MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 6th MAY 2009

PRESENT: Chair Karen Leakey, Secretary and Archivist Kevin Leakey, Minute Secretary John Phillips, John Banville, Karen Coulthard, John and Vi Clark, Pam and John Freegard, Tim French, Kate Johnson, Alan Jones, Cluniford Mason, Rebecca McIntosh, Pam Montgomery, Val Purvis, Ros Timlin, David Webb.

ALSO PRESENT: Councillor Derique Montaut, PC Diffin and Special Constable Thakrar

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Vice Chair and Treasurer Richard Coates, Celia Cotton, Kath Cridland, Elizabeth Grady, Kath Jones, Mike and Lindsay Ponting, Evelyn Mason, Mr and Mrs Norris, Sue Osbaldstone, Derek and Madge Sutton, John Taylor - Broadgreen Community Plan.

CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES – 1st April 2009 meeting.
These Minutes were confirmed and signed a true record. Proposed Val Purvis and seconded by John Freegard.

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE APRIL MINUTES: Is there a loop system in the lounge yet? A resident parking sign in Gladstone Street is still missing.

COMMUNITY POLICE REPORT - PC Diffin: Two of the Police priorities have changed, litter still remains but anti social behaviour and drinking in the back alleys behind Manchester Rd. and speeding in Broad St. have replaced prostitution and drugs.
More ‘Alcohol Free Zone’ signs are needed and the lampposts that they need to be put on have been identified. Letters have been sent to licensees in the area asking them to be more responsible, and to help identify where people who are drunk or are drinking underage are buying their drinks from, the shop owners have been asked to use a different coloured bags for 4 weeks.
It was asked why alcohol was being sold to underage children and nothing appeared to be being done about it.
PC Diffin explained that requesting shops use different coloured bags was one of the things being done, but they have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it is happening, which is not easy.
Some of the drinking in the alleys is being done by people from minority groups; it might be a case of education and involving the licensing and health people. If this does not work then ASBO’s may need to be issued to the offenders.
Another problem is that the 15 or so street drinkers that are banned from the town centre often come to this area to drink, although when the CCTV van is parked in different places around the area they soon disappear.
Speeding in Broad Street - an operation by the Safety Camera Unit has been undertaken over seven days to monitor the speed of traffic. Results are expected next week, but early indications seem to be suggesting there is not a problem with speeding, but it appears to be more like anti social driving. Other roads have also been identified by residents as having speeding problems, the trouble with small road is that there is not enough distance to get accurate speed readings.
Litter – The Environmental Health are not engaging very well. The back of Alexander Road is bad, but EH have been sending out letters.
Anti-Social Behaviour and vehicle crime are both down in the area, overall reported crime has increased but the detection rate has also improved.
PC Diffin was asked why, when 2 eggs were pushed through the Broad St. Mosque letterbox, there seemed to be a big Police presence and effort made about it? PC Diffin told the meeting that all crimes were investigated with the same effort the reason there was more Police presence was because there had been a ‘Dobbin’ operation that night. There had also been a big meeting that evening in Gorse Hill concerning a Mosque moving there. When St. Luke’s Church had had graffiti sprayed on it, house-to-house enquiries had also been carried out then.

CORRESPONDENCE: Resignation letter from Richard Coates – he has stepped down as BSACC Treasurer and Vice-Chair owing to personal circumstances.

The Broad Street Trust situation now appears to be in hand. Father Leslie has a possible proposal but he needs to talk to the other Trustees first. It is now too late to use some of the Trust money we are still holding on the community garden this year, but a meeting will be organised with Chris Hunt some time after the 16th June to further discuss the area that can be used.

