Minutes
Minutes of a meeting of the OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE held at 7.30pm on Wednesday 8th March 2023 in The Mountfitchet Exchange, Crafton Green, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex
PRESENT Cllrs A Barnes (Chair), Cllr G Braeckman, M Caton, J Kavanagh, A Khan, F Richards
ATTENDING Mrs Emma Philbrick – Deputy Clerk Mrs Laila Azure-Marxen – Project Officer, Cllr P Jones
388 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Prior (Holiday) and Cllr Hudson (holiday). Having been proposed by Cllr Richards and seconded by Cllr Caton, it was unanimously:
RESOLVED to accept the apologies from Cllrs Prior and Hudson
389 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
None
390 TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE OPEN SPACES MEETING HELD ON 25th January 2023
One paragraph number needs correcting.
RESOLVED To approve the minutes of the Open Spaces meeting held on 25th January 2023 as a true and accurate account.
391 UPDATE ON ACTION POINTS FROM THE LAST MEETING
263 The Clerk and Cllr Caton will inform schools in person. They have already visited Foresthall Park School and scheduled to visit Bentfield School.
331 SiB will be included on the next agenda
332 Due to other work taking priority Dan has not had time to work on this yet.
334 Laila is working on this: A report will be sent to Sustainable Stansted soon and will be ongoing.
Dan is discussing content ideas with members of Sustainable Stansted
336 Dan is working on this, Lucy will help him with photos of play equipment repair
337 Requests for quotes have been sent, but none have been received in time for the meeting. Item 11 might need to be deferred.
338 Cllr Kavanagh will visit the site and evaluate if they need special considerations for wildflower/rewilding. The office will investigate any legal permissions required.
392 TO RECEIVE A REPORT FROM THE CHAIR
Attached
On adding poppies to the Memorial Garden, it was suggested to focus on seeding in gap in the existing beds down the sides. Cllr Braeckman argued that seeds would probably be the most cost-effective option, and turf would risk dying of not watered regularly. It was agreed to get GWB to cost just seeding the existing flower beds.
Cllr Barnes presented the ideas to use some of the new planters on temporary locations for the Coronation event and Anglia in Bloom. It was agreed to place one planter on the Fountain and one additional planter on Church Road, to include the South more.
Cllr Jones joined the meeting
393 TO RECEIVE A REPORT FROM THE PROJECTS OFFICER
Attached
The office did not receive the quotes for the reseeding project in time for the meeting. Laila will chase. Cllr Braeckman commented that after April it would be a project for next seeding season in September/October. Quotes will be chased and the decision taken to Full Council if necessary.
394 TO RECEIVE A REPORT OF INTERMENTS FROM THE CLERK
No interments. One additional inscription approved for the memorial of Cyril Stoneham.
395 TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE REPORT FROM SUSTAINABLE STANSTED
Attached
Cllr Jones reported that the group is very active and committed. They plan to have a stand at the Community Coronation Picnic, where they will introduce themselves to the community and have crafts for kids. It was discussed that there should be a closer working relationship between the Parish Council and the group and members should be invited to attend future meetings.
396 TO DISCUSS PLANS AND PROGRESS TOWARDS THE HANDOVER OF:
A WALPOLE MEADOWS ALLOTMENTS AND POS
The handover of the allotments is close but is held up by Bloor’s solicitors. Laila is updating the Tenancy Agreements and relevant lists in preparation of the handover.
The work on the French drain ditch has been completed, time will tell if it sufficient. The dead shrubs will be replaced as part of the remedial plan. The paths need more work and is also included in the remedial plan.
The playground fence has still not been replaced, as Bloor says it has been approved by RoSPA. Cllr Barnes and UDC have not seen the RoSPA report and the s106 officer advises on a getting a new report done. It was discussed that the fence in its current condition would fail any health and safety inspection. Parts of the fence have big splinters and could “pop off” at any time, hurting someone walking by.
It was agreed that the Parish Council will write UDC Executive Chief on the concern of the decreasing safety on the playground. It was also agreed to cc Bloor Homes, to remind them that this issue is not helping them and the new levelling up legislation will limit developers with consistent bad reputation.
B Elms Farm POS
There is no progress. The s106 officer is in contact with Crests and Naio, on getting the land into a suitable condition before handover. The working group cannot do much until then, but should be ready with ideas as the project will be big and costly.
397 TO CONSIDER WHETHER ADDITIONAL DOG WASTE BINS ARE REQUIRED
The office met with the Environmental Rangers, and based on their daily experience they do not believe there is a need for additional dog waste bins on any of their route at present but will regularly monitor this. Lucy thought the suggestion by the Stansted Mountpickers for one to be placed between High Lane and Cambridge Road, by King Charles Drive, was a good idea but due to her work schedule, she only visits this area once a week. She will monitor how full the bin is getting.
