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Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on Wednesday June 30 2021

Minutes, News

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of the Committee Meeting 2021 held in the back garden of 5 Parklands Close

Wednesday June 30th 

Those Present:

Sylvia Collinson          SC
David Dallaway            DD
Lynn Dallaway            LD
Gemma Moore            GM2

Julie Vincent            JV           

Mark Whitworth        MW

Redditch North Worcestershire County Councillors: Salman Akbar (SA) & Brandon Clayton (BC)

Brockhill & Batchley Borough Councillor: Nyear Nazir (NN)

The Agenda:

  1. Apologies
  2. Actions arising from previous meeting on March 2nd 2020
  3. Notice Board for Pointers Way/Meadow View
  4. Gardening Project
  5. Finances
  6. Holyoakes Field First School
  7. SmartWater kits
  8. Persimmon Homes:-
    • Section 106 payments and maintenance of open spaces
    • Brockhill East – Phase 3
  1. Speeding on Pointers Way/Meadow View 
  2. Membership List
  3. Facebook
  4. Wooden posts in Wetlands/Brockhill Park
  5. Banister on Staircase from Brockhill Park to Kite Lane
  6. Dog poo bins
  7. Sewage pumping station
  8. A.O.B.
  1. Apologies:

Apologies were received from Stephen Siddle, Gemma Monaco RBC (GM1), Lucy Harrison RBC (LH) and Phil Moore.

Gemma Monaco and Lucy Harrison were attending an RBC Planning Committee meeting.  Gemma had submitted a written report on several agenda topics for use at the meeting.

Lucy had been elected as a Brockhill & Batchley Councillor in May and had met most of the Committee Members at the Litter Pick in June.

Brandon introduced us to the recently elected WCC Salman Akbar.

DD expressed our deep sorrow that since the last meeting Councillor Pattie Hill had passed away on 26th December and Committee Member Malcolm Gilks on 18th January.

  1. Actions arising from previous meeting on March 2nd 2020:

BC told us that he had been in touch with traffic police regarding the traffic calming measures in Carthorse Lane that had been requested at previous Committee meetings.  They informed him that the road was unsuitable because it was a straight and that speed bumps often encourage cars to go faster!

DD had emailed Gemma Monaco on March 3rd 2020 with a map detailing all the repairs and maintenance work required to be carried out in the Nature Reserve by Persimmon Homes.  To date none of the work has been done but this may be due to the impact of COVID 19 on normal working practices.

A message had been posted on our Facebook page encouraging followers to register as Association members via the official website.  DD commented that despite this we continue to receive a considerable number of Facebook postings from non-members. 

Following the easing of Coronavirus restrictions, JV had arranged a Litter Pick for the morning of Saturday June 5th 2021.  Approximately fourteen bags of litter were collected together with an abandoned supermarket trolley.  It was a nice opportunity for committee members to meet some new residents who have since joined the Association.  Also it was our first chance to meet new RBC Lucy Harrison who, together with our other Councillors, helped with the litter picking.

No report back on any changes to the operating times of the Gun Club had been received.  However all agreed that there did not appear to be any noise issues these days.

BC had expedited repairs to the pot holes in Hewell Lane immediately after our last meeting.  BC had also arranged for the lights along Brockhill Drive to be repaired by Western Power. 

  1. Notice Board for Pointers Way/Meadow View

Robin Lunn had been in contact with Matthew Mead of RBC last year and again at the beginning of this year, to find out why the new notice board had still not been installed. Robin had confirmed to DD that the total cost was £2,528, towards which the Association would contribute £2,000.  Robin had submitted a form to the County Council on 19th March 2021 authorising the payment of the difference from his Divisional Fund.  Following Robin’s failure to be re-elected, BC was asked to follow up the situation.  He has since been informed by RBC that they are still awaiting the Association’s payment.  However, our Treasurer DD pointed out that no payment could be made unless an invoice or BACS payment details were sent to him.  BC will now request that an invoice is sent to DD to avoid further delay. 

  1. Gardening Project:

MW, along with Shirley Jobson who is a member from Dairy Lane, is in charge of this project concerning the public open space abutting Appletree Lane.  BC had kindly donated money from his discretionary fund enabling the purchase of fruit trees, daffodils and bluebells that were planted in this area last November.  Native bulbs and seeds have also been planted along the bund and in the small rockery area.  Some members have volunteered to help with the maintenance of the area.  MW said that several residents have asked him if a bench could be placed near to the new fruit trees, which would be a welcome resting place for some of our elderly dog walking members.  NN informed us of a man in Batchley called Bill, who had previously made a bench for the Batchley area.  The wood for it had been provided by RBC and NN said she would find out more details.

MW said that he would like to purchase three red hawthorn trees.  DD said there was £374 remaining in the Gardening Fund out of the £1,000 donated by BC.  It is also planned to plant native daffodils at the end of August.

(Post meeting note: After the end of the meeting BC and SA invited DD and MW to submit an official request for further funding – this was duly done on 9th July)

  1. Finances:

The accounts for the years ended 29.2.20 and 28.2.21 were posted on our website in March this year.  Other than the Gardening Project funding, no other income had been received due to the inability to hold our annual Quiz Night because of the pandemic.  Web hosting and domain name registration costs were around £140 p.a.  We are hoping to hold an AGM and Quiz Night towards the end of this year.

  1. Holyoakes Field First School:

The opening date provided ahead of our last meeting was March 2021.  The most up-to-date estimate we now have is October this year.  BC and GM1 are scheduled to visit residents of Elrington, Fairweather and Gretton Closes in the very near future, as they have requested that Persimmon replace the grass verges with footpaths as originally planned.  Persimmon Homes are prepared to do this provided residents are in agreement.  This is critical work that needs to be done, before the school opens, as currently there is no safe route up Fairweather Close without ending up on the carriageway.

SC said that the field at the old school is being dug up already!  (Post meeting note:  BC has ascertained that this work is being carried out to make room for a temporary class room)

  1. SmartWater kits:

BC told us that WCC had provided funds for SmartWater kits to be bought and given out, free of charge, to residents of Worcestershire.  The kits, which residents then register on the appropriate SmartWater website, contain a security pen for marking valuables.  Posters are also provided for display by one’s front door as a deterrent to burglars.  They have been approved for use by the Police Authority.  BC enlisted the help of DD, LD and SC in delivering the kits to houses on Pointers Way/Meadow View, in the Wheelers Lane area and also Butlers Hill Lane and a few houses in Carthorse Lane.  BC will be getting some more shortly for delivery to other roads in Brockhill.   Residents are free to accept or decline the offer.

