Tag Archives: 2019

Minutes of Meeting Thursday July 25th 2019 held at Alestones

Events, Minutes, , ,

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of Meeting Thursday July 25th 2019 held at Alestones

Those Present:

Sylvia Collinson            SC

David Dallaway            DD

Lynn Dallaway            LD

Tisha Greenway            TG

Claire Ivins            CI

Stephen Siddle            SS

Julie Vincent            JV

Councillors:  RBC Pattie Hill and WCC Robin Lunn

Apologies were received from WCC Brandon Clayton (BC), Malcom Gilks (MG), RBC Gemma Monaco (GM), Ben Moseley (BM) and RBC Nyear Nazir (NN).

The Agenda:

  1. Actions arising from previous meeting on 26th February 2019.
  2. Quiz Night and AGM.
  3. Notice board for Pointers Way.
  4. Post box for Pointers Way.
  5. Holyoakes Field First School – completion update & parking facilities.
  6. Foxlydiate Arms.
  7. Persimmon Homes:-
    (i)   Section 106 payments .
    (ii)  Completion of Pointers Way phase 1.
    (iii) New application Brockhill East – phase 3.
  8. Carthorse Lane speed bumps.
  9. Website hosting & GDPR statement.
  10. Membership list.
  11. Drug selling and suspect behaviour reports.
  12. Sale of Brockhill Wood.
  13. A.O.B.

 

  • Actions arising from previous meeting:

GM had emailed Kate Tait of Persimmon Homes on 6th March regarding the Community House.

In GM’s absence we were unaware if she had contacted Claire Flanagan at RBC regarding Mainstay’s service charge increases.  JV will email GM for a progress report.

RL informed us that some of the land sale at the rear of a small section of Carthorse Lane/Longmoor Close had now gone through.  Solicitors of the remaining residents concerned are still working on this.

BC had confirmed in March that the land to the rear and side of Parklands Close/Dairy Lane was still owned by Persimmon Homes and had not been transferred over to the Council.  However this was being pursued. In BC’s absence RL and PH confirmed that ownership of the field had still not changed.  This was puzzling as BC had indicated at the February meeting that it was land that Persimmon no longer required and was to be given back to Bromsgrove District Council.

MG was waiting to know whom to address the quote for repair of the fence for the Appletree Lane side of the aforementioned field.

JV had organised the borrowing of equipment and bin bags for the Litter Pick which took place in May.

JV has booked the Batchley Community Hall for the Quiz Night and the AGM

 

  • Quiz Night and A.G.M.

Arrangements were discussed for organising the Quiz Night to be held at Batchley Community Centre on Saturday October 12th 2019 at 7.30 p.m.  RL said that he could help with the Quiz questions if needed.  DD said that he hoped to enlist the help of a friend who is a regular Quiz Host.  We will ask members to form teams of 6 – non-members also most welcome. Committee Members will take on their usual tasks regarding food and refreshments, raffle, sponsorship, etc.

The A.G.M. will be held on Tuesday November 5th at 8pm.  We are hoping that the later start will encourage a better attendance than in previous years.

 

  • Notice board for Pointers Way:

CI was congratulated on her success  in obtaining a £2,000 grant from Fortis Living towards the cost of manufacturing and erecting a new community notice board, similar to our existing two in Brockhill Park and Carthorse Lane.  If possible, the Fortis Living logo should be shown on the board in recognition of their support. We will now research our best sourcing options and RL said that he could assist with arranging its installation.  The most suitable siting was discussed together with the need to contact Persimmon regarding permission for its installation on their land. It was felt the best position would be on the edge of the grassland in front of Almondsbury Close just before the start of Burrington Close.  We agreed that GM would be the best person to contact Persimmon in view of her contacts. JV agreed to email GM to ask for her help in this matter.

