PRESENT: Chair Karen Leakey, Vice-Chair Derek Sutton, Secretary and Archivist Kevin Leakey, Treasurer John Phillips, John and Vi Clark, Karen Coulthard, John and Pam Freegard, Kate Johnson, Cluniford Mason, Val Purvis, Madge Sutton, Ros Timlin, David Webb.
ALSO PRESENT: John Taylor - Broadgreen Community Plan, Inspector Lynch and PC Diffin.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:, John Banville, Kath Cridland, Elizabeth Grady, Alan Jones, Kath Jones, Mike and Lindsay Ponting, Rebecca McIntosh, Evelyn Mason, Pam Montgomery, Peter Newson, Sue Osbaldstone, PCSO’s Bird and Turner, Tim French, Nazma Ramruttun - BOND. Councillor Derique Montaut.
CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES – 7th October 2009 meeting.
These Minutes were confirmed and signed a true record. Proposed Pam Freegard and seconded by Derek Sutton.
MATTERS ARISING FROM THE AUGUST MINUTES: None.
COMMUNITY POLICE REPORT – PC Diffin:
ASB – Halloween was very quiet and there were no reports of any problems. Hopefully this will remain so for tomorrow’s firework night. The Police team have been around the shops asking them not to sell fireworks or eggs/flour to young people. Also spoken to different leaders and asked them to pass on the message that if there is any ASB or fireworks being set off inappropriately, then people will be prosecuted.
Litter – This is being tackled as best as possible and a number of tickets have been given out, but there are no quick solutions. It would seem that the alleyways in the S4L areas, where there is lighting and double yellow lines, are kept much cleaner and tidier. SBC do not have the money to do this in all alleyways. Next time there is a ‘Safe and Clean Day’ it might be worth asking the shops to be involved and help with the cleaning.
The Chair said that keeping the area clean is in our court, Ian Young from Swindon Commercial Services (SCS) will come out and talk to people about a new scheme called Street Smart where you volunteer to keep a small area by your home clean and tidy, SBC will supply a picker, bin bags and other cleaning equipment.
Speeding – 20 mph speed limits are difficult to enforce and SBC have no money to put in the traffic calming measures that are needed to slow the speeders down, a study has also been carried out by the Police that have shown there is very little speeding in Broad Street, which is where the complaints had been aimed at.
Insp. Lynch said because of this, it is actually a neighbourhood priority and not a Police one. The idea with having 3 Police priorities is that they are smaller problems that could be resolved relatively quickly, within 3 months, and then a new priority would be tackled. Cycling on pavements for example, or if there was a problem with drugs spread across an area, by concentrating on sorting out one area or street at a time, it would be a better way of dealing with it.
A number of people felt that it would be a good idea to look for other priorities that were quickly achievable, and the Chair said that there is very little the Police could do about speeding; we have 20 mph as a priority in our Community Plan and it would be a good idea to look to other problems.
There was some vociferous objections made by the Vice – Chair about the ‘speeding’ priority being replaced, so PC Diffin said although there was no evidence that speeding in Broad Street was a problem, he offered to keep it as a priority for one more month.
The Police Team now have a drop in at Tescos as well as the consultations they carry out every week in the area. They will still be available at the Broadgreen Centre, but the uptake has been very small, drop in’s will be advertised in shop windows and at the Police office. People also need to report crime and problems when they happen, and not once a month at community meetings.
We were warned that now it is dark in the evenings, we should take security precautions not only for our properties but also our vehicles, making sure they are secure and nothing is left on view over night, as many burglaries are carried out by opportunist thieves.
CORRESPONDENCE:
Sent:
· 2 emails to Fr. Leslie, has he heard back from Mrs McCue – no reply.
· Email to Charities Commission – If we were to change our name and alter our constitutional area, do we their approval or can it be altered by a simple majority vote of members - no reply.
· Email Highways management re lorries going down Shrivenham Road.
Received:
· Fr. Leslie – he has had no reply from Mrs McCue at all, but will try again. He will check with the Charity Commissioners to see if it has to be a unanimous vote.
· Louise Moore – planning enforcement – 33 Rosebery St. – converted garage into flats – being investigated further.
· Bottle Bank – Basically SBC have been reviewing sites like ours and because kerb side recycling has been so successful that it is being recommended that 29 bins like ours are removed – our bin only received an apparent 8.3 tonnes in the last year so ours will go before March next year.
· Answer to Shrivenham Rd traffic problems
· There should be signs that state 'no through road for vehicular traffic'. One sign on a post at the entrance to Shrivenham Road and then the 'no through road' symbol is repeated on the existing street name plates - will carry out a site visit to determine if these signs are still in place and if they are not I will arrange to have them replaced.
· Sat Nav systems, I have been advised, are based upon current Ordnance Survey mapping which is up to date and shows that Shrivenham Road is crossed by Ocotal Way and therefore is a no through road.
· If the no through signs are in place then drivers should be fully aware that Shrivenham Road is a no through road and there is little the Council can do to stop drivers who have made an error.
· Caroline Hunt – SBC - MUGA on old bus garage site will not now go ahead consultation around the new Playbuilder site at the County Ground - designs are due to be returned at the beginning of January 2010 wait until we have some actual designs to show the community consult mid – end January.
· Letter from Mrs Jones – outlining some of the problems she has been encountering.
· Caroline Hunt - SBC – re no alteration of Union Square to play area now, as the NSC now has other plans. Will be consulting with residents next year about the Playbuilder site at County Ground.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS:
· S/09/1827 - 148 Rosebery Street - Erection of a single storey rear extension - Application Pending Consideration. (new application)
· S/09/1673 - Football Stadium County Ground - Erection of a temporary unit to be used for retail sales - Application Pending Consideration
· S/09/1269 - 125 County Road - Conversion of house in multiple occupation to 3 no. Flats. - Application Refused - Delegated Decision.
· S/LBC/09/1338 - Listed Building Consent - Former Paragon Laundry, Aylesbury Street - Partial demolition and erection of 118no. bedroom hotel and associated works - Application Granted - Committee Decision.