Following a query by DD, BC confirmed that once a sufficient number of households had registered, the police would provide notices to indicate that the area was SmartWater protected. 

8. Persimmon Homes:-

  • Section 106 payments and maintenance of open spaces

GM1 had sent us a report on this as she was unable able to attend the meeting.  Over the last three weeks, she and Rachel Maclean MP had been confronting Persimmon over the lack of progress on the issue.  Persimmon North Midlands have now said that due to a change of personnel (standard excuse!) things had slowed.  The new Technical Director is now dealing with matters and RBC’s solicitor has said that there has been some movement over the last couple of weeks.  No date has been set for completion, although the Council’s solicitor says that the next step should be relatively straightforward.  GM1 said that she is anticipating the matter should be resolved within the next three months.

  • Brockhill East – Phase 3

The play area being erected in Owlham Close is due for completion at the end of July.  GM1 said that she expected this to creep into August/September, as she knows that they have been unable to secure some of the materials needed to complete it.  There have also been some reports of children breaking into the area.  Persimmon has ordered new fencing for the time being, but it is likely that the issue of it being broken into will be something that may continue until it is fully opened.

GM1 reported that the secondary balancing pond along the spine path in Burrington Close needs to be fenced off, like the primary one was.  This is mainly to prevent people from getting into the ponds.  Persimmon did carry out a clean- up of the ponds not long ago, but there are still some items that need to be removed.

9. Speeding on Pointers Way/Meadow View:

There have been a few reports recently from residents about cars being damaged near to the speed bumps in Burrington Close.  There is no evidence of the speed bumps being out of specification.  GM1 said in her report that she firmly believes this is likely to be caused by people driving over the speed bumps too quickly.  DD said he was aware of speeding along several other roads on the new estate.

NN told us that LH is running a Speed Watch Project and will hopefully be able to help us with speeding issues in the future.

SA mentioned that the traffic calming measures, installed in Salters Lane near to the entrance into Brockhill Park, were not very efficient.  He said that he would look into getting a stronger barrier at the end of the pathway, to make it safer for children crossing to go to the playground in Oaktree Lane.

10. Membership list:

DD said we now have 481 registered members.  BC asked us how we promote membership and was informed that we continue to leaflet drop to new homes on Meadow View and also to any houses in the older parts of Brockhill where we notice new residents moving in.  DD keeps the membership list up to date following monthly updates communicated by our website administrator, Ben Moseley.  JV sends a welcoming email to all new members.

As mentioned earlier, we are encouraging all those who post messages on our Facebook page to join the Association by registering via our website.

11. Facebook:

In May a member posted a comment on Facebook decrying the display of a poster on our notice boards promoting the Covid 19 vaccination programme.  He and his partner subsequently accused SC of removing the post – a factually incorrect statement as the post still remains on our Facebook page (see posting on 3.5.21 at 10.03am under More/Community).  He subsequently insulted SC by referring to her as a hypocrite and fascist.  We are looking into ways of making our Facebook page more protected as advised by MW, to avoid unnecessary confrontation.  Clearly the two people involved are not welcome as members of our Association.     

12. Wooden posts in the Wetlands/Brockhill Park:

The metal barrier around the pools in this area is joined by wooden posts. They are in a very poor state of repair having rotted down and hardly doing the job for which they were made.  This repair was not on the list compiled by GM1 and BC, for submission to Persimmon, of work required prior to the area being adopted.  BC told us that the pathways are the Council’s responsibility but everything else is still Persimmon’s.  BC said that he will get this added to the list of repairs.  

13. Banister on staircase from Brockhill Park/Wetlands to Kite Lane:

This staircase is on the dog walking route of many of our resident members, some of whom have asked if it would be possible to erect a central banister.  This would assist both ascending and descending, a particular help to our ever increasing ageing population!  BC said that he will put in a request to the Public Open Spaces Management team at RBC.

14. Dog poo bins:

There have been several complaints from residents living on Pointers Way/Meadow View about the dog poo bins not being emptied regularly.  DD believed that the bins were currently not the Council’s responsibility but those of Persimmon or Mainstay.  He had noted that the Council’s bins were green but those on the new estates were red.   DD also found it strange that there were two bins within 100 yards of one another on the path below the derelict farmhouse but none along the popular dog walking path around the Jacob Close lake.  BC said that Persimmon are buying fifteen new bins to place around the dog walking routes and hopefully the Council will empty these more regularly.  BC said GM1 has already contacted those concerned and we should have the new bins in place before too long.

15. Sewage pumping station:

The pumping station, situated at the end of the path running parallel to Mettis Aerospace and Burrington Close, experienced a major seepage of sewage water in February 2021.  This had recently re-occurred and subsequently reported to GM1 by DD.   Persimmon has blamed the issue (no pun intended!) on wet wipes being flushed down toilets but GM1 said in her report, that she blames the lack of maintenance to the pumping station.  The issue has been reported to the Environment Agency as the seepage also leaked into the balancing ponds.  GM said that she has told Persimmon that this is wholly unacceptable and has made it very clear to them that she will be closely monitoring the clean- up of this area.  She has also asked them to conduct engineering reports as to whether this station is going to be able to cope with the extra sewage from all the new houses still to be built on the estate.

16. A.O.B.

MW said that he had recently noticed a lot of weeds in the gutters around Appletree Lane and Brockhill Drive and wondered if they are sprayed with a weed killer by the landscapers when they cut the grass.  JV will contact Richard Adlington to find this out.

GM2 asked if anybody had the contact details for the farmer whose sheep are in the field at the back of Lily Green Lane.  Her house backs on to the field and she has noticed a few sheep in distress.  MW said that he would provide her with the farmer’s ‘phone number.

JV wondered if it would be possible to have a police officer attend our meetings as there haven’t been any PACT meetings in the area for some time, most likely due to the pandemic.  With Brockhill still growing, it would make sense she thought, to build up a relationship with the local police, in order to be able to voice any of our members’ concerns.

NN said that there is a new police team for Brockhill and that she will send us their details shortly.

JV asked if the Councillors thought it would be possible to have the bench in Brockhill Park turned around as it currently faces bushes.  Better still, could it be moved to the area in Appletree Lane’s Public Open Space where MW has requested a bench (see section 4. above)?  We will await the decision as to whether a wooden bench will be made for that area, and if so, just have the park bench turned around.

