AGM 2021 Minutes

AGM 2021

Friends of Russia Dock Woodland

• Held 26th May 2022 at Surrey Docks Heath Centre
• Start: 18:45 pm
• Apologies: Nichola Cheetam and John Best
• Attendees: Andrew Doyle, John Taylor, Laurie Stearn, Alan Chadbourne, Anne Chadbourn, John Wills, Steve Cornish, Antonella Chierchia, Sandra Doyle, Clare Street, John (suname?)
• Reason for at late AGM Covid-19 pandemic
• Approval of 2019/2020 minutes: Andrew Doyle, Seconded by Alan C

Matters Arising:

SC: Life Buoys: 24 burnt out over past 3 ½ years, two in last two weeks, £500 each to replace.

JW: Still needed? Boy drowned in 1984.

AD: How many are needed on site? Compared how many Greenland Dock has?

AD: Committee stood down

Election of Officers

AD: Proposed Steve C as Chair, Seconded by A. Chierchia

JT: Proposed JW as treasurer Seconded by LS

Vice Chair JW All in favour

Secretary CS

AD: Thanks to Steve C & officers. 20 years chair, 70 years in area.

Treasurers report

JW: No activity since 2017 (See Report)

4th March 2022 £305.76

AD: Where did money come from?

JW: Cash collection for legal fees Redwood Estate. Grants: Bridge house, Barrats. NSET. A few sources.

SC: Confirms Barrats

JW: Gift donations for bluebell bulbs. Spent.

Planning Applications

SC: K1 Site. Threat to butterfly sanctuary/Hopfield. British land has done final exhibition – no mixed tenure just social housing. A last minute play to remove from rich core area. Social housing kept outside while Core kept for private housings easy access to transport links.

Locals have crowdfunded of £30,000 to oppose proposals.

John ?: Spoke to resident park users to raise awareness. Mayor did not examine plan, ignored social housing segregation and nodded application through.

SC: Separation on a bigger scale. Because of covid government was pushing construction so planning application greenlighted. We thought we had a good case against the proposals segregation alongside the buildings height impact on the nature reserve (soil temperatures and butterfly development/habitat conditions).

Laurie: Soil temperature measurements taken and recorded in areas shaded out by K1 to see how prime invertebrate egg laying areas will be impacted.

SC: Other groups can use this data as proof of harm to environment.

Looking forward

SC:K1 site meetings at Brew/Vixen café. Three meetings re construction noise. A200 lower road action group going though serious impacts to residents (noise, dust, dirt, rats).

John ?: Catherine W is involved?

5 years battling 40 storeys and situation controlling traffic. They’re putting out videos & photos to force British land (BL) to act. Its harming BL reputation.

We can’t get involved in that fight but I said we are right behind you.

Rats were front page of southwark news. 15 years left of development – it needs managing much better.

Looking forward in 2022

SC: NC asked regarding when Redriff Bridge is done she quoted 3 yrs to be done. It’s the fourth bridge to be rebuilt. Wood is costly to maintain 15/20 years before rotting current concrete one has 120 years lifespan. Council could have given us a choice.

Sculptures on bridgeto be put into new structures by Conway’s and repainted.

Redriff ships on fourth bridge rusty and pitted Conways to do similar theme. Kevin Boys (blacksmith) to redo with children again. Photos sent so they can copy old designs.

SUDs

Quebec Quarter flats. Part of agreement was rainwater collection from development. Pipe work under path St johns/ Watermans walk via back gate to first pond. £85,000 section106 money. To keep waterway as a wetland habitat throughout summer. Money needs to go to people to maintain it.

JT: Tank location?

SC: 20m past small gate into development. JB has a diagram.

Updates from parks officers (email notes from SC)

Laurie: New RDW trees are getting watered. Bridge gabion installation has pierced sump lining under new bridge water not reaching pond Bea.

SC: Limit to water pumping Tues/Wed/Thurs either North flow or south flow under Redriff. 6 days going totalling 3 litres per second but still not reaching pond BEA, water just going into backfilled land. No money for new liner. Chalk instead will be cheapest. Conway’s back to remedy.

John ?: Work go ahead without consultation, change needed. FORDW are small but we have expertise, we need to be consulted before putting in.

SC: I hope they won’t do the same on the last bridge.

Capital funding for last bridge by mahogany pond (Peter Hills). Opportunity to learn from mistakes provide a temporary walk way for pedestrians once bridge is removed.

People taking parts of the woodland for themselves and also cutting trees down to get views of pond/ light (Buckters rents area). Parks officers keeping an eye.

(See Parks Officer email regarding: bridge, suds, property department and residential encroachment)

Other

AnneC: Idea for signage or map of ponds with names for visitors/residents.

JT: Signage for RDW has appeared near Canada Water tube.

JT: Woodland plaque created by ?? from Southwark council planning department. It needs to be recorded or publicly available.

Green corridors

SC: Green connections 106 expanded FOSP1867 joined and Greenland dock boat association. Working together we have more leverage and clout,

Developer’s ideas for green spaces are not our idea of green connections.

Mayor 25 year plant to green foreshore. Uber boats destroying greening work. 40 knott speed needs to be reduced. Connects into Lavender pond (LP), surrey docks farm, SH, RDW, CW and A200, plans for green corridors.

Need to be high value habitat corridors – green connection groups will work together towards this. Lots of expertise around the table here needs to be feed into contractors work.

LP has new sustainable edge. £100,000. Norfolk company replaced edge with living sandbags. Birds all back.

Cycleway

JT: Bad surfacing on Russia Walk by chicane not finished off cycle path surface and repairs have made it worse. Raised

SC: To raise at K1 meeting

AlanC: New yellow ridged slabs (for visually impaired) on cycle track are poor material choice.

CS: agree have nearly come off bike twice on corner of K1 site – they are very slippy for bicycle tyres even when dry, slabs on older paths are not slippy material, just the new ones.

SC: Convex mirror keeps being vandalised.

##Student Art

AnneC; Chelsea college student art

SC: “ “ UAL young art students want somewhere to show art.

Laurie: Final project RC checks to see if it will fit with site. 20 + around site with QR code showing stories behind.

AnneC: Any signs for them?

SC: Whatsapp feedback great idea but needs more signage.

AOB

AntonellaC: New mature trees have been planted in odd positions under old trees in RDW green.

Laurie: Involved in other tree planting to replace current white poplar as RDW wrong is soil type. White poplar have 50 years life span these are now at 45 now so starting to fall down/lean. Working on short rotation coppicing work with local residents and schools at teaching aid. The newly planted council trees were not well planned and are not likely to last long as planted wrong time of year – maybe council was trying to reach tree planting target or had spare trees left over?

AntonellaC: Many not in right place.

SC: SCouncil trying to plant 10,000. Councillor manifesto states 10,500 planted so well surpassed. Southwark is losing large trees which support higher biodiversity and planting whips instead at wrong time of year, lots of loss. 10% survival rate for new planted without care. Trees on the green are not healthy.

L: More white poplars planted by Lavender Pond. No notification of planting and no watering which is needed for such mature trees.

Meeting ends 8:12pm