THE SHORTLANDS RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
(Founded in 1934)
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
26 APRIL 2018
The Association’s AGM will be held at 8.00pm in St. Mary’s Church Hall, St Mary’s Avenue.
AGENDA
- President’s Address
- Apologies for Absence
- Minutes of AGM held in April 2017 (available at the meeting or by request) and matters arising
- Chairman’s Report for 2017 and matters arising
- To receive and adopt accounts for the year to 31 Dec 2017 (to be circulated)
- Election of Honorary Officers
- Election of Executive Committee
- Election of Honorary Auditors
- Any other business
- Local election “Hustings”
Refreshments will be available at the end of the meeting.
Affiliated to the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Bromley Arts Council,
London Borough of Bromley Residents’ Federation
PRESIDENT'S COMMENT
Local Council elections take place on 3 May, 2018, unfortunately a matter of indifference to many residents; 55% of those eligible to vote in Shortlands in the 2014 local government elections did not. Nationally, on average, 65% of those eligible to vote could not be bothered to do so. Nonetheless, the importance of local democracy has been a recurring topic in these Comments over the years and recent events have shown just how crucial councils and their councillors can be.
In Northamptonshire, the County Council has, in effect, declared itself “broke” and the ruling Party's backbenchers have declared no confidence in their Leader. In Kensington & Chelsea, hopefully the ongoing Inquiry will reveal the extent to which that Council's actions may have contributed to the devastation of Grenfell Tower. In Haringey (and here in Shortlands!) councillors have been deselected by their Party organisations, thereby denying them the chance to defend their stewardship and electorates the opportunity to pass their own judgement. Here in Bromley, in 2016, Ofsted inspectors judged vital Council services for children in need of help and protection to be “inadequate”; the report found “...elected members, chief executive and senior leaders across the Local Authority...were unaware of the extensive defects identified in this inspection”. Therefore, who we elect as our councillors, the questions they subsequently ask, or fail to ask, and the judgements they make can be critical to the lives of those they are supposed to serve and those who depend on Bromley Council for care and protection. This is especially the case at a time when central government funding to councils such as Bromley has been so inadequate relative to other comparable authorities, making decision taking that much more challenging.
The provision of essential, high quality public services, increasingly through outsourced companies/agencies, requires clear targets, effective contracts, robust monitoring and enforcement and responsiveness to residents' experiences or concerns when delivered standards fall short of expectations. A system of local government long dominated by the main political Parties, none of which can claim to “have all the answers”, requires penetrating, informed and constructive challenge if it is to be effective, efficient and responsive (I write this having been, as some readers will be aware, a councillor for Shortlands Ward many years ago). Perhaps there is an increasingly crucial role for independently minded councillors, within or outwith the Party system, to ensure the awkward questions are not only asked but addressed.
Decades ago councillors were, nominally at least, independent of Party affiliation and small pockets of Independent councillors survive, usually in rural areas, somewhat like rare breeds. Is there a continuing role for the Independent councillor? If yes, how should they be encouraged? Does the domination of the Party organisation deter talented people who might be interested in standing but reject being tied to a political Party? What part, if any, should residents' associations like the SRA play in their promotion? The SRA's current constitution permits the Association to support a candidate it believes would “assist in promoting the objects of the Association”, a course of action not undertaken in the memory of most Members. Given the uncertainties and conflicts that are currently a feature across the political spectrum perhaps the time is ripe for a conversation about this issue. As the saying goes...over to you dear reader!
Meanwhile, your Association is encouraging interest in May's elections by hosting a Hustings for candidates immediately following the formal business of this year's AGM. It is an opportunity for them to respond to questions and explain why they believe they deserve your vote. Please support the Hustings and, perhaps, discover how independently minded the candidates would be if elected.
Brian Reading
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
At this time last year we reported on the significant and constructive piece of work that the Association had done on the problems for local residents caused by commuter parking and its impact on the life of local people. We were, at that time, in discussions with the Portfolio Holder for the Environment and his officers on the improvements that we continue to believe could – and should – be made.
You may have noticed that nothing has, in fact, changed; we were offered some white “H” lines to prevent parking over people’s private drives but this is of marginal benefit – they are unenforceable. We were also promised double yellow lines on difficult or dangerous corners and bends – Church Road, Mays Hill Road etc. – which we expected to be in place well before the end of 2017. These require consultation, but progress is proving painfully slow. We have also raised the question of marking over bus stops to prevent parked cars causing problems. This involves TfL, who have been helpful, and Bromley. Their discussions continue.
However, on the wider question of controlling commuter parking through, for example, controlled parking zones, our local authority has been entirely unresponsive. The problems for roads such as Mays Hill, Kingswood, Park Hill, South Hill and Beckenham Grove (to name but a few) persist and worsen. We are told that it is not council policy to introduce restrictions where residents have off street parking, and that is the end of the matter. Never mind that these policies are applied inconsistently and take no account of specific local circumstances. Or that money is found for apparently pointless schemes such as that at Ravensbourne station.
