AGM 2019 Minutes

AGM 2019

Held on the 5th March 2020 at Surrey Docks Health Centre

• Start: 18:40
• Apologies: Pauline Adenwalla, Andrew Doyle
• Present: Steve Cornish, John Wills, Rebeka Clark, Anne Chadborn , Alan Chadborn, Kam Hong Leung, Kerry Hurley, Nicola Cheetham, Johnie Beverley, Anne F Johnson, Clare Street

SC: Reasons for the late AGM: Two reasons – illness and the work we needed to put into K1 Roberts close application which has taken up a lot of our time.

We are keen for this year’s AGM, for 2020, to be in September or October this year.

Matters Arising:

JW: Life buoys really needed?

SC: shall we bring this up in meeting.

Committee stood down

RC: Stood down committee

Election of officers

• Chair: RC proposed Steve Cornish, seconded by Johnny Beverley)
• Vice: SC proposed John Syms, KHL Seconded
• Treasurer: AlanC proposed John Wills, seconded by RC
• Secretary: SC proposed Clare Street, seconded by KHL

Chairs Report

Looking to get replacement trees for the ones cut down by tree team, flowering trees from sect 106 fund, four burnt as feedbags were set alight.

AnneC: Vandalism?

SC: 18 -19 trees originally from Barratt homes which all took but some if the bags were set alight and with the bark damaged the trees dies. One replaced but few have not taken.

Is it possible to have an ongoing programme by the “A-team” (small works team) where benches that are chipped can be re-painted.

RC: Corporate teams could do it?

NC: ok go ahead

NC: Tree works, a lot of work overdue, we have two teams: tree services & tree works we also use contractors for big jobs. We’ve had big work load this year tree. The team policy is you take a tree out you replace it, not always in same place, as site not always suitable, but we do commit to plant as many as were removed (or more), we would be pleased to work with RC to replace them. We don’t always know what we will take out. But a lot of the safety works have been done now.

SC: Residents walk through and ask about tree works. One guy angry about a pollarded willow (sure it was going to be totally removed). Tree worker took the time out and explained to him the work being done and why. Resident satisfied

KHL mentions tree behind his block potentially invading drain, trees on Watermans \walk so large they are blocking the sun from these trees causing them to leaning over to catch sun.

NC: I’m sure the tree worked have check this out for safety.

AC: Big trees still left which are potential threat,

KHL: Tree roots heading to drain, worried about potential damage.

NC: Trees roots do occasionally head for damaged drains. I will ask the tree officer to come and check.

Kerry: Public can be falsely concerned about pollarding, any way to put up signs in advance on day to let people know.

KHL: Could put up something in the notice boards

NC: We have a tree policy, I will mention it (signage) to them.

TCV Report

RC: Fair number of corporate teams last year a lot of them working with Judith Resler (TCV leader). Upgrades to meadows: invasive bramble and nettle taken out. Bramble and nettle are great for wildlife but don’t need every inch of site covered in it. Most obvious meadow Judith’s teams worked on was the redwood development meadow (near Redriff school). 20 tones crushed gravel laid, the teams avoided working near the (rare plant, name?) identified by John Best. Other work included pond clearance of reed mace and 20 tones of chalk on pond Bea.

Adding chalk to pond Bea seems to be clearing it, less sediment. Currently discussing removal of slit from some of the ponds, we can’t remove too much at once or you lose important larvae from dragonflies etc. Exciting survey results last year we have three red data book species. Including the Oil collecting bee whose food plant is purple loosestrife. We have trays of yellow loosestrife in trays ready to be planted. John Best talking to about spot planting wetland edging plants. Easier for ide Verde to maintain these or a corporate team.

Fungi survey 15 species of note, one only found once in London in the last 100 years. One other found in the last 150 years. 94 species total. Butterfly survey 27 out of 50 odd species found in UK not bad for an “urban woodland”.

We’re not doing bad for a manmade 30 yr old site.

Yellow brown warbler appeared bringing a large number of birding paparazzi. John Cadera local resident had done a fantastic bird report. 61 species for 2019 – John C uploads these records onto bird track and other recording sites.

Also made a fantastic report on the butterflies.

All in all not many surveys so who knows what other fantastic things we could find here if we did more surveys!

I propose that FORDW put in a NSET funding application to pay for people to do surveys here. Couldn’t get any big name surveys until 2021 due to demand. Up to £2500 for funding can be applied for from NSET.

NatHistSociety might come down to take a look. For top notch e.g. David Knottan for example you would pay at least £600 but you would get a really detailed report and survey.

The fact is if we don’t know what is out there how can you manage site for it.

