Minutes of Residents' Association Committee Meeting 20th May 2024

 

Draft Minutes of Burton Green Residents’ Association Committee Meeting

May 20th 2024 at 6:30pm

Present:  Dianne Adams; Hilary Cox; Paddy Deeley; Helen Hehir; Judi Hibberd; Bron Putnam; Rona Taylor; Mary Webb, Faith Ward.

1. Apologies and minutes of the last meeting (March 25th 2024):

Apologies had been received from Janet Hickinbottom and Andy Gibbs

Summary of actions following the meeting	Responsible
Charity donations	All to choose 1 charity and tell Judi before the next meeting
Charity choice	Judi to produce a ballot sheet
Bus story by Chloe to be checked	Rona and Mary
Contact Sar Louise about strimming Greenway	Paddy
Welcome leaflet updated	Judi
Garden Open day Poster for Bugle	Janet
Plaque money returned	Rona and Mary
Wood at Hubbards	Agenda item next meeting

    

Minutes of the last meeting and Matters Arising

See Minutes of March 25th 2024 meeting

Matters Arising from the previous minutes:

• Mary will purchase gloves and aprons nearer Oct when the next lunch is. 

• She and Hilary are renewing the hygiene certificate.

• The scarecrow trail was not publicised due to an error and so will no longer be included in the open day.

• The Bugle delivery is now sorted

The minutes of the March 2024 meeting were approved.

1. Village Hall:

It was reported that the plant sale and time capsule opening was a success. The BBC reported the event on the local news.

There continue to be lots of bookings. The first blood donor session has been held.

There are still noise complaints from Broadwells Wood residents. Paddy has met with them, and a possibility of fencing is being pursued.

HS2 has agreed to pay for more drainage in the field and they are looking again at landscaping.

2. Treasurer’s Report:

See: Treasurer’s Report

A report had been circulated as follows:

 BGRA Accounts as at 14 May 2024 

Current Account net balance: £5048.60 

Deposit Account net balance: £1021.00 

Total Funds: £6069.60 

Major Expenditure Since Last Meeting 

Purchase Sumup machine £39.99 

March 2024 Bugle Printing - £490 

Annual insurance renewal £284.40 

Income Since Last Meeting 

Profit from BGRA Lunches 22 March 2024 - £155.07 

Outstanding Parish Funds to be used by 31 March 2025 - £2472.12

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

Mary asked for thanks to Dianne be noted for dealing with the Hamilton trip.

3. Residents’ views/concerns:

Red Lane bus service – Jeremy Wright sent and email to Rona saying the service is up   

and running. Chloe is to do a write up for the Bugle on how to access the service and the Bugle production has been delayed to include the piece. Rona and Mary will do a read through before its inclusion in the Bugle.

Concerns over safety Hodgetts Lane/Cromwell Lane junction – response from Highways

Rona had contacted and received the reply below:

Thank you for your very unsatisfactory response. Referring me to WCC is of no use since they referred me to you. It seems no one wants to take responsibility for listening to residents. Our Parish Council is now pursuing the matter and it will be raised at the annual parish meeting next Monday.

Kind regards, Rona Taylor, on behalf of Burton Green Residents' Association 

 

On Mon, 15 Apr 2024, 18:49 ComplaintsandEnquiries, <ComplaintsandEnquiries@balfourbeattyvinci.com> wrote:

Dear Rona Taylor,

Ref: HS2-24-107753-E

 Thank you for contacting the HS2 Helpdesk on the 27.03.24, regarding requesting sings. Your concern has been forwarded to us at BBV working in partnership with HS2 Ltd.

 Our community engagement team has informed us that we are unable to assist with this specific request for new signs. This is due to the fact that Cromwell Lane's current alignment is temporary, and we are unable to place new signage because of the current design. It is important to remember that any requests for new or extra signage must go through the local council, in this case Warwickshire County Council. Please use the following link to put your request though .

https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/contactus

Rona has now passed this to the Parish Council to deal with which they have accepted.

4. Update on and discussion of Residents’ Association initiatives and issues:

• HS2 issues :

           There have been complaints that the Greenway needs strimming to keep down 

           brambles etc. Paddy with chase Sara Louise re the issue.

           

           Jeremy Wright has convened a meeting to discuss the top of the tunnel. The 

           Representatives of the PC will be Paddy and Alan Marshall. Hilary asked to be

           included re the Greenway Trust and was directed to Jeremy Wright’s PA.

           The BGRA has not been included in the meeting. Rona asked for what the PC 

           should feed in from the BGRA re benches etc

• Lunch

Date chosen is Oct 11th 2024. We will have outside caterers as before. The caterer cooks the mains, and the BGRA does the puddings and coffee.