Actions from this meeting:

BC to request the sending of an invoice by RBC to DD for the Association’s contribution to the Pointers Way notice board.

NN to find out from Bill, the ‘Community Champion’, if he could make us a bench.

SA to investigate whether a stronger barrier can be installed at the end of the pathway leading from Brockhill Park onto Salters Lane.

BC to add the repair of wooden posts around the pools in Brockhill Park to Persimmon’s pre-adoption ‘snags list’.

BC to request the addition of a banister for the staircase leading from Kite Lane to Brockhill Park.

JV to contact Richard Adlington about the spraying of gutters with weed killer.

NN to provide the new police team’s contact details.

The meeting ended at 9.30 p.m. 

Minutes of Committee Meeting Monday March 2nd 2020 held at the Foxlydiate Arms

Minutes, News

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of Committee Meeting Monday March 2nd 2020 held at the Foxlydiate Arms

Those Present:

Sylvia Collinson                              SC

David Dallaway                              DD

Lynn Dallaway                                LD

Gemma Moore                              GM2

Phil Moore                                      PM

Stephen Siddle                               SS

Julie Vincent                                   JV

Mark Whitworth                           MW

 

Redditch North Worcestershire County Councillors: Brandon Clayton (BC) & Robin Lunn (RL)

 

Brockhill & Batchley Redditch Borough Councillors: Pattie Hill (PH), Gemma Monaco (GM1)
& Nyear Nazir (NN)

 

The Agenda:

 

  1. Apologies
  2. Co-option of members on to the Executive Committee
  3. Actions arising from previous meeting on 25th July 2019
  4. Notice board for Pointers Way/Meadow View
  5. Holyoakes Field First School – completion update & parking facilities
  6. Foxlydiate Arms
  7. Mainstay’s maintenance charges
  8. Persimmon Homes:-
  • Section 106 payments and maintenance of open spaces
  • Leasehold payments
  • Brockhill East – Phase 3
  1. Membership list
  2. Night time criminal behaviour
  3. Litter Pick
  4. O.B.

 

  1. Apologies:

 

Apologies were received from Malcolm Gilks.

  1. Co-option of members on to Executive Committee:

Gemma and Phil Moore were welcomed back to Brockhill; Gemma having previously served as a Committee Member before moving away from the area.  They have both expressed their willingness to assist as Committee Members and were co-opted forthwith.  This takes our numbers up to nine, being the maximum permitted by our Constitution.

  1. Actions arising from previous meeting on 25th July 2019:

Actions relating to Mainstay, the new notice board, standards of roads on Pointers Way, Association membership and the Appletree Lane/Brockhill Drive junction would all be discussed as part of this evening’s agenda.

The Quiz Night had been held successfully last October.

As reported at November’s AGM, DD had received an unsatisfactory response from Royal Mail about the installation of a post box on Pointers Way/Meadow View.

Regretfully no progress had been possible on the installation of speed bumps by the post box in Carthorse Lane.  RL said that the Police Authority were against improving traffic calming measures and the new owners of the house, nearest to the area concerned, were also opposed.  RL and BC said they would send out letters to nearby residents to seek their opinions.

  1. Notice Board for Pointers Way/Meadow View

GM1 had obtained Persimmon’s permission for the new notice board to be erected on the grassland opposite the junction of Burrington Close and Cookridge Close.  RL was awaiting a quote from Matthew Meade, RBC’s Senior Engineering Technician, for supply and installation.  RL agreed to chase him up on this.  RL had generously agreed to meet any costs in excess of Fortis’ grant from his WCC discretionary fund.

RL asked if we wanted the design to be the same as the existing two.  We had originally requested it bore a Fortis Housing Logo, in recognition of their 2k donation.  However it was decided that this would probably delay the installation.  It was suggested, therefore, that a notice in recognition of Fortis’ kind funding be displayed permanently inside the board.

  1. Holyoakes Field First School – completion update & parking facilities:

The expected completion date for the school is still March 2021.  The councillors said that there would be a hardcore parking area as well as a car park for the staff.  BC commented that parking issues around schools in Redditch were commonplace.  Afternoons, when cars awaited pick ups, tended to be more problematical than early morning drop offs.

  1. Foxlydiate Arms:

RL informed us of a planning meeting to be held at Bromsgrove District Council’s Chamber Offices on Monday March 16th at 7 p.m.  At this will be discussed Whitbread’s intention to sell the land, on which the Foxlydiate Arms stands, to developers for the building of 48 houses and an apartment block.  RL and Committee Members will be attending to object to the bulldozing of a much needed Community Asset.  We are hoping that as many members as possible will attend to support this and we will be contacting the Webheath Forum members and also the ‘Save the Foxlydiate’ Facebook Group.  Our application to declare the building a Community Asset was turned down by Ruth Bamford, Head of Planning and Regeneration for Redditch and Bromsgrove, following the Foxlydiate Arms’ change of status from a pub to a hotel.  However, the pub only has a couple of rooms and these are used only occasionally.  Bromsgrove has recently had plans for 2.500 new houses to be built around Webheath and Bentley; more than that required by the Government’s Strategic Plan.  The consensus of opinion is that we do not need any more houses to be built on the Foxlydiate site.  The road infrastructure, as usual, appears to be the last consideration.

(Post meeting note update: The above meeting has now been cancelled. The next scheduled planning meeting is due to take place on Monday 6th April but it is not anticipated that the application for the Foxlydiate Public House will be on that agenda.  We will post details on our website and Facebook page as soon as we are aware of any future meetings to discuss the Foxlydiate’s demolition.  In this event we would encourage as many Association members as possible to attend to voice their disapproval.  RL will register to speak at any such meeting as the issue will have a major impact on his electoral division.)

  1. Mainstay’s Maintenance Charges:

JV had asked her friends living on Pointers Way whether the charges had been raised again following receipt of their invoice in January.  They confirmed that the charges had remained the same this year.  However they still consider that insufficient maintenance is carried out during the year to warrant every household on Pointers Way, and now also Meadow View, having to pay £120 annually.  What they were not told when they bought their property, which their solicitor should have made them aware of, was that they also pay the share for the residents in the Affordable Houses, who are exempt from paying.

