Minutes of the Committee Meeting of the Albrighton & District Civic Society

held at  Peel Cottage,  Albrighton, on Friday 6th November 2009 at 4pm

 

 

Present :      Peter Woodman – Chairman

                     Rod Smith – Secretary

David Hughes – Treasurer

David Beechey – ex-officio, representing Donington-with-Boscobel PC

John Bulmer

Hugh Hughes

                     Paul Joseland

Malcolm Pate

Marylyn Silver– ex-officio, representing Tong PC

Michael Ward – ex-officio, representing Albrighton PC

 

1. Apologies received from Peter Leigh and David Harding who also resigned from the committee due to too many other commitments – he expressed his support for the Society and will continue his support as an ordinary member.

 

2. Marylyn Silver was welcomed as the ex-officio member representing Tong PC

 

3. Minutes of Meeting on 9th October 2009 were approved.

 

4a. The Chairman said that the public meeting was well attended by approx 80 people and this showed that there was considerable interest to support the aims of a civic society. The Constitution was approved (after being revised as item 4b - RS will put a copy in the Society file in the Library and MP will revise the copy on the website)

ACTION: RS & MP

 

4b. Treasurer’s Report by David Hughes:-

 

Receipts

Committee Members initial payment                                    90.00   ( 9 x £10 )

Summer Fete                                                                         160.00

Open Day                                                                                 59.00 

                                                                           Total            £309.00

Payments

Hire of Red House for public meeting                                 £46.00

RS had donated £30 to pay for the ad in Parish Mag

Net Balance   £263.00

 

The membership figures are as follows;

 

Individual Members  93

Family Members      62 (assumes 2 members per family sub. )

Life Members             2

Total No.                157

 

The number of members above x sub does not tie in to the value of the receipts because of the money collected at the fete from the raffle.

DH proposed, and it was agreed, that clause 3 of the draft Constitution should be revised as below to allow anyone joining at the Fayre Day in July to have their membership continued into the following year (1st Dec to 30th Nov). Change “three months” to “five months”.

“The subscriptions of a member joining the Society in the five months preceding December 1st in any year shall be regarded as covering membership for the Society's year commencing on December 1st following the date of joining the Society”

 

It was decided that the £10 paid by the nine founding committee members would be converted to Life Memberships – RS to produce the Certificates.

ACTION: RS

 

DH would set up a database of the member’s details. RS said that we have email addresses for slightly more than 50% of the members.

ACTION: DH

 

(Post Meeting Note: The Treasurer now has the membership register. The original sheets we used at Fayre Day did not show whether Individual or Family – the new sheets now show Individual or Family or Life. At the public meeting two Life memberships were taken and the Chairman decided that a Life Membership may be either Individual or Family and both at £10. RS will produce fancy Life Membership Certificates and hand to DH – blank certs with names to be added by hand. ACTION: RS).

 

The meeting had been convened to focus on the following tasks

 

5a. Village Entrance Scheme

JB & HH had surveyed and reviewed all seven entrances to Albrighton and tabled a plan of each one identifying where planting of bulbs and shrubs may be done together with a Specification for planting. A more detailed layout scheme was shown for the entrance at the bypass side of the rail bridge at the end of Station Rd. It was decided that each entrance should be worked on in turn, starting with this one at Station Rd. The four local plant businesses would be asked to contribute either money or materials or labour or a combination – the value of this contribution would be estimated. A request for funding from LJC18 would be drawn up showing the estimated total cost of all the schemes at all seven entrances (or at least several of them) and also showing the value of any contribution by the 4 businesses plus any contribution from the Society (although this would be small, based on the sum shown in 4b above, OR the Society could raise some money as a contribution?). The request had to be submitted by 14th Dec and a draft would be discussed with Andrea McWilliams at SC Bridgnorth.

A meeting with Brian Bennett of SC was arranged for 10th Nov.

MS to ask Tong PC and DB to ask Donington-with-Boscobel PC for suggestions for entrances to their parishes. ACTION: MS & DB

 

ACTION: The sub-committee of JB, HH & PW was set up to carry out this task.

 

5b. Report to Parish Councils & SC

The discussion concentrated on what work was to be done to the Lime trees. PW asked why APC had not sent a copy of their tree report to the Society as had been promised at the Committee Meeting on 7th September 2009.  PW had only discovered that pollarding work was to be done by the notice in the council office window. It appears that communications had broken down.

