Fern Avenue Residents Group
Minutes of the AGM held at Jesmond Cricket Club on 11th
November 2013
Present. Members of the FAR Group: Barrie
Craven, Noël Burton-Roberts, Tessa Burton-Roberts, Amanda Davidson, Peter Docherty, Samantha
Docherty, Suky Drummond, Grace Hodge,
John Hodge, Les
Hodgson, James McConnel, Peter
Nicolls, Alison Priestley, David Priestley, Pam Ranson, Martin Starkie, Bil Sedgwick, Lucy Wareing. In attendance: Councillors Catherine Pagan,
David Hardman and Tom Woodwark, Sgt Nicola Wearing and P.C. Dave Whelan community
police.
1. Introduction and welcome by the Chair
2.
Apologies for absence. Michele Cowan,
Marc Robertson, Mary Hodgson, Janet Nicholls, Rosalind McConnel, communities
facilitator Joe Hogan and councillor Felicity Mendelson.
3. Adoption of the minutes of the last AGM 7th
November 2012. The minutes were adopted.
4. Matters Arising – Letting Boards.
Nick
Brown`s proposed amendment to the Control of Advertisements regulations that
would allow local authorities to make the decision at a local level. about the
control of letting boards, has been dealt with shabbily by Eric Pickles. The
council would like to ban letting boards but E.P. is not complying.
Licensing
Whites Hotel. We have continuing concern regarding noise from the
terrace nearest the back of Fern Avenue. The Whites` management have cooperated
with us at times in the past but point out that a lot of disturbance, reported
drug-taking, and the use of the back lane as a urinal, takes place off their
premises. The police have been made aware of the problems. Sgt Wearing and Cllr
Pagan reported a recent meeting about Whites and the police are taking measures
to encourage residents to report incidents and are also making Whites aware
that they are being monitored.
Pigeons
Following
last year`s AGM, a decoy eagle owl was purchased for £25 and placed at a pigeon
perching point at No. 35. The pigeons
were quite comfortable about this and were frequently seen sitting on its head.
A
provisional arrangement with the City Council to apply anti-pigeon gunge to the
area fell through because City operatives are not allowed to go up ladders to
the second level. However, perhaps realising that they were not wanted, the
flock recently mysteriously disappeared.
5. Chair’s report
Over
the past year the committee has met 4 times.
Information
sharing/gathering:
Again this year an information pack about the FAR
Group and welcome to students was distributed to all households in the street in
October along with leaflets from the council and universities. Samples of our
introductory pack have been requested by other street groups and last year the
Northumbria Students Union built on our ideas and put out a good pamphlet for
students, which, unfortunately has not been replicated this year.
Over the year, I have attended several meetings as
representative of our group. One on the challenge of sustainable energy in the
future.
I have been to several Elders Council meetings under
the title Bridging the Gaps. This last is aimed at finding and involving
potentially isolated elderly people. I don`t feel that this is a major problem
for us on Fern but is something that as good neighbours we should be aware of.
It is proposed that the library be used by any such groups.
HMOs
With
regard to HMOs, the committee has remained vigilant about attempts to increase
their number and has been successful in supplying information to the Planning
Dept which has led to the refusal of a conversion to an HMO. The committee is
grateful to our councillors and to Environmental Health officers whose actions
have led to improvements in the appearance of some properties.
Student matters
We
again welcome the initiative of both the universities in dealing more actively
with problematic students, for producing an informative postcard, and for their
increased contribution to policing. The community police initiative of
encouraging landlords to include behavioural standards clauses to tenancy
agreements seems to have stalled.
Social events.
One
of the aims of the association is to encourage the development of a sense of
community in the street. To achieve this we have street get-togethers.
In
March, 16 residents enjoyed a convivial lunch at Buono Apetito, which is
now Antico. Requests have been made for such lunches to
continue to be organised.
We
welcome suggestions for the venue for the next lunch.
Following
the success of the back Fern
Avenue/Holly Avenue party in July last year, this
year a party was held in July in the north back lane. This again proved to be a
highly enjoyable event at which around 70 people joined in. Thanks are due to
Suky for its organisation, to the magician and the face painter for their
excellent entertainment, to David Hardman and Oxfam for the provision of
gazebos, to all who opened their garages for the occasion, to those who
provided water for the water fight, to the community police for dropping by
from time to time, and to James McConnel for collecting £68 in donations.
In
October,85 adults and children attended our annual major get together at the
Jesmond Cricket Club, a Curry Night this year which proved very popular. Thanks
are due to Martin Starkie and to Andrew Wareing for the variety of entertaining
quizzes provided, and to the quiz markers, Ross and
Suky Drummond, and Bil Sedgwick.
A
thank you to Suky Drummond for
organising the event, and to Tessa Burton-Roberts,
for her help.