TREASURERS REPORT: The books, chequebook and receipt book are with the auditors.
Proposed by John Freegard and Seconded by Derek Sutton
CHAIR REPORT: Tim French is waiting for an operation and is very tired. He cannot drive at the moment and is missing everybody. The Chair passed her best wishes on from the BSACC.
We have a verbal agreement to start the community garden around the Children’s Centre but nothing in writing. Chris Hunt is working reduced hours and Andy Reeves is on holiday as well, so we will have to wait to arrange a meeting.
The New Swindon Co. (NSC) held a display in the town centre asking people for their opinions on the proposals to revamp Regent Street, SBC worked hard to secure the monies for this project, which will be funded by Govt. money; leaflets were handed out outlining the proposals. The Chair and John Taylor met with Carol Heneghan (NSC) and it would seem that Union Square is now moving quite quickly. There has been lots of interest to build offices, and the bottom floor of the offices would be retail outlets, which would be good for jobs. There are also plans for a 5-star hotel on the old Police Station site.
The Chair has or will be attending the following: Swindon Strategic Partnership recently held a conference; Police Superintendent Howlett talked about 3 areas that had suffered problems but were getting better, including Broadgreen about which he was very positive.
The Chair has or will be attending the following: 2 Swindon Federation of Community Organisation meetings. Neighbourhood Renewal Tasking group. Ian Young (SBC) re. Street Smart volunteers. Lindsay Poole, Doug Imrie and John Taylor re. youth events next year. PC Diffin re. Tasking.
Made a speech at the Police Award ceremony concerning PCSO’s Bird and Turner and spoken on radio 105.5 with John Taylor and Councillor Brian Mattock about Connecting People.
VICE-CHAIR REPORT: Rubbish and boxes were recently blowing around Wendy the cleaner sorted it out.
Last month, the Vice- Chair put forward a proposal to alter the BSACC constitution, but unfortunately didn’t present it in time for it to be put to the meeting (21 days written notice is required) The proposal is to remove EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE clause 7 from the constitution, which states - Officers of the Community Council shall retire after a three year term of office and shall not be eligible for the same office for two consecutive years. This has been proposed because the Vice-Chair believes the Chair has done a marvellous job, and he wants her to remain in that position and continue the good work that has been achieved this year.
However, although this proposal could be agreed by a simple majority vote of member of the Community Council, 14 days written notice of the proposal need to be given to members and either a special meeting has to be called or it can be put forward at the AGM. As all residents are technically members this would require letters being delivered to every household in our Constitutional Area, and we do not have the finance to do this, therefore the Vice-Chair was happy to leave his proposals until the AGM, when notice of the meeting and the constitution change proposals could be published in our bi-yearly news letter Broadly Speaking. There is also the opportunity to make an amendment to the proposal should anyone wish to do so.
The Treasurer suggested that as there was a proposal to alter this part of the Constitution, if there were other things that might need altering, i.e. a name change then it all ought to be done at the same time. Clarification will be sought from the Charities Commission to verify the legal position of this proposal.
The Chair responded by saying she was very concerned that if the proposals were agreed, it could leave the BSACC open to having Officers that could not be removed from their posts. ‘We need to look to the future, and for many Community Organisations the future is not looking bright so we need to take care. This last year has been really busy, with many of the BSACC members working hard to engage with the community, but other people need to step forward and do a little bit more to help. At the meetings the Chair attends people now talk about Broadgreen Area positively and with respect, gone are the days when people referred to it as the ‘red light area’ so we need to build on this and continue to move forward, but it seems that there is no one willing or able to take over any of the Officer roles and the Chair doesn’t want to be the one at the helm if the BSACC folded because of this. Although people obviously care about this community or they wouldn’t come to the meetings, even if the constitution was altered the Chair didn’t know if she wanted to stand again and continue, as it seems people do not seem willing to move any further forward for the long term future of the BSACC’.
YOUTH REPORT: Doug Imrie and the Community Safety Partnership put on an event at the Link centre on Saturday 31st October for young people. 9 young people from the Broadgreen Area were taken there in a mini-bus and 4 more met them at the Link, this included 2 Afghan young men who don’t speak English very well, they all got on well and it was very successful.
BROADGREEN HISTORY PROJECT: There will be a committee meeting before the December BSACC meeting.
Kevin gave a brief talk on the name Broadgreen, outlining the history behind it – from the Broadgreen Centre, and how it seems to have been adopted to cover the whole area. Copies of this will be available on request. From this, it was requested how the meeting might feel about the BSACC pursuing an official name change of the area to Broadgreen, having it put on maps and signs – there was a general agreement that this would be a good thing and there was no negative feedback given, therefore the idea will be followed up.
Monthly request - if anybody has any old photos or events of the area– VE day celebrations, Queens silver jubilee, street parties, fete’s etc then we would be happy to scan them to add to the archive.
BROADGREEN COMMUNITY PLAN: The plan was successfully launched and a limited number of the 44 page full colour document have been printed and distributed to key people in the council and our working partners, including MP Anne Snelgrove who was very impressed and asked for her congratulations to be passed on to the Community Council. Following a long discussion about the plan with John, she asked if we would be happy for a copy to be passed on to MP John Denham, who is Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government an immediate effect of this is that the Govt. are pressing for a much wider introduction of 20 mph zones across the country. The meeting approved this.
1000 summary sheets have also been printed and are being distributed now, so far 20 copies have been given to the 2 Mosques and the Turkish community and copies were passed out to any one at the meeting that wanted to distribute them to neighbours.
People have been surprised that we have produced our plan independent of SBC, and Community Planner Holly Huber in particular. Penhill Councillor David Glaholm asked how long John had been working at the Council, when told he didn’t, the Cllr. wanted to know who produced the plan and why Broadgreen was getting preferential treatment in terms of support form the council. He was told the plan was a voluntarily produced document based on the BSACC’s own efforts and whilst we welcomed the initial support from Holly Huber, we decided to stand alone and say we would produce and deliver our plan by the end of October, which we have done with no help or financial support from the borough it has been down to a lot of hard work and community drive.
