Minutes of General Meeting held on Wednesday 9 June 2010
Committee Members Present: Andy Barker (Chair), Gill Blyth (Sec), Deirdre Cohen, Diana Day, Barry Mathiason, Tina Mathiason, Linda Rhodes, and Jenny Read (Treas).
Councillors Present: Cllrs Chris Cole, and Martin Prescott.
1. Signing in process and non-members joining the Association
2. Safety and Evacuation Procedures
Andy Barker, Chairman, opened the meeting at 19.57 and first of all described the evacuation procedures to be followed in case of fire and confirmed that nobody present required assistance. The muster point is in front of the church. He asked anyone leaving the meeting early to sign out.
3. Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from Audrey Lawrence, John Lawrence and Laureen & Martin Sands. Councillor Alan Barker also sent his apologies.
4. Chairman's opening remarks
Andy Barker announced that the Summer Social would take place in the second half of the meeting and there would be a raffle with a sumptuous hamper as the main prize. He then announced a change in the Committee as Jenny Read is leaving the area. He thanked Tina Mathiason for volunteering to join the Committee and stated that she would probably become Treasurer.
5. Matters Arising from the General Meeting on 7 April
Item 14 – Planning. Andy wrote to National Rail about their plans for restoring the area after the bridge had been replaced. No major landscaping is planned; the area adjacent to the bridge will have palisade fencing painted green. Information from another resident Kathy Forsyth is that the area will have its top soil replaced and be seeded with grass. The restoration of the allotments will be negotiated with individual householders. The rubbish will be removed when the work is completed and before the temporary track is removed.
Item 6 - Enfield Waste Management Services. The question of rubbish left in Aldermans Hill has been raised at the Southgate Green CAPE and mentioned to the Enviro-Crime Officer.
6. Conservation Area
The Chairman stated that he had tried unsuccessfully to arrange a meeting with Cllr Neville about the fact that the Conservation Area did not cover all of the Lakes Estate and had approached his successor as Cabinet Member for the Environment and Street Scene, Chris Bond, and was meeting him on 10 June. He will also mention the proliferation of care homes.
7. Planning Applications
Diana Day announced that copies of the planning lists were circulating within the hall.
A matter of great interest is the demolition of 110/112 Aldermans Hill which has caused considerable concern to residents. The latest information, via Cllr Prescott and Andy Higham, Planning Decisions Manager, is that when the application for demolition and the development of a block of flats was passed in November 2007, pre-demolition and pre-commencement conditions were imposed, which were not met. A new application will be required which will go through the normal process of consultation and assessment; it is hoped there will be pre-application discussions to secure improvements in the quality of the scheme.
Ruby Galili queried whether there were any other outstanding applications in the Conservation Area which the Council should be checking.
Diana mentioned the development of 36 residential units behind 483 to 499 Green Lanes. The amended application was refused by the Council on 19 January and an Appeal was lodged on 12 February. Incorrect information had been circulated that the Appeal had been allowed subject to conditions but it is still outstanding.
She also mentioned the application for change of use of 482 Green Lanes where the Council had wished to relocate Palmers Green Library; the application has been withdrawn and the newly elected Council will not be proceeding with this move.
There was a query about 10/12 St Georges Road where work has started. Diana stated that planning permission to convert the premises to 4 flats was granted some time ago. Sarah Hill stated that the work does not seem to comply with the approved application and she has contacted the Planning Office and an Enforcement Officer will be visiting to inspect the plans and the building works.
Land to rear of Nos 2-32 Caversham Avenue. Diana announced that SherryGreen Homes have drawn up revised plans for this development which are being exhibited on 10 June from 4-8pm in St John’s Church Hall.
79-81 Caversham Avenue. Concern was expressed that the 2 terraced properties were being converted to one dwelling by the owner.
98 Alderman s Hill. We have objected to an application to convert a single family home into 3 2 x bedroom flats but it is reported that work has already started.
8. Local scene
Andy introduced Ilona Jesnick, who has lived in the area since 1967, and who addressed the meeting briefly about the Conway Road Recreation Ground which lies within the Conservation Area. The pond has been cleared and Council representatives, including the Biodiversity Officer, have met with local residents and are due to plant indigenous plants in the autumn. Apparently the pond used to be larger and is spring fed. Ilona said she would like to set up a group of Friends of Conway Park. The Secretary suggested the erection of an Information Board about the park and its wildlife.
Improving Our Place (previously Streets for Living)
D Hughes announced that 5 Big Lunches will take place on 18 July which will include events in Caversham Avenue and St Georges Road.
Broomfield Community Orchard
All planting has been completed for this year. The Orchard is open from 10am to noon on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays and from 2-4pm on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of any month. They are planning to hold an Open Day.
Friends of Broomfield Park
There will be an open meeting of the Fof BP on 22 June at the Ruth Winston Centre. There will also be an event in the Park on 27 June in aid of a Cancer Research Group.
Traffic
The Chairman stated that he will be raising a number of traffic matters at his meeting with Cllr Bond. They include the pedestrian crossing in Cannon Hill, the proposed re-surfacing of the Mall and Selborne Road, the partial resurfacing of Fox Lane and the delay in the replacement of street lights.
The reason for the partial resurfacing of Fox Lane has been given as the need to prioritise the finance to the worst areas; resurfacing is paid by the square area covered with different rates according to the depth.
Footway Renewals have been affected by budget cuts but the worst areas will be done.
Julia Mountain asked about the promised evaluation of the VAS installed in Fox Lane a year ago and Andy replied that this was also on his agenda for the meeting the following day.
There was a brief discussion about the history of the crossing in Cannon Hill. Derek Johnson stated that he had contacted the Council and obtained accident statistics for that part of Cannon Hill for the past 5 years. There have been 6 accidents but speeding is not shown as a contributory factor in the analysis of any of them.
9. Neighbourhood Watch (NW)
In Martin Sands absence, the Secretary stated that the Spring Bulletin had been distributed last month and Martin is due to attend a NW meeting with the police next week. She warned people with flat roofs to be careful about windows above them as this has been a favourite entry point for burglars recently.
10. Social Secretary
The Chairman had announced the Social in his Opening Remarks.
11. Membership
Deirdre Cohen said that our current membership is 525 households, although not all subscriptions are up to date. She reminded members to let her know if they had new neighbours as she will send them an invitation to join the Association.
12. Correspondence
None.
13. FERAA/Area Forums/CAPE meetings
FERAA
Nothing to report.
Area Forums
The next Bush Hill Park, Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill REA Forum will held tomorrow, 10 June, at Firs Farm Primary School, Rayleigh Road, Palmers Green. The next Bowes, Southgate and Southgate Green Area Forum will be on 12 July at a venue to be announced.
CAPE meetings
Nothing to report.
14. Any other business
A lady who lived in Amberley Road complained that a fox had walked down her garden towards her and her children and she was worried following the reported fox attack in a house in South London. She was advised that foxes were vermin but attacks on people were rare. It was suggested that she could consider throwing water at it to discourage it from approaching her family.
15. Date of next meeting
The next meeting will be on Wednesday 8 September at 7.45 pm.
16. Summer Social
17. Andy thanked everyone for coming and David Abrahams for serving the drinks.
18. The meeting closed at 21.55 hours.
Signed by Andy Barker, Chairman, on 17 August 2010