• Mosaic maintenance

            Jo Edler has put the now refurbished mosaics back on the verge. The plaque, 

            although a second one, still has letters coming off. Mary is asking for our   

            money back and looking for another printer. Rona and Mary to try and get the

            refund from the original printer.

• Bugle 

The delivery route is now complete

• Flower tubs

Hilary and Mary have now planted the tubs with summer bedding.

• Charity donation

Mary had produced a list of 31 possible local charities.( see below)

Decision: each committee member can choose 1 charity and tell Judi before the next meeting. Judi to send a reminder out with the next agenda, and then produce a ballot paper. We will then vote on a charity at the next meeting.

1.The Kenilworth Centre

Services to all – children, elderly, old

2.Tile Hill and Westwood Charities

Makes grants to people with disabilities, elderly, children/young people

3.Warwickshire Young Carers

4.Warwick Hospital

5.Acorns Children’s Hospice

6.Air Ambulance

7.St. Johns Ambulance

8.Myton Hospice

9.Action for children (Rouncil Lane)

Helping children and young people who are unable to live with their families and need support

10.The Trussell Trust Food bank

11.Age UK Coventry

12.Dogs Trust Honiley

13.Guide dogs for the Blind

14.MacMillan Cancer Support Cov and Warwick

15.Homeless Action project Leamington

16.Baby Lifeline Balsall common

17.Warwick district Foodbank

18.Marie Curie

19.Samaritans 

20.The Lighthouse Trust Ltd

21.PDSA

22.Molly Ollys Childrens charity

Supports children with life threatening illnesses and their families to help with their emotional wellbeing.

       23.Spencer Retreat Care Farm

       24.Friends of the Holy Land

Supports Christians living in the Holy Land

       25.Burton Green Village Hall

26.First Responders

27.Kenilworth Helping hands club

Promotes welfare of mentally or physically challenged people in Kenilworth

28.Kenilworth Phab

Provides services to people with disabilities – recreation or other leisure time occupation for people with or without physical disabilities

29.Talisman Theatre company

Promotes and improvse and advances education particularly by the production of educational plays and encouragement of the arts – dance mime drama singing and music….

30.The Priory Theatre

Education/training/arts/culture/ heritage/science

• Welcome leaflet

It is time to update the leaflet so the possible changes were noted and Judi to produce an updated version for the next meeting to be approved by the committee.

• Garden Open Day 2024

            Judi reported on the progress to date. There is a poster produced and going up. 

            Mary asked for a copy to go in the Bugle and Judi agreed to ask Janet to do 

            that. Judi went through the arrangements for the day and confirmed we have 7

            gardens opening. The date was confirmed as Sunday June 16th 12 till 5pm.

5. Parish Council Report

The solar powered cabinet and defib are to be installed by the bus stop once the bus stop in Red Lane is finished.

6. Any Other Business: 

George Illingworth has sent us a photo of the table he had been gifted on his retirement.

Mary reminded us the replica soldiers were going up on the verge for the 80th anniversary of D Day on June 5th.

Faith thanked the committee for her lovely plants.

Paddy reminded us that we have wood stored at Hubbard’s, we need to decide what to do with it. There are swift boxes still at Paddy’s house.

7. Date of next Meeting:

            The next committee meeting is scheduled for July 22nd 2024. 

Other meetings would take place in 2024 as follows:

September 23rd

November 25th

Burton Green Open Gardens 16th June 2024

Burton Green, Kenilworth, Open Gardens
16th June 2024

There are some photos from the previous event, held in 2017, here:

Burton Green Open Gardens 2017

 

Minutes of Residents' Association Committee Meeting March 25th 2024

 

Draft Minutes of Burton Green Residents’ Association Committee Meeting

March 25th 2024

Present:

Dianne Adams; Hilary Cox; Paddy Deeley; Andy Gibbs; Judi Hibberd; Janet Hickinbottom; Bron Putnam; Rona Taylor; Mary Webb. 

1. Apologies and minutes of the last meeting (January 22nd 2024):

Apologies had been received from Helen Hehir and Faith Ward.

Summary of actions following the meeting	Responsible
Add charity donation to next agenda.	Judi
Add list of potential local charities in the next Bugle	Mary
Contact bus service provider for information about route extension to Burton Green	Rona
Ask Bugle delivery team about posting information slips to residents regarding the bus service	Mary
Contact WCC Traffic and Safety team	Rona
Purchase aprons and gloves	Mary
Renew hygiene certificates	Mary and Hilary
Publicise the scarecrow trail	Judi and Janet

    

Minutes of the last meeting and Matters Arising

See Minutes of January 22nd 2024 meeting

Matters Arising from the previous minutes:

• Check with PC about Red Lane bus stop. This was progressing and there had also been discussions about two further bus stops in the village. Andy said road safety matters had also been considered and a safety audit was to be carried out regarding the new road over the Cromwell Lane bridge. The lack of a lowered kerb on one side of the pavement was considered a problem for wheelchair users and those with prams and pushchairs.