Members had reported damage to the grass verges in Gretton Close which like several roads on the estate has no pavements.  The verges are currently waterlogged from the constant heavy rain experienced throughout February.   Heavy vehicles driving over them when so sodden has created a boggy sunken area.  The situation is exacerbated by some residents choosing to park on the verges rather than in the designated off road parking areas.  GM1 has asked Persimmon to lay down ground base grids before any proposed re-seeding.

  1. Persimmon Homes:
  • Section 106 payments and maintenance of open spaces

RBC has met with Persimmon Homes South executives, to discuss payment of the Section 106 monies and prior to this, the maintenance work required to the Public Open Spaces around Brockhill, to bring them up to a good standard of repair for RBC to agree adoption.  BC and GM1 walked around the Public Open Spaces with Persimmon’s representatives, pointing out the work required.  Committee Members had identified many areas where work was needed to be carried out.  BC informed us that contractors, employed by Persimmon, are firstly undertaking work to pathways. This will be followed by work on fencing and construction of a wooden bridge over boggy grassland between Edenfield Close and Brockhill Drive.  The bund, which was removed when the new crossing was made near to the traffic island at the Appletree Lane/Brockhill Lane junction, will also be replaced.  Full size barriers will be erected on the staircase to the Nature Reserve.  Trees have been cut down by the Carthorse Lane pond as they were infected with algae.  In addition three trees near to the subway leading into Brockhill Park have been cut down due to ash dieback disease.  The 106 payments will be made when all work has been completed.

GM1 asked DD if he would provide her with details of repair work that he had identified as being required in the Nature Reserve and adjoining Orchard.  She would then bring this to Persimmon’s attention.

  • Leasehold payments

A resident on Meadow View had emailed us to ask whether the council were going to adopt the site and thus stop the so called ‘fleecehold’ payments.  DD had forwarded a response by BC to the inquirer stating that the council were in the process of coming to an agreement with Persimmon regarding section 106 and the money they have to pay over.

  • Brockhill East – Phase 3

The plans for Phase 3 had been on display at the Abbey Stadium last year and were passed at a planning meeting a few months later.  There will be built up to a further 960 houses and also a few shops with a centralised parking area.  We have been told by BC that a Community Centre will also be built close by.  Members can arrange to view the plans for phase 3 at the Town Hall.

  1. Membership List:

DD now receives from Ben Moseley monthly notifications of new members registering online via the website.  He is thus able to update the Membership List detailing everybody’s email and postal address.  We are pleased to report that membership has been increasing as new residents move into their houses on Meadow View.  SC has been delivering Membership Forms to newly occupied houses on a regular basis..

DD had become aware of our being contacted by several individuals who were not on his Members List.  MW had subsequently confirmed that a number of our followers on Facebook were not registered members of the Association.  MW was therefore asked if he could post a message on Facebook encouraging all followers to register as members via the website.  MW also pointed out that quite a few people who access and post comments on our Facebook page live outside the Brockhill area.  This is fine and their comments are welcome but clearly they cannot be classed as proper Association members.

  1. Night time criminal behaviour:

Several members have sent us emails and Facebook messages regarding suspicious night time behaviour.  We have received reports of individual(s) trying door handles of parked cars in the early hours (2am – 4.30am) of the morning.  Incidents have been reported in Cookridge Close, Clarendon Close and Wheelers Lane.  A video shot by one resident of two hooded persons operating in Wheelers Lane was sent to the police.  PH stressed that all incidents should be reported to the police by ‘phoning 101.  Residents are strongly advised to ensure they always lock their parked cars and under no circumstances whatsoever leave any valuables in them.

  1. Litter Pick:

We discussed the best time to hold our annual Litter Pick and it was decided to wait until the better weather, possibly during or just after the School Summer holidays, when there is always more litter around.  JV will make the arrangements and details will be posted on the website and notice boards.

  1. O.B.

SC asked the councillors if they knew of any changes to the opening times at the Gun Club. She had heard noise from the shooting more often and at different times than usual.  The councillors said that they would make enquiries and let us know.

MW asked the councillors about Persimmon selling land at the rear of 157 Carthorse Lane as this is a Public Open Space with a footpath leading to it, maintained by the Council.  BC said that the path is being resurfaced as tree roots had lifted it considerably.  The land is still being sold, but the public footpath with lamp post will remain and a space will be left for members of the public to access the Public Open Space.  It is a very popular route for dog walkers.

SC asked RL & BC if they knew about the deep pot holes in Hewell Lane near to Petersen Springs.  She told us that she and her husband had driven over one which resulted in their having to purchase a new suspension spring for their car. The councillors said that they would contact the road maintenance department to get the pot holes filled in.

MW asked if the councillors knew why the lights down Brockhill Drive were not working.  They have been off for a couple of weeks, from the junction of Blackwell Lane to Lily Green Lane.  They said that they will see that they are turned back on.

The sewage pumping station, situated at the end of the path running parallel to Mettis Aerospace and Burrington Close, had recently experienced problems.  DD had spoken to workmen who said that raw sewage was spilling out on to the surrounding ground.  One workman had been to see the Meadow View site manager but Persimmon were denying that their ongoing building work had caused the problem.

Actions from this meeting:

  • RL and BC to send out letters to residents in the vicinity of the proposed Carthorse Lane speed bumps seeking their opinions.
  • RL to chase up Matthew Meade for the notice board quote.
  • DD to provide GM1 with details of repair work required in the Nature Reserve and adjoining Orchard.
  • MW to post a message on Facebook encouraging all followers to register as members of the Association via the website.
  • JV to arrange the next Litter Pick sometime in the second half of the year.
  • Councillors to report back on any changes to the Gun Club’s operating times.
  • Councillors to contact the road maintenance department regarding repair of the pot holes in Hewell Lane.
  • Councillors to request that the lights along Brockhill drive are switched back on.

 

The meeting ended at 9.10 p.m.

 

 

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

 

 

Please find attached the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at the Batchley Community Centre

Minutes

AGM October 15.10.18

BROCKHILL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting

held at the Batchley Community Centre on Monday October 15th2018

In Attendance:

Committee: Sylvia Collinson, David Dallaway, Lynn Dallaway, Cllr Gemma Monaco, Stephen Siddle, Julie Vincent.

Members:Matt Collinson, Les Cook, Robin Dennis, Cherry Gilks, Malcolm Gilks, Graham Haynes, Marion Haynes, Claire Ivins, Louise Moakes, Paul Moakes, Mike Vincent, Jean Vranic, Jean Wood,.

