ALDENHAM PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the meeting of the PARKS OPEN SPACESCOMMITTEE held at 7.30pm on 5thMarch2015, in The Radlett Centre,Radlett.
Present:CllrsT Butwick (Chairman), Mrs G Balen, J Howley, Mrs J Lefton,
G Walton, C Wilkins, R Worthy.
Officers:Mrs C Fletcher (Parks and Open Spaces Officer);N Hudson (Groundsman Supervisor)
Also present weretwo members of the public.
334.Apologies for absence–none.
335. Declarations of interest on any item on the Agenda.
a)Disclosable pecuniary interests – none
b)Other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests –none.
336.To adjourn the meeting for members of the public to address the
Committee (in accordance with Standing Order 1d).
Two members of the public were present.The Chairman adjourned standing orders, and the beekeeper on the allotment site,asked to address the committee. He thanked the committee for their work in supporting beekeeping on the allotment site and made enquiries as to whether the newly installed water system on the allotment site could be extended to the compound. His comments were noted and this matter will be passed on to the Parish Council Manager. The Groundsman Supervisor stated that, as the allotment water system is a high pressure system, any works to extend the supply into the compound would involve turning off the entire water supply during any works.
Finally the beekeeper commented on the condition of the footpaths on the allotment site subsequent to the installation of the new water system.
His comments were noted and standing orders were resumed.
337.To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 14thJanuary 2015 (in accordance with Standing Order 2e)
The minutesof the 14thJanuary 2015meeting were agreed, approved, and adopted by the Committee, and signed by the Chairman as a true record of the meeting.
338.Chairman’s Announcements−None.
339.Officer’s Report
The Officer’s Report had been previously circulated and is attached. The officer confirmed that the allotment water installation had been completed at the end of February. The groundstaff have taken remedial action to flatten earth disturbed during the installation, and will assess what more can be done to reinstate the paths.
It was noted by the committee that the annual independent inspection of the Council’s play areas has moved from January to May.
The officer updated the committee on progress with the tree replanting plan. This spring the groundstaff have planted in the Rose Field to screen the Network Rail line, and around the newly installed kissing gate at thetop of the Picnic Field. A small section of hedging is yet to be planted by the kissing gate to complete this landscaping. The groundstaff have set aside some trees in the nursery tocarry out the planned planting along the Network Rail boundary at Tabard. The committee were advised that once this planting at Tabard has been completed there will be no more trees of a suitable size in the nursery to carry out the planned planting at the bottom of the Picnic Field. It was acknowledged that the Council may need to invest more in the tree nursery to achieve better specimens for transplanting on.The Groundsman Supervisor was asked to review the nursery and advise the committee as to whether the Council should be looking to purchase trees to restock the nursery, and whether the Council needs to purchase mature trees to achieve the resolved replanting aims in the short term. The Groundsman Supervisor was asked to report back his initial assessment at the meeting in April and to include a full review of the nursery when the annual tree replanting plan is discussed at the November meeting.
In addition to the replanting plans already minuted at the November meeting, the groundstaff were asked to plant a couple of trees in the gap along the boundary between Salter’s Field and the Second XI Cricket Pitch, provided that the Cricket Club are amenable to this proposal.
The Officer was asked to report on the recovery of the deer-damaged whitebeam at Phillimore Recreation Ground at the next meeting.
Regarding the replacement of the safety surfacing under the single point swing frame, the Officer was asked to obtain several quotes and table these at the next committee meeting in April.
340.Grounds Maintenance
a) To receive the Grounds Maintenance Report
This report had been previously circulated and is attached. It was suggested that some self-seeded trees in Wellhouse Dell, Cobden Hill Dell and Fir Spring Wood could be transferred on to other parts of the parish where replacement trees are needed. The Groundsman Supervisor was asked to include this in his assessment of the Council’s tree stocks as discussed in the previous item.
b) To consider the purchase of a shredder.
