AGM 2018

Friends of Russia Dock AGM 2018

• 6th December 2018
• Surrey Docks Health Centre
• Commences: 19:02
• Present: Steve Cornish, John Wills, John Cadera, Andrew Doyle, Nicola Cheetham, Rebeka Clark, Clare Street, Anne Chadbourne, Oliver Brown
• Minutes approved by JW seconded by RC
• Matters Arising: None

RC stood down current committee

Election of officers:

Chair: SC proposed re-election of SC by AD 2nd by RC

Vice Chair: JW 1st

Treasurer: JW reappointed by committee

Secretary: Clare reappointed by committee

Bridges

SC: Bridge updates two new bridges Albion & Alfred Salter, old taken out and new built, people can see these new ones are to be there for long time 100 years plus, shows photos of old bridges.

Nc: bridges took long time to do, longer than anticipated, weathers held up works, contractor took longer than planned and were penalised, finished result good.

AD: St johns more essential why replace this first not first?

NC: didn’t anticipate it deteriorating so quickly. Waiting for funding,

AD: Expressed concerns over safety and cyclists cutting down bank.

NC: Unfortunately no guarantee about money.

AD: same contractor?

NC: Yes, it will be will require guarantees they (contractors) will keep to programme, same design and construction.

SC: culverts would be different design due to weight, major subsidence in area, worth doing properly. Ten day ago soil samples taken in RDW adco

NC: not putting date on work, if St Johns had gone first we would have been in better position, the old bridges achieved design expectation (life time expectation).

AD: not helped by motorbike arson

NC: big issue with arson

SC: people with prams, disabled access not good through the left hand entrance. No lights down the woodland walk (moby dick/underpass to St Johns).

Draw line under tweet, SC said looking to start in Jan, 2 months to build. Learnt from exp from last bridges which need three times depth for foundation. Lots of people disliked them at first but many happy now, timber bridges needed more money to maintain but fitted in with dockland area/theme. All capital funded.

NC: Criticism from tree removal around bridges, looking at RC is there anything we need to do in terms of new planting.

RC I think possibly to too late to plant bulbs but would be nice to get snow drops around Albion bridge and replace primrose and fox gloves in May.

AD: Won’t self seed?

RC: Current seed unlikely to make it back to surface. Price Waterhouse Cooper bring big teams of 50 to plant bulbs and have their budget so we could get plugs.

JC: Around the bride was the weaker recording area on the butterfly transect (RC corrected wrong bridge)

SC: Just to confirm you are waiting for funding,

NC: Will be the first to know

SUDs (Sustainable Urban Drainage Scheme)

Quebec quarter now complete on southwest side of Russia Dock Woodland, planning stage agreed with land owner & developer. Agreed all rain water would go into RDW along the five ponds. Met with LNQ 18 months ago to see how it would work. Pen stock style arrange meant to let as much water into ponds needed. Fourteen months ago they were supposed to have done the pathway and laid pipe. Wanted three paths in but reduced to one. JB and Andy Chatterton. Supposed to start October before last, not been done, (non-nesting season) laurel & shrubs were to be removed. New pump and bore hole not strong enough to pump water that far to ponds. Its all gone quiet since.

NC: update got email from planning, has funding for suds, need to know how to extract that and what to do next.

SC: £183 thousand cost, their boss was in room said we will pay for path we’ll do it in two days. The arrangement is we can have grant can be spent ensuring ponds all link up in a gradient.

NC: Will get a proper response to put into minuets.

SC: British Land plan for where main square will be just across the from LNQ, main path links into the path so many people will use the route as a short cut so this maybe the reason why path not been build, but we will still get SUDs.

Borehole and Pump

RC: had issues with pump itself either pumping too much or not enough, at first though impellers clogged, but they are fine, it turned out to be miss-set. Contractors set pump to pump exact amount needed. Free allowance of 20 cubic metres a day (SC: now 100) if we go over we have to pay. We can set pump to constantly pump keeps pump clean and in better condition, reset twice a year (more in summer less in winter) at moment it runs 8 hrs a day. Holy nightmare as never remember to switch on/off.

NC timer?

SC: problem with timer

RC: we would quite like flood of water into system, areas in small circle meadow and marsh need flooding each year, need to work out differential between summer and winter amounts. Water switched more into stave hill over winter months

AC: windmill powered?

