General Meeting 11th March

Notes of General Meeting
March 11th 2009, 7.00 pm at The Vale Community Centre, 17a Hadlow Close
Present: Committee: Alan Cooke (Secretary), Bill Duff, Irene Fender (Treasurer), Nick Wood (Centre Manager); Residents: Betty Field, Roy Pennington, Lyndsay Poore, Grant Scott, Clive Taplin, Connie Thomas; Others: Cllr Gill Mitchell, Cllr Warren Morgan, Sue Leggett (Community Warden), Carol Byard (TDC - Trust for Developing Communities), PCSO Carol Manton

1. Apologies:
Trevor Jones (Community Participation Officer), Sarah Johnson (Housing Manager), Sue Hes (TDC).
2. Minutes of meeting February 11th 2009.
These were agreed unanimously.
3. Matters Arising.
a) Community Payback assistance. Alan reported on the work so far undertaken by the team on Fridays, and work still outstanding. It is expected that they will be available for several weeks to come, and ideas for further works are welcome, although the budget for garden improvements had now been spent.
b) Redecoration of the ‘Little Shed’ was now nearing completion, and we expected to be able to store surplus goods there in the next week or two.
c) Residents of Hadlow Close had now received a joint letter from the Council and the Association asking them to be more understanding of the needs of certain visitors to the Centre to be able to park outside during the day, when car parking space was available.
4. Correspondence.
a) Notice of the next Forum meeting on March 18th - a Health Showcase from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at The Haven, 116 Pankhurst Avenue.
b) Alan drew attention to several articles of relevance to Craven Vale in the latest edition of ‘Homing In’
c) A letter from the ‘Working Together Project’ offering half-day training and learning opportunities for people who are active, or wish to be active in their local communities. People should contact Alan or Sue Hes if they felt that there was a specific need by any small group of residents.
d) For the first time, the Community Centre had been selected to be a polling station, and would be used on June 4th for the European elections.
5. Finance. Finances were healthy, and annual accounts would be drawn up for the period to March 31st for presentation at the next Annual General Meeting on May 13th.
6. Estate Development Budget bids. CVCA has been invited to bid for a share of the EDB funds made available to all Estates across the city – it was estimated that there might be around £2-3,000 available for CVCA, provided that worthwhile, costed bids were put forward by April 20th. The purpose of the meeting was to consider what possible bids CVCA should consider and prioritise them. The Committee would seek to prepare the necessary forms at the next Committee meeting on April 8th, in time for submission before the deadline of April 20th. Copies of the regulations regarding the types of bids that would be acceptable were handed round.
Following lengthy discussion, the following priorities were accepted for the Committee to work up into applications:
a) Some improvements to lighting at specified ‘dark’ areas of the Estate, notably Tilgate Close; by 107 Craven Road; by 131 Craven Road; and by 51 Queensway
b) A ramp for access to Tilgate Close (someone in the Council had sent a surveyor to assess the options and cost – Sarah to be asked who had been responsible for this, and what the outcome was). The costs might be far too high, even though the need was agreed to be great.
c) Replacing the bench at the top junction between Craven Road and Queensway
d) Improving the path between Parham Close and ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, preferably with wooden steps to make it more accessible. This could be tied in with improvements to the path at the side of Rochester Street and at the ends of Bute and Hendon Streets. A large number of skips will probably be required. Cllr Mitchell will raise the fly-tipping with Hugo Blondfield of City Parks.
e) Improve the hardstanding at the side of the Community Centre, with planters and palisade-style fencing
Other requirements for the area were also raised. One is for the possibility of a playground by the side of Parham Close – Cllr Gill Mitchell will ensure that this is put before the team considering how best to spend £1.1 mn of Government money on 22 play areas throughout Brighton and Hove.
Improvements to Whitehawk Woods are outside the remit of the EDB, as these apply only to land controlled by the Housing Department. Ideas for improving access to the woods, and for improving the area generally, will be followed up at later meetings.
General improvements to the roads on the Estate, particularly Queensway and Craven Road, are to be discussed between the Councillors and Highways – Alan to provide Gill before March 23rd with a list of possible improvements based on the general discussion.
Sue Leggett provided the Secretary with a list of successful bids made the previous year for guidance on possible applications, and approximate costs.
7. Annual General Meeting. This is to be held on Wednesday May 13th at 7 pm – but (as last year) refreshments and a free raffle will be available from 6 pm onwards. Those present were reminded of the need for at least 15 residents to be present, and it was to be hoped that some would offer to join the now-much-reduced-Committee.
8. Any other Business.
a) Roy Pennington offered to set up and administer a blog for the Association on which notices and minutes could be posted and ideas exchanged. This was accepted. Those who wish to communicate with Roy will find him on roy.pennington@yahoo.co.uk
(b) Lyndsay raised the problem of leaseholders having to pay excessive sums for unnecessary painting of the stairwells, following work done just two years ago. Lyndsay, Alan and Grant had all objected to the need for the work and had asked for a breakdown of what seem excessive costs for slapdash work. None had received any reply from Jim Lord despite objecting within the requested timescale. Cllr Mitchell asked that these three and any others should send her copies of correspondence sent. Irene raised the point about two-tone doors, where doors had been re-painted while still locked, without any prior advice.
(c) Nick and others raised the problem caused by the grass-cutters in mowing the Estate without picking up major items of litter in advance, resulting in shredded litter over a wide area.
(d) Clive asked whether the PCSOs were restricted to just one free meeting in the Community Centre per quarter, but this was denied, although no specific number of meetings had been requested.
(e) Grant reported on the work undertaken by the new Garden Team. They were working with Community Payback to develop each new bed as they were cleared, but could use more volunteers – the first Saturday of each month at noon. Cllr Theobald had planted the apricot tree in the middle of the old ‘goal’. Two apple trees are due to be planted near the disused play area by Parham Close.
(f) Clive commented that the paving in Bute Street had now been repaired, with the intention of achieving the same for Hendon and Rochester Streets next year.
9. Dates of Next Meetings. To be held in the Vale Community Centre, 17a Hadlow Close.
a) Committee meeting, Wednesday April 8th, 7.00 pm
b) Annual General Meeting, Wednesday May 13th, 7.00 pm, with refreshments and free raffle from 6 pm.
The meeting closed at 8:45 pm.

CRAVEN VALE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

CRAVEN VALE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION meeting March 11th at 7pm and it is open to all residents of Baker's Bottom and Craven Vale.
Roy will post the minutes, photos and comment so that all parts of the area get touched, particuarly those who hace access to the internet.
Ideas for the blog gratefully received, eg a map of the relevant area, pictures of interest inc. past, present and future (work-in-progress).