• Raise matter of Hodgetts Lane/Waste Lane junction at next PC meeting. Solihull MBC had offset a stop sign so that it no longer overhangs the road where lorries can hit it. Thanks were expressed to Chris Langton who has worked hard for several years to try to get the authorities to improve the safety of the junction.

• Add charity donation to the May agenda. Action: Judi Mary would prepare a list of local charities to add to the September Bugle. Action: Mary

• Reminder in next Bugle about Open Gardens on June 16th  - completed

• Find other local printers and compare costs for Bugle printing. Dianne said she had done an internet search and prices were comparable with the current printer.

• Funding application to PC completed and agenda item. Judi had sent thanks.

The minutes of the January 2023 meeting were approved.

2. Village Hall:

Paddy reported that Deeley’s had been back to consider snagging items now that it was 12 months since the trustees had taken ownership of the building. There was still a problem with the flush on the disabled toilet. A ramp was now available to allow wheelchair users access via one of the side doors. Landscapers had been working on the grounds and had dug a ditch to help drain the water from the field. A contact at Warwickshire Wildlife had offered a plan for hedging and wildflowers. This was sponsored by Severn Trent Water. 

Events had been a success, in particular the recent ceilidh.

Bookings were good, including some wedding receptions.

The time capsule had been recovered beneath the old village hall and it was to be opened on May 19th at the pop-up plant sale. Decisions about the future of its contents were still to be decided.

There was a problem with rubbish collection and the trustees were moving the contract to Tom White.

Thanks were extended to the Village Hall committee for waiving the hire cost of the hall for the Residents’ Association Community lunch held recently.

3. Treasurer’s Report:

See: Treasurer’s Report

A report had been circulated as follows:

BGRA Accounts as at 19 March 2024

Current Account net balance: £5,655.37

Deposit Account net balance: £1,018.86

Total Funds: £6674.23

Major Expenditure Since Last Meeting

Christmas card printing - £276

50% contribution to G Illingworth gift - £33.00

Hire of village hall - £11.25

Income Since Last Meeting

Funds from BG Parish Council - £3300

Outstanding Parish Funds to be used by 31 March 2025 - £3300.00

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

4. Residents’ views/concerns:

Red Lane bus service – Rona had heard from Chloe (who had campaigned for a bus service) who had been told by one of the bus drivers that the route was to be extended to cover Red Lane. There were queries about where the bus would have room to turn around to go back into Kenilworth. Rona would contact the service provider for further details. Information would then be made available to residents. Mary would ask the Bugle delivery team if they would be prepared to post information slips on their routes.

Action: Rona and Mary

Concerns over safety at the Hodgetts Lane/Cromwell Lane junction – this had been raised with the PC and would be covered by the safety audit. Rona would contact the WCC Traffic and Safety team.

Action: Rona

Post meeting note:

Rona contacted WCC and received the following response:

Thank you for your email of 26th March with regards to the junction of Cromwell Lane and Hodgett's Lane.

This is a temporary scheme installed and maintained by HS2’s main contractor in the area, Balfour Beaty Vinci (BBV).   This scheme has been subject to the consenting process outlined in schedule 4 of the HS2 2017 Act.  As part of the consenting process this scheme has been subject to RSA 1, 2 & 3 Audits which have been carried out independently by contractors commissioned by BBV.  WCC has been represented throughout this process by one of our HS2 Commissioning Engineers (Road Safety).

 

The stage 3 audit was carried out on the 29th November, 2023 where the scheme was considered on the whole and the visibility from the Hodgetts Lane junction was considered in detail.

The auditors considered the visibility issues of this temporary scheme ( all be it for some time ) and considering the self-regulating factors of the topography, speed limit and traffic signals considered that with appropriate trimming and maintenance, whilst not ideal the visibility available was sufficient.

 

We hope this provides some background and some reassurance that amongst all the issues considered with the scheme this facet was one and it received careful consideration.  That said,  we would not wish to dismiss observations from the local community, this scheme due to it’s temporary nature is one that is monitored and maintained by HS2’s contractors, BBV,  whom would be responsible for considering amendments, design, sign placement etc.

 

Any concerns can be brought to the client and contractors’ attention via the HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk email address, which is the suggested path for complaints or observations to be made.  

We trust that you find this email informative and thank you for contacting Warwickshire County Council. 

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

• Community lunch – This had been a great success with many attendees sending thanks to Mary and her team. Thanks were extended to the team and to the chef, Paul Spence. Mary said the team would be feeding back about the event and making some minor changes to their plans for the future. The committee agreed to the purchase of 9 aprons and a box of gloves for use at future lunches. Hilary and Mary were to renew their hygiene certificates.