The Chair said this was a 3 year plan and there was a need to keep it fresh. We will soon be starting on phase 2 of it.
The Police have tonight mentioned the benefits of lights and double yellow lines in the alleys, which is in tune with the plan.
The JRF report put together by Karen Day, that featured Broadgreen as one of 4 areas reviewed, was launched 10 days ago. Looking at the area in Bradford that is similar to Broadgreen with many cultures, according to one local councillor, ‘the enthusiasm is here, but people don’t know where to start’. It would seem they are 10 years behind us here because after the Naji report, we had to recognise how this community could drive forward. In Wales although the people don’t feel excluded, they have no aspirations to achieve better. This is unlike Broadgreen, where aspirations are high and we do achieve because those aspirations are being delivered now.
The Treasurer requested that we thank John Taylor for all the hard work he has done for our plan, which was duly carried out.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT: Nothing to report.
SHRIVENHAM ROAD REPORT: Nothing to report. The Chair said that early next year we would be taking neighbourhood watch and the street cleaning ideas to residents in Shrivenham Road.
COCKRAM COURT: The path outside of Cockram Court is very uneven and dangerous especially for older residents, this has been reported to SBC again and it would seem it had been forgotten about.
WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT: No Councillors were in attendance.
B.O.N.D: Vice –Chair of BOND Pam Freegard said that their AGM was coming up on Monday 9 Nov.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS: Children are playing a football game across the road by the pub in Manchester Rd.
Residents parking signs have still not been replaced.
Although a change of name from the Broad Street Area Community Council (BSACC) to the Broadgreen Community Council (BCC) was not on the agenda, a rather robust discussion took place as to the origins of the name and if it could or should be altered, no conclusions or decisions were made.
Meeting closed at 9.25 pm.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
AGENDA - BSACC monthly meeting 02 December 2009
BSACC monthly meeting 04 November 2009 - 7.30 pm in the Lounge, Broadgreen Centre, Salisbury Street.
1. Welcome and Housekeeping
2. Apologies for absence
3. Confirmation of the minutes – 04 November 2009 meeting
4. Matters arising from these minutes
5. Community Police report
6. Guest speaker: -
7. Correspondence: Kevin Leakey
8. Treasurers report: John Phillips
9. Chairs report: Karen Leakey
10. Vice-Chair/'Twenty is Plenty' report: Derek Sutton
11. Youth report
12. Broadgreen History Project: Kevin Leakey
13. Broadgreen Community Plan: John Taylor
14. Shrivenham Road/ Cockram Court report
15. Neighbourhood Watch report
16. Ward Councillors report
17. B.O.N.D. report.
18. Any Other Business
19.Next Meeting: Wednesday 06 January 2010 – 7.30 pm start in the lounge.
1. Welcome and Housekeeping
2. Apologies for absence
3. Confirmation of the minutes – 04 November 2009 meeting
4. Matters arising from these minutes
5. Community Police report
6. Guest speaker: -
7. Correspondence: Kevin Leakey
8. Treasurers report: John Phillips
9. Chairs report: Karen Leakey
10. Vice-Chair/'Twenty is Plenty' report: Derek Sutton
11. Youth report
12. Broadgreen History Project: Kevin Leakey
13. Broadgreen Community Plan: John Taylor
14. Shrivenham Road/ Cockram Court report
15. Neighbourhood Watch report
16. Ward Councillors report
17. B.O.N.D. report.
18. Any Other Business
19.Next Meeting: Wednesday 06 January 2010 – 7.30 pm start in the lounge.
Broad Street Area Community Council meeting minutes - 7th October 2009
PRESENT: Chair Karen Leakey, Vice-Chair Derek Sutton, Secretary and Archivist Kevin Leakey, John and Vi Clark,
Karen Coulthard, John and Pam Freegard, Joan Gibbard, Kate Johnson, Alan Jones, Cluniford Mason, Rebecca
McIntosh, Val Purvis, Madge Sutton, Ros Timlin, plus 3 other residents.
ALSO PRESENT: John Taylor - Broadgreen Community Plan, PC Diffin, DCI Capstick, PC McIntyre, Councillor
Derique Montaut.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Treasurer John Phillips, John Banville, Celia Cotton, Kath Cridland, Elizabeth Grady,
Kath Jones, Mike and Lindsay Ponting, Evelyn Mason, Pam Montgomery, Peter Newson, Sue Osbaldstone, Roy
Townsend, David Webb, PCSO’s Bird and Turner, Tim French, Ahmed Ismail - Somali Assoc., Nazma Ramruttun -
BOND.
CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES – 2nd September 2009 meeting.
These Minutes were confirmed and signed a true record. Proposed Pam Freegard and seconded by Karen Coulthard.
MATTERS ARISING FROM THE AUGUST MINUTES: None.
COMMUNITY POLICE REPORT – PC Diffin:
ASB – There was a small problem in Manchester Road, outside the Cash and Carry, but apart from that, there were
no other reports of ASB in this area during the last month – It was reported to the Police that Abbey’s had dropped
their alcohol prices which was of concern.
Cycling on the pavements is a problem and will be tackled mainly by education, our PCSO’s are being trained to
tackle the problem, but it may be a couple of months before this becomes a priority. This is because with Halloween
and bonfire night coming up, a patrol strategy has been put in place between the 15 October and 15 November with
patrols targeting the main areas where associated ASB is known to happen, these will run between the hours of 7pm
and 1am. Letters will be sent to shops asking them not to sell eggs, flour and fireworks to young people and also to
leaders, explaining the consequences of ASB at this time.
If ASB continues around the BG centre for what ever reason then a 2 month Dispersal Order might be needed, but
before that happens the Police want to work with people and talk to them about the problems they may be causing for
residents, for example if they are sat in or congregating around their cars, they will try to explain why this might be an
issue. If no notice is taken from this approach then a Dispersal Order could be next.