Such was our concern that we did give serious consideration to fielding our own independent candidate at the forthcoming election (see the President’s Comment above), someone who was able to act entirely on behalf of residents. In the event we decided not to, but the very fact that we discussed it in depth indicates our frustration that we did not believe that our genuine, evidence based points were being listened to. Let alone acted upon.
More generally, the SRA continues to maintain a healthy financial position. However, this picture masks some underlying concerns. Many members generously contribute more than our minimum annual subscription, so while our income holds up, membership levels are not as high as we would like them to be, especially among younger residents and families. Liaison Officers do sterling work and are key to attracting and retaining members, but is a constant battle to recruit new people to fill gaps in our coverage. We have operated on the same model for many years (as, to be honest, do most similar organizations), but the challenge for the next year is to find ways in which we can remain relevant as the needs and demographics of the areas they evolve, and to increase our profile and effectiveness locally.
So we want to look at some new ways of working with more open meetings, perhaps on Saturday mornings so that those with full time jobs can attend, increasing our use of the web site and social media and publicizing what we do more actively. We intend to trial some new approaches over the next year and assess their impact – while, of course, not losing touch with our core membership.
We have plenty of ideas, but as ever it falls to a small number of committed people to give their time and energy to get them off the ground.
We would very much welcome discussions with any local resident who feels that they can offer ideas or expertise as we try new approaches.
MARK DEMPSEY
DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Although what happens in Bromley Town Centre is not strictly part of our watch, developments in the centre affect all of us so we do involve ourselves with what is proposed.
The new draft London Plan particularly encourages town centre development with homes, invariably flats, within a short distance of a railway station. Each London Borough has been set a target number of residences for the next 10 years. Bromley will be required to generate 1424 net additional homes each year, the great majority of which would be planned for so-called small sites which would support 25 or fewer homes. Of these the Mayor is looking for a minimum 35% affordable housing.
Inevitably a great deal of attention is given to the town centre to satisfy the criteria. None of this can happen without substantial change to the existing housing environment. You will always be a matter of considerable debate whether removing existing properties in order to make way for something altogether on a larger scale is the right thing to do.
There is no doubt that the proposed development parallel with the High Street and behind Library Gardens will be on a major scale and be just as controversial. The preferred developer had requested a very long lease on Library Gardens even without having had designs approved, but this has now been rejected. My understanding is that an application for planning approval will be made this spring and development will be carried out over the next few years.
Very recently a plan has been submitted for a 23 storey block of flats in very close to Bromley North Station and in the last couple of weeks an altogether more modest application for a nine story block. One objection which I read was to the effect that if there was a clear plan for the development of such tall buildings then objections might be fewer. The feeling was that such proposed developments were random and unstructured.
Meanwhile at the south end of town a plan for a large secondary school for over 1000 students on the old DSS site was rejected partly because of the difficulties of managing large numbers of people safely at peak times but also, perhaps a little surprisingly, because of the loss of view towards Keston. One wonders how long that kind of objection will remain viable.
One of the more controversial plans raised by the Mayor is to make more use of garden space, so-called backland development and, until now, commonly rejected. Having said that, many of the newer developments which we have in Shortlands have taken place by making use of the acquisition of the ends of existing gardens. Without doubt it will become more difficult to argue effectively against some of the newer proposals.
Another significant development again just on the edge of SRA territory was an amendment to the proposed redevelopment of the Chinese Garage. In fact planning permission had already been granted but when Tesco appeared on the scene to replace a proposed pet shop there was very strong opposition by hundreds of objectors, in the main because of the additional traffic issues but also because of the potential damage to the existing traders.
We are seeing applications which push at the boundaries of what would have been considered acceptable in the very recent past; I have mentioned above a development in an existing garden but also we have seen an application for the conversion of a classic semi-detached family house into two flats. No doubt as any of these proposals are passed the tone of the neighbourhood will change.
The existing London Plan Strategic Planning Guide asks boroughs to recognise in their planning decisions that local character evolves over time and will need to change in appropriate locations to accommodate additional housing provision and increases in residential density through small housing developments. This included considering conversions, extensions and demolition and redevelopment of existing buildings including infill developments.
This will no doubt represent the conflict over the next few years; the demand and requirement for additional housing versus retaining existing character.