• Community Fund from BBV – entrance gates. No further progress.

• HS2 issues

Peter’s report:

Interim Report on HS2 Following Teams Meeting on 11 March 2024

Progress with the tunnel on the North side of Cromwell Lane has been going well. The roof slabs have been completed as can be seen from the bridge. The amended plan included holes in each slab to allow excavation from above. This has been completed in the slabs nearest the road and the concrete base will be poured in due course (600 to 800mm. thick). It will be locked to the walls by a corbelled structure. 

Excavation at the northern end of the tunnel is being undertaken partly from above and partly through the north portal. At the open end north of the portal the earth with be excavated between the diaphragm wall on the west side and the piles on the right. These will then be bridged with precast

props. Some 39 or so props are currently stored near to the Bentonite Silos.

Work will soon be starting to clear the land for the Transformer Feeder Station. It will be a triangle of land between Hodgetts Lane and the HS2 track.

We were promised that Cromwell Lane would not be closed again in the immediate future. However, the electricity supply to the lights, including the traffic lights, around the bridge has proved unreliable. In order to rectify the problem, the bridge will be closed for 5 days in early April.

There will be public briefings in March and July. The latter one will include archaeological findings as a result of the earthworks and should be very interesting.

There was considerable discussion about the Defibrillators. It was suggested that one should be relocated to Red Lane near the post box to cover that area.

Complaints have been received about the road surface in Cromwell Lane between Red Lane and the bridge. This is the responsibility of Warwickshire County Council and will be taken up by the Parish Council. HS2 have apparently contributed towards the cost of resurfacing.

Complaints have also been received about the surface of the temporary Greenway between Hob Lane and Waste Lane. With all the rain, the surface has turned to a thick paste in some areas, causing danger to both cyclists and walkers. We were promised that the surplus surface material would be raked off.

Peter Stanworth

HS2 rep for BGRA

• Defibrillator update 

Judi explained that there was now a working defibrillator in a cabinet on the wall outside 18 Hodgett’s Lane. The Parish Council wanted to erect a pole in Red Lane and to use the solar cabinet which HS2 had positioned outside the old village hall. Final location of this in Red Lane needed to be decided.

A decision was taken not to insure the defibrillators and equipment belonging to BGRA.

• Mosaic maintenance

Jo Edler was in the process of maintaining the mosaics. There would be a small cost for tins of sealant. Mary had arranged for the plaques to be renewed.

Residents had been asked for a volunteer to mow the Coronation verge.  Andy Gibbs agreed to do this but if other residents were willing, this could be a shared task.

• Bugle delivery – more deliverers were needed. Lesley Knight had kindly   agreed to cover the Broadwell Woods site. Mary had taken on Archie Taylor’s patch.

• Garden Open Day 2024 and float. 

Plans were in place for this event to take place on June 16th 2024. Seven residents had now volunteered to take part and two meetings had taken place so far.  A reminder had been added to the recent Bugle. Judi and Janet agreed to consider circulating information of the scarecrow trail via the school newsletter and on Facebook.

Action: Judi and Janet

• PC funding application approved (Bugle funding; bulbs; verge maintenance). A thank you letter had been sent.

• Priorities for precept money (standing item): Bugle funding; bulbs; Coronation verge maintenance

• Parish Council Report

.

Several matters concerning the PC had already been discussed.

Cllr. Kyn Aizlewood was working on a plan to connect existing pockets of woodland in the area. Cllr. Warwick Webster was doing a tree survey.

Stoneymoor Farm had sought permission for solar panels on its roof.

Plans for the Red Lane play area refurbishment had been drawn up and a working party created. Ideas were being sought for activities on the playground and on the field on the Burrow Hill estate. The application for a battery farm on Hodgett’s Lane was still pending. A barrier was being installed on the Burrow Hill car park. The notice board there was to be lowered.

6. Any Other Business: 

A query was raised about the pods that had been erected to the rear of the Stanworths’ property and had since been refused planning permission. It was believed they had been put up for sale but, at the moment, because the ground was so wet, it would be difficult to move them.

A resident had reported that the owners of Beanit Farm were burying rubbish, including plastic, in the field where there had been fires last year. This was an environmental issue and the relevant parish council needed to be informed.

Faith Ward had agreed to BGRA buying her a shrub in memory of her husband, Nigel.  This would happen when Faith was ready.

7. Date of next Meeting:

The next committee meeting was scheduled for May 20th 2024. This would be held at 6:45 to allow time for the parish council meeting afterwards.

Other meetings would take place in 2024 as follows:

July 22nd

September 23rd

November 25th