GRA Minutes 6th April

Minutes of a meeting of the Garrison Residents' Association held at Hinguar School on 6/4/16

Present

• Viv Byczynski (Chair) Adrian Walker (Hon Sec) Cliff Marshall
• Michael Kennedy Phil Coombe Richard Spence Pamela Deakin Tom Rae
• Michael Stiers (Fowler & Spenceley) Robert Fowler (      "              "         )
• Terry Joyce (Organiser of the Southend 'Bikeathon')

Apologies

• Chris Coomber (Hon Sec) Jonathan Hunnibal
• Vivian Jones
• Keith Spencerley (F&S) 

Vivien Byczynski began the meeting by welcoming Terry Joyce, organiser of the Southend 'Bikeathon' to discuss this year's event. He explained the event raises around £30,000 for blood cancer charities and that they used The Garrison due to the increasing demands in respect of health and safety regulations.

VB enquired when preparation for the event usually began. When TJ replied he was already working on the 2017 event, VB suggested TJ attended the next meeting be held in December 2016 and TJ agreed.

TJ said he would inform residents of this year's event in July/August and he would supply Fowler & Spenceley with a copy of the organisers' indemnity insurance. He agreed to leave in place the barriers at the north gate as they acted as a filter for participants, who this year would set off in smaller groups. He then went on to describe the route in detail. Michael Kennedy requested marshals to attend at the north gate and pointed out that Parade Walk is a private road and should not be part of the route; TJ agreed. MK also suggested spectators should be marshalled in the area of the Outlook apartments and along Mess Road as these are narrow stretches. VB pointed out that speed humps in Mess Road should be in place by then. CM suggested cones could be used to direct pedestrians in the area and said last year's event had been well organised.

Actions: Terry Joyce to be invited to December GRA meeting. Michael Kennedy to continue liaising with TJ and Havens re charity events.

Phil Coombe said he would put information about the event on the GRA website.

Minutes of the last meeting were approved.

Website/social media update

Daniel Puddick said the new website and Facebook page had proved popular and photographs submitted by residents had been a hit. VB said the site was proving a useful barometer of residents' concerns and issues appearing were appropriate and relevant. PC said there were now 255 Fb members and DP said £130, mostly from committee members, has been donated to GRA funds following the Fb appeal. Phil Coombe asked if we could update the GRA bank account for use online.

Post Meeting update: has CC advised approximately £105 has been donated via cheque and direct transfer to GRA account.

Actions: Chris Coomber to investigate changing GRA bank account to online account to facilitate PayPal donations. CC to provide update on funds received from website appeal. TR and PC to condense update for Fb page. DP to update website with spring photos and new update when finalised.

HM the Queen's birthday

Members had met to discuss celebrating the event with a fete on the cricket field. Although SBC had given permission for such an event on the site, the GRA had had no luck in contacting the cricket club for match dates, so any such event might have to be held later in the day. Phil Coombe said Haven's Hospice would be happy to put up a tent for a raffle. Tom Rae suggested residents around the site should be asked for their views. PC and DP had been discussing which events might be held at a fete e.g. sports and games, band/s cupcake competitions etc. PC said he would design a leaflet for the event to run past the committee.

Actions: PC to leaflet residents around cricket field. Pam Deakin to inform

Pavilion residents. 

PR

Actions: VB has drafted an update for residents which will be uploaded to the web site and sent by e mail to residents on the circulation list.

Management handover

VB said the last update she'd had about progress on the 106 situation, which refers to work on site yet to be completed by the contractor in order for the handover to take place, was that the tennis courts, toddlers' play area, multi- use games area and listed gun emplacements, had been handed over to SBC.

Rob Fowler, from the managing agents F&S, said he had not had regular meetings with SBC on the S106 issue but felt while SBC was just as keen for the handover to take place, they had to wait for completion of the S106 works. VB said the handover was already 15 months overdue and this meant the new SGMCL board had its hands tied.

Fowler & Spenceley estate update & SGMCL issues

VB said residents were concerned about anti-social behaviour, litter, dog fouling etc. and we should introduce security patrols. Robert Fowler agreed and said he would organise these unilaterally and present Avant with a fait accompli.

Adrian Walker said he sympathised greatly with residents' experience of anti-social behaviour by the open areas of the estate but said conditions on The Garrison had deteriorated generally over the past year, with increased vandalism, vagrancy and public drinking, dog fouling, speeding cars and motor cycles and damage to the parade ground from skidding bikes, behaviour often encouraged by the culprits' parents. He said there was a real danger The Garrison could become a blighted area if it acquired a bad reputation.

Richard Spence said 'the sooner the better' on the subject of employing security specialists. On the matter of existing covenants being ignored, RF said it would be possible for the new SGMCL board to introduce its own rules and regulations. Tom Rae asked what could security operatives really do to improve matters and RF replied they were known to be a deterrent to anti- social behaviour.

Cliff Marshall said there had been a serious increase in commuter parking opposite the Drill Shed, but it was agreed nuisance parking generally on The Garrison would need to be dealt with holistically when the new board was in place.