RC: No, TCV hoping Gemserve will take on part of repair and management costs pro-bono. £25 thousand in bank to install/repair inverters to repair turbine not nearly enough, business plan £20 thousand. Pipe work needs redoing, £ 25 thousand total costs not including management costs. We need to pay someone to set us up with ongoing plan so we can sell electricity to get money to maintain turbine. Waiting to see if the three companies including gemserve approached will do work pro-bono. CAT onsite doing repairs. They’ve been positive and said will get back to me at end of year. Only had one quote returned. Need someone in the business for a long time, who can provide reconditioned turbine parts

SC: shows photos of borehole being drilled, started with dowser who found location. 2002 photos of no water in pond, Albion bridge fridge freezers in pond, globe pond today. (Murmurs of appreciation from group)

SC: new pump which went in was not powerful enough so company put a new one in which is 3 litres pre second we can feed north or south depending on a plastic pot noodle pot covering which pipe.

SC: water possibly slowing down.

RC: Check for temporary bung in pipe, water gets pumped up into holding cistern, one to Russia Dock Woodland, one to Stave Hill pipe unless we put a bung in it, one is solid bung one pot has an inch hole.

K1 Development

The reason we’ve been so busy.

RC: everyone knows what it is

NO AC AD NC remind me which it is?

K1 at Roberts Close, Canada water masterplan

SC: shows documents of K1

RC: Near St Johns school, opposite church in the corner of Russia dock woodland and the corner of Stave Hill Ecology Park, 5-6 story block hard up against the edge of the plot.

SC: shows documents and location on plot of land.

British land (BL) purchased it off of daily mail, BL told us at many meets it would not be built on for many years, tried to get it as a growing spot for kids. BL came up with proposal 6 months ago with no consultation. Church , two schools, Friends of Stave Hill, Friends of Russia Dock Woodland. LNQ dropped number of stories down to respect woodland and reduce shading.

At 84 units (K1) is 3 times over recommendation, Rebeka has been phenomenal in creating shading diagrams.

Shadowing is going to be detrimental to biodiversity, two schools, church CWF, Residents in LNQ, on board. All (K1 development) going to be social housing separated into this block.

?? (too much over talking conversation lost)

One bid for master plan,

?? How did I find out? Walked in and were in shock K1 what is it? LNQ has got buffer zone and is stepped down respect to woodland.

BL application live, not to be heard until Feb/Jan.

Group of 7 sat down with developer to discuss density, but they’re not listening, talked about expanding play area and concerns over bicycle land.

Talking to us, but not talking about heights and densities or amount of environmental information that has gone into this. BL are adamant that they are policy compliant.

They are not doing hours in shadow but using percentages of day in shadow. Something we have to fight.

More objections the better.

Lots of people object but there are only a certain number of things. Detrimental to schools, no light in church window, nature reserves saying its unacceptable, minimum 20% light a day.

RC: you must walk around woodlands

OB: not for last year.

RC: references “photo me” posters and guideline in the website.

OB: on planning page?

RC: Two links takes you to RDW one to council page with FORDW objection letter. As Steve said we are moving forward with this we are hoping as many people as possible will object, hopefully on hard fact rather than whimsy? Which is why we have created the link. Then further on it there are the seven grounds, but there are other objections to the master plans as a whole we hope to link up to.

SC: shows plan and explains shadowing.

RC: New developments are three and four stories, K1 is going to be 6 stories, fence is 2m, a five 6 story building 15 m.

SC: shadow will span around, this is what can be done with it a Fisher Close town house effect, this could be done. To separate social from private should not be done, we need social housing but not like this. Should not be separate.

Feb/March due to protest.

A1 40 stories, A2 and K1, k1 should have been separated in the planning application. Too complicated.

OB: They have the actual shadowing.

RC: Reticent

Ob

NC FOI route

SC: 7 hrs with councillors

OB: what’s councils feeling on this?

SC: Nick Jonson, over suburban densities. Not negative as we’ve one battles before. Schools all one story high.

OB: They work with you.

SC: Peoples gardens backing onto park

OB: Developers all work with you?

AD:?

SC: (Points to photo of K1 site) lamppost on this corner half height in the corner shadow on church, not rocket science that 6 stories will cast shadow into park on over church.

OB: Burgess park guy interested in shadow, calculated shadow and it’s just going to shadow whole area.

GPEP just won against overshadowing from development.

NC: surprised/

RC: BL not done huge amounts of stake holder activity, global generations scheme in paper garden with Jane R (who BL worked with before at KingsCross). Not sure how that is reaching out to local communities. We have tried to set up combination activities, not seeming to be a scheme to reach out and work out into the local community. I cannot see that is truly a community engagement scheme, I maybe wrong.

Where are their young people coming from?

Rodger Madeline of BL is CEO? Last big project in Kings Cross worked with skip garden (SG) who were there, keen on SG and imported Jane here, rather than working with an existing local group. Have been helping out T&T as now T&T two. I believe that’s now T&T two.

