NACRA

Newtown Area Community and Residents Association

Open Meeting

Date: 10th February 2009

Venue: Tirlebrook School

Time: 1900 hrs

Committee: Janet Farrow (Chairman) PRESENT

Julie Greening (Sec) PRESENT

Michele Harwood (V Chair) APOLOGIES

Bill Ritter PRESENT

Dave Witts PRESENT

Jane Lucking (Treasurer) PRESENT

Julie Irwin (Public Relations) PRESENT

Steve Tandy (Minutes Sec) PRESENT

Angie Thompson APOLOGIES

John Lucking PRESENT

Councillors: TCllr Tina Brooks PRESENT

BCllr John McCloy PRESENT

CCllr Graham Dawson PRESENT

TCllr Andrew Smith PRESENT

TCllr Vernon Smith PRESENT

 

Agenda:

1. Welcome and thank you for attending the meeting Chairman’s report and approval of minutes of last open meeting

2. Emergency Centre Wardens – Jessica from Glos CC

3. Boys Brigade HQ and drains update – BCllr John McCloy

4. Neighbourhood Watch talk – Jean White (Neighbour Watch Field Officer for Tewkesbury)

5. Lower Severn Drainage Board – TCllr Vernon Smith

6. High Street road safety improvements, extension of cycle path and other county issues – CCllr Graham Dawson

7. Any other business

 

Janet welcomed everyone and asked if the minutes from last open meeting be approved – minutes approved. Janet then asked for more new members to join the committee, anyone interested to approach any committee member. Janet continued by thanking John McCloy and volunteers for all their years' service and hard work in keeping Newtown's flower beds always looking great. Now John is stepping down NACRA would like to keep the flower beds independent and we are looking for a new co-ordinator to take on the task – any volunteers please see us after the meeting.. Janet then gave NACRA’s thanks to Dave Witts for all his sterling work with the Severn and Avon Flood Group.

 

Presentation from Jessica, Planner from Glos CC about Emergency Centre Wardens. What they are looking for is the ‘community spirit’ from the ‘good old days’. During the 2007 flooding the emergency services were stretched to the limit. An Emergency Template Plan (ETP) needs to be generated to suit the area of Newtown to cover such incidents as a chemical spillage on the M5, a major fire, and possibly another flood. A team would be required for this area to cover all jobs required even down to making a cup of tea. What resources are required? Which buildings can be used? i.e. school, pub, BBHQ etc.? Who owns 4x4 vehicles? Who has wheelbarrows, shovels etc? All these questions need to be resolved. People would have some training. All voluntary. Single point of contact required with links to CC / BC / TC and emergency services. Pete Aldridge said some of this was already in place with the Town Council and the Parish Council. The meeting thanked Jessica for coming along and giving an interesting talk.

 

BCllr John McCloy informed us of the successful meeting where the Boys Brigade (BB) had agreed to purchase their HQ from the Tewkesbury Borough Council (TBC). There are still loose ends to tie up but a legal document will be forthcoming. It appears that after the flooding and insurance work and money that the BB will have to find a further £22K to complete the deal. Double Glazing will be done at a later date. John was to have a celebration at his house to start the wheels rolling. It is hoped that the HQ would be open by Sept/Oct this year.

 

Drains: There is still a problem with Pyke Rd with water running down Ashchurch Rd as two gullies are completely collapsed. Last week looked at collapsed gullies and there will be some major work required on the Ashchurch Rd between Elmbury Dr and Knights Way. Gullies in Pyke Rd also blocked, it is hoped to clear these and enable the resurfacing of Pyke Rd to be completed. Tretawn Gdns and Tirlebank Way also with gullies blocked, it was thought a non return valve should solve this problem. The Environmental Agency is working on the Tirlebrook with all outlets now clear. There are still problems with Northway Lane with a miss-match of pipe sizes and an open pipe – this will require more work. Walton Cardiff Lane the ditches have been cleared, there is a problem with a pipe under the Lane which will require more work and the ditch which drains the water from the lane is blocked and runs adjacent to Massey’s field, it is hoped that this work will be carried out in the near future.

 

Q. It appeared that the work down Walton Cardiff Lane is more cosmetic than drainage work, how much did the work cost?

A. John will find out and report back to NACRA.

Q. The gullies from Ashchurch Rd up to the Squash Club seemed to be working but from

there up to Elmbury Dr not working?