MW said that the APC budget for tree work is £1k for this year.

RS asked for a definition of pollarding – JB said that it was to cut the tree down to just above grazing height, which would be about 2m (Post Meeting Note: however for the Lime trees it was intended to prune off only the branches and to leave the trunks at their current height).

PW would write to English Heritage to ask them to review all our conservation areas to see if they are “at risk” (as PL’s document circulated).

MP to ask the SC district surveyor to examine the village green access roads for advice on what work needs to be done.

MW said that APC is in discussion with Jeff Smith (who volunteered at the public meeting) to see if he can undertake some paining work.

PW to write to APC to list the work that needs doing at the village green.

ACTION: MP & PW

 

There was no discussion on the main item of this task - preparing a Summary Report backed by the PL/JB Survey for presentation to the Parish Councils and SC as agreed at the committee meeting on 7th Sept 2009.

ACTION: ???

 

5c. Open Space Scheme

This task is to be dealt later with after completion of the Village Entrance Scheme.

MW: we need to make sure areas in the south of Albrighton village are included.

MS to send a copy of Tong Parish Plan to ADCS.

ACTION: MS

 

5d. Membership & Subscriptions

It had previously been agreed that committee members would visit the various voluntary organisations and clubs to recruit members to ADCS. DB had provided the old list of organisations and RS had started to update it.

It was now decided not to recruit by this means.

However JB would continue the updating of the List as a service to the village.

ACTION: JB

It was agreed to seek funding of £250 from LJC18 for administration of the Society. All members to send to the Treasurer a list of items provided (with their cost) but not charged to the Society for use in the request - to show member contributions. Application to be submitted to LJC18 by 14th Dec

ACTION: ALL

ACTION: DH to prepare the request for funding

 

5e. Future Public Meetings (for the membership)

Next meeting to be late Jan/early Feb 2010 when Sarah Lowe (SC Conservation Officer) and Andrea McWilliams (LJC18 SC Officer) would speak.

RS suggested that members may also be attracted to attend if one or two of the topical eyesores were discussed. For example would David Thompson come to speak about plans for the Old Smithy and the proposed white land development in general?

PJ suggested that there should be no more than three meetings per year including the AGM.

MS & DB to ask their PCs for suggestions for topics for future meetings.

 

5f. Civic Society Awards Scheme for Schools

It was agreed that all the local schools would be included – County Primary School, St Mary’s Primary School, Birchfield, Idsall.

Prizes for under and over 11 years old.

RS suggested that Brewood CS was asked for some ideas based on their successful scheme – PW to speak to Peter Jackson.

JB to speak to Wendy Taylor, Head of CPS and John Rowe, DH to speak to Adrian Farrington.

ACTION: The sub-committee of  PW, JB & DH was set up to carry out this task.

 

5g. Volunteers

RS: At the public meeting there were several people who seemed to be willing to get more involved in the Society. RS suggested that we should we ask for volunteers to help with some of these tasks (as above) now to be undertaken rather than they just be done by committee members.

DB said that we could also produce a plan which could include such items as cleaning road signs etc and then seek funding to do it

The meeting did not wish to seek volunteers.

 

6. Any other business

a. It was agreed to join WestMASA at £30 per annum and PW to ask PL to be the Liaison Officer.

ACTION: PW

 

b. Stable block opposite The Horns in Boningale

MP reported that SC Planners had found several built items which were not on the Planning Application (eg the second entrance directly on the main road, columns) and SC were reviewing these.

 

c. The Hollies Development

RS reported that some 40 objections had been sent to SC. English Heritage had inspected the property and would provide a decision on Listing to Grade 2 within a month. The second Application had now been withdrawn.

(Post Meeting Note: The prospective buyer of the site has told a neighbour to the site that he would now submit a third Planning Application for 3 detached houses and not 4 detached houses as in the second Application ).

 

d. Crown Car Park

Pot hole was thought to be the responsibility of SC – PW would ask Brian Bennett (SC ) at next weeks meeting. The repair to damage to the wall was responsibility of the Brewery and PW to write to them.

ACTION: PW

 

Next meeting:

2pm on Friday 11th December 2009

at JB's house

 

RS16.11.09

 

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