Didn’t want something controlled by us the SG can be moved on and off when needed I can see the reasoning to this.

SC: Reads from document (Obtain copy for webpage): RDW key neighbour not spoken to us. “Heights are in line with neighbouring buildings” I can’t think of sentence that is correct/right in that statement.

AD: can I have a copy for my meeting

Quiet Way 14

SC: drawings & proposals for QW14, depending on Thames Crossing, crossing going ahead, went to consultation: three routes Hilton, Westferry from Durans Wharf. 87 chose the route. Hilton route most favoured but haven’t got room to get the height. Durans Wharf route the only feasible route as can spiral ramp. Hilton 15 meters lower so would have to lift bridge more often. SEAL money all groups wanting money. 80 million now 240 million. Fantastic safely valve for local community moving across river to work.

AC: not using tube?

AD: Close station at peek time, thought they were using bridge as justification for density of buildings.

RC: Thames clipper chap has put in bid to be ferry service to take people instead of bridge to connect up bicycle route.

OB: QW14 green areas got concerns about increased footfall

AD I don’t think they through it through. Cyclists would go up footbridge built in way of route.

OB: 20 mile hour road, see how busy the tunnels gets.

SC: Lewisham council need to put into kitty, it’s a necessity.

OB: is it a cycle and footbridge?

NC: TFL to do some studies soil studies

NC to AD: Are right about direct route through housing at Bywater place.

SC: People not happy for route to go through the front of houses

Green flag

Had it for 6 years now

OB: park management plan do we have them for each park.

NC:

RC: Local Nature Reserve green space two areas Stave Hill Ecological Park (SHEP )managed by, RDW managed by Southwark council also steered by FORDW. RDW was built in early 80s, ecopark in mid 80s managed by TRUE.

OB: big green space council has not an influence

RC: Welcome to come around to SH and see paper copy and computer copy, our management plan follows the natural England management plan guidelines. RDW also have a Management Plan too that layout was written by Alan Scott ecological consultant.

OB: on a map they look like one park, do both groups have clear delineation.

RC: Not so much volunteers from SH frequently bleed into RDW and work there, goes back to LDDC who had management of land, they handed RDW to Southwark Council at time Southwark Council had no experience in manage a wet woodland, was given half the management plan I saw it but there are bits missing. They didn’t realise there were bits missing and so things were not being done, so locals banded together to call for various management to be put in place and called on us to help put put things in place. Always worked to together in green spaces

JC: I use whole area and record birds in the whole area, there’s no need to put in two records for two parks, butterfly transect also takes us into RDW from SH.

RC: No passports needed, only difference SHEP more intensively managed partly due to skills and expertise, also lots of volunteers and trainees, 30 years of continuous conservation.

SC: Great for council

NC: Complimentary skills

OB: Its complimentart

NC: You can tell difference, you can see areas in RDW have not been managed, some species not suitable. We will get there wont we Rebeka?

RC: We will.

Anti-Social Behaviour

We’ve always have problems

All down to not spending money. Taken a long time not a bottomless pit of money, lots coming from developers, volunteers do a lot of work. Cap in hand to developers they like tangible results.

NC: tangible

AD: Park is a selling point

SC: £500 pound buoys burnt

AD: Never use quick work

NC: Will ask marina and dock master “do we need all life buoys” he has expertise.

OB: police involvement?

NC: Patrol when they can (community officers)

AD: Corrina

Sc: Hour on this site

RC: We see them frequently pop into shed.

SC: When the life bouys burnt.

NC Nelson walk last week

NC Potential for fire extinguisher inside?

SC: Confirmed would be good

NC: supposed to be in spring but not, in place for winter.

OB: cameras around?

SC: St Johns Bridge, talks of stabbing in SH, big march got thousands of followers march for the woodlands. More people moving in as they like area, it seems to have quietened down.

NC: Difficult to get balance of safety.

SC: WhatsApp group has 120 members, most people have phones nowadays.

NC: and Corina does.

SC: Chat about chicane moving from where K1 threw it out, my phone went bing, bing, bing, “don’t touch that chicane.”

OB: are they part of FORDW?

SC: (WhatsApps) group started out as information channel

RC: Compared with other southern parks do we get less litter, less vandalism, less dog fouling.