A. Answer already covered in presentation.

Q. Why is there no progress in Northway Lane with the miss-match of pipes etc?

A. Work still in progress.

 

Jean White Neighboroughood Watch (NW) Officer for the Tewkesbury Borough Area for the last nine years gave an interesting and informative talk about her work with the best known voluntary crime prevention organisation in the country. Talked about it being community based on friends and neighbours looking out for each other and being the eyes of the police in reporting any suspect act. She pointed out for people not to make it easy for the petty thief by leaving tell tale evidence that a house was empty i.e. open windows, not stopping the milk delivery, build up of papers in porch, not putting the wheelie bin away etc etc. How NW keeps the residents informed of any incident that might affect the area. In the past John McCloy had helped to set NW up in various areas. House insurance might be reduced with an active NW. She finished by saying that if anyone wished to set up a scheme she would leave leaflets to inform on how to do so. The committee thanked Jean for an interesting talk.

 

TCllr Vernon Smith gave a talk about the Lower Severn Drainage Board (LSDB) and the work they do to maintain the major water courses on the lower Severn area. He mentioned the way the ditches are being maintained with a perfect 45 degree angle to stop re-growth of trees etc. He went on to show photos of the work on ditches in Walton Cardiff Lane and said this did not meet the same high standards of construction. Funded by the Government the Land Drainage Act of 1991 any Borough Council can collect money for clearing of water courses, example the Tirle Brook. He went on to say that TBC had been collecting monies for land drainage but had not been spending it on keeping the water courses clear. TBC collected £680K from this area but only spend £88K on the Land Drainage Act when something like £1.2M should be spent as Tewkesbury was a special area for water. He had

an email from Chris Pike to say that TBC had spent £61K on employees and that was 1.15 people and £18K on pump station electricity bills and £6K on sand bags which left £11K to spend on drainage maintenance. He went on to say that they had spent £6 - £8K on the work in Walton Cardiff Lane and it was appalling with tree roots still left and no 45 degree sides to the ditch. More money should be spent on maintenance. The Environmental Agency has been pollarding the trees along the Tirlebrook but no drainage work. In his opinion the ditches along the Walton Cardiff Lane should drain into the Tirlebrook and not across fields with a ditch which would have to be at least 3 foot deep. Vernon asked John McCloy to take this up with Bob Nightingale the engineer involved with the new ditches. Vernon went on to say that the farmer’s driveways were blocking the water from draining away. All together he thought that much more work needed to be done in the area and to a better standard than that already done and using money collected from TBC to do the drainage.

 

CCllr Graham Dawson informed us that the cycle path from Canterbury Leys to Tewkesbury town along the old railway line will be completed this year and only waiting for legal documentation. This will mean that to go from Tewkesbury to Northway by cycle one can avoid traffic. Graham then went on to mention the Road Safety Scheme for the High Street, as there had been over 40 accidents there in the last 10 years. The Pelican crossings are to be changed to Puffin crossings. Puffin crossings are quicker and reduce traffic build-ups. The speed limit is to be 20mph. The scheme is to make the High St more pedestrian friendly. There will be a mini roundabout at the end of Sun St. Some parking will be lost as curbs are to be made wider. Hoping to start in April and last about 12 weeks to complete. A steering committee is to monitor the air quality in town over the next 12 months and it is hoped that this scheme will reduce the pollution, although the pollution does not present a major problem as originally thought. What is wanted is for people to change their attitudes to the matter of driving and parking in the High St.

 

Q. When will the re-surfacing of Pyke Rd be done?

A. Assume before 1st April – Graham to supply a reference number for the work.

Q. The cycle path that exists has many puddles after rain, what is being done?

A. Pourus tarmac will be used to drain the water away.

Q. The lighting along the cycle path is still on at 3am?

A. Should be on from 7.00pm till 10.30pm.

Q. The new training centre in Shannon Way – will yellow lines be drawn to stop the parking?

A.?

Q. The camber in Ashchurch Rd is still too steep?

A. Still being looked at.

 

AOB – none

 

A raffle was held to raise some money to support running costs of NACRA.

Meeting closed at around 2100 hrs where around 85 people attended.

Date of next meeting NACRA Committee 16th March 2009 7pm at Strings