SC: good to have a base line to look back at over time

RC: having surveys and records of what is on your site upgrades it to the next level, more power for site protection and more kudos people want to come to site to survey. Working towards gaining Metropolitan site of significance to nature conservation in the next three years. Discussing with John Best we have SH, RDW, LP an entire landscape as a candidate to put forward for metropolitan site of significance to nature conservation.

Last year SH was approached by Hive to use SHED to teach forest school leaders from that gives us £135 a day, three sessions pay for a survey to be done.

NC: (Surveys) demonstrates how valuable the land is. Protects from development pressure, helps to educate people. (Pressures from over use) Everyone wants to bring kids along to woodlands this can cause pressure on site. Plenty of other parks in area including Southwark Park all helping with the green connections.

SC: Thames foreshore being used a lot more now so pressure form dogs/walkers on the riverside birds.

K1 Development

25th and 30th Sept 2019? Southwark Council granted permission for 1st phase of development. Backing of G7 to fight proposal of K1 site. We were told wouldn’t be built on for years, final submission May 2019 suddenly it was there. Their (Britishland) answer was don’t blame us, blame the councils prssure to supply social housing. They decided to separate social housing from the private 40 story flats next to station, 6 story on K1 site. Sat in many meetings. Council have pushed it through despite arguments against and the environmental and shadowing reports from RC. Hop garden cultivated since ???? All going to be in deep shadow. We are challenging decision.

We’ve got lawyers on board to help.

RC: Set up crowd justice campaign and we will be putting up more posters in the week.

SC: we raised £7000 straight away. Some money has gone too cover initial costs. Some money will be paying for the barrister.

Kerry: is there a date set for the court case?

SC: Not yet

RC: You have developer shading out two LNRs and grouping social housing. At no stage in their application did the refer to SH or RDW as Local Nature Reserves they referred to them as urban “secondary” woodland. I know what urban secondary woodland is, and this is most certainly not it! This could set a president to other developers giving the ok to over shadow valuable parks.

SC: No green finger/corridors from Britishland in this development, unlike the other developments around that site. In a suburban zone it should be 28 units density not 80 units. We will update people soon. Not just the nature reserves but school pitches and church will be in dark. We’re proud of school for sticking up to it.

Kerry: I hope this is successful, they might start preparatory work at any stage. Do we know what needs to be done in advance to minimise damage in case it does, how can we prepare?

RC: In terms of mitigation, there is not much you can do to fight (building) shade. All we can do is manage the rest of the site to the highest levels you can to try to maintain the biodiversity. We have been blocking off areas to try and create more refuges. The Eco park always been open but people do trample across habitats, local resident have been brilliant in understanding why we are blocking off areas. (increasing pressure on park from users)

SC: (Development application) Went to mayor of London

RC: The application was passed to the Mayor of London for review it, was not passed on to the Greater London Authority but Sadiq Khan passed it straight back to Southwark Council Planning Department, this is unprecedented. The London Assembly is there to provide impartial view but why did Sadiq Khan not pass it to them to be subjected to impartial scrutiny. I’m sure it had “nothing” to do with elections. Southwark Council will let us know once they have made decision.

Borehole

Environment Agency came to check bore hole and water meter. We went over out quota by a considerable amount last year (over extracted) due to pump being left on too long. This could lead to a fine or revoked extraction licence.

NC: It could give Southwark council a large fine.

JB: What is knock on effect?

NC: We have to monitor what we take carefully from the aquifer.

RC: Taking out more than our fair share.

NC: We have more holes, one at SH, one at Lavender pond and one to be at Canada Water Dock.

RC: Borehole has two problems: First is over extraction. Potential solution: Valve reduced so we only pump what we need. Second is red oxide (Ocre) which is suspended in the moving water but when it settles in still water it goes solid. We have had 7-8 pumps at £4000 a go, this silt badly damages the pump. If we have the water flowing (at reduced rate) all the time it may solve this problem.

NC: we will be monitoring more closely this year.

RC: Dominic Leary will be kindly taking on the responsibility of monitoring the borehole and meter.

JW: Can we apply for more water from the Environment Agency?

RC: We may have to pay more for larger extraction licence but I don’t think it will fix problem.

AnneC: Is it drinking water?

SC: It’s from a chalk aquifer (not processed)

AlanC: Can the pump be slowed down?

RC: borehole engineer said: less slowing the pump but more restricting the flow, slowing pump may make the silt build up.

SC: Canada water dock pump will be paid for by British land, there is a large leak out of Canada Water Dock near The Range. Until that’s fixed the EA will not like this until fixed.

RC: We don’t know what the impact will be to our borehole extraction.