Work has started on the Section 20 repairs and maintenance in Horseshoe Crescent. After much discussion the contractors, supported by S&F, had got their way in the siting of their compound and residents were now complaining about contractors' parking and noise from their generator. Michael Stiers said he had managed to alleviate some of the nuisance but felt residents were unreasonable in some of their complaints. Adrian Walker said he supported residents in their view that the managing agents had put their and the contractors' needs above those of residents and he was unhappy at the way F&S had handled the negotiations with residents.

VB commented that the work should be time limited and the contractor would be off the site as soon as possible.

A Horseshoe resident has for some time been feeding pigeons and other birdlife on the parade ground lawn, which has killed the grass. F&S wrote to the person concerned to ask him to stop but the practice continues and is apparently supported by his neighbours. Michael Stiers said the area would be reseeded and Robert Fowler was asked to write again to the resident insisting he discontinues the practice.

Phil Coombe said food placed in bin bags ready for collection on a Friday was being disturbed by wildlife and causing a nuisance. RF said he would write to residents reminding them of best practice in relation to rubbish collection.

RF said the managing agents had stepped up the frequency of cleaning in the west gate area opposite the chapel, following an increase in the presence of vagrants, who had created a litter problem. Currently, the area doesn't fall within the remit of the Care Group. He said Evolve, the company adjacent to the site and whose employees also use the area, will be asked to assist in the matter.

VB said the shrub border running alongside the school railings is in an appalling condition and she would write to SBC about it and also mention the composting of grass mowings from Commandant's Park.

RF said they had been successful in collecting residents' payments for the

Section 20 repairs on the Horseshoe.

There have been no further complaints about the use of rat poison around the Outlook apartments and S&F had written to residents advising them that only S&F's qualified contractors were allowed to deal with this issue.

VB complained that since the areas adjacent to Commandant's Park had been cleared, cars were able to gain access to the Heritage Centre area. Actions: Spencer & Fowler to press ahead with costing and engaging security patrols. F&S to write to resident feeding pigeons. F&S to write to residents reminding them of refuse collection protocols. VB to alert Paul Jenkinson that cars can access Heritage Centre and park across the adjoining open Ground, bypassing barriers. VB to write to SBC about shrubs along Hinguar School railings and grass composting in Commandant's Park.

Planning applications

VB updated the committee that, after many months of fighting and challenging the Council, the Outline Planning Application to build 172 homes, Commercial Office Space and a Health Centre on the land adjacent to New Barge Pier Road has been approved. Apart from the GRA representing resident’s views, only one Councillor, Cllr James Moyise, spoke up at the Development Control meeting against the application.  Councillor Roger Hadley let all his constituents down by speaking from a prepared Council Officer script in favour and despite his pre-election promise to oppose the development. This was despite over 100 local individual objections and the 3 Shoebury Residents Associations making their views and concerns known. Councillors were directed by Officers to approve to save the Council the expense of the former, refused near identical application’s Planning Appeal.  Ironically, to date, this Appeal has not yet been withdrawn by the developer and notifications have just been sent out by the Council of the Appeal Hearing timetable.

VB updated the group on the GRA objection and refusal of the planning application to convert the Rifle Shed, also in the Conservation Area into a residential unit. MK advised the applicant had threatened to appeal the decision and would check if it now had been lodged by the applicant. Another planning application, to extend a property in the conservation area in Magazine Mews has been applied for. The committee agreed there was a very real danger of inappropriate applications changing the area.

The application to build 4 2 storey houses next to the Evolve building (not in the Conservation Area) had surprisingly been refused by SBC on the grounds of loss of 800m of commercial floor space. A decision which contradicted the larger application to substitute commercial floor space for a Health Centre.

Actions: VB to draft GRA objection to development in conservation area in Magazine Mews. VB to make it clear via website update of lack of support by Cllr. Roger Hadley in challenging the majority view in respect of the housing development at New Barge Pier Road. 

Coastal Community Team

VB said the CCT is looking at sub-groups to take plans forward and Pamela Deakin had offered Giles Tofield of CCT her help on a number of these. VB said the Heritage Centre appeared to be a white elephant and there was a potential for it to be sold off and the Chapel to be used as an alternative location. VB said she is concerned that the Transport sub-group would not include representatives from The Garrison and she was convinced The Garrison would need its own parking enforcement facility. PD said the deadline for forming all the sub-groups would be the end of summer but there has been nothing achieved yet. She thought heading any of these groups would be a full-time job even though it is unpaid work.

Actions: PD to attend CCT sub-groups on Destination Management and Heritage Centre and Planning. Jonathan Hunnibal to attend sub-groups dealing with Transport; VB to notify Giles Tofield to contact JH.

Future GRA management: roles and responsibilities update

VB explained that from the following week she would be unable to commit her efforts to the GRA due to personal reasons and Adrian Walker, Hon Sec, would be leaving the committee within a few weeks and volunteers were needed to maintain the momentum of the GRA.

She thanked AW and Vivian Jones, who was resigning from the Committee, for their contributions and in turn the Committee thanked her for her untiring and effective efforts since she took on the responsibilities of the GRA Chair.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 10 pm.