Litter – There has recently been a successful ‘Safe and Clean Day’ but as soon as rubbish is taken away, more
appears. There is a need to talk to the various leaders, and Richard Palacio - SBC environmental enforcement officer
– will be meeting with the Landlords Forum to speak to them about the rubbish problems.
Speeding – 2 cars have been seized and the Police are currently going down the educational line and our PCSO’s are
working with Drove School and Skeetz youth club, they also hope to be able to bring a car and bike simulator to the
area at some point. Most year 11 students have also attended the fire services ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ roadshow,
which is a very hard hitting and involves powerful personal testimony as well as dramatic video footage to show the
potential outcomes of speeding. The ’20 is Plenty’ campaign also continues.
Burglaries – There has been a sudden problem with this, although the person responsible for it has now been
arrested. Residents were reminded to ensure they kept doors and windows secured at night, and if they were not at
home.
PC Diffin has put our PCSO’s – Bird and Turner, forward for a commendation for their dedicated service to the
Broadgreen Area and they will shortly be awarded Certificates of Merit. This was greeted with much approval from
residents.
GUEST SPEAKERS – DCI Capstick and PC McIntyre – update on Operation Dobbin: Apologies were given for the
long gap since the last visit, but shifts had not coincided with the meetings.
The Police have continued to work very hard on Operation Dobbin and have had some good results. 15 kerb crawlers
have been arrested, 7 of which attended at a cost of £200 to themselves, a rehabilitation course. This was the first
one to be held in Wiltshire and happened last Saturday (3rd Oct) and it seemed to have a big effect on the persons
attending. The courses get to the root cause of their actions and the subsequent harm and impact they could be doing
to not only the community they are kerb crawling in, but also on their families through health issues etc.
They are not simply sat there all day listening to someone talking to them, but they have to be actively involved in
discussions and participating in role play, being their wives, partners, girlfriends etc and seeing how they might feel
about their kerb crawling actions. It is both a dramatic and an emotional day.
Questions were asked as to why kerb crawlers think prostitutes do what they do, and answers varied from – they
wanted their children privately educated, to – they enjoy it. They were also asked why they kerb crawl and again the
answers were varied, from relationship problems, to the ‘thrill’ of it. The group of men on the course varied in age and
cultural backgrounds and there were no atypical persons, or ‘box’ to put them in. If they do not join in then they will be
put back through the courts.
These courses have been running across the UK for a number of years and some 3000 men have attended them.
Men that have not been on one of these courses have a re-offending rate of some 20%, whilst of the 3000 that have
attended, only 1% have been re-convicted.
Things are still being tackled on a multi-agency front but if that fails to work, prostitutes will still be arrested. There are
3 prostitutes persistently working, but Op. Dobbin is a long-term strategy – get the prostitutes off of drugs and put
kerb-crawlers through the course to stop them re-offending, rather than arresting them, giving them a small fine and
seeing them straight back on the streets again.
This is why residents must continue to report working prostitutes to the Police, because a picture could then be built
up.
The work being done through Op. Dobbin was very much appreciated by residents and it was felt that if this works by
stopping kerb crawlers from re-offending, then it was a good and positive thing. We must remember what it used to be
like, with 30 prostitutes and 100 plus kerb crawlers in the area nearly every night. But at the same time, we wouldn’t
want to see the problems of the past returning, when the Police would work to tackle the problem for a short while and
then forgot about it. We were reassured this would not be the case.
CORRESPONDENCE:
Sent:
Mr and Mrs McCue – thanking them for continuing their work at the lunch club.
Cycling on pavement problems – To different groups
Reported problem about lorries in Shrivenham Rd – No reply
Reported problem of polystyrene fish boxes in Broad St.
Received:
Andy Reeves, Community Facilities Operations Manager – update on sign for BG Centre re –no dogs – the sign has
arrived and will be put up shortly. Also sent thanks for distributing leaflets to residents in Salisbury and Gladstone St
informing them of a party at BG centre. - There will also be a 21st Birthday party at Broadgreen, on Saturday
December 19th 2009 7.00pm-11pm.
Rod Bluh – update on Union Square - cranes will be over Central Swindon next year, there is a possibility that the
hoardings around areas not being regenerated immediately may be lowered and used for other things - temporarily.
Also going to be rejuvenating the County Ground play area and would like our help in promoting and contributing to
the consultations.
Caroline Hunt, Parks development officer – would appreciate the opportunity to carry out some initial consultation
work on the proposed CG play area
Father Leslie – still not heard back from Mrs McCue re the proposals for the Broad St Trust.
Cheri Wright, Anti – social behaviour manager SBC – Thanks to the volunteers that helped on the clean up day
Carol Heneghan, NSC - Regeneration Update.
Derek Sutton – proposal to alter constitution.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS:
S/09/1010 - 86 Manchester Road - Conversion of first floor from offices to 1 no. flat and change of use of ground floor
from Class B1 to Class A2 (Financial and Professional Offices) and erection of single storey rear/side extension. -
Application Granted - Delegated Decision
S/LDP/09/1708 - 75 Elmina Road - Certificate of Lawfulness (proposed) for the erection of a detached garage to rear.
- Application Pending Consideration
S/09/1305 - 148 Rosebery Street - Erection of a single storey rear extension - Application Withdrawn
S/09/1335 - Former Paragon Laundry, Aylesbury Street - Partial demolition and erection of 118no. bedroom hotel and
associated works – To be considered by Planning Committee 13 Oct ‘09
S/09/1488 - 124 - 125 Broad Street - Installation of roof lights and insertion of new window in rear elevation -
Application Granted - Delegated Decision
TREASURERS REPORT:
To enable grants to be applied for, it was proposed that a half year audit be made to 31 September 2009
Proposed by Derek Sutton and Seconded by Pam Freegard
CHAIR REPORT: 2 handouts were given out - Police consultation meeting and CP2 survey from Cllr. Dave Woods.
At our meetings next year shall we look at the different cultures in this area and invite member from the different
communities to talk to us about their customs and food etc? - The meeting thought this would be a good idea.
