Bugle - December 2021

The December 2021 edition of the Bugle has been published.

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The text of the Chair's Report has also been added to the Residents' Association page.

The archive of back issues of the Bugle is here: Bugle Archive.

Minutes of Residents' Association Committee Meeting 29th November 2021

Present:
Hilary Cox; Andy Gibbs; Judi Hibberd; Janet Hickinbottom; Rona Taylor; Faith Ward; Mary Webb.

1 Apologies and Minutes of the last meeting (September 9th 2021)

Apologies had been received from Dianne Adams, Paddy Deeley, Helen Hehir and Bron Putnam.

Summary of actions following the meeting	Responsible
Circulate schedule for food bank collection	Mary
Further ideas for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations	All
Application for funding to Parish Council	Judi
Community funding to next agenda	Judi, Hilary and Rona

Minutes of the last meeting and Matters Arising

See Minutes of September 2021 meeting

Matters Arising from the previous minutes:

• Purchase and arrange erection of signs asking dog owners to remove dog mess – agenda item
• Pass BBV invites to Peter Stanworth - completed
• Distribute information about AGM - completed
• Accounts to be sent to Marlene for Independent Examination - completed
• Seek further information via Facebook about new 24 bus service - completed
• Request attention to some 30mph signs in Red Lane - completed
• Raise Red Lane issues with HS2 - completed
• Circulate AGM agenda via village email loop - completed
• Cancel Zoom subscription - completed
• Ask Vic about availability of hall for future meetings - completed
• Circulate Welcome Leaflet to all committee members - completed
• Food collection and Santa Sleigh to be added to next agenda – agenda item

The minutes of the September meeting were approved.

2 Village Hall

The Village Hall trustees had held the AGM the previous week. It was anticipated that the building of the new hall would begin in January 2022 to be completed later that year. Currently, matters still to be resolved included the drainage and the method of heating.

A letter from the Minister referring to the minimizing of time before the current hall was demolished seemed not to have been seen by BBV who said there was no need to knock down the hall until the new one was completed.

Thanks were given to Cheryl and to all the trustees for the immense effort involved in progressing the build.

3 Treasurer’s Report

A report had been circulated as follows:

BGRA Accounts as at 19 November 2021
Current Account net balance: £ 3346.12
Deposit Account net balance: £1006.18
Total Funds (A): £4352.30 

Ring Fenced Funds (Balance remaining of monies donated/allocated for specific purposes but not yet spent):-
Defibrillator: £ 149.56
Freely available/unallocated Funds (A – B): £4202.74 

For Information: Major Expenditure Since Last Meeting Children In Need Donations - £80 Banqueting roll and serviettes – 30.80 AGM Refreshments - £11.50 Bookkeeper for BGRA Accounts Audit - £30 Residents’ lunches 1 October 2021 – loss £26. 

Income Since Last Meeting
Children In Need Donations - £80
Donations for printing of Christmas Cards received from Burton Green Honey, Hickories, Cattery, Hedgerow Nursery and Sarginsons Law - £220
Hickories to pay for printing of their Xmas menu to go out with Christmas cards - £50 

Parish Funds to be used by 31 March 2022 - £1,436.22

Thanks were given to Dianne for her efficient handling of the accounts. 

4 Residents’ views/concerns

Access to and use of Greenway

Notice board – Paddy had reported that it had been agreed that one will be installed on the land at Burrow Hill somewhere around the playing field / car park. This had to wait until the land was acquired by the Parish Council but the PC clerk was getting costings. It was also likely to put another one along Red Lane, at a place to be determined. Paddy had also contacted Cala about some wires sticking up in the middle of the playing field and was told that this would be looked at. Finally at some point in the near future the PC will send a questionnaire out to all of BG asking for their opinions on the field and car park that the PC will soon own.

Publication of circular walking routes

This was being addressed by Chris Langton and an article would appear in the next edition of the Bugle.

Other matters of concern

It was reported that there was still flooding on the bend in Red Lane but it was acknowledged this was during unprecedented rainfall.

There was also concern about the number of concrete lorries travelling along Cromwell Lane to the Crest Nicholson site on Westwood Heath Road.

Paddy had raised the issue of the hole on the verge with the barrier on top between her house and Broadwells Wood with HS2 and this was also tied in with a resident on Broadwells who has been complaining about the light from the new street lamp post required as part of the Cala planning approval. Cala seemed to be reluctant to accept that this lamp post had been put up by them but having seen the HS2 plans, this was not one they put up. This has been chased up again.

