bamford as to whether the Nature Reserve has now been adopted.
  • Sylvia Collinson to investigate whether her son could provide a copy of the parking covenant governing Pointers Way residents.
  • Brandon Clayton to raise with Persimmon our concerns regarding the delay in the building of the new Holyoakes Field First School.
  • Emma Fletcher to meet with Stephen Siddle’s contact David and Sylvia Collinson’s son Jules regarding the website hosting.
  • Brandon Clayton to enquire with Persimmon about the current position regarding the sale of land to Carthorse Lane and Longmoor Close residents whose houses back on to current waste land.
  • Robin Lunn to pursue with the Highways Department the repair of the deep dip on the pathway by Rhymes Nursery.
  • Julie Vincent to book the Batchley Community Centre for the Quiz Night

The meeting ended at 9.25 pm.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday August 24th. This will mainly be to discuss further arrangements for the Quiz Night.

Carthorse Lane – Speeding Traffic issue – Meeting

News

Last Tuesday the 18th July, residents held a meeting to discuss speeding traffic issues on Carthorse Lane.

The turnout was good and a solution was discussed.

Robin Lunn the County Councillor has sent through his  – we will arrange for them to go onto the Residents Board as well in Brockhill.

In summary, Richard Clewer the Highways Agency representative is going to speak to the Traffic Management Team to explore the possibilities of blocking off the road by the footpath so Carthorse Lane in effect gets split into two with no access to through traffic. This idea was supported by everyone there and as such Robin & Brandon Clayton (another County Councillor for Brockhilll) will be starting the consultation process with residents on Tuesday evening at 6pm.

Robin will be conducting a door knocking exercise to establish the views of residents regarding the road blocking proposal.

The door to door consultation will now take place next TUESDAY (25th) night at 18:00 not Monday.

Abandoned Terrapin in the pond

A while ago I was walking the dog around the ponds, I noticed something in the pond nearest to Turnpike Lane, that I thought looked like a turtle or terrapin but I wasn’t sure and my husband thought I was mad until he walked the dog last week and a gentleman took a picture and kindly mailed it into us, so here he/she is

We are looking into what we can do for the Terrapin, but in the meantime he is living in the pond happily.

Please can we remind you that releasing unwanted exotic pets into the wild is cruel and illegal. Most exotic pets are unlikely to be able to survive in the wild in Britain and non-native species could pose a serious threat to our native wildlife. It is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) to release, or to allow to escape, any species that are not normally native to the UK.” Quote from the RSPCA 

Welcome to the new Cygnets, well done to the Swans

Wildlife

swans2

Swans2017

The swans are now the proud parents of 4 cygnets, although I have been informed that one has had to be taken to a sanctuary as it was poorly.

Please help to protect them by keeping your dogs away from them.

Here are some feeding tips for the swans, although in this weather they normally do not need anything extra:

Grain, such as wheat, and vegetable matter, especially lettuce and potatoes, can be fed to swans. Food should be thrown into the water to avoid encouraging the birds onto the bank.

For more information see Swan Feeding