Through our extensive talking and outreach work that we have carried out in the last year or so, it has become clear
that many people now know this area as Broadgreen and are often confused about who we are and where we
represent, with people not only saying we just represent Broad Street and we are only interested in the south side of
Manchester Road, to telling us our name is too long, I thought you were the Broadgreen CC or why aren’t we called
the Broadgreen CC?
We are regularly called the Broadgreen CC in the Adver, in Council documents and in letters and emails, therefore
might it be a good idea to discuss this at a future meeting and if a name change is agreed, put it forward at the AGM?
There was a general agreement that this should be looked at although the current name (BSACC) has long been
established.
VAS AGM – Voluntary Action are looking to merge with Community First, which is the rural Community Council for
Wilts. and Swindon – there seems to be some considerable objections to this move.
21 October ‘09 we are hosting a Street Athletic celebration evening and launching the Community Plan. This will run
between 7 and 9pm. It would be good to see as many people there as possible and it would be greatly appreciated if
any one could help or bring along some food.
The Chair proposed that we should reinstate the Outstanding Person of the year Award this year, and proposed that
Doug Imrie should be nominated for it. It was agreed by the meeting to reinstate the award and Derek Sutton
seconded the proposal of Doug. As there were no other nominations, the meeting carried the proposal. The award will
be presented at the Street Athletics celebration on the 21 October.
The Chair has or will be attending the following:
Invited to 3rd sector visioning.
Swindon Community Forum, Broadgreen Safe and clean day, Street Athletic Finals in Manchester, Broadgreen
Tasking Meeting, BSACC meal at Jury’s Inn, Meeting with Mark Walker - Connecting People Connecting Places and
how we (BSACC) can work within this, Swindon Federation of Community Organisations – the Chair is now a Trustee,
Neighbourhood Renewal Tasking Group, Connecting People Connecting Places – Saturday morning engagement
event in the town centre, Fire services ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ road show – from which the Chair has written to ALL
councillors/MPs/Mr Howlett saying what a hard hitting event this is, but the Fire Service struggle to fund it. Had
feedback from 4 and MP.
To be held –
Meeting with Doug and Lindsay – looking at youth activities next year – including Junior CC, and various sports
activities in Broadgreen and at County Ground.
Ian Young – Street Smart volunteers.
VICE-CHAIR REPORT: The Vice-Chair attended the ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ road show and felt the presentation was
excellent and all drivers should see it – it should be a national presentation.
Twenty is Plenty: A couple of weeks ago a coroner reporting on the sad death of a child, knocked over by a bus said
that if the area the accident occurred in had been a 20 mph zone, then the child may very well have lived. The Adver
contacted the Vice-Chair about this and he agreed 20 mph zones were a good thing and should be pushed for in all
residential areas.
An 80% agreement that we should have 20 mph in the Broadgreen Area has emerged from the Community Plan
consultations, so we must continue until we get it.
YOUTH REPORT: There was no report this month.
BROADGREEN HISTORY PROJECT: There will be a committee meeting before the December BSACC meeting –
details will be given next month. We still plan to visit the library, but this has not been arranged yet.
The Coat of Arms relief that once adorned the Bus Garage in Corporation St was supposed to have been saved, but it
has now emerged, following some pretty exhaustive research by SBC, that the contractors deemed that it was beyond
salvage due to the cost involved and subsequently destroyed it. This was a very disappointing outcome, but
unfortunately it was out of SBC’s hands.
Monthly request - if anybody has any old photos or events of the area– VE day celebrations, Queens silver jubilee,
street parties, fete’s etc then we would be happy to scan them to add to the archive.
BROADGREEN COMMUNITY PLAN: John handed around proof copies of the Plan for approval. It was agreed that it
was ready to go to print and there were no objections or problems with the content or quality. The plan will be publicly
launched on the 21st October; there will be 2 documents, the main full copy and a 4-page summary of it.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT: Speeding in Broad Street is absolutely terrible, there was an accident on the
12th Sept. and speed was the cause. Somebody has been regularly riding a motorbike on the path and recently came
close to knocking a resident down; it was unclear as to who had been doing this or where they had come from, but it
had not been reported to the Police. It was advised that the resident should write down the details every time the
problem was witnessed and it should be reported to the Police.
SHRIVENHAM ROAD REPORT: Problems with leaves over path at County Ground, and over growing brambles not
only from Stratton Bank, but also in the alleyway between Shrivenham Road and the football ground.
COCKRAM COURT: The path outside of Cockram Court is very uneven and dangerous especially for older residents,
this was reported to SBC in 2007, but has still not been repaired properly.
WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT: The County Ground children’s play area has been allocated money from the
budget, for renewal, although when done it might be problematic for residents living by it.
The clean up day was very successful, but there needs to be a pro-active ongoing campaign of education within the
community on how residents should respect other residents and the community as a whole, because how some
people dispose of their rubbish in alleyways etc is of great concern to him. It’s no good blaming the council all the
time; everyone has a part to play in it.
Councillor Montaut was asked if he would like to take this campaign forward, but he felt that the only way things are
effective is if it not led from the top down, if local communities initiate it then there is a better chance of success! The
Chair informed the Councillor that she would be meeting with Ian Young from Swindon Commercial Services (SCS)
about Street Smart volunteers for the area but also wondered if he had an update on the long campaign to clear the
rubbish, that according to MP Anne Snelgrove – speaking on the radio – all our Councillors had been undertaking?
Unfortunately Councillor Montaut said whilst all the councillors were concerned about the rubbish problems, he was
uncertain as to what this campaign was and was only aware of the clean up days and the need to have a long term
strategy, rather than the Council continually picking up the rubbish in the area.
The situation with the Town Centre is very dire, we should be proud of it, but how we bring about the regenerations
needs to be addressed. There are so many empty shops it is depressing and 5 national companies have pulled out of
the area - the depression has hit us harder in this town than in other areas. The arts should be involved in the
regeneration, to make our town distinctive and different.