Councillors:RBC Anita Clayton, WCC Brandon Clayton, RBC Pattie Hill, WCC Robin Lunn.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:

Apologies were received from John Dallaway, James Doble, Tisha Greenway and Peter Merricks.

The Councillors and Committee were introduced to those members present by David Dallaway.  He extended a particularly warm welcome to Cllr Pattie Hill following her recent recovery from illness.

ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS AGM:

The minutes of last year’s AGM were available on the Brockhill Residents’ Association website for members to read and were adopted forthwith.

APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDING 28THFEBRUARY 2018:

David Dallaway provided members with a copy of the Income and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet for the 12 months ended 28thFebruary 2018.  The overall profit of £382 increased our funds to £977.  The profit arose from two sources, viz.: Brandon Clayton’s donation of £250 from his Worcestershire Councillors’ Divisional Fund and Quiz Night profits of £219.  Julie Vincent had sent a letter of thanks to all individuals and companies who had donated prizes to the Quiz Night’s raffle.

Web hosting costs had been reduced by more than 50% and thanks were given to Jules Collinson for negotiating this.

Since the 1stMarch 2018 we had received a further £440 from three sources.  Committee member Stephen Siddle, a member of the Alvechurch Dramatic Society, had arranged and performed in a Murder Mystery Evening.  Our share of profits from the two highly enjoyable evenings was £300. Thanks were given to Stephen and his fellow thespians.

£100 was raised for the Association from a Fashion Show at Beoley Village Hall, organised in the summer by one of our members, Julia Cuzner. The show also raised £200 for Birmingham Christmas Shelter.  Thanks were given to Julia and those members who attended and supported the show, and to the local Tesco store for their donation of a couple of bottles of wine to the raffle.

Member Robin Dennis had again donated a child’s bicycle for auction, this being his third such generous offer.  It was disappointing that the auction, held shortly before Christmas and advertised on the Association’s website, Facebook page and notice boards, received no bids.  Robin subsequently sold the bicycle through his business and kindly donated £40 to Association funds.

Jules Collinson had managed to negotiate a further reduction down to £58 for this year’s web hosting costs and again he was thanked for his efforts.

At today’s date the Association’s funds stood at £1,360.

The Accounts were received, adopted and approved by members.

 

DISCUSSION OF THE FOLLOWING ONGOING ISSUES:-

  1. Holyoakes Field First School:-

The school in Bridge Street is still waiting to relocate to a new building on Pointers Way, Brockhill East.  They are now hoping that this will happen in September 2020. The delay in commencement of building was due to land ownership issues.  These have now been resolved and the remedial work, i.e. pinning down the land to prepare for the building to start, the laying of utilities etc. has begun. The school is not being built by Persimmon.

David Dallaway read out a recent newsletter message sent out by the school’s Headmistress:-

“Parents have been asking when we expect to move into the new build on Brockhill Estate.  Unfortunately we have been waiting for access road to be built which we believe has recently been completed but are still awaiting for the land to be transferred to the local authority.  Once this happens we will inform you but until then it is not possible to give any estimation or time limit for the project to be completed.”

Matt Collinson asked the Councillors about the road plans near to the school and if there would be enough turning space for cars dropping off children.  Robin Lunn said that there was going to be a traffic island constructed.  We were told that Burrington Road, which is the main road through Pointers Way, will eventually be a through road to Bordesley, which will ease the congestion of traffic.

  1. Adoption of the Nature Reserve:-

Peter Merricks, a member and former Chairman of the Association, had been asking persistently since 2016, when the piece of land known as the Nature Reserve was to be adopted.  This is the area, popular with dog walkers, accessible from gates in Brockhill Lane and Plumstead Close.  In August 2017 Pattie Hill had chased up Ruth Bamford, RBC’s Head of Planning and Regeneration, for an update on the matter.  Ruth’s response was very disappointing from somebody in her position:-

“It is not adopted.  I (sic) terms of whether or not Persimmon still own a particular parcel of land this would be a land registry matter.”

Brandon Clayton said the matter was in the hands of Persimmon’s lawyers and that at present, RBC are maintaining the land. Brandon added that some open spaces, previously thought to have been adopted, have not been fully adopted.  Anita Clayton said that Persimmon Homes had got away with these adoption issues for too long and it was now time to involve our MP, Rachel Maclean, in an attempt to resolve matters.  The Councillors all agreed that they would put their signatures to our letter to Ms Maclean.

[Post AGM note: The October 26thedition of The Redditch & Alcester Standard carried a front page headline, “Homes giant in dock over delay in payout.” Consequently no contact has yet been made with Rachel Maclean as the newspaper’s editor had brought the article’s contents to the attention of both Redditch Borough Council and Persimmon Homes.]

  • Community Building:-

We informed members of a visit, by several of the Committee, to view the bungalow recently built by Persimmon as part of its Meadow View development.  This building had been offered by Persimmon as a community building to serve as a temporary solution to the lack of community facilities.  We had been informed by Kate Tait, Persimmon Homes’ Strategic Planning Director, that the bungalow would be a shell with no interior walls, so that we could have the building designed for our needs.  When we visited the bungalow we were amazed to find that the interior walls had been constructed.  The rooms were too small for us to use for meetings and there was nowhere to park.  The building also had a “For Sale” sign attached to its front wall, although the sales representative said this was a mistake. We have emailed Kate Tait to ask her why the bungalow was not built to meet our needs, but as yet we are still awaiting a reply.  It was noted that Persimmon’s failure to respond on a number of matters was becoming the norm.

Several of the Committee had met with the Chairman and Treasurer of the Webheath Village Hall Management Team, to ask their advice on the running of a community building.  They were very helpful, but there was just no comparison to our position as they had inherited a well-run hall whose set up costs had already been financed before their takeover of responsibilities.  We learnt from them how expensive the running costs were, in their case financed by an annual lettings income of around £25,000.  It emerged that the need for two large rooms, available for hiring out, is paramount in order to generate sufficient income to cover the building’s running costs.

Brandon Clayton confirmed that it is proposed to build a Community Hall close to the new Holyoakes Field First School and the nearby new shops.  However, this will not be undertaken for several years.  Robin Lunn pointed out that there will be a room available for meetings when the new school is built.  A discussion then ensued as to whether this was likely to be jeopardised by the school becoming an Academy.  If this were to happen, then almost certainly there would be a charge for use of its rooms. Financially the Association would be in no better a position than currently, with the need to pay room hire charges for the Batchley Community Centre.