If the committee revisits adding more dog waste bins, they need to consider that the Environmental Rangers already is at capacity with their work hours and have established routes. Lucy’s routes will need to be revised when Walpole Meadows is handed over.
It was agreed, based on the feedback from the environmental Rangers, that there isn’t a lack of bins, but an issue with lack of use of the existing bins. It was agreed to only add one additional dog waste bin by King Charles Drive.
398 TO CONSIDER OPTIONS AND RECEIVED QUOTED FOR THE RESEEDING OF THE RECREATION GROUND FOOTBALL GOAL AREA
The item was deferred as no additional quotes have been received yet. Laila will request a quote from the gardening contractor GWB. When more quotes had been received the decision will be added to the next Full Council agenda.
399 TO RECEIVE THE QUARTERLY REPORT ON THE GARDENING AND GRASS CUTTING CONTRACTS
No comments
400 TO RECEIVE A VERBAL REPORT FROM THE CORONATION SHELTER WORKING GROUP ON IDEAS TO REFURBISH THE INSIDE OF THE SHELTER
The red/white/blue paint theme had been rejected by the working group and they recommend doing black anti-graffiti paint. Cllr Prior have suggested to use the wall behind the bench for memorial plaques. It will fit around 250 plaques, with a cost of £30-40 pr plaque. This would allow more people to buy a memorial plaque without having to buy a bench as well. It will be self-financing project. Alternatively, it can be a refurbishment fund, where people pay a slightly more and donate toward the future upkeep of the shed. This will need to be communicated well. There will need to be guidance on decorating the memorial plaques after installation.
A Coronation plaque, matching the existing Queen’s plaque, is estimated to be around £1,6-1,700. There was a discussion about the need to replace the existing plaque, and alternatively have a larger brass plaque in the shelter. It was agreed that a stone plaque would look best. It was suggested that Dan reach out to the community and ask if anyone is willing to donate a contribution/fund the project as a community gesture. The office is to contact Daniel Robinson on a donation.
All the ideas are unfunded, so there needs to be clear costings of all ideas to make any final decisions and financing options.
401 TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON FOOTPATHS
Cllr Barnes thanked Mr Stiles for the report. It was agreed that Mr. Stiles will get updates on progress on the issues raised.
The Deputy Clerk updated the Committee on all the issues raised in the report – the office has dealt with all the issues within the responsibility of the Parish Council and have contacted Highways and UDC.
402 MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE NEXT AGENDA
A community group have asked for the Committee to consider allowing use of POS for paying clubs/classes. The office will investigate the agreements on the POS and this will be added to the next agenda
Sustainable Stansted should have an invitation to attend next meeting. Laila to ask them to present/talk about their efforts and discuss collaborations with the Parish Council.
Meeting Closed at 9.14pm
ACTION POINTS
338 Cllr Kavanagh to visit the Rainsford Road and Longcroft and evaluate if the sites need special considerations for wildflower/rewilding. The office will investigate any legal permissions required.
392 Laila to ask GWB for costing seeding the existing flower beds in the Memorial Garden
To place one planter on the Fountain and one additional planter on Church Road
393 Laila to chase quotes on reseeding project
396a The Parish Council to write UDC Executive Chief on the concern of the decreasing safety on the playground on Walpole meadows. Bloor homes should be CC’d
397 Dan to do a post reminding people that they can put double bagged dog waste into the normal bin. He should also post a map of all the dog waste bins in the Village.
398 Laila to request a quote from GWB on reseeding the football area.
400 Dan to reach out to the community and ask if anyone is willing to donate a contribution/fund the Coronation Shelter project as a community gesture.
The office is to contact Daniel Robinson on a donation.
402 The office to investigate the rental agreements on the POS
Laila to ask Sustainable Stansted to attend the next OS meeting.
REPORTS
Chair Report: Alan Barnes
I have a few points to report on that are not on the agenda or covered in Laila’s project update;
- The meeting with the EFAA on Wednesday will, hopefully, see the formation of a new Elms Farm allotment association and provide clarity on the responsibilities of both EFAA and SMPC as well as development plans going forward. We can further discuss the meeting outcomes at the end of this report.
- Although on the agenda I do feel we are making positive progress at Walpole Meadows. I had another site meeting with the Bloor landscaping manager, Kalvin Nelson to further discuss the allotments and the process for early transfer. Other POS areas at Walpole were also discussed and the remedial plan for righting the wrongs. Playground issues are yet to be resolved.