NC: No, across the parks some are a little bit more, some a little less, I would say you are medium. Consistent across my patch. Different for Louise’s patch Burgess Park is a lot worse,

AD: Irresponsible dog owners

NC: Wretched signs

Weirs upgrade

Section 106: £25 thousand for wind turbine, £10 thousand for TCV Biodiversity Action Team to repair weirs, Richard J’s BAT team have been working on this. RC: Water through woodland controlled by timber and rubber weirs, 30 years old, starting to decay, used as unofficial footbridges, started to leak, water going from one end of tiered ponds to other with nothing to stop it. Changing character of water ways. Weirs now reinstated, so levels won’t drop so dramatically in the top pond, Joe’s seasonal pond now back to as it should be, seasonal.

SC: Happy ducks.

Surveying

JC: Butterfly transect in april, weekly walks along transect, 20 plus species recorded, really good.

Red-tipped Clearwing seen, hard to track. Lots of recording sights nymphalids had a rough year. Inundated with all three species of Whites and gatekeepers.

No adult Cinnabar moths, lots of ragwort, but no adult moths. 11 species of dragonfly.

Starting next year biweekly moth trapping after volunteering. All records have gone onto UK butterfly monitoring system, all bird go on record too.

RC: Asked by butterfly conservation to have urban recordings 24 species out of 57 in the UK so not bad going, weekly two hour walk, anyone can come along on.

Three bat walks this, year John urged me for third. Over 60 people on it very successful, we need more bat detectors. Put in funding application another ten which we can share with Southwark park.

JC: 19 common pipistrelles, in past certain other species onsite.

OB: what was that about sharing?

RC: We would share bat detectors with other parks that do bat walks.

(conversation regarding Christmas lantern event in Southwark Park (SP) disturbing bats)

OB: I ask again for Alice In Wonderland event, even commissioned a bat study?

RC: John Best did that, bats hibernate, John gave his opinion that they wouldn’t be disturbed, they will be hibernating throughout event.

OB: study fascinating, when around trees this one yes this one no.

RC: over winter they go into permanent accommodation, in bat boxes or under tiles, in groups.

Green connection’s 106

SC: Approached by Friends of Southwark Park (FOSP), Pat King? Pervious management. To fight for section 106, as we have good habitat links. Approached them as group of familiar entities SH, RDW, SP, etc

New management for FORSP came back saying they don’t want to be in green connections 106 group, shame but the decision has been made. Fighting K1 we need to work with them on bigger picture. The biodiversity action plan adhered to, that there is pocket parks green links.

OB: how would green link go over to SP

SC: Nature area in Canada water green link going through seven islands.

Ob: is this something brought up in Southwark’s meetings

Nc don’t really it recently,

Globe pond

SC: Biggest pond, fountain defunct, idea to have globe built by Kevin Boyes, continents, circulation and aeration of pond.

Neighbourhood fund

AC: mains water?

SC: Recirculating water, in hot spells, built here by local people, I can see it the vision. That’s the idea. Kevin will create a drawing. Run by electricity

Sc junction box near cockle shell path so that’s where it might come from, reconnecting up new switch point, all park of the package

Treasury Report John Wills

Channelling money in and out for the rain shelter, we had £154.94 pound shortage, funds from Southwark did not meet invoice from TCV so it was drawn from our funds.

AC: Built by volunteers?

RC: Yes

JW: Thanks to health centre for not charging us for use of room tonight.

SC: Shows pics of rain shelter, dedicated to old dock worker. Natural play area extended, new climbing structures.

SC: Why not put bin there?

NC: Wouldn’t say told you so

SC: DDC benches to go into areas (asked on WhatsApp where benches should go, elderly have suggested places you wouldn’t think of). Currently benches taken away to repaint.

AC: Why taken from Albion channel

RC: benches had to come out and they were offered to us.

Looking forward

RC: Projects in the woodland and replacing trees that are unsuitable and now dying rapidly John Best talks about joint boundary, lots of tree management on our side, RDW side its undermanaged and JB would like to get rid of weed trees such as sycamore, will see areas cleared fenced and replanted. Hornbeam more native, 20 squared metres, 20 left, 20 cleared.

AC: Alder?

RC: not wet enough

RC: Holme oak, oak, sweet chestnut idea is we will start next year. Public reception to coppicing in respected areas. Each area will be fenced off for about two year.

NC: full support.

NC: Jon Best has developed notices to stop people feeding ducks. Ordered six for RDW whether you want them will, send through to Clare.

SC: For posts?

NC: Would need free standing posts.

SC: Bread is bad for them. All types of bread

Paden mentioned Quebec Quarter have floor to ceiling windows, light coming from QQ is a lot now there is no leaves on trees. Discuss planting evergreens to so light is blocked but view is not. Gabions planted/nature walls?

NC: Approach residents and explain impact.

End 21:00