MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF RICHINGS PARK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

HELD ON TUESDAY, 27th APRIL 2004 at RICHINGS PARK SPORTS CLUB

 

 

1.  APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Tina Heath.

 

2.       MINUTES OF THE LAST A.G.M.   The Chairman ran through the minutes of the  6th May 2003 A.G.M..

 

3.  ADOPTION OF MINUTES: The minutes were approved for adoption.

 

    4.  MATTERS ARISING:   There were none that would not be dealt with later in the meeting.

 

5.       STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS: 

The Treasurer, Wendy Morris, went through the accounts for the past year. Membership had increased to 56%.  The main new expenditure was on IRATE signs.  We had no costs for garden maintenance.  Thanks to Tony and Carol Symes for their voluntary work on the residents’ garden.

 

6.       ADOPTION OF ACCOUNTS:

              The accounts were approved for adoption.  Proposed by Tony Symes, seconded by Maurice Puttock. 

                Peter Martin was thanked for his work as Hon. Auditor.

 

7.       ELECTION OF COMMITTEE:

The following were due to retire but were willing to stand again – Pene Hamilton, Paul Lake, Matthew McEvoy, Alan Oxley, Brian Phillips, Daphne Wood. Tony Symes does not wish to stand again and is proposing Graham Young to take his place. The committee was elected en bloc.

 

8.       CHAIRMANS REPORT:

The Chairman thanked all the Committee for their hard work, and particularly the Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.  Also thanks to Rose and George at the Post Office for collecting membership subs once again.

 

PUBLIC ENQUIRIES – Market Lane application for 300 houses was turned down, but Slough Council now building in Wexham in green belt after all.  The same thing could happen in our area.  The Government response to the third runway was that it would be built eventually providing pollution is kept to permitted E.U. levels.

 

PLANNING ISSUES – Two developments (2 houses and 5 houses) have been built on the land of 5,7 and 9 North Park.  Applications have been submitted for another two developments of six houses each, in Main Drive off North Park.  Permission has now been given for one detached dwelling comprising two flats on the Donald King land.  106 Thorney Mill Road is now in the hands of Groundwork Trust and we are in the process of applying for a grant from Living Spaces to convert the plot into a woodland community garden.

 

HIGHWAYS – North Park and Richings Way – the road narrowings continue to be controversial.  The huge volume of traffic is causing sunken drains and B.T. manhole covers to work loose regularly, and the pavements and gutters are permanently dirty.  Residents struggle to get action taken.  Worries continue about extra HGVs using the roads and how much the Cape Boards  (soon to be Trade Sales) development will affect us.

 

INCINERATORS AT COLNBROOK – These incinerators, given planning permission by Slough Council in 2000, and a possible multi-modal waste transfer station on land being ear-marked by Bucks County Council near Bisons are cause for concern, and a petition is being organised by Violette Cochrane.  There was a protest meeting outside Slough Council Offices today, 27th April, and a representative from SAIN protest group will speak to us later.

 

MOTORBIKE NOISE ON BRITISH RAIL LAND – There have been a number of complaints, spearheaded by Mike Quincey, as the bikers have stepped up the activities in recent weeks.  Decibel readings showed a higher reading than background noise levels.  The Residents Association and British Transport Police were involved and Richard Swann of South Bucks Environmental Health Dept. was here at the meeting to speak on it.

 

At this point Bill Lidgate, our county councillor, entered the meeting and joined in the discussions as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRUNDON INCINERATORS:

A representative from SAIN addressed the meeting, and summarised the implications to the health of residents in a 17-mile radius of Colnbrook if 54 tons per hour of waste – some of it toxic and radioactive – was allowed into the air.  Little consultation took place with neighbouring councils, and Bill Lidgate said that it was difficult for us to act now, though we could challenge it legally. Bucks and other local councils could join forces and refuse to use Grundon incinerator facilities, rendering it unviable to operate.  It was suggested that the SAIN petition be channelled through Bucks County Council (Bill Lidgate) to the Secretary of State.  Bill Lidgate offered to ask Margaret Dewar, the Portfolio Holder for Waste, to come to a meeting with Iver residents. This was thought to be a good idea.  Bill commented that the multi-modal waste transfer station could not even be contemplated before an access road was built to take HGVs from site to site and onto the motorway network, away from our residential area.

 

MOTORBIKE NOISE NUISANCE:

Richard Swann, Environmental Health Officer for SBDC, was invited to speak.  He said that a notice was served on Rail Property last Christmas but was mis-served owing to a change of Registered Office address.  It has been re-served with 14 days notice to stop the nuisance.  Details of offending vehicles have been passed to the Transport police who have powers to seize them.  Fines per offence (i.e. one day of usage) could be up to £20,000.  Prosecutions can still be made while cases are waiting to come to Court.  The legal department has asked Richard Swann to prepare a report.  The agents have advised that new fencing to discourage entering the field could not be more than 1m high.  British Rail had originally been happy to put a 2m-pallistrade fence similar to the one alongside the footpath leading to the ticket office, and although it would be indestructible and difficult to climb over, SBDC felt that it was not suitable for surrounding a green belt site.  However, on a show of hands, most residents thought it would be acceptable, and on that basis Bill Lidgate offered to support the idea when ideas for fencing were put forward.  Richard Swann will send details of agents and fencing to all those who have complained. Mike Quincey suggested future complaints be addressed to Barry Gilbert at Rail Property Ltd.,

14 Pentonville Road, London, N.1.  9RP.  Tel. 0207-904-5120.

 

A.0.B,

 

SPEED LIMITS - in North Park and Richings Way were queried.  Bill Lidgate said that the County Wide Speed Limit Review recently undertaken would recommend revised speed limits in Iver, which would be passed to the Parish Council on 26th May. He thought one of the recommendations would be that the speed limit in North Park and Richings Way is put back to 30 mph (as it was prior to 1994), and part of Thorney Mill Road would revert to 30 mph.

 

POLICE – there were comments about the lack of police presence and response time to call outs to crimes.

Bill Lidgate said that there was to be a re-organisation in 2005 with a Bucks-based force, with its central office in Aylesbury and offices in Gerrards Cross and Amersham.  This should be more satisfactory than at present, where resources are stretched and are drawn to Slough.

 

VANDALISM, FLY TIPPING AND BREAK-INS:  This is becoming a big problem and CCTV cameras were suggested for the crossroads at Wellesley Avenue.  However, these are difficult to monitor.  Residents can phone 0845-3301856 if they have clear evidence of identity of bodies responsible for fly tipping.

 

BRIDGES:  Bill Lidgate reported that the subsiding abutments to the bridge in Thorney Mill Road was down to badgers (much laughter) and that the Thorney Lane South rail bridge would now only have additional protection to the side walls.

 

The meeting closed at 10 p.m. and Alan Oxley thanked everyone for attending.  There were about 100 residents present.

 

 

 

 

DMW/1

 

29.4.04.