QW14

Cycle pedestrian route from Canada Water through the woodland down to the Thames path.

Latest route is left to Rotherhithe bridge or right to Deptford/Greenwich. Mayor of London has shelved the bridge. We had 90/95% residents all for it. There’s an ongoing legal battle on the New Caledonian Wharf Thames path access which is currently gated off. Local (Southwark) council are saying verbally money will be sought to open part of it. The wooden structure which is currently cordoned off (Unsafe?) the council have said they will do that.

(Alan Chadborn and Rebeka Clark leave meeting)

Crime and ASB

Nowhere near what it was like in in ‘97 onwards. Stolen motor bikes and cars (shows photos). Massively down to the lady that just left (RC) she’s made the big change. In my 60 years here I’ve never known someone put in so much work to a site.

NC: Fly tipping near Fisher Close has been really bad I have had to have contractors in to move things as too big for the park workers. Think people are moving out and just dumping things in the park. Windy conditions have made things worse spreading litter.

SC: Price for collection of bulk waste has increased £15 to £25 pounds, no one’s going to pay that so fly tipping will increase. Parks team don’t have time to deal with this. Once in pond is ten times harder. There needs to be some funding found to reduce this cost.

Few life bouys burnt out but nowhere near as bad as it was, we’ve had .. (number?) burnt out £500 cost each with post £10000 worth of money that could have been spent elsewhere.

Kerry: Have mugging and thefts gone up in area?

SC: I can only go by what I hear really, the main route from Canada Water station through to this area with the side paths running into the flats that are targets. Near station along Quebec Way is a hot spot, breaking into underground carpark. One family are moving away. In the woodlands its peaks and troughs we have long spells of nothing then in summer it is motor bikes dumped. We’ve had one suicide.

I spoke to the mother if she would like a memorial tree from the people of Rotherhithe for the young lad but this moment in time she’s too raw but thanked us maybe in the future.

Quebec way path and SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Scheme)

NC: Commitment imposed upon developer that they were supposed to give us funding for it and it all when quiet from the developer. SC: has some notes and diagrams from the meeting and is approaching a contact to move this along. Was supposed to come with a path but were glad hat did not happen but we would like the SUDS scheme.

SC: (explains suds scheme)

Been in touch will original architects Alan Camps, he will find out the drawings, that will cut out design costs so we can sort out the pipes. The pipes should not cost a lot.

Ide Verde team numbers

SC: We had 3.5 workers at one stage for 36 acres of land, we now have two. We all know they do their best and work very hard you can set your watch by them but it’s not enough (site too large). I don’t suppose there is any hope for more?

NC: No. We do have a core team which is supplemented by others who come in to cut the grass and do other works.

SC: We have good daily interactions with ide Verde and RC which keep us all up-to-date with problems in the park so we can sort quickly,

Green connections 106

SC: Well respected groups of local expertise to work with developers. Who (developers) just do straight corridors of green not wildlife suitable corridors.

New development site at gas works. Supplying nesting materials for Greenland dock and surrey water with volunteers and the swans and geese take it to next with. Gasometer site is small but it’s a massive development. Talking to developer about a SUDS scheme to feed into Surrey Water. Deal porters walk is the link to Canada water. Same old story it is time. In next two month we will get together and talk it through. SEAL? money is live as we speak with big meeting coming up next week.

RDW events 2020

RC has kids events to do with bat/bird boxes, community events. SoundCamp.

Treasury Report

No change to bank balance. We’ve received nothing and spent nothing. Just waiting for a new statement from the coop bank.

Any Other Business

Forest Bathing

KHL – forest bathing is mindfulness and meditation under the canopy of trees. It became popular after Kat Middleton made her garden, it became a craze. In japan there is scientific research into the benefits to people. Trees produce oil and chemicals to protect themselves from insect attack but these also benefit people. Medical benefit to people, there has been social prescribing by the forest institute. Kew gardens will be rolling out forest bathing, We’re the biggest small woodland it would be good to make use of our natural assets. Rebeka said it would be interested to do this in the woodland. If anyone would like to do it, if there are any trained people to lead it. We could put some leaflets up in the notice boards. If anyone is interested I can email more of the scientific research papers to you.

Small groups/individuals can do it. If Southwark council is interested I would be happy to run an introduction.

Kerry: you could promote this in doctor’s surgeries.

KHL: I have done this.

Wildlife garden in Surrey Dock Farm

JB: Young farmers at Surrey Docks Farm are fundraising to crowd fund on space hive to repair the wildlife area. Please could you pass the word around.

SC: we have some flat pack bird boxes ready to make for the young farmers at SH if you just pop around. Meeting End: 20:14