Traffic calming
With
regard to the planters, an agreement has been drawn up between the committee
and plant carers regarding mutual obligations and responsibilities. The scheme
is working well and the committee thanks the plant carers for their work. The
planters have considerably enhanced the appearance of the lanes and have been
much admired.
We
understand that the completion of the greening of the lanes is still under
negotiation.
On
behalf of the committee, I have written to all businesses at the telephone
exchange asking them to encourage their employees not to use the back lanes
going to and from work. Adderstones responded that they would make the work
force aware but that they were moving out of the premises in a week`s time
Bins
We
are pleased to note that more people appear to be taking their bins in, and now
that most of the extraneous bins have been removed by the Council, we hope that
all householders will remove their bins when empty as this facilitates the work
of the road-sweeping vehicles which are now coming down the lanes more
frequently.
Environmental cleanliness
Earlier
this year representations made to the Masons and shops on that site requesting
that the excessive amount of rubbish behind their building should be cleared
up. No action was taken and we are grateful to John
Welford for arranging a community clear-up. The site has
remained fairly tidy since. Shiners have amended their business and no longer
remove fireplaces, one of the main causes of the build up of rubbish. In
return, the management of Shiners ask that residents do not leave their cars in
front of the shops.
Beginning
in September, working in pairs, eight residents have formed a street and back
lanes clearing group coordinated by Bil Sedgwick. Litter is picked up on
Sundays or as soon as weather permits.
Our thanks to Bil for this work.
Website
Following
the departure of Paul Cooper to the
Orkneys, Bil Sedgwick has taken over as webmaster.
6. Finance Report
The year started with a balance of £941.62
The year 2012/13 ended with a balance on 24 October
of £462.08
The Curry Social get together made a small profit.
The financial situation at Newcastle Council is
poor and this may represent difficulties for future grant funding from this
source.
There is a grant application for £944 for various
running costs, including a street party, currently lodged with the North
and South Jesmond Council. Although this has been received by the Council
further processing is dependent upon event insurance. This is available
for about £30 from Endsleigh.
I recommend that the Committee discuss this agree
purchase.
7. Election of officers and committee members
All members of the committee who were willing to stand again were
re-elected.
Grace Hodge has resigned as
chair and Noel Burton – Roberts was elected onto the committee as chair (proposed
by Suky Drummond seconded by James McConnel)
Barrie Craven was confirmed
as treasurer and Paul Cooper thanked for all his hard work as treasurer and
website manager.
8. Report from Jesmond neighbourhood
policing team
The police gave a report on
crimes in the area. Over the last 12 months there have been 8 reported crimes
on Fern Avenue (2 damage, 1 car theft, 2 bike thefts, 3 student incidents).
This is very low for 12 months. In the last 28 days there have been 27
burglaries in the Jesmond area (which includes parts of Heaton) but none on our
patch – “uniform 3”.
Operation Moonlight is a
police initiative focussing on vulnerable properties. They are trying to raise
awareness of the risks of leaving properties open and also leaving “useful”
objects in gardens such as spades, rocks, etc and will talk to homeowners or
contact landlords of vulnerable properties. Antisocial behaviour. Police are
encouraging reporting of all antisocial behaviour as they are taking a tough
stance. Working with the universities bad behaviour can lead to a student being
thrown off their course.
9. Funding
We have been fortunate so far
in receiving funds from both North and South Jesmond Wards. However, in the
present economic climate we can expect grants to be reduced. We have just been
granted £200 by North Jesmond Ward. It is evident that we shall need to become
more self-sufficient and there was some discussion over the best way forward on
this. Various suggestions included running a 100 draw, e-mailing residents as
and when money is needed asking for donations giving members the bank details
to make a transfer easy. It was noted that it is easier to get donations when
there is a specific budget – plants for back lanes, magician for back lane
party etc. – than just general funds. It was noted that the main social event
is self financing but does not raise extra cash while funds are needed for
printing, the back lane party (if it becomes an annual event) and plants for
the back lanes (although less now as many carers are propagating their own new
plants.).
10. Re-evaluation
of major concerns of members/residents. The chair requested suggestions from members as to what
they felt the group could do next year.
Nothing was raised
11. Any other business
The Sustrans DIY streets were
discussed. It was agreed that no-one in the room thought that making the
junction of Acorn Rd with Osborne Road into a shared space was a good idea. In
fact the overall feeling was that it was a mad and potentially dangerous idea.
David Hardman noted that there is £375,000 earmarked for Jesmond DIY streets
and everyone should get involved to ensure it is spent as the community wants.
A resident suggested that
Fern Avenue should have communal bins instead of individual. David Hardman
reported that the trial of communal bins in South Jesmond has been successful,
finer points have been discussed and may result in a mixed solution. This may
begin to be rolled out in South Jesmond by March.
A resident noted how
enjoyable the curry night had been.