 

  • Post Box for Pointers Way:

DD discussed the possibility of re-contacting Royal Mail regarding the installation of a post box on Pointers Way.  When he enquired in 2016, he was told that there must be a post box within half a mile of at least 98% of all customers’ letter boxes.  It’s a moot point whether the two nearest boxes in Hewell Road and Carthorse Lane fulfil this requirement. PH pointed out that unfortunately Royal Mail appear to be reducing rather than increasing their number of post boxes.  However DD agreed to contact Royal Mail again, particularly as Pointers Way and Meadow View have developed considerably since 2016.

 

  • Holyoakes Field First School – completion update & parking facilities:

The school’s Head Teacher retired at the end of the summer term but she was asked to perform the traditional ceremony of digging out the first soil to mark the commencement of the new building.  Originally it had been hoped she would oversee the whole relocation process, had the new building commenced a couple of years ago as originally planned. RL said that the intended completion date now, after having to re-tender, would be Christmas 2020.

RL told us that the planning permission includes parking restrictions, so that residents will not have their driveways blocked.  There will be notices restricting parking at certain times, i.e. dropping off and picking up times.

 

  • Foxlydiate Arms:

We submitted a Community Asset Form to Bromsgrove District Borough Council in May in an attempt to prevent the demolition of the Foxlydiate Arms, owned by Whitbread.  As reported recently in The Standard, Bromsgrove District Council has received a Planning Application from Whitbread for the Foxlydiate Hotel site. The Outline Application is to establish the principle for the demolition of the existing building on site and the erection of up to 46 houses, 24 apartments and a children’s play area.  RL is calling on Whitbread to sell the pub and hotel on the open market to another pub or restaurant chain.

A Bromsgrove District Council Cabinet meeting was due to discuss the issue on Wednesday July 10th as the land in question is just over the border in Bromsgrove.  RL, DD and SS attended to support the Community Asset Application.  It was hoped that others in our Association together with members of the ‘Save The Foxlydiate Facebook Group’ would also turn up in support.  Regretfully only one other person was present shortly before the meeting’s commencement.  Fortuitously therefore in some ways , RL, DD, SS and The Facebook Group member were informed moments before the meeting’s start of the withdrawal of the issue from the agenda.  Whitbread’s lawyers had declared that same day that the Foxlydiate had legally been given hotel status and was therefore exempt from being made a Community Asset. However, objections to the plans can be made on Bromsgrove District Council’s website by going into Planning Applications and putting in the postcode – B97 6PX.

JV felt that the roads around Webheath/Brockhill are chaotic enough without even more traffic.  RL pointed out that Webheath does not need more houses, it needs infrastructure and places to socialise for the houses already there.  Members are urged to submit their objections to the proposed demolition.

 

  • Persimmon Homes:-

(i) Section 106 payments

Despite MP Rachel Maclean’s involvement the payment by Persimmon Homes of section 106 monies and transfers of certain pieces of land have still not taken place.  RL told us that seven to eight hundred thousand pounds is owed to the Council by Persimmon Homes.

DD had been alerted by one our members that the BBC were considering covering, in a future programme, the issue of non-payment of section 106 monies by Persimmon and other property developers.

(ii) Completion of Pointers Way Phase 1

RL said that with the exception of Almondsbury Close, none of the roads on Pointers Way are anywhere near the standard to be adopted by RBC.  We will ask GM to chase this, now that she is back from maternity leave.

 (iii) New Application Brockhill East – Phase 3

A public consultation presentation was made at the Abbey Stadium on 14th May regarding Persimmon’s proposal to build 960 new dwellings.  At the presentation DD had asked Kate Tait, Persimmon’s Director Strategic Planning, to confirm that the proposed building work would not affect the historically significant cold war nuclear bunker.  She said that the farmer who leased the land had assured her it was only a disused water tank. DD and LD strongly refuted this and LD said she would send Kate information giving categorical proof of the bunker’s true origin.  Kate has been informed that the bunker was manned by the Royal Observer Corps, its number is SPO3396897, it was opened on 1/5/1963 and was closed down on the 1/10/1968. To date neither response nor comment has been made by Kate.