Matt Collinson expressed his indignation that section 106monies, arising from Persimmon’s various housing developments in Brockhill, had been spent by the Council in other areas of Redditch.  He bemoaned the total lack of community facilities in Brockhill and felt that the considerable amount of Council Tax paid by Brockhill residents should be used for the benefit of their own area and not others in Redditch.

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE LAST AGM:

David Dallaway highlighted the following:-

  • A litter pick took place in July last year. All those who participated were thanked but the overall number was disappointing considering there are 370 members in the Association.
  • Following concerted efforts and hounding of Persimmon by Gemma Monaco, a tidy up of the land surrounding Pointers Way has been carried out.
  • Introduction of increased traffic calming measures by the chicane next to the postbox in Carthorse Lane.
  • Installation of a litter bin on the pathway adjacent to Greenford Close and the replacement of the one in the underpass leading to Brockhill Park.
  • Help given towards the advertising promotion of the Brockhill Football team being set up by Greg Fletcher.
  • Liaison with Police Community Support Officers regarding issues such as weed smoking in Brockhill Park and scrambler/quad bikes being ridden dangerously around the Nature Reserve and Pointers Way’s derelict barns. On an ongoing basis any problems should be reported to PCSO Ed Wood.
  • Traffic calming bollards and signage have been installed at our request in Salters Lane near the junction of Oaktree Lane. Unfortunately this has not had the desired effect and we have asked Robin Lunn and Brandon Clayton to see what else can be done to slow down traffic. They will be monitoring the speed of cars coming around the bend to see what further measures are needed.
  • The big dip in the tarmac pathway near to Rhymes Nursery in Low Field Lane has now been filled in.
  • The crossing at the Appletree Lane Traffic Island was completed in the summer.

ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

David Dallaway informed the meeting that since the last AGM, Margaret Mole, James Doble, Gemma Moore and Emma Fletcher had resigned from the Committee.  He asked if there was anybody interested in volunteering to join the Committee.  There was no response but two members present came forward the next day to offer their services.  Claire Ivins, who has offered to monitor our Facebook Page, and Malcolm Gilks will be welcomed at our next Committee Meeting.

David Dallaway suggested that we ask for more volunteers when sending out notification to all members that the AGM minutes have been posted on the website.  The Association has continued to run without a chairperson since the resignation of the former incumbent in April 2014.  It was hoped then that a suitable volunteer would soon emerge but regretfully nobody has put themselves forward despite a large increase in membership in that four and a half years period.

A.O.B./ MEMBERS’ OPEN FORUM:

Mike Vincent asked why the grass bank had not been replaced after the new pathway in Appletree Lane had been created, near to the new crossing.  He said that itinerant travellers would now be able to get their vehicles onto the public open space.  The grass bank needs to be put back.  Brandon Clayton said that he will attend to this.

Pattie Hill told us that there is now a bigger team of PCSO’s in the Batchley/Brockhill area to tackle the anti-social behaviour we have been experiencing in Brockhill Park.

Graham Haynes asked if anyone knew what the tall masts were that had been installed recently on Brockhill Drive by the junction of Salters Lane.  None of the five Councillors in attendance was aware but said they would find out.

David Dallaway asked if anybody had heard from Greg Fletcher regarding the Brockhill Football Team he wanted to set up.  As mentioned above, Greg had contacted us earlier this year to ask for support in promoting his wish.  We have displayed his poster on our notice boards but have had no feedback from him since then. Pattie Hill said that he has probably set something up at Redditch Borough Football Club.

Malcom Gilks told us that there is a hedge obscuring the traffic on the corner of Lily Green Lane and Shireland Lane and wondered who owned it.  Robin Lunn said that he would find out and let us know.

The meeting ended at 10 p.m.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

Brockhill Residents’ Association Minutes of A.G.M. held April 10th 2017

Minutes

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at the Batchley Community Centre on Monday April 10th 2017

In Attendance:

Committee: Sylvia Collinson, David Dallaway, Lynn Dallaway, James Doble, Tisha Greenway, Julie Vincent.

 

Members: Matt Collinson, Les Cook, Scott Davies, Robin Dennis, Emma Fletcher, Andrew Freeman, April Freeman, Rosie Hallahan, Graham Haynes, Marion Haynes, John Hinks, Claire Ivins, Margaret Mole, Steven Mole, Sheila Pentecost, Mike Vincent, Jean Vranic, Dan Williams, Jean Wood, Katrina Woodford.

 

Councillors: RBC Pattie Hill, WCC Robin Lunn, WCC Graham Vickery.

 

Each member of the Committee introduced themselves to the meeting.

 

APOLOGIES:

 

Apologies were received from Jo Barrett, John Dallaway, Stuart Darn, Paul and Lorayne Kimberley, Peter Merricks, Louise Morey, Stephanie Shepherd, Stephen Siddle, Andrea Stevens.

 

ADOPT MINUTES OF PREVIOUS AGM:

Members had been reminded by email that the minutes of last year’s AGM were available on the Brockhill Residents’ Association Website. They were duly adopted.

 

RECEIVE AND, IF APPROVED, ADOPT THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDING 28TH FEBRUARY 2017:

David Dallaway summarised the year’s accounts stating that we had made a loss of £156. This was mainly attributable to spending £185 on the printing of membership leaflets. Total income was £272 generated by October’s Quiz Night (£222) and the child’s bike auction (£50). We are grateful to Wayne Preece for running the quiz and to all those members and companies who donated prizes for the raffle. We were indebted to Robin Dennis for providing a child’s bike for the auction, this being the second he has now donated.

After the printing of leaflets, the next highest cost was website hosting at £153. The provider, Just Host, is proving to be expensive and a cheaper alternative will be sought at next renewal in September. The hire of Batchley Community Centre for the quiz and the AGM costs around £10 per hour. The total cost of holding an AGM exceeds £30. We currently have limited sources of income, particularly as membership of the association remains free. This was a deliberate decision taken on formation as we wished to maximise the number of people opting to join. Andrew Freeman suggested that perhaps members could make voluntary donations to improve the funding position.

 

The year’s loss of £156 had reduced our year-end bank balance to £596.