A report on this item had been previously circulated. After discussion it was
Resolved to purchase the Eliet Pro 5 shredder at a cost of £3750 during the financial year 2015/16, providing that the underspend of £1666 in the Asset Purchase budget in 2014/15 is carried forward, either as an Earmarked Reserve or within the 2015/16 budget.
341.To consider the latest financial statements.
These had been previously circulated, and were noted.
342.To consider a request from The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust to conduct an ecological survey of Wellhouse Dell.
The Council has received a letter from The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust formally requesting permission to conduct an ecological survey of Wellhouse Dell during April to May 2015. A copy of this letter had been circulated previously to members. Members considered this request and agreed that there was no compelling reason to refuse the request although questions were raised about the physical challenge to the Trust’s staff of working in this difficult terrain. It would be advisable for the Trust to carry out a site visit of the area before conducting the survey. Therefore it was
Resolved that the officer write a letter to The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust granting the Council’s permission for the Trust to conduct an ecological survey of Wellhouse Dell during April to May 2015 on the condition that this would be at no cost to the Council and at the Trust’s own risk.
343.To agree to replace the Council’s notice board at Letchmore Heath.
The committee were advised that the Council’s notice board at Letchmore Heath has become dilapidated, and the groundstaff are due to remove it within the coming week. It is hoped that a grant could be obtained for its replacement which would be the same design as that recently purchased for Battlers Green. The committee agreed that the board should be replaced, and that this would be an opportunity to locate the board in a better position where residents would be more likely to stop and look at the board. After some discussion it was
Resolved to replace the Council’s notice board at Letchmore Heath, at an improved location.
344.To consider a request from the Radlett Society and Green Belt Association to install a footpath map board in the car park of Phillimore Recreation Ground, and also in Letchmore Heath.
The Council has received a request from the Radlett Society and Green Belt Association (RS&GBA) to install two footpath map display boards. The first site proposed is in the car park of Phillimore Recreation Ground, placed next to the Council’s own notice board. The second site proposed is in Letchmore Heath, near the pond. The proposed structures would be of the same materials, size and design as the interpretation board already installed at Radlett Gardens and the map itself would be a copy of the RS&GBA footpath poster. The RS&GBA undertake tocreate and produce the boards, so it is understood that this enterprise would not involve Council resources or staff time, and the RS&GBA also undertake to fund the entire cost of the supply and installation of these boards. It was noted that the proposed installations would have to be deferred until after the major works involving the Phillimore Recreation Ground car park this summer. It was agreed that, should permission be granted for the RS&GBA to install these structures on Council land,the groundstaff should carry out a site visit with a representative of the RS&GBA beforehand to choose the best location.
Members agreed that permission should be granted but questions were raised over responsibility for the ongoing maintenance of the boards and their ownership once installed. It was acknowledged that, at some point in the future for reasons that could not be foreseen at this point, the boards may have to be repaired, removed or relocated. Therefore it was agreed that one of conditions of granting permission for installation be that once installed, the boards would become the physical property of the Council to be repaired and maintained as the Council sees fit. Therefore it was
Resolved to grant permission to the Radlett Society and Green Belt Association to install a footpath map board in the car park of Phillimore Recreation Ground and also at Letchmore Heath, on the following conditions:
- that the Council would make the final decision on the best location for the boards;
- that once donated the boards would become the property of the Council and as such the Council would maintain and repair the boards as the Council sees fit;
- that in the unfortunate eventuality that the boards are damaged beyond repair the Council can make no guarantee that the boards will be replaced.
345.To propose agenda items for the next meeting and any items to be included in the summer edition of Around Radlett.
It had been agreed earlier in the meeting that quotations for replacement safety surfacing under the single point swing frame would be an agenda item at the next meeting. It was proposed that Cllr G Walton write a piece on the installation of the water supply at the allotments, and that the officer write an update on tree replanting, to be included in the summer edition of Around Radlett.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.50pm.
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Chairman Dated
Parks and Open Spaces Minutes 5th March 20151