Paddy had written to Cala and County Highways about the recent flooding on the road from the pond on Burrow Hill and how it was still not fit for purpose. Highways acknowledged this and stated that the site has still not been signed off by them and someone would be looking at it.

5 Update on and discussion of Residents’ Association initiatives and issues

Report from HS2 Community and Environment Fund group

A report had been circulated prior to the meeting as follows:

Update from Burton Green’s Sub-Group on accessing the HS2 Community and Environment Fund (CEF)

 5 November 2021

Members: Thea Gibbs (Chair), Paddy Deeley, Judi Hibberd (Secretary), Janet Hickinbottom, Lesley Tacon, Deirdre Vernon, Mary Webb

The group has met twice to explore the village’s options for accessing the CEF funding.  The focus of discussions was to review our eligibility, consider ideas for applications, and look at the timescales and logistics for making an application and managing a funded project.  The group has also undertaken some fact-finding to inform our deliberations.

The group has reached the following conclusions:

1. That Burton Green would be able to make a strong application and meets the eligibility criteria: We’re within 1km of the line, we are experiencing significant disruption, and our ideas focus on both environment and community benefits.
   
   
2. Currently Burton Green and Warwickshire is not on the list of priority areas for the allocation of funding awards. (Coventry and Solihull are both on the list).  We are not prevented from submitting an application, but a good application can be turned down because of this.  Priority areas are reviewed annually in late Spring, and so we will monitor the list in the expectation that we will be a priority in future.
   
   
3. The requirement to start work on a funded project within 6 months of the award being made makes it impossible to plan projects for areas of the village which are involved in construction work and are a long way from completion (e.g. Village Hall completion in 2023, top of the tunnel potentially 2025).  The additional requirement to either own or have landowner permission to use the land adds to this sense of being premature at this stage.
   
   
4. We have a number of ideas for projects but would wish to consult the community about their preferences for investment before working any up into a project plan.  Demonstrating community involvement is also a key element in preparing a successful application.  We believe that villagers would find a consultation more meaningful if they could visualise the projects and the spaces we would use, and this would be very hard before our new village landscape starts to emerge.  Ideas currently include:
   

   Public realm art project connecting various parts of local landscape
   Outdoor gym / trim trail Community orchard / edible garden / bee and butterfly gardens
   Boule pitch
   Shelter / bandstand / covered benches to forge social connections

   We are also still awaiting confirmation of landscaping proposals for over the tunnel, as we do not wish to duplicate any HS2 plans.  We would also wish to take into account any plans for the Cala Homes grassed area so that we plan complementary facilities.
   
   
5. On the basis that there is little to be achieved before the new village hall is built and the tunnel starts to take shape, the group proposes to convene again in 2023 to reassess the situation.

Thanks were expressed to all members of the group.


Residents' Association initiatives (continued)...

• Christmas Tree
  This was to be put up by the Hibberds and the Hickinbottoms on Sunday December 5th
  
  
• Food collection to support the food bank
  It was agreed that a collection should take place again, as last year. Mary would circulate a schedule for volunteer collectors and Judi would arrange delivery to the food bank. Action: Mary
  
  
• Santa’s sleigh
  Santa will tour the village on Friday December 17th. There will be a QR code in Bugle linked to Lions for donations. There will also be buckets so people can donate on the night. 
  
  
• HS2 issues

Paddy had written about the empty houses to HS2 and got a reply which mainly centered around the fact that new managing agents came in effective 1st August and how much work it was to transition from one to the other. She was told that the houses were now being looked at and should be available to advertise in several weeks. This clearly did not happen and Paddy recently sent another letter of complaint as it was now approximately 8 months since Cornerways was last vacated and almost 6 months since Stonegate on Red Lane was acquired by HS2. Our MP was copied in.

Peter Stanworth who had attended a meeting on behalf of the Residents’ Association, had sent the following report

Rerouting of Electrical cable - Cromwell Lane.  The rerouting of the underground electricity cables is now complete and all properties are now supplied by this cable.  Traffic lights have been removed and the traffic flow is back to normal. 

Closure of Cromwell Lane.  Cromwell Lane over the region of the railway bridge will revert to single lane working in January 2022 for one year.  It will be traffic light controlled.  This is to allow safety fences to be erected on either side to protect the highway from the drop into the widened cutting.

HS2 Planned schedule of work.  HS2 are working northwards from the south end (Broadwells) of the proposed route of the track to the north end (Waste Lane).  At the south end they have excavated down to the level of the track and have laid a reinforced concrete base.  Problems have arisen with drainage of water and a large collection can be seen in the area.  This is due to be pumped out in due course.  