 

  • Carthorse Lane speed bumps:

Installation of the speed bumps has been delayed due to a few objections from local residents and the police.  RL is insisting that they are done as he has personally witnessed drivers speeding through the chicane and treating it as a game to see how quickly they can get through!  RL & BC will be attending a meeting this week and will insist that the speed bumps are installed.

 

  • Website hosting and GDPR Statement:

Renewal of the website hosting is due early in September.  SC has asked BM, our website administrator, to obtain a quote from the present provider.  BM has agreed to obtain other competitive quotes to ensure we get the best deal for the next 12 months.

A copy of our GDPR statement had been included with the notice to members when alerting them to the posting of the previous meeting’s minutes.  However there was no statement on our website and SC will contact BM to ask that this is added alongside the new members’ registration section on the Home page.

 

  • Membership list:

DD asked SC if she knew why he no longer received automatic notification when a new member joined via registration on our website.  SC said this facility was no longer available with our current hosting company. CI said that the filters on Excel could be programmed to do this and that she would be able to show DD how to set this up.  DD would contact BM to request details of new and unsubscribing members at the end of every calendar month. SC had delivered membership forms to new residents of Meadow View (Phase 2) resulting in several new additions.

 

  • Drug selling and suspect behaviour reports:

We had been contacted recently by a couple of members reporting instances of drug selling in Brockhill Park and the Nature Reserve.  PH told us that arrests had been made recently and those involved were not local people but drug dealers from outside the area. The Basketball Court in Brockhill Park is a prime meeting place for the sale of drugs.  She said it is happening in several areas around Redditch. If you witness any suspect behaviour, ring 101 to report it.

A non-member had contacted us via the website warning that a man had been seen trying the door handles of cars parked in Cookridge Close during the early hours of the morning.  The matter had been reported to the police.

 

  • Sale of Brockhill Wood:

A member had contacted us requesting details of the proposed sale of the woodland plot at the back of Dairy lane, Goscote Close and Carthorse Lane.  Another member residing in Goscote Close kindly supplied DD with information that was duly forwarded to the enquirer. Dealings with the selling Consortium are currently being handled by those residents concerned.

 

  • A.O.B.

A member had reported to DD that the trunk of a large oak tree, situated by the Red Ditch adjacent to Oversley Close, has been sprayed with red paint.  In addition to this vandalism, two swings had been attached to the lower branches. Aluminium ladders had been propped against the tree’s trunk to enable it to be climbed.  Considering the great height of the tree any scaling of it would constitute a considerable safety risk. DD had warned the group of children playing on the swings about the dangers of climbing the tree.  LD asked PH if RBC has a Tree Warden. PH told us that they do not.

JV asked RL why the bund had been removed from Brockhill Drive’s grassy area, near the junction of Appletree Lane, where the new crossing was constructed last year.  Before the crossing was installed the ridge of grass stopped vehicles from parking on the area. The large circle of grass is an ideal spot for travellers to camp on but now there is nothing to prevent access.  RL said that he would put in a request to have the bund put back.

Actions from this meeting:

JV to contact GM to obtain an update on her discussions with Claire Flanagan re Mainstay’s service charges.

DD to arrange compilation of questions for the Quiz Night.

SC to apply for Alcohol Licence for theQuiz Night.

JV to ask GM to contact Persimmon to obtain permission for erection of new notice board on Pointers Way.

DD to contact Royal Mail again re the installation of a post box on Pointers Way.

GM to chase Persimmon regarding the standard of roads on Pointers Way Phase 1 pre-adoption.

RL and BC to progress installation of speed bumps in Carthorse Lane.

BM to obtain competitive quote for website hosting.

SC to liaise with BM re adding GDPR statement to website.

DD to request monthly updates of new and leaving members from BM.

RL to arrange for the bund to be replaced in Appletree Lane/Brockhill Drive junction.

 

Meeting ended at 9.15 pm.