Danny Miller
OUR CURRENT LIAISON OFFICERSBeckenham Grove / Mr. D. Miller, 16 Hildenlea Place
Beckenham Lane / Bernadette Manning, 48 Beckenham Lane
Bromley Grove / Mr. K. Mills, 14A Bromley Grove
Bromley Road / Mr. P. Norris, 27 Scotts Avenue
Castle Close / Mrs. P. Braithwaite, 40 Kingswood Avenue
Caygill Close / Helen Scholfield, 15 Caygill Close
Celtic Avenue / Mrs. J. Nicholls, 29 Celtic Avenue
Chart Close / Mrs. P. Duffin, 20 St. Mary’s Avenue
Chiltern Gardens / Helen Scholfield, 15 Caygill Close
Church Road / Mr. M Street, 3A Church Road
Cumberland Road / Mrs. D. Allen, 38 St. Mary’s Avenue
Den Road, Den Close / Mr. M. Ricketts, 18 Den Road
Druids Way / Mr. G. Roberts, 4 Green Close
Durham Avenue / Mr. B. Smith, 36 Durham Avenue
Dykes Way / Sandy Rayment, 5 Kings Keep
Farnaby Road / Brendan Donegan, 7a, Farnaby Road
Foxes Dale / Mr. S. Glenville 20 Foxes Dale
Fyfield Close / Mr. G. Roberts, 4 Green Close
Green Close / Mrs. P. Duffin, 20 St. Mary’s Avenue
Hengist Way / Mrs. D. Noad, 70 Kingswood Avenue
Highfield Drive / Mrs. G. Charnley, 8 Highfield Drive
Hildenlea Place / Mr. D. Miller, 16 Hildenlea Place
Hillside Road / Sandy Rayment, 5 Kings Keep
Kings Keep / Miss McLetchie, 2 Kings Keep
Kingswood Avenue / Mrs. D. Noad, 70 Kingswood Avenue
Kingswood Road (1-79,2-22) / Mrs. J. Rankin, 28 St. Mary’s Avenue
Kingswood Road (rem) / Mr. G. Roberts, 4 Green Close
Lancaster Close / Mrs. E. Lynch, 1 Lancaster Close
Martins Road / Bernadette Manning, 48 Beckenham Lane
Meadow Road / Miss M Nolan, 48 Meadow Road
Parkhill Road / Mr. K. Mills, 14A Bromley Grove
Queen Anne Avenue / Sandy Rayment, 5 Kings Keep
Ravensbourne Avenue / Mrs. S. Callaghan, 14 Ravensbourne Avenue
Recreation Road / Bernadette Manning, 48 Beckenham Lane
Romanhurst Avenue / Mrs S. Guttridge, 27 Kingswood Avenue
Romanhurst Gardens / MrMrs Barber, 13 Romanhurst Gardens
Scotts Avenue, part Scotts Lane / Mr P. Norris, 27 Scotts Avenue
Scotts Lane / Mrs E Clarke, 64 Scotts Lane
Shortlands Grove / Mrs J. Berry, 50 Mays Hill Road
Shortlands Road / Mr R. Phipps, 39 Shortlands Road
South Hill Road / Mr D. Hope-Milne, 17 Parkhill Road
St. Mary’s Avenue / Mrs J. Herzmark, 64 Mays Hill Road
Tootswood Road / Mrs S. Guttridge, 27 Kingswood Avenue
West Point (Shortlands Grove) / Mr Needham, Shortlands Grove
Winchester Park / Mrs S. Guttridge, 27 Kingswood Avenue
ROADS CURRENTLY WITHOUT LIASON OFFICERS
Bromley Gardens / Mays Hill Road
Colebrook Rise / Queensmead Road
Durham Road / Shortlands Gardens
Glassmill Lane / Station Road
Iden Close / Valley Road
SHORTLANDS RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION – current committee membership
President: Brian Reading
ChairmanMark Dempsey, 61 Kingswood Road 8460 4060
Vice ChairmanKeith Mills, 14a Bromley Grove8464 2977
Hon. TreasurerPeter Berry, 50 Mays Hill Road8466 1134
Development Officer Daniel Miller,16Hildenlea Place84603247
Hon. Membership SecAnn-Marie Jefferys, 17 Scotts Avenue8460 6030
Hon. SecretaryVictoria Miller, 16 Hildenlea Place8460 3247
Executive CommitteeSally Guttridge, 27 Kingswood Avenue8325 3490
Mike Ricketts, 18 Den Road 8460 0395
Hon AuditorsC. Sheppey, J Needham
Renewing or applying for membership of the SRAAnnual membership subscriptions have again been pegged at just £1 for each adult at one address. You can renew or join by returning the attached membership form to your Liaison Officer or to Ann-Marie Jefferys at 17 Scotts Avenue BR2 0LG.
NAME
ADDRESS
EMAIL ADDRESS / TELEPHONE NUMBER
NUMBER OF ADULTS IN HOUSEHOLD
I enclose £ as my subscription to Shortlands Residents’ Association for 2018
SIGNED / DATE
By completing this form you are giving consent to the SRA contacting you from time to time for the purposes of providing newsletters and other information. The SRA will never share your information with any other person or organisation.
Becoming an Officer or Executive Committee Member of the SRA.
If you wish to stand for election please complete the form below and return to the current Honorary Secretary not later than 10 days before the AGM (i.e. 16th April 2018). Proposers and Seconders must be Members of the Association.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE / OFFICER NOMINATION FORM 2018
I wish to put forward my name for election as:
Honorary Treasurer/ Secretary/ Membership Secretary/ Committee Member (select one)
NAME / SIGNATURE / DATE
PROPOSED BY / SIGNED
SECONDED BY