DD told members that we would like a Community Notice Board for Pointers Way. In a meeting last year with Kate Tait, Strategic Planning Director for Persimmon Homes Ltd, she had implied that her company were likely to look favourably upon a funding application via their monthly grants scheme. However the maximum grant is £1,000 and the total cost of a board is around £2,600. We therefore feel unable to commit to this project until other suitable finance raising opportunities for the balance of required expenditure are found.

The accounts were duly approved and adopted by those present.

 

RECEIVE A REPORT ON THE YEAR’S ACHIEVEMENTS:

David Dallaway first referred to the future objectives outlined at last year’s AGM:-

 

Growth of membership: 1,500 new membership leaflets were printed at a cost of £185. These were then hand delivered by ourselves, to save money, to all houses on Pointers Way and to those across Brockhill whose residents were not already members. This resulted in an increase in numbers of approximately 150, giving a current total membership in excess of 340.

 

Development of community facilities: Committee members and Councillor Robin Lunn met with Kate Tait of Persimmon Homes on 11 March last year. Robin and fellow councillor Graham Vickery have attended subsequent meetings with Persimmon to ensure that this progresses satisfactorily.

 

Funding of a third community notice board for Pointers Way: This had already been covered in the report on the accounts above.

 

Quiz Night: This was held on October 8th and was well attended. Quiz Master Wayne Preece provided an excellent workout for our brains with a varied selection of subjects. We had some great raffle prizes as well as a prize for the winning team of wine and chocolates.

 

New post box for Pointers Way: Royal Mail has been contacted but unfortunately they have no immediate plans. Their regulatory requirements state they must ensure there is a post box within half a mile of at least 98% of all ‘delivery points’ (usually a customer’s letter-box) nationally, and this distance is measured as the crow flies. The four nearest boxes to the new development are situated in Carthorse Lane, Appletree Lane, Batchley Road and Hewell Road, all of which are more than half a mile’s walk away (we can’t fly like crows!). We will continue to monitor the situation.

 

“Open spaces” naming competition and “Walks around Brockhill” leaflets: These are carried forward as objectives for the coming year.

 

Adoption of roads: All bar those on Pointers Way have now been adopted. The last three, Turnpike Lane, Wheatcroft Close and Vowchurch Close, were adopted on March 15th this year. We will now liaise with our councillors to ensure that the roads on Pointers Way are adopted as soon as is practicable.

 

Growth of relationship with Persimmon Homes: Our three councillors, Robin Lunn, Graham Vickery and Pattie Hill, continue to promote this.

 

Safety improvements around gate at top of steps leading from Brockhill Lane to the Nature Reserve: Work has still not been carried out and we will continue to pursue this via Pattie Hill.

 

Creation of new path at the traffic Island in Brockhill Drive/Lily Green Road: This was finally created after three years awaiting funding from WCC Highways Department. Our thanks go to Robin Lunn for achieving this. We are hoping for the creation of another path at the Brockhill Drive/Appletree Lane traffic island, later this year.

 

Re-installation of staggered barriers at the Salters Lane end of Brockhill Park: The old barrier with gaps each side is still in situ.

Re-installation of litter bins around Brockhill Park: Now completed.

 

David Dallaway then summarised other achievements since the last AGM:-

 

A Litter Pick took place last spring with about 20 members and their dogs doing their bit to clean up the neighbourhood. We collected eighteen large bags of litter.

 

Many members have found our Facebook page useful and informative in respect of local security issues, lost pets and other local news. James Doble commented on the large number of people who have frequented the site. We now have two committee members monitoring it.

 

We continue to display leaflets and notices of interest to the local community on the two notice boards provided by RBC and WCC.

 

We have continued to report to our local councillors any safety issues and damaged trees that we notice when walking around Brockhill. Wherever possible they attempt to ensure our needs are met.  

 

We have had new dog waste bins provided and also litter bins replaced when needed.  

 

We have reported litter and fly tipping and also anti- social behaviour around Brockhill Park by the basketball court. We have also reported to the Housing Department at RBC that a tent had been erected in the park recently. We will continue to monitor this unwelcome presence.

 

We had noticed a large number of cigarette butts around a lamp post outside Rhymes Nursery in Lowfield Road. Pattie Hill visited the Nursery’s Head to complain about the litter and this has now been resolved.

 

ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

 

To comply with the Constitution, one third of the existing Committee must resign each year, albeit they may then offer themselves for re-election. Angie Preece, who has not been able to attend any meetings for some time, wished to stand down. Sylvia Collinson was resigning from her role as Treasurer but, if re-elected, wished to remain as a Committee member. Emma Fletcher had kindly agreed to take over the administration of the website and offered herself for election to the Committee.

 

David Dallaway asked if any of those present wished to volunteer their services. Margaret Mole said that she would be happy to join the Committee.

 

Emma and Margaret were duly elected and Sylvia re-elected to the Committee.  

 

April and Andrew Freeman kindly offered to allow us to use their business for our photocopying needs in the future.

 

OUTLINE OF FUTURE OBJECTIVES:

 

James Doble outlined the coming year’s main objectives:-

 

Arrange another meeting with Kate Tait, of Persimmon Homes, to find out more about the building of houses in the next phase of the development. We have been informed by Holyoakes School that the new premises will not be ready for them to move into until at least January 2019. Members who live on the Pointers Way Estate, near to where the school will be situated, have expressed their concerns about parents parking by their properties. We will endeavour to keep our members informed of any parking restriction plans by the WCC Highways Department, who we are in touch with constantly via Robin Lunn and Graham Vickery.

 

We also intend to ensure that part of the Section 106 monies will be used to provide a property for use by the Residents’ Association for meetings and events. This will obviate the need for our having to pay to hire Batchley Community Hall. James explained to the members that a trust would be set up for the Residents’ Association and income would be generated by letting of the property for functions. The venue would also be used to hold our own meetings and events.

 

As already discussed earlier, we would like to raise money for the erection of a notice board on Pointers Way Estate. It was suggested by Andrew Freeman that we might consider asking for voluntary donations from members. As the Association grows we should be able to hold more fund raising events.

 

Again as discussed previously, we will continue to pursue the erection of a post box on Pointers Way.  

 

We will continue to try and grow our membership by delivering membership leaflets to any new occupants of whom we become aware. Existing members are encouraged to help recruit their neighbours and recommend our website and Facebook page so people are aware of what we do.