Download your copy here: 

July 2019 Meeting Minutes

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday February 26th 2019 held at 4 Pink Green Lane

Minutes, , ,

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday February 26th 2019 held at 4 Pink Green Lane

Those Present:

Sylvia Collinson                                SC

David Dallaway                                DD

Lynn Dallaway                                 LD

Malcom Gilks                                   MG

Claire Ivins                                        CI

Gemma Monaco                             GM

Julie Vincent                                     JV

 

Guests in attendance: WCC Brandon Clayton (BC) and RBC Pattie Hill (PH).

WCC Robin Lunn (RL) was unable to attend but participated via Skype.

Apologies were received from RBC Anita Clayton and Stephen Siddle.

 

The Agenda:

  1. Welcome to new Committee Members
  2. Actions arising from last meeting in November 2018
  3. Community House
  4. Mainstay’s maintenance charges for Pointers Way and Meadow View
  5. Litter Pick
  6. Quiz Night
  7. Website
  8. Sale of land at rear of Carthorse Lane
  9. Land change of ownership – the field behind Parklands Close/Dairy Lane
  10. O.B.

 

  1. Welcome to new Committee Members:

Two new Committee Members, Claire Ivins and Malcolm Gilks, who had offered their services after the AGM, were welcomed to their first committee meeting.  Claire will be monitoring our Facebook page and Malcolm has volunteered his landscaping and general maintenance skills, should they be required.

  1. Actions Arising from last meeting:

DD had emailed Clare Flanagan, Principal Solicitor for RBC, enquiring about the latest position on the adoption of the Nature Reserve bordered by Brockhill Lane and Plumstead Close.  Ms Flanagan had responded that the Council were expecting to hear from solicitors for Persimmon but nothing had been received as yet.  She would now ask the Property Team Leader to chase this up as a matter of urgency.

In addition our Councillors had contacted Redditch MP Rachel Maclean, asking her to write to David Jenkinson, the interim Chief Executive of Persimmon Homes, regarding the twenty years delay in handing over Section 106 monies and the adoption of some Brockhill roads and public open spaces.   GM had also contacted Bullivant Media, who published an article in the Friday February 22 issue of The Redditch Standard newspaper.  David Jenkinson has vowed to investigate personally ongoing issues.

RL informed us that WCC have now taken possession from Persimmon of the land on which the new Holyoakes Field first School will be built.  The predicted date of completion is the summer of 2020, ready for the September intake.

BC informed us that following on from the tightening of the chicane in Carthorse Lane, a speed bump will now be created to assist the traffic calming measures.

BC & RL had contacted Traffic Safety and Control  Officers to monitor traffic speeds in Salters Lane, near to Oaktree Avenue.   The results are still awaited.

  1. Community House:

The bungalow Persimmon had supposedly built with the intention of allowing its use by the Association as a temporary meeting place, now appears to be being used for storage purposes.  The building was never a viable option with rooms that were unsuitable for meetings and insufficient surrounding  parking space.  GM has received an email from Persimmon Homes South offering a porta cabin that could be placed temporarily on the open area somewhere adjacent to the old Pointers Way showhouse.  The maintenance and security issues connected with such a building were discussed at the meeting, leading to the unanimous decision of its unsuitability.

Persimmon have also offered us plot 111, a two- storey house to be built mid-2020.  They have said in the short term  the house could temporarily be configured to our needs on the ground floor and the first floor could be boxed off.  GM will be contacting Persimmon to inform them this too would be unsuitable because of limited floor space, limited parking facilities, the house being not fully available for use and the day to day running costs that would have to be borne by the Association.

DD suggested that if we were no longer asking Persimmon to provide a temporary Community Building, perhaps they would like instead  to finance the supply and erection of a notice board on Pointers Way.   CI asked us why we couldn’t have a Council run Community Centre, like those in other areas of Redditch.  The Councillors explained that RBC is not running the Leisure Department any more with responsibility for such matters resting with Rubicon Leisure Ltd.  Rubicon are not taking on the running of any new Community Centres.