- The contract for the refurbishment of the Coronation shelter has been placed and work should commence within a few weeks. The necessary tree work has been completed and, hopefully, at today’s meeting we will agree ideas for making this shelter useful to the community, both practically and visually. Funding for the King Charles III plaque has still to be finalised.
- The Coronation on the weekend of 6th May is a time to celebrate and ideas to mark the event that fall within the O/S remit have been suggested. We have discussed the addition of colour to the Memorial Garden and a proposal to create poppy fields on the grass banks leading up to and behind the Yew trees has been discussed with our landscape contractor and is being costed. Although this will, probably not coincide with the Coronation itself, it could be an attractive addition going forward. More immediate would be a “flower stack” built using the new “Welcome Back” planters and placed at a prominent position within the village. The Fountain crossroads has been suggested. Planted out in red, white and blue these planters would have an immediate visual impact and would be relocated afterwards to their permanent position within the village. This idea is being costed and comments are most welcome.
- The Clerk, Laila and I attended a meeting with Gareth Board of GWB to review and discuss landscaping and grass cutting plans across the village going forward. Reports on the allotments and cemetery grass cutting contracts were all complementary and it is hoped to get onto these areas early in this contract year and avoid the out of control early growth seen in 2022. Out of contract jobs were also discussed including ditch clearing and the cutting back of excess grown at Jordan’s Close. Opportunities and plans for wild flower planting and rewilding were also discussed and are being designed and costed. The areas discussed were as agreed with Peter Jones and Sustainable Stansted and funding should come from the Parish Council Climate Change budget.
- Details of the young persons’ writing and photographic competitions in support of SIB/AIB have been finalised and are being published in the Link, Flyer and on the Parish Council web site. Your active support of these competitions would be appreciated. Report Ends.
Project Report: Committee & Project Report Officer Laila Azure-Marxen
Allotments I am slowly getting familiar with the role as Allotment Officer. We are preparing for the new tenants on Walpole Meadows, as the handover will happen soon. We are meeting with the Elms Farm Allotment Association members on the 8th March (before the OS meeting) and will hopefully have some clarity of the future function of the group.
Recreation Ground reseeding project I have contacted 3 more companies for quotes – 5 companies total have been asked to quote. I have still not received any quotations back, so item 11 might have to be deferred. If quotes come in, I will present them at the meeting.
Rewilding We met with GWB on 17.02.2023 and asked for his recommendation on the selected sites. We have asked for quotes on ideas discussed. As there will likely be some establishment costs, we might have to consider to use some of Climate Change reserve for the project. It was also discussed to apply for grants if available.
It was also discussed to start with 1-2 sites and then add more sites in the next season/financial year.
As it will take 2-3 years for wildflower/rewilding to establish properly, it will be some time before it looks nice. This will need to be communicated on site and on social media, with emphasis on why we are doing it. Report Ends
Update on Sustainable Stansted
– Councillor Peter Jones
Latest updates from SS:
- Bank account established (no money as yet)
- Survey questionnaire created and should be agreed by mid-March
- Articles for the Link agreed up to June Issue
April – Energy
May – Nature friendly gardening
June – Survey Feedback
- Businesses:
Sustainable Stansted badge for local shops and other businesses under investigation
Group established to work on business engagement
- Coronation Picnic – Would hope to have a stall
- Proposal to create a website – www.sustainablestansted.com
- Schools – Detailed programme being developed to involve and help schools
- Next meeting:
9 March – Environmental group – discuss biodiversity programme
14 March – Full committee. Report Ends
AGENDA
NOTICE OF MEETING You are summoned to attend a meeting of the OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE which will be held on Wednesday 8th March 2023 at 7.30pm in The Mountfitchet Exchange, Crafton Green, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted, Essex where the following business will be transacted:
1 To receive and approve apologies for absence
2 To receive declarations of interest
3 To approve the minutes of the Open Spaces meeting held on 25th January 2023
4 To receive an update on action points from the last meeting
5 To receive a report from the Chair
6 To receive a report from the Project Officer – to follow
7 To receive Interments report from the Clerk
8 To receive an update report from Sustainable Stansted – to follow
9 To discuss plans and progress towards the handover of:
a) Walpole Meadows allotments and POS
b) Elms Farm POS
10 To consider whether additional dog waste bins are required
11 To consider options and received quotes for the reseeding of the Recreation Ground football goal area
12 To receive the quarterly report on the gardening and grass cutting contracts – circulated to members
13 To receive a verbal report from the Coronation Shelter working group on ideas to refurbish the inside of the shelter
14 To receive an update report on footpaths – to follow
15 Matters to be considered for next agenda
Ruth Clifford, Parish Clerk – 1 March 2023