AGM 2011 Minutes

Present

Steve Cornish (Chairman), Tom Godfrey (Vice-Chairman) John Wills (Secretary), Ben Dewhurst (Treasurer) Nick Kaur (NK), Greg Carson (GC), Jerry Hewitt (JH), Alan Chadborn (AC), Alan Camp (ACa) & Daria from Alan Camp Architects

Apologies

Lisa Rajan, Simon Hughes, Kath Whittam, Guru Kaur, Andy Chatterton & Rebekah Clark

The meeting commenced at 19.05

The minutes of the AGM of 2010 were read. The phrase “bike thefts were on the increase” was inserted to make sense.

The minutes were then approved.

Matters arising

JW mentioned the Globe Pond Fountain; SC said this would be dealt with later in the meeting.

Election of Officers

All of the committee stood for re-election. JH proposed that the committee be re-elected and this was seconded by AC. The committee was returned by a unanimous vote.

The Chairs summary of the EGM of 26th May, 2011

SC said the meeting was attended by 40 people and it had been called so seek membership approval of FRDW involvement with the developer of the proposed QWIE development. Alan Camp Architects had made a presentation to the meeting of their vision for the site. Based on that those present had given the committee a mandate to liaise with the developer and architect from the outset.

ACa said that he had informed the CWF meeting of 5th December 2011 that the Planning Committee meeting to grant approval/refusal of the scheme had now been postponed pending the Planning inspector’s decision on the urban/suburban designation of the site. He said he felt it was immaterial because of the design but the Planning Committee would now meet to discuss it in January 2012.

Building would start at the Redriff road end of the site and would move, phase by phase, up the road. Lisa Hollamby of DMGT had expressed concern at noise levels. ACa said the scheme was completely different from any before and included walks and courtyards through the estate with fingers into the woodlands. The developer wanted a sustainable scheme with water and there was a Section 106 agreement to provide the site with a SUDS and an ecological wall. GC said there was an interface gradation with the woodlands and the green spaces within the development. The detail would be worked out in cooperation with the FRDW.

SC asked if planning permission was granted in January when would work commence. ACa replied that Kenneth Jasby (developer) wanted an easy exit for leaseholders on the site and vacant possession would not happen until the end of 2013.

SC explained that the FRDW had put in a letter of observations on the development to the Planning department and had asked for written assurances on what had been promised. He said that it was vital to keep the proposed underground parking rather than undercroft. He said it was good that Greg Carson and Ben Dewhurst were working together on the environmental aspects.

Jerry Hewitt warned that the Metropolitan Church could flood the planning department with objection letters.

The Chairman’s report

• SC read out Guru Kaur’s report on the Meditation in the Park event.

2011 brought many successful community events to Russia Dock Woodland, all designed to improve the usage of the Woodland and the Ecological Park in an inspiring and educational way, supported by Awards for All, the Rotherhithe Community Council, and a number of local businesses. 

The highlight was Meditation in the Park, now in its third year, attended this year by 2,000 people, and featured in The Times, Time Out and London Town.  In the run up to it, meditation classes were taught at SHED to about 200 local school children and a number of community making days took place making meditation mats and decorations for the summer’s events.   Other events were Photography in the Park, attended by over 50 people, Painting in the Park, attended by over 60, and Woodland Surprise, attended by about 80 people.  The SHED sewing circle, which started for this year’s Meditation in the Park, continues to meet each week. 

• He said that these together with other events in the Park were getting bigger every year and we needed to get down to finding funding streams for them.
• Green Flag status had been won again in 2011.
• There was some concern by local Friends about the Council’s tree-felling policy; it was felt that they were being over-zealous.
• The CCTV by Waterman’s Walk had been out of action but was now repaired.
• The best news of the year was that the wind turbine pump has been replaced and a deeper level (60m). We now had complete control of all the waterways throughout the woodlands & he complimented Andy Chatterton’s contribution throughout.

GC asked if water would now extend further into the site. SC said there was to be an investigation into the possibility of opening up the old, blocked-up section so that this could happen. This might take priority over the reinstatement of the globe Pond fountain.

AC asked about the wind turbine. BD said he was trying to find out if the feed-in tariff was still working and thought that Andy Chatterton would probably be able to sort it out; he said it was important to get it working and with a proper maintenance contract in place.

• SC said 2 new interpretation signs had gone up and had so far remained undamaged.
• 12 oak trees are to be planted by St John’s School ~ these had been donated by the BFI. 50 Black Poplars have also been planted. GC asked if these were female; BD replied he was not sure but he had lots of cuttings which were female.
• SC said many bird & bat boxes had been constructed and put up

The Treasurer’s Report

BD said that most of the “Awards for All” grant had been used. Our bank balance was now £4,579.70.

He said that the constitution had been amended, based on the Friends of Southwark Park, and was now fit for purpose.

He asked the meeting to adopt the new constitution.

AC asked for more notice. This was agreed.

JW suggested that future AGMs be held in September when the weather was better and the nights longer.

JH suggested checking with LBS before adopting the new constitution as the F of SP had now made theirs more complicated.

After discussion the new constitution was adopted with the proviso that BD & JW would investigate the background to changes in other constitutions.

Planning Applications

SC said that Downtown was again the subject of a Judicial Review and that Lord Cornworth had over-ruled the previous decision made by the 2 judges. It would go to appeal in March 2012; one option open to the judge was to overturn LBS’s planning approval.

Greenland Dock had been the subject of a planning application for 225 yacht berths. This had been refused at a well-attended meeting but the developer is said to be coming back with a revised application reducing this number to 200.

Any other business

SC said that it was hoped to put a pipeline through the lower reaches of the woodland to make wetlands there using Cleaner, Greener, Safer funding. It was also hoped to stem the leak around the girder so that water went over it instead of around it.

SC thanks Nick Kaur for his work on the Photography in the Park event and the “village-fete” atmosphere that prevailed upon these occasions. AC suggested green wood turners would be an added attraction at future events.

JH raised a point of information: the LBS consultation on Localism closes on 5th January 2012.

SC thanked Alan Camp & his team for attending and everyone else who attended.

The meeting closed circa 20.30.