The Chair asked if the Councillor had started to chase 106 monies yet. Councillor Montaut said he had met with the
Deputy Chief Executive and had asked if officers could draw up a plan, how 106 money is allocated. Currently officers
were deciding how this money was spent. The Secretary asked what influence councillors had over 106 monies
coming out of any Town Centre redevelopments, as the Old Town councillors seem to have had a big influence over
106 monies coming out of the Burmah Oil site being spent in Old Town? Councillor Montaut said the only time he was
able to influence this was when people in the SBC opened up and told him exactly what was going on. The railings
around Faringdon Road Park were paid for from 106 money, but he didn’t find out until after the decision had been
made. The problem is, more and more people are contesting for a limited sum of money and officers have determined
how it is to be spent. He had raised questions at Council about it and had a woolly answer, and had also met with the
106 officer for more details about the situation, but he was very much closed down. Very simply, the way the system
operates is, if you’re part of the ‘inner circle’ you can determine what it should be spent on but it is kept within the
bounds of secrecy, hence no one knew about the deal on the railings until it had been done.
Double yellow lines in the alleys – Met with 2 heads of transport division - civil engineers and they said it would be
another budgetary pressure, but have noted what he said.
B.O.N.D: No report this month
ANY OTHER BUSINESS: A number of residents brought to the attention of the meeting that at different times during
the day people seem to be increasingly urinating and putting children to toilet in the streets and alleyways, this has
been causing some anger and worry as it is not acceptable. The Chair said whilst delivering leaflets recently, a little
boy was playing in a front garden, when his mother put him to toilet there and then, rather than taking him into the
house. When questioned she was told by the mother that she didn’t have time to take him in!
Last weekend during some rather windy weather, there was a big problem with rubbish being blown around the area,
however on the following Monday, Wendy our street cleaner did a wonderful job in clearing it all up.
The new drains in the S4L alleys have been blocked up on numerous occasions with rubbish, food waste and cooking
oil – The Chair said that she was in contact with someone at the council about this, and was waiting to hear back with
news.
Karen Coulthard, John and Pam Freegard, Joan Gibbard, Kate Johnson, Alan Jones, Cluniford Mason, Rebecca
McIntosh, Val Purvis, Madge Sutton, Ros Timlin, plus 3 other residents.
ALSO PRESENT: John Taylor - Broadgreen Community Plan, PC Diffin, DCI Capstick, PC McIntyre, Councillor
Derique Montaut.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Treasurer John Phillips, John Banville, Celia Cotton, Kath Cridland, Elizabeth Grady,
Kath Jones, Mike and Lindsay Ponting, Evelyn Mason, Pam Montgomery, Peter Newson, Sue Osbaldstone, Roy
Townsend, David Webb, PCSO’s Bird and Turner, Tim French, Ahmed Ismail - Somali Assoc., Nazma Ramruttun -
BOND.
CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES – 2nd September 2009 meeting.
These Minutes were confirmed and signed a true record. Proposed Pam Freegard and seconded by Karen Coulthard.
MATTERS ARISING FROM THE AUGUST MINUTES: None.
COMMUNITY POLICE REPORT – PC Diffin:
ASB – There was a small problem in Manchester Road, outside the Cash and Carry, but apart from that, there were
no other reports of ASB in this area during the last month – It was reported to the Police that Abbey’s had dropped
their alcohol prices which was of concern.
Cycling on the pavements is a problem and will be tackled mainly by education, our PCSO’s are being trained to
tackle the problem, but it may be a couple of months before this becomes a priority. This is because with Halloween
and bonfire night coming up, a patrol strategy has been put in place between the 15 October and 15 November with
patrols targeting the main areas where associated ASB is known to happen, these will run between the hours of 7pm
and 1am. Letters will be sent to shops asking them not to sell eggs, flour and fireworks to young people and also to
leaders, explaining the consequences of ASB at this time.
If ASB continues around the BG centre for what ever reason then a 2 month Dispersal Order might be needed, but
before that happens the Police want to work with people and talk to them about the problems they may be causing for
residents, for example if they are sat in or congregating around their cars, they will try to explain why this might be an
issue. If no notice is taken from this approach then a Dispersal Order could be next.
Litter – There has recently been a successful ‘Safe and Clean Day’ but as soon as rubbish is taken away, more
appears. There is a need to talk to the various leaders, and Richard Palacio - SBC environmental enforcement officer
– will be meeting with the Landlords Forum to speak to them about the rubbish problems.
Speeding – 2 cars have been seized and the Police are currently going down the educational line and our PCSO’s are
working with Drove School and Skeetz youth club, they also hope to be able to bring a car and bike simulator to the
area at some point. Most year 11 students have also attended the fire services ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ roadshow,
which is a very hard hitting and involves powerful personal testimony as well as dramatic video footage to show the
potential outcomes of speeding. The ’20 is Plenty’ campaign also continues.
Burglaries – There has been a sudden problem with this, although the person responsible for it has now been
arrested. Residents were reminded to ensure they kept doors and windows secured at night, and if they were not at
home.
PC Diffin has put our PCSO’s – Bird and Turner, forward for a commendation for their dedicated service to the
Broadgreen Area and they will shortly be awarded Certificates of Merit. This was greeted with much approval from
residents.
GUEST SPEAKERS – DCI Capstick and PC McIntyre – update on Operation Dobbin: Apologies were given for the
long gap since the last visit, but shifts had not coincided with the meetings.
The Police have continued to work very hard on Operation Dobbin and have had some good results. 15 kerb crawlers
have been arrested, 7 of which attended at a cost of £200 to themselves, a rehabilitation course. This was the first
one to be held in Wiltshire and happened last Saturday (3rd Oct) and it seemed to have a big effect on the persons
attending. The courses get to the root cause of their actions and the subsequent harm and impact they could be doing
to not only the community they are kerb crawling in, but also on their families through health issues etc.
They are not simply sat there all day listening to someone talking to them, but they have to be actively involved in
discussions and participating in role play, being their wives, partners, girlfriends etc and seeing how they might feel
about their kerb crawling actions. It is both a dramatic and an emotional day.
