WESTMINSTER PARK RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of Committee meeting held on 14th April 2021 on Zoom

MINUTES

Present: Jennifer Crew, Colin Dollimore, Sue Britton, Penny White, Brian Westcott, Olwen Bellis, Richard Short, Pauline Brown

Apologies: Dave Craggs, Susan Eva, Annemarie Macfadyen, Tracey Casey, Karen Liddle, Tim Freeman-Dean.

Carina Edwards has left the committee.

1. Minutes: the minutes of the last meeting held on 3 February 2021 were agreed as a true record by those who attended.

2. Treasurer’s Report: Sue had circulated a report on expenditure Jan-Mar 2021 and discussed possible future expenditure.

3. Membership: Colin reported that we now have 437 members of WPRA but there are still people who could join/pay. There are new members on Lache Lane as well as Lache Park Avenue and Kings Moat, both new areas. We will continue to encourage residents to become members.

4. Events: AGM – to be held on Zoom.

5. Kings Moat: Brian has contacted Ian Jones and had some answers to outstanding questions:
There is no change at present with build rate, this depends on rate houses are sold.
Progress on foul drainage is continuing to complete this summer though Welsh Water is not being co-operative.
Surface water – 2 tanks will be installed this summer.
Highway connections – Heronsway North complete soon. Kings School completed this summer. The Park and Ride roundabout will commence this summer with completion in 2022.
Site works are now starting at 7.30am and not 8am.
Some residents have been concerned that a fenced off area at the back of Rowcliffe Avenue/Five Ashes Road would be used as a footpath, but Brian explained that this is newt fencing and that gardens will eventually back on to gardens.

Clifford Drive, Blacon housing plans on a flood plain have been approved. This has implications for Decoy Farm/Donkey Sanctuary land part of which is also a flood plain.

6. Winkwell Drive: Our objections have gone in to CWAC and been acknowledged.
Lots of comments relate to the fact that it is a Local wildlife site and should not be built on. There are differences of opinion about access. The builders’ investigations are continuing.

7. CRAG: There is a lot going on in the city. There are 17 residents’ associations involved with CRAG, 15 of which are paying members. There are city wide concerns from WP that can be pursued through CRAG, eg the litter problem and bins not being emptied.
The committee agreed that we will pay the £25 annual fee which will need to be ratified at the AGM.

8. Newsletter/media: We have 1200 members on our FB page. Newsletter copy date mid May.

9. Evergreen: still suspended.

10. Gardening Club: also still suspended, however plant swap area is now open.

11. AOB: 2021 Great British Spring Clean 28 May – 13 June, shall we coordinate with that? We can ask Coop Community champion Linda Hesketh. CWAC Love Your Streets is due to be relaunched needing a Your Streets champion, should we advertise for someone to take up this role? Some pathways and roads have a lot of weeds in them. Litter bins need emptying more frequently. People can look after their own streets; many individuals and Chester Wombles are already doing a great job. We can promote this generally and raise at AGM, but maybe it doesn’t need to be ‘organised’.
Sherbourne Avenue play area was left in appalling state after the roads were surfaced and has been raised with Councillors.
There was talk of obtaining a red telephone box for £1 and using it as a book swap and home for another defibrillator. The defibrillator in the Community Centre is available 7.00-23.00 for emergency use and out of these hours anyone would call 999. We could offer to share the maintenance costs with the Community Association. Theirs has not been used once. We do not plan to take this any further.
There is no reason we should get involved in changes at 65 Lache Lane.