  1. Mainstay:

This is the company responsible for the maintenance of the public open spaces and grass verges on Pointers Way and Meadow View.  They charge residents an annual service fee which has increased every year so far.  We have been informed by members who live on Pointers Way that the charges increased by a further 6% in January this year.  GM will write to Claire Flanagan of RBC and Simon Mallinson, WCC’s Head of Legal and Democratic Service, to inform them that residents are very unhappy with these increased charges, especially as they cannot see much improvement to the public open spaces.  It was felt that Mainstay should not be allowed to keep increasing the fees well above the level of inflation and that there should be some sort of cap on charges.

  1. Litter Pick:

It was decided to hold our annual Litter Pick on Saturday May 11th.  JV will arrange to borrow the equipment from RBC and arrange for the collection of the rubbish bags.  Further details will be posted on our website and Facebook page and all members emailed to notify them of the time and date.

  1. Quiz Night:

The Annual Quiz Night will be held sometime in October.  This will need to be on either a Monday or Saturday evening, as those are the only evenings available to hire the Batchley Community Centre.  This is another reason why we need our own Community Hall as we are currently restricted as to when we can hold events.

  1. Website:

As a result of an email sent out to all members in January, Ben Moseley had kindly volunteered his services to handle the administration of the website.  He met up with Jules Collinson for a brief induction and is now in control.  We will be inviting Ben to our next meeting if he is available to attend.

DD was concerned that he had not received notification of any new members joining for some time.  He queried whether the mechanism for alerting him of new memberships via the website was still functioning.

DD asked if we could put a statement on our website that covered obligations under General Data Protection Regulations.

  1. Sale of Land at the Rear of Carthorse Lane/Longmoor Close:

Persimmon Homes have still not been communicating satisfactorily with the solicitors of those residents purchasing land at the rear of their properties.   One of our members has told JV that he is so fed up of the undergrowth behind his garden that nobody wants to take responsibility for, that he is thinking of moving.  BC said that he will contact the Council’s solicitor to find out what is preventing the land sale going ahead.

  1. Land change of ownership at the rear of Parklands Close/Dairy Lane:

JV said her neighbour had been informed by the local farmer that ownership of the field, behind the houses in Parklands Close upon which his sheep graze, had changed .  JV had previously been interested in who owned this land.  She had asked RL on several occasions who was responsible for the upkeep of the fence in Appletree Lane that is in need of repair.  BC said the land was in Bromsgrove and owned by Persimmon Homes.  PH suggested that we ask Malcolm Gilks to quote for repair of the fence.

  1. O.B.

One of our members had reported to us that a lamppost was not working in Wooton Close.  DD passed on the details to our Councillors who had arranged its repair.  The other issue reported by this member was the provision of a grit bin for Wooton Close.  BC told us that an appeal is taking place with regard to the request for a yellow grit bin as the original request had been refused last year.  He said that Wooton Close is considered to have the steepest incline in Brockhill and is hopeful of getting one installed.  DD said that speaking parochially he would like a grit bin in Pink Green Lane as the steep hill up to Wheelers Lane was usually impassable when it snowed.

 

Actions from this meeting:

GM to contact Persimmon Homes North regarding the Community House.

GM to contact Claire Flanagan at RBC with regard to Mainstay’s service charge increases.

BC to contact RBC’s solicitors to find out when the sale of land to residents in Carthorse Lane/Longmoor Close will go ahead.

BC to find out who owns the land to the rear of Parklands Close/Dairy Lane.

MG to prepare a quotation for the repair of the fence which separates the above field and Appletree Lane’s public open space.

JV to arrange to borrow equipment for the Litter Pick on Saturday May 11th.

JV to book Batchley Community Hall for the Quiz Night In October.

 

Meeting ended at 9.35 pm.

 

Download your copy here: 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday February 26th 2019 held at 4 Pink Green Lane