 

We are still planning to compile a ‘Walks around Brockhill’ leaflet, to encourage residents to get to know their neighbourhood. In conjunction with this, we also intend running a ‘Naming of Open Spaces’ competition. This will also help us define more clearly any areas that are in need of attention or repair. In turn this will assist the Councillors, when reporting any work that needs to be done to the relevant departments, without any confusion as to the location.

 

Following the success of last year’s event, we are intending to arrange a Litter Pick for early July. This will be held on a Saturday morning starting from the notice board in Brockhill Park. Litter picking grabbers and bin liners are provided by RBC. We will send emails to members with the date once arranged.

 

We have asked Robin Lunn for a crossing to be installed in Salters Lane at the entrance to the park. This is a popular place for children to cross over to Oak Tree Avenue to get to the playground and, as a number of cars speed around the bend, we feel that it is an accident waiting to happen. We do not want to wait for one to occur in order to get a safe crossing for our Brockhill children.

 

A.O.B.

 

Mike Vincent informed the meeting that he was concerned about what looks like a sink hole that has formed on the uphill pathway leading to Lowfield Lane, near to the barn conversions and Rhymes Nursery. There is a large dip in the path which a pushchair or wheelchair would have difficulty in avoiding. Robin Lunn asked the Committee to send him a photograph and he would pass it on to the repair team.

 

Sheila Pentecost asked the Councillors what advice they could give her about a car parking problem in Marchwood Close where she lives. Her neighbour shares a drive with a house opposite Sheila’s. As they have two cars to park, and there is only room for the one car on the drive, they park with part of the second car on the pathway opposite Sheila’s drive. This causes her problems when she is reversing off her drive. Sheila’s own drive is shared with the neighbour on her other side, so there isn’t room for her to manoeuvre and reverse park her car on her drive, so she has to drive it on forwards. This means that she has to reverse off her drive, but it is difficult to do this when there is a car parked on the path. Sheila said she thought it was illegal to park on the path. Graham Vickery said that people would be unable to park safely outside their houses in narrow closes if they didn’t park partly on the paths. He said it was a ‘double edged sword’, because if the authorities became involved, they would paint no parking lines on the road thus preventing anybody from parking on the road or paths. Consequently people would only be able to park on driveways, which are often not large enough for more than one car. This would lead to more problems. Pattie Hill advised Sheila to report it to the police when she is blocked in and to keep ringing them until they took notice!

 

Katrina Woodford and John Hinks also told us of their concerns with parking where they live in Appletree Lane, near to a bend in the road where Bootpiece Lane joins. There are no ‘Give Way’ lines on the road and everyone assumes they have right of way. They complained about a work van which is parked near the bend which makes matters worse as it obscures the traffic. Katrina asked if the rules about having a caravan or any commercial vehicle on a driveway had changed since the adoption of the roads. She herself had needed to get permission to put her horsebox on her drive when they first moved in, before the roads were adopted.

 

April and Andrew Freeman told us of their concerns about possible parking problems by parents collecting their children from the new Holyoakes School when it opens. Robin Lunn said that parking restrictions would be in place before the school opens. They also have concerns about whether the construction traffic will be going up Cookridge Close or Burrington Close. This is something we will ask about when we meet with Kate Tait of Persimmon Homes.

 

Scott Davies and Rosie Hallahan, who live in Elrington Close on the Pointers Way Estate, asked how long it would take for the roads on their estate to be adopted. They were concerned about this because they knew how long it had taken for the older parts of Brockhill to be adopted. They used to live in Wheatcroft Close whose adoption took fourteen years. They asked if there would be a problem with the adoption as their close has a block paved road. James Doble said there had been no problem with the adoption in Wheelers Lane where he lives, which is also block paved, so it should be fine.

 

Matt Collinson asked the Councillors if they knew what was intended to be built on the Pointers Way land that had been designated for commercial buildings, a shop, offices etc. on the original plans. At present the area is an awful mess, with rubbish being dumped on it. He said everybody knows that it will end up with more houses being built there as it isn’t suitable anyway for commercial buildings, which is what Persimmon Homes knew all along! We will await with interest to see what becomes of it.

 

Matt also asked if it was known whether there would be a path across the field adjacent to Plumstead Close and Pink Green Lane, to connect Pointers Way with the rest of Brockhill. This would be useful for children and their parents walking to the new school, especially given the potential car parking problems. “We need to encourage people to walk,” he said. James Doble said that as the path passes over Persimmon’s land, the Council could ask for connectivity of land to be put on the Masterplan.

 

Mike Vincent asked who owns the fence on public open space in Appletree Lane near to Dairy Lane. The fence is in need of repair as it is partly falling down. It is situated between the field, which he believes is owned by Persimmon Homes North, and the Public Open Space which has been adopted by RBC. Robin Lunn said that he would find out for us.

 

Mike also suggested that a dog waste bin is placed on the grass area where dogs are walked at the rear of Pennyford Close/ Carthorse Lane. There is a pathway leading off Carthorse Lane to this wide grassy area and, at present, full doggy bags are hanging from the trees!

 

Graham Haynes reported damage to grass verges by parked vehicles and delivery vans in Appletree Lane. Pattie Hill advised photographs be taken of the damage and sent to the Landscape & Maintenance Department of RBC.

 

Jean Vranic asked why the Council didn’t clean up the duck and goose excrement around the ponds at Brockhill Park. Pattie Hill said that this was nature.

 

Margaret Mole asked whether we had considered having the Cold War nuclear bunker, situated on the hill between Pointers Way and Weights Lane, preserved. Pattie Hill said that she thinks it has been protected on the Masterplan. David Dallaway said that when walking his dog recently, he had seen items of clothing strewn across the area around the bunker. He believed they were the same clothes that were left in the Nature Reserve by a person sleeping rough last June.

 

Dan Williams informed us that he had come across anti-social behaviour from gangs of youths around Brockhill Park. He found this to be very intimidating, especially when walking with his young children. Dan said that the yobs were smoking cannabis.

Pattie Hill said she had been told of anti-social behaviour in Brockhill Park, around the basketball court and had confronted the youths herself but to no avail. She had been spat and sworn at, but had established that the offenders were not local. Lynn Dallaway wondered what was attracting them and whether a drug dealer was operating in the park area. Pattie advised that PCSO’s were making further enquiries. Pattie added that if we come across anti-social behaviour, we should dial 101 and the police will divert their patrols to the area.

 

The meeting ended at 8.50 p.m.