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Minutes of Residents' Association Committee Meeting 27th March 2023

Minutes of Burton Green Residents’ Association Committee Meeting

March 27th 2023

Present
Dianne Adams; Hilary Cox; Andy Gibbs; Helen Hehir; Judi Hibberd; Janet Hickinbottom; Rona Taylor; Mary Webb.

1 Apologies and minutes of the last meeting (January 23rd 2023):

Apologies had been received from Paddy Deeley and Bron Putnam.

Summary of actions following the meeting	Responsible
Add planning applications to Facebook	Paddy
Committee members to check their emails within a week of each meeting.	All
Send geocache ideas to Janet	All
Contact the school for geocache ideas	Janet
Contact John Webb	Mary
Details of geocache ideas to be sent to Alistair	Rona
Invitation to be sent to Cllr Illingworth to the community lunch on September 29th	Rona

Minutes of the last meeting and Matters Arising
See Minutes of January 23rd 2023 meeting

Matters Arising from the previous minutes:

• Add planning applications to Facebook pages (carried forward)
  
  
• Ask if others can join the BBV tours of HS2 works. Peter Stanworth to arrange.
  
  
• Judi to attend next meeting of Jubilee committee - completed.
  
  
• Draft minutes to be circulated to committee members for approval before going to John Webb – completed. Committee members to check their emails within a week of each meeting.
  
  
• Details of the community celebration lunch to be circulated – completed and a successful event held.

The minutes of the July 2022 meeting were approved.

2 Geocache talk via Zoom:

The committee was joined on Zoom by Alistair from Sustrans.  He explained that he was responsible for community engagement and that Sustrans had a plan to create geocache trails throughout the West Midlands on the cycle trails.

He explained that geocaching is a treasure trail of boxes which families or individuals can seek using a map. He explained the details of setting up a trail to include Route 523 which runs through Burton Green. He answered many questions from the committee. It is a flexible scheme so that the community setting up the trail can decide on the size and type of box to be used and what to include in the box. The contents would, in part, depend on the age of the target audience (children or families.) When participants remove any treasure they are obliged to replace it with something else. Alistair envisaged that the box would be in place for several years. Sustrans has a network of volunteers who check boxes within their areas to ensure they are still in use and have not been damaged.  The permission of the landowner is required for the siting of the box. Maps highlighting the route are available on a phone app. Boxes tended to be 2-300m or up to half a mile apart.

Alistair said a launch event would be held and the Sustrans comms team would assist with publicity. He explained that people will travel to take part in a trail.

Next steps: the committee needed to decide where the box should be located and what it should contain.  Ideas should be sent to Janet by May 10th who would collate these and Dianne would then arrange online voting to make final decisions.
Action: All, Janet and Dianne

Should other groups be consulted? 

Janet agreed to contact the school.
Action: Janet

Mary suggested contacting John Webb regarding historical information.
Action: Mary

Details of our decisions will be sent to Alistair.
Action: Rona

Thanks were given to Dianne for setting up the Zoom call.

3 Village Hall: 

The marvellous new Village Hall had now been opened and was in good use, Dianne reported that there was a great deal of interest in booking the hall. Future events would be promoted on the new village hall website www.burtongreenvillagehall.co.uk

Congratulations were extended to all the Village Hall trustees who had worked so hard to bring the new building to fruition.

4 Treasurer’s Report:

See: Treasurer’s Report

A report had been circulated as follows:

BGRA Accounts as at 17th March 2023
Current Account net balance: £ 2,266.93
Deposit Account net balance: £1007.14 

Total Funds (A): £3274.07 

Major Expenditure Since Last Meeting:

Production of March Bugle - £250
Defibrillator signage - £75.11
Disconnection of defibrillator from Hodgetts Lane Village Hall - £45
Planters and bench for Village verge - £1206.37
Hire of Village Hall, community lunch and meetings - £58.50
Caterer for Residents’ lunch - £1277

Income Since Last Meeting:

Parish Council annual donation - £3000
Grant for refurbishment of village verge, bench and paving - £1500
Receipts for community lunch - £1260

Outstanding Parish Funds to be used by 31 March 2023 - £106.01

It was suggested any outstanding Parish Funds could be used to buy a plaque for the new bench on the verge and for additional cruet sets and soup spoons to supplement the items available to hirers of the hall.

Thanks were given to Dianne for her efficient handling of the accounts. Mary thanked Dianne in particular for her help in sorting out the finances of the recent residents’ lunch.

5 Residents’ views/concerns:

• One resident remarked there was still a great deal of parking on pavements.
  
  
• The house on Cromwell Lane with piles of builders rubbish in front has now received planning permission to continue the work.
  
  
• Daffodils had been removed from the Jubilee Verge in readiness for HS2 to lay new turf at the start of April.
  
  

6 Update on and discussion of Residents’ Association initiatives and issues:

• Residents’ lunch. This had been a very successful event on March 24th. Special thanks were given to the volunteers who had helped: Diane and Bernard Swindells from the Village Hall; Faith Ward, Hilary Cox and Mary Webb from the Residents’ Association; and Peter and Trish Hancock. A further lunch would be planned for September 29th 2023.
  
  
• Community Fund from BBV – entrance gates; flower tubs
  
  It was hoped that these matters could be actioned before long.
  
  
• HS2 issues – there was now some doubt whether HS2 would reach Euston but would terminate at Old Oak Common instead.
  
  Cromwell Lane bridge was to be closed for most of the forthcoming school holiday periods.
  
  
• Defibrillator – a new defibrillator for Hodgetts Lane was to be sited on the verge outside the old village hall.
  
  
• Sub group report on coronation celebration – the Jubilee committee had met to discuss ideas and had suggested the mosaics on the verge should be replaced and a new mosaic added to mark the coronation. A resident had volunteered to look into this. It was agreed that four mosaics might be too many for the space and it would be best to have three in total. Residents were invited to add items of interest to the new boards at the Art Show on April 16th between 11am and 4pm. Some residents had requested the opportunity to remove their items from the old boards.  This would be difficult as everything is grouted in but they were welcome to try. The new boards would be completed and erected on May 3rd before the coronation on May 6th.
  
  
• Priorities for precept money (Bugle funding; bulbs; verge maintenance)
  
  
• Last year’s funds had now been accounted for. Suggestions for new items would be submitted after April 1st to fit in with the new financial year.

7 Greenway Trust Update:

There was no update.

One member commented on the new bat, bee and bird boxes and information along the Greenway. This had been put in place by Warwickshire County Council.

8 George Illingworth retirement:

The committee signed a card to mark Cllr. Illingworth’s retirement. As George has been such a great supporter of Burton Green, it was decided to purchase a gift and to make a presentation at the next community lunch on September 29th to which he and his wife would be invited free of charge.

9 Parish Councillor's Report:

Parish Councillors had to express their intention to remain on the Council. If there were more applications than places, an election would be required.  There were 8 places for Burton Green and 4 for Warwick University. The current chair (Tracey from Warwick University) was standing down. 

10 Any Other Business: 

Some residents were concerned by echoing in the new hall.

There was no other business.

11. Date of next Meeting:

The next committee meeting was scheduled for May 22nd 2023. 

Other meetings would take place in 2023 as follows:

July 24th
September 25th
October 9th (AGM)
November 27th