The railway cutting is to be very considerably widened on the west side (Red Lane side) on both the north and south side of the current bridge.  So called diaphragm walls are to be piled on either side of the cutting to provide the walls for the tunnel. 

The immediate plan is to provide a temporary bridge on the north side of the current one.  It will extend 8m. westwards to accommodate the widened cutting.  This will then allow the current bridge to be demolished.

Because there is no further demolition planned behind the houses in Hodgetts Lane, there is no immediate need to demolish the Village Hall.  Demolition is not on BBV's plans for September of 2022 as has been previously stated so it may exist for some time to come.

Thanks were sent to Peter Stanworth.

Residents' Association initiatives (continued)...

• Bus stops
  New timetables had been attached to the bus stops for numbers 87, 24 and 244 (further information would be included in the Bugle) but, as yet no repairs had been made to the “flags” on top of the bus stops.
  
  
• Children in Need Walk September
  Sadly, this had not been well supported but £80 was raised and thanks were given to those involved.

• The verge
  It was agreed that the verge was now in a satisfactory state.
  
  
• Litter pick
  Again, the recent organised litter pick was not well attended but several residents continue to litter pick on a regular basis and the Residents’ Association remains grateful for their work.
  
  
• Beacon and armistice display
  The beacon was to be passed over to the Residents’ Association before Terry Heyes moved house as he had kindly stored it. A location for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee event in 2022 was still to be decided. Several possibilities were discussed and the most feasible would probably be the field on Burrow Hill once the Parish Council took ownership.  Other ideas for celebrations included a lunch for the retired and a picnic but ideas were welcome, especially to involve families. Action: All
  
  Thanks were extended to those involved in the armistice display. A query was raised about whether in future this could be lit up but this would involve renewed discussions regarding linking into the lamppost on the Jubilee verge.
  
  
• Bugle
  The next edition was scheduled for December 11th.
  
  
• Sponsorship of Christmas cards
  £270 in sponsorship had been raised. The cards would be inserted in the Bugle.
  
  
• Christmas card designs – the school
  This had been completed and the winning card printed.
  
  
• Bulb planting
  Thank you to Mary, Hilary and Bron for planting 500 bulbs in Red Lane.  Thanks also to Paddy and Alan Deeley who have planted a similar number at the Cromwell Lane end of Red Lane. 
  
  
• PC grant application ready for January 2022
  It was agreed to increase the previous year’s bid by 10% to £2887 to account for the increased number of houses which would in future receive copies of the Bugle. For the same reason other means of communication would need to be increased.  Action: Judi
  
  
• Priorities for precept money:
  Bugle funding
  Bulbs
  Jubilee verge maintenance
  
  

6 AGM – debrief

It was agreed by all that the AGM was a success and that the format worked well. Residents were pleased to have a face-to-face meeting again. The date for the next AGM was set for October 10th 2022.

7 Greenway Trust Update

The last time Paddy spoke to Mel Ryan from LM she asked about whether the requested signage regarding dog notices was still required on the Greenway diversion and whether dog mess was still an issue. Paddy said signs were needed. Hilary had made contact but so far without a response. 

8 Parish Councillor's Report

Terry Heyes (for the PC) had been progressing the installation of speed monitoring throughout the village to facilitate data gathering. Obviously, the PC does not want to do this whilst we have traffic management in the area.

Cllr Andy Gibbs said most other PC matters had been covered during the meeting. He added that the Neighbourhood Planning continued. Two planning applications rejected by the PC had gone to appeal and been accepted.

9 Any Other Business

The Village choir would be holding a concert in the Village Hall on Friday December 17th at 7.30p.m. with desserts served at the interval. Tickets cost £10. Attendees should bring their own drinks and glasses.

Paddy reported that at a meeting with BBV mention was made of community funding which would take the form of availability of personnel to assist with projects. This elicited suggestions of the building of replacement flower tubs using reclaimed bricks from the demolished bridges. Another suggestion referred back to the idea of entrance gates to the village but that would require discussions with the Highways Department. This should be revisited at future meetings. Hilary and Rona would prepare further information to present to the meeting. Action: Judi, Hilary and Rona

10. Date of next Meeting

The next committee meeting was scheduled for Monday January 24th

Other meetings would take place as follows:

March 28
May 23
July 25
Sept 26
AGM Oct 10th
Nov 28