Questions were asked as to why kerb crawlers think prostitutes do what they do, and answers varied from – they
wanted their children privately educated, to – they enjoy it. They were also asked why they kerb crawl and again the
answers were varied, from relationship problems, to the ‘thrill’ of it. The group of men on the course varied in age and
cultural backgrounds and there were no atypical persons, or ‘box’ to put them in. If they do not join in then they will be
put back through the courts.
These courses have been running across the UK for a number of years and some 3000 men have attended them.
Men that have not been on one of these courses have a re-offending rate of some 20%, whilst of the 3000 that have
attended, only 1% have been re-convicted.
Things are still being tackled on a multi-agency front but if that fails to work, prostitutes will still be arrested. There are
3 prostitutes persistently working, but Op. Dobbin is a long-term strategy – get the prostitutes off of drugs and put
kerb-crawlers through the course to stop them re-offending, rather than arresting them, giving them a small fine and
seeing them straight back on the streets again.
This is why residents must continue to report working prostitutes to the Police, because a picture could then be built
up.
The work being done through Op. Dobbin was very much appreciated by residents and it was felt that if this works by
stopping kerb crawlers from re-offending, then it was a good and positive thing. We must remember what it used to be
like, with 30 prostitutes and 100 plus kerb crawlers in the area nearly every night. But at the same time, we wouldn’t
want to see the problems of the past returning, when the Police would work to tackle the problem for a short while and
then forgot about it. We were reassured this would not be the case.
CORRESPONDENCE:
Sent:
Mr and Mrs McCue – thanking them for continuing their work at the lunch club.
Cycling on pavement problems – To different groups
Reported problem about lorries in Shrivenham Rd – No reply
Reported problem of polystyrene fish boxes in Broad St.
Received:
Andy Reeves, Community Facilities Operations Manager – update on sign for BG Centre re –no dogs – the sign has
arrived and will be put up shortly. Also sent thanks for distributing leaflets to residents in Salisbury and Gladstone St
informing them of a party at BG centre. - There will also be a 21st Birthday party at Broadgreen, on Saturday
December 19th 2009 7.00pm-11pm.
Rod Bluh – update on Union Square - cranes will be over Central Swindon next year, there is a possibility that the
hoardings around areas not being regenerated immediately may be lowered and used for other things - temporarily.
Also going to be rejuvenating the County Ground play area and would like our help in promoting and contributing to
the consultations.
Caroline Hunt, Parks development officer – would appreciate the opportunity to carry out some initial consultation
work on the proposed CG play area
Father Leslie – still not heard back from Mrs McCue re the proposals for the Broad St Trust.
Cheri Wright, Anti – social behaviour manager SBC – Thanks to the volunteers that helped on the clean up day
Carol Heneghan, NSC - Regeneration Update.
Derek Sutton – proposal to alter constitution.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS:
S/09/1010 - 86 Manchester Road - Conversion of first floor from offices to 1 no. flat and change of use of ground floor
from Class B1 to Class A2 (Financial and Professional Offices) and erection of single storey rear/side extension. -
Application Granted - Delegated Decision
S/LDP/09/1708 - 75 Elmina Road - Certificate of Lawfulness (proposed) for the erection of a detached garage to rear.
- Application Pending Consideration
S/09/1305 - 148 Rosebery Street - Erection of a single storey rear extension - Application Withdrawn
S/09/1335 - Former Paragon Laundry, Aylesbury Street - Partial demolition and erection of 118no. bedroom hotel and
associated works – To be considered by Planning Committee 13 Oct ‘09
S/09/1488 - 124 - 125 Broad Street - Installation of roof lights and insertion of new window in rear elevation -
Application Granted - Delegated Decision
TREASURERS REPORT:
To enable grants to be applied for, it was proposed that a half year audit be made to 31 September 2009
Proposed by Derek Sutton and Seconded by Pam Freegard
CHAIR REPORT: 2 handouts were given out - Police consultation meeting and CP2 survey from Cllr. Dave Woods.
At our meetings next year shall we look at the different cultures in this area and invite member from the different
communities to talk to us about their customs and food etc? - The meeting thought this would be a good idea.
Through our extensive talking and outreach work that we have carried out in the last year or so, it has become clear
that many people now know this area as Broadgreen and are often confused about who we are and where we
represent, with people not only saying we just represent Broad Street and we are only interested in the south side of
Manchester Road, to telling us our name is too long, I thought you were the Broadgreen CC or why aren’t we called
the Broadgreen CC?
We are regularly called the Broadgreen CC in the Adver, in Council documents and in letters and emails, therefore
might it be a good idea to discuss this at a future meeting and if a name change is agreed, put it forward at the AGM?
There was a general agreement that this should be looked at although the current name (BSACC) has long been
established.
VAS AGM – Voluntary Action are looking to merge with Community First, which is the rural Community Council for
Wilts. and Swindon – there seems to be some considerable objections to this move.
21 October ‘09 we are hosting a Street Athletic celebration evening and launching the Community Plan. This will run
between 7 and 9pm. It would be good to see as many people there as possible and it would be greatly appreciated if
any one could help or bring along some food.
The Chair proposed that we should reinstate the Outstanding Person of the year Award this year, and proposed that
Doug Imrie should be nominated for it. It was agreed by the meeting to reinstate the award and Derek Sutton
seconded the proposal of Doug. As there were no other nominations, the meeting carried the proposal. The award will
be presented at the Street Athletics celebration on the 21 October.
The Chair has or will be attending the following:
Invited to 3rd sector visioning.
Swindon Community Forum, Broadgreen Safe and clean day, Street Athletic Finals in Manchester, Broadgreen
Tasking Meeting, BSACC meal at Jury’s Inn, Meeting with Mark Walker - Connecting People Connecting Places and
how we (BSACC) can work within this, Swindon Federation of Community Organisations – the Chair is now a Trustee,
Neighbourhood Renewal Tasking Group, Connecting People Connecting Places – Saturday morning engagement
event in the town centre, Fire services ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ road show – from which the Chair has written to ALL
councillors/MPs/Mr Howlett saying what a hard hitting event this is, but the Fire Service struggle to fund it. Had
feedback from 4 and MP.
