MINUTES OF 15TH JUNE 2006 HELD AT

THE HAILEY DAY CENTRE, SAWBRIDGEWORTH

PRESENT:
Monya Billing (Chair). Warren Richards (Secretary).  Bert Puncher. Jean Jones Peter Jones. Clive Atkins. Mary whitehead. Ted Barrow. Joyce Vincent(Sbw TC)..
APOLOGIES:
David and Hazel Mead, Jacqueline Dore Michael Vincent(Treasurer), Chris Rees
Mary Huxtable , Joan Willett, Ted Willett,
Diana Richards.
MINUTES:
The minutes of the last meeting 18th May 2006 were accepted as a true record of the meeting.

MATTERS ARISING:

Correspondence

The Secretary outlined the letter sent to EHC in response to the Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth Transport Plan.
A thank you letter had been written to EHC for a grant given for us to build a web site. The Chairman tabled a new copy of the CVS Directory of local Clubs and Organisations.

Tourism Initiative:

The Sec. reported that at HCC they have taken a separate initiative to promote signage and brochures for towns and villages in Hertfordshire with the result that local volunteers were becoming despondent. 

Post Meeting Note: Diana Richards is trying to ensure that the two separate initiatives are complementary.
Members commented that was not the extra staff taken on by the Town Council to co-ordinate such activities and the commercialisation of the Town?
 The Sec. said no, the new staff was required to handle requirements set by central Government.

Maypole

The Sec. of the CVS will be writing to Mandeville’s School, Guides and Brownies to see if they would participate in a public maypole dance.
 At the last Town Council meeting it was proposed that the Town considers another public day and St Georges Day was muted. Members felt a day in October
 such as Trafalgar Day would be more appropriate with a Hog Roast as an attraction.

Sawbridgeworth Brook

The last heavy rains have cleared the Brook in the upper reaches and deposited rubbish under the bridges in Brook Lane and under the A1184. This brought to mind the ensuing development at Sawbridgeworth Motors and while EHC Development Control is mindful of the fragility of the Brook next to this development members asked whether the EA could be given a watching brief during construction of the building and the landscaping of the Brook to see the Brook received the best attention. Is the surface water from the site going into the Brook and could the developer be persuaded to clear the bridge under A1184?

Bikers

There are still problems with motorbikes in Gilders, the land around Rivers Nursery Orchard and Pishiobury Park. Members wanted to know how to deal with nuisance situation without dialling 999; the correct number to use is 0845 3300 222. PM Note Diana Richards has asked for it to be raised at the next TC meeting.

Car Park Surfacing

While no direct approach has been made about surfacing, the Sec read out an e-mail to Diana Richards from EHC saying the puddling around the Bring Site was being referred to the contractors.

Community Voice

Next meeting to be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 6th April at Memorial Hall.

AGENDA

The Web Site.

With a grant from EHC we have re registered our name and booked space on a web computer. The first new task was to put all our walks on to the site.
Members asked for the police contact number to go on the site, this was questioned on a site promoting the environment in Sawbridgeworth.

New Projects


New Projects. The Sec. had found a scheme called Rivercare, which helps volunteers groups adopt a stretch of river. The Sec. has registered us for our stretch of the Stort; we are the first in Herts to register. Clive A is going to register the Brook separately.
Joyce V suggested we register with Spring Watch to obtain a grant to develop the Victorian Tip into a wildlife site. A question was raised could it made to have public access?

DATE OF NEXT MEETING:

The next meeting will be held in the Hailey Day Centre at 8.00pm on 20th July 06.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Dog Fouling

 Mary W reported 8 instances of dog mess to the rear of Elmwood on the path that Cllr Brian Rochester has just cleared along side the Victorian Tip. She was asked personally to write to the Town Council, as she could be more specific about the offence.

Parking

Ted B reported the car parking problems in Duckling Lane leading to Fair Green near the pump on the corner and the overhanging foliage on the adjacent wall and was very please with the instant response from the Town Clerk and Herts Highways.

Fair Green

Regarding the Southern pedestrian access to Fair Green it was agreed that Ted B would write to the local paper to ask for people’s comments regarding the work already carried out on the highway. This was in response to Martin Nevill’s letter asking for local opinion on the completed work..

Sheering Mill Lane

Ted B would also continue to press for Sheering Mill Lane to be one-way.

Aircraft Complaints

Clive A supplied a number for complaints about aircraft-0800243788