Wiltshire and Swindon Foundation, grant application – turned down (see Chair report)

PLANNING APPLICATIONS:

S/09/0268 - 123 Manchester Road - Erection of a single storey rear extension (part retrospective). - Application Granted
S/09/0117 - 76 Manchester Road - Change of use to shop (class A1) and cafe/restaurant (class A3) and installation of new shop front. - Application Granted
S/09/0062 - 26 Medgbury Road- Erection of two storey/single storey rear extension. - Application Pending Determination
S/09/0469 - 149 County Road - Change of use from residential dwelling (C3) to house in multiple occupation (Sui Generis) and single storey rear extension. Application Pending Determination
S/09/0470 - 151 - 153 County Road - Erection of a first floor rear extension -Application Pending Determination
**S/09/0407- 86 Manchester Road (Radio Taxi’s)- Change of use of ground floor from Offices to Shop (Class A1) and change of use of first floor to Dwelling (Class C3). - Application Withdrawn
S/09/0491 - Union Square - Request for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Opinion for proposed development. - Application Received

**Although this application has been withdrawn because of concerns from the planning dept, the property is being advertised as ‘to let’ as a shop, planning been informed but they said:
The property only has consent for use as offices at the moment.
We have informed the applicant's planning agent that we would have concerns with regard to the change of use of the property to a shop. In terms of advertising the property 'To Let' as a shop, we have no control over this. It is only if someone actually begins running the premises as a shop (without permission) that we can become involved in terms of planning enforcement.

What was thought to have once been garages in Corporation Street (opposite the Armstrong Street junction) appears to be being altered into a shop; this is of concern as it is on a main road with no parking.

The old garage in Station Road is still being used to valet cars and the residents parking bays continue to be used to park the cars waiting to be valeted. At the last STFC football match, they were offering parking and valet for £12.50. The Chair said that environmental health were aware of this and had visited them.

TREASURERS REPORT: 01 April to 30 April 2009: There was no Treasurer’s report presented this month.

CHAIR REPORT: We did not receive a Community Grant from the Council, we were however successful in our application for an Administration Grant.

We were also unsuccessful in our bid from the Wiltshire and Swindon Foundation for funding to cover the Community Plan and engagement day, because they said we had too much money in our reserves, basically they considered that the monies that are still being held on behalf of the Broad St. Trust was our money!

It had previously been asked why only Councillor Montaut attended the monthly meetings and not the other two. Karen invited both Cllr. Wright and Ali to come to the meetings, Cllr. Wright said he would be other wise engaged for the next two meetings and gave his apologies, Cllr. Ali did not reply.

Bail Hostels in Swindon - there are places in SN1 being used for such purposes, but not in Broadgreen. Some people believed that a property in Rosebery St. was a bail hostel because Police and other official looking people had been seen regularly going in and out of it. Following a meeting with the Probation Service and Police, the Chair was able to assure people this was not a bail hostel.

Councillor Montaut was congratulated on his new post as Leader of the Labour Group.

YOUTH REPORT: So far there have been 69 replies to the Community Plan, Youth Survey.

SHRIVENHAM ROAD REPORT: The overgrowing brambles at the back of the STFC Stratton Bank have still not been cut back. Cllr. Montaut said that Jack Moyles from SBC had been down to have a look at the situation.

There seems to be two new prostitutes working at the end of Shrivenham Rd.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT: John Phillips has volunteered to run a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in Gladstone St. - the Chair has sorted out a street sign.
Somebody has been riding a quad bike around the area, riding on paths and doing stunts, they are also not wearing a crash helmet.
Two people with a baby have been begging outside the Broad St. Mosque, when people were visiting it. This has been reported to the Police.
The proprietors of the ‘7 to 11’ shop are still storing their fish next to the path in Broad St. when the ice melts, oil and water flows across the path. This is also happening in Manchester Rd. The Chair said that Environmental Health had been to look at the situation.
It has been reported that a ‘foreign’ lady has been walking around the streets, trying to sell a gold ring.


WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT: Councillor Montaut thanked the Chair for her kind words of congratulations and said that it was a difficult job being Leader of the Opposition, being tied up with wide responsibilities. He did however enjoy attending our meetings even though they could be challenging and he would try to honour the commitment.

The residents parking permit increases are an ongoing issue and it is difficult to know where to go when the Cabinet do not want to engage.

Cllr. Montaut thought it might be a good idea to have the opportunity some time in the future, to explain how the process of being a councillor operated. The Chair invited him to be guest speaker at the July meeting.

B.O.N.D: No report

ANY OTHER BUSINESS: Children are playing cricket in Broad St. and some of the side streets, it was felt this was a dangerous thing to do. The Chair said that Doug the Community Sports Coach had now finished his training and then he would be doing more work in the area. The bushes at the side of the Children’s Centre are still overgrowing onto Gladstone St.

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 03 June 2009

Meeting closed at 9.20pm.