To be held –
Meeting with Doug and Lindsay – looking at youth activities next year – including Junior CC, and various sports
activities in Broadgreen and at County Ground.
Ian Young – Street Smart volunteers.
VICE-CHAIR REPORT: The Vice-Chair attended the ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ road show and felt the presentation was
excellent and all drivers should see it – it should be a national presentation.
Twenty is Plenty: A couple of weeks ago a coroner reporting on the sad death of a child, knocked over by a bus said
that if the area the accident occurred in had been a 20 mph zone, then the child may very well have lived. The Adver
contacted the Vice-Chair about this and he agreed 20 mph zones were a good thing and should be pushed for in all
residential areas.
An 80% agreement that we should have 20 mph in the Broadgreen Area has emerged from the Community Plan
consultations, so we must continue until we get it.
YOUTH REPORT: There was no report this month.
BROADGREEN HISTORY PROJECT: There will be a committee meeting before the December BSACC meeting –
details will be given next month. We still plan to visit the library, but this has not been arranged yet.
The Coat of Arms relief that once adorned the Bus Garage in Corporation St was supposed to have been saved, but it
has now emerged, following some pretty exhaustive research by SBC, that the contractors deemed that it was beyond
salvage due to the cost involved and subsequently destroyed it. This was a very disappointing outcome, but
unfortunately it was out of SBC’s hands.
Monthly request - if anybody has any old photos or events of the area– VE day celebrations, Queens silver jubilee,
street parties, fete’s etc then we would be happy to scan them to add to the archive.
BROADGREEN COMMUNITY PLAN: John handed around proof copies of the Plan for approval. It was agreed that it
was ready to go to print and there were no objections or problems with the content or quality. The plan will be publicly
launched on the 21st October; there will be 2 documents, the main full copy and a 4-page summary of it.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT: Speeding in Broad Street is absolutely terrible, there was an accident on the
12th Sept. and speed was the cause. Somebody has been regularly riding a motorbike on the path and recently came
close to knocking a resident down; it was unclear as to who had been doing this or where they had come from, but it
had not been reported to the Police. It was advised that the resident should write down the details every time the
problem was witnessed and it should be reported to the Police.
SHRIVENHAM ROAD REPORT: Problems with leaves over path at County Ground, and over growing brambles not
only from Stratton Bank, but also in the alleyway between Shrivenham Road and the football ground.
COCKRAM COURT: The path outside of Cockram Court is very uneven and dangerous especially for older residents,
this was reported to SBC in 2007, but has still not been repaired properly.
WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT: The County Ground children’s play area has been allocated money from the
budget, for renewal, although when done it might be problematic for residents living by it.
The clean up day was very successful, but there needs to be a pro-active ongoing campaign of education within the
community on how residents should respect other residents and the community as a whole, because how some
people dispose of their rubbish in alleyways etc is of great concern to him. It’s no good blaming the council all the
time; everyone has a part to play in it.
Councillor Montaut was asked if he would like to take this campaign forward, but he felt that the only way things are
effective is if it not led from the top down, if local communities initiate it then there is a better chance of success! The
Chair informed the Councillor that she would be meeting with Ian Young from Swindon Commercial Services (SCS)
about Street Smart volunteers for the area but also wondered if he had an update on the long campaign to clear the
rubbish, that according to MP Anne Snelgrove – speaking on the radio – all our Councillors had been undertaking?
Unfortunately Councillor Montaut said whilst all the councillors were concerned about the rubbish problems, he was
uncertain as to what this campaign was and was only aware of the clean up days and the need to have a long term
strategy, rather than the Council continually picking up the rubbish in the area.
The situation with the Town Centre is very dire, we should be proud of it, but how we bring about the regenerations
needs to be addressed. There are so many empty shops it is depressing and 5 national companies have pulled out of
the area - the depression has hit us harder in this town than in other areas. The arts should be involved in the
regeneration, to make our town distinctive and different.
The Chair asked if the Councillor had started to chase 106 monies yet. Councillor Montaut said he had met with the
Deputy Chief Executive and had asked if officers could draw up a plan, how 106 money is allocated. Currently officers
were deciding how this money was spent. The Secretary asked what influence councillors had over 106 monies
coming out of any Town Centre redevelopments, as the Old Town councillors seem to have had a big influence over
106 monies coming out of the Burmah Oil site being spent in Old Town? Councillor Montaut said the only time he was
able to influence this was when people in the SBC opened up and told him exactly what was going on. The railings
around Faringdon Road Park were paid for from 106 money, but he didn’t find out until after the decision had been
made. The problem is, more and more people are contesting for a limited sum of money and officers have determined
how it is to be spent. He had raised questions at Council about it and had a woolly answer, and had also met with the
106 officer for more details about the situation, but he was very much closed down. Very simply, the way the system
operates is, if you’re part of the ‘inner circle’ you can determine what it should be spent on but it is kept within the
bounds of secrecy, hence no one knew about the deal on the railings until it had been done.
Double yellow lines in the alleys – Met with 2 heads of transport division - civil engineers and they said it would be
another budgetary pressure, but have noted what he said.
B.O.N.D: No report this month
ANY OTHER BUSINESS: A number of residents brought to the attention of the meeting that at different times during
the day people seem to be increasingly urinating and putting children to toilet in the streets and alleyways, this has
been causing some anger and worry as it is not acceptable. The Chair said whilst delivering leaflets recently, a little
boy was playing in a front garden, when his mother put him to toilet there and then, rather than taking him into the
house. When questioned she was told by the mother that she didn’t have time to take him in!
Last weekend during some rather windy weather, there was a big problem with rubbish being blown around the area,
however on the following Monday, Wendy our street cleaner did a wonderful job in clearing it all up.
The new drains in the S4L alleys have been blocked up on numerous occasions with rubbish, food waste and cooking
oil – The Chair said that she was in contact with someone at the council about this, and was waiting to hear back with
news.
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