1st April 2015

Minutes of a meeting of The Garrison Residents' Association held at Hinguar   

School on 1st April 2015

Present

• Scott James (Chairman)
• Chris Coomber (Hon Treasurer)
• Adrian Walker (Hon Secretary)   
• Jonathan Hunnibal (Special Adviser)
• Ian Dally
• Cliff Marshall
• Daniel Puddick
• Michael Kennedy
• Helen Parke
• Phil Coombe

Apologies

• Vivien Bycznski
• Jamie Robinson
• Neil Hurrell
• Viv Jones

Scott James opened the meeting by welcoming members, particularly Helen Parke and Phil Coombe, who were attending their first GRA committee meeting.

Minutes

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

Accounts

Chris Coomber apologised for not having copies of the latest accounts, but said they were largely unchanged since the last meeting and he would email copies to members the following day.

Gunners Park development

SJ explained that after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing the application was due to go back to Southend Borough Council planning committee for consideration on 17th April, but was now deferred until after the Council elections in early May, on a date to be confirmed.

SJ said he had received a response from SBC to his letter of 3rd January setting out The Garrison residents' objections to the development; he had not yet received a response to his recent letter to James Duddridge MP on the same subject.

Jonathan Hunnibal asked if the issue of flood insurance in relation to the proposed development had been considered in the light of new rules issued by the insurance industry. Cliff Marshall replied he was still awaiting results ofSBC's deliberations on the new flood defences on Shoebury Common, but said the group, Friends Of Shoebury Common, was aware of the new insurance rules.

Chairman's newsletter

SJ said he had received some response from his last newsletter, nearly all on the subject of parking. It has been alleged that a resident has been vandalising cars in St. George's Lane, in the belief that it is an adopted road, and this belief was reinforced by one of the GRA's 'no parking' signs at the entrance to the road. The majority of St.George's Lane is adopted and not subject to the GRA's restrictions and the sign will be removed. There were also complaints about thoughtless parking in Ashes Road. SJ has produced a map showing which areas of The Garrison are under SGMCL control and those under the control of SBC and others, and this map will be published online when copyright issues have been resolved. The map will make it clear which roads are and are not adopted.

Fowler and Spenceley

On 28th January 2015, S&F wrote to George Cronin, the then managing director of C&M (now Avant) asking for confirmation on a number of important issues agreed between GC and the GRA on the handover of management of The Garrison to residents. F&S wrote again to GC in March, requesting a response to its earlier letter and received a response from Jo Massey, a director of SGMCL promising a reply from GC shortly. After a further three weeks and still no reply from GC to F&S's original letter of January 28th, the GRA urged F&S to contact Avant yet again. On March 13th Keith Spenceley of F&S telephoned Jo Massey but was put through to Zahida Maghal, another director of SGMCL. KSexplained the difficulty he was having in getting any kind of useful response from Avant after seven weeks and made a number of requests, including a response to his original letter to George Cronin. He followed up that call with a confirmatory email.

Robert Fowler of F&S emailed the nominated resident directors on March 13th to say there had by that date been no response from Avant Homes.

However, since then, John Dowel, recently retired chairman of the GRA, telephoned George Cronin's private number and GC returned the call. He told JD that he had confirmed to Avant the legitimacy of the GRA's claims concerning Avant's obligations to The Garrison residents and that these were all well documented within Avant's archives, even explaining exactly where they could be located. We now await Avant's response.

Meanwhile, SJ has written to one of the three new owners of Avant, explaining our predicament and requesting their support and would write again should we not receive a prompt reply.

New wild-life warden

SJ drew attention to the appointment of the new warden, Andrew Armstrong, who has written a piece in the new chairman's newsletter, outlining his duties and ambitions for the site.

Tennis courts and Mess Road gate

Cliff Marshall said the new courts in Commandant's Park were nearing completion, but had strayed significantly from the original plans by being given a black Tarmac surface rather than the regular green surface promised. Furthermore, the entrance gate to the courts had been moved from its original position to one facing along Mess Road, encouraging visitors to use this private un-adopted road to access the courts. He also asked why picnic tables were now planned to be located close to Mess Road, causing further inconvenience to residents. SJ agreed there could be an issue with visitors' cars and suggested we raise the possibility of SBC providing speed bumps. CM said there could be an issue with cars driving along the cycle path in order to avoid these and CC suggested a chicane might be better. He also suggested the erection of cul-de-sac signs to deter drivers.

Cliff Marshall and Daniel Puddick then re-iterated the residents' case for a gate to be erected at the top end of Mess Road to deter joyriders and others with anti-social motives from using the road. They complained there was a serious danger to children from speeding cars. This issue has long been a subject of heated debate among members of the committee and a gate previously erected by the residents without authorisation was ordered by C&M to be taken down. Ian Dally said a gate would not deter drivers from speeding and Chris Coomber said such a gate might be interpreted by other residents on The Garrison as an attempt to make the Officers' Mess an elite area within the site. There was also a danger that residents in other areas would want to erect gates.

SJ suggested we try to use both issues, the tennis courts and the gate, to resolve the problem, by persuading SBC to provide speed bumps or a chicane, and it was agreed to try this route.

Parking

CC said parking on The Garrison would always be an issue while residents believed they had a right to park anywhere on it. CM asked if there would still be provision for parking at the Heritage Centre even though plans for the centre had been abandoned and SJ replied that it would and this should be used by visitors to the new tennis courts. SJ said he believed regulations relating to parking on The Garrison should be pointed out firmly to residents. It was suggested that only professional enforcement would ensure orderly parking.

Update from Scott James

Gunners Rise

The last new house on Gunners Rise has been sold.

Skate-board park

Work on the skate board park and MUGA is scheduled to start in two weeks, but might be delayed due to planning permission for the CCTV installation.

Drill Shed

It was agreed that representations to SBC planning enforcement and to the appropriate cultural institutions regarding the Drill Shed should be delayed until the handover of the site to the residents is completed. In the meantime, CC and JH would arrange to visit the location in order to make a report.

Any other business

Daniel Puddick asked if there had been progress on the sale of two areas of foreshore to interested residents. There had not.

Small Arms building

Michael Kennedy asked if there had been any progress in locating a copy of thesale of agreement or TPI for the building. There had not.

Heritage Centre

Work is in progress on the site and despite the building frame being in a fragile condition, workmen had been seen handling it with what appears to be extreme lack of care. The building will not be used for its original designation but virtually moth-balled for the foreseeable future. There was some doubt as to who will be responsible for maintenance once work was completed and it was agreed to try and find out.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.30 pm.