Crossgate Community Partnership: Minutes

Minutes of the meeting 3rd December 2012

1. Attendance:
Present: Jean Rogers, Roger Cornwell, PSCO Leesa Bennison, David Parker (PC), Jan Harwood, Jackie Levitas, Michelle Crawford (University Liaison), Mike Costello, Lesley Aers, Councillor Grenville Holland, Carole Reeves, Brendan McKeon, Ann Evans, Liz Brown, Annie Brown, Dick Fong, Odile Fong, Ruth Chambers.
2. Apologies for absence:
were received from David Ramsden, Councillor Nigel Martin, PCSO Deborah Sadler-Watson, Jonathan Roberts, Jonathan Lovell and Janie Bickersteth.
3. Roger Cornwell took the chair, and welcomed attenders to the meeting.
The meeting specifically welcomed Michelle Crawford, who explained that she was the bursar for Hatfield and University Colleges.
4. PACT (Police And Communities Together) session
a) PSCO Leesa Bennison took the place of Debbie Sadler-Watson, who was unable to attend; Debbie's written report was circulated.
b) Boxers pub in Crossgate is currently closed and the police are seeking a licence review, with the intention that it should be permanently closed. This application will be considered by the Council's Licensing Committee in the new year. Any future license for these premises would have to be applied for and subject to due process. Roger Cornwell and Ann Evans were asked to draw up the CCP's comments in support of the licence review, and to find out, with Leesa's help, how this should be submitted.
c) Dangerous cycling: Philip Raine (the Police / University Liaison Officer) had talked to students, and neighbourhood teams were working on education. Leesa will continue to observe cycling in Crossgate itself.
d) Traffic jumping lights at the foot of the Peth: local residents asked for a similar operation at the Neville's Cross traffic lights.
e) Anti-Social Behaviour: Councillor Grenville Holland asked whether information about antisocial behaviour by students was passed directly to the Vice-Chancellor: Michelle Crawford was able to confirm that it does, and emphasised that in most cases the University has stronger sanctions at its disposal than the police.
5. Streetscene Report
Ann Evans reported continuing problems with the collection of garden waste: Grenville will pursue this.
Mike Costello reminded the meeting that there would be a recycling collection later this week, and there would therefore be no further collection in the last week of term: Roger would contact the council about the dumping of mattresses in Crossgate and about recycling collections in general.
6. The minutes of the previous meeting
were agreed as a correct record.
7. Matters arising
a) Back Mowbray Street: Keith Parkinson had undertaken to investigate the overgrown condition of the street, but Jackie Levitas reported that no action had been taken. Roger would write to Keith Parkinson, asking about the outcome of his investigations.
b) Allergate Play Park: Grenville had had confirmation that funding has been set aside to restore the equipment. He asked for consultation on what equipment should be bought, to be completed by March 2013. He will return to the January meeting with details, but the meeting confirmed that the CCP is happy for Ruth Chambers to represent it on this issue.
c) The cotoneaster overhanging the new handrail in Crossgate has been referred to St Margaret's PCC. The wheelie bins obstructing the footpath have been removed (and replaced by mattresses, see above).
Roger has now delivered a letter to the Halifax, asking whether they will install a handrail on their side of the road.
d) 24a-c The Avenue: Grenville reported that the planning officers wanted to refuse the application under delegated powers. Nigel Martin had expressed no objection to this, but it was unclear whether the same applied to the application to extend the existing planning consent. Should the application go to committee, Roger was asked to represent the views of CCP that both applications should be refused.
It was reported that a condition had been imposed on the bus garage development that what is built must be family housing: Grenville would investigate whether such a condition could be imposed here.
e) Since Jonathan Lovell was not present to speak about a Neighbourhood Planning Forum, it was agreed to defer this item until the next meeting.
8. University Liaison
The Vice Chancellor had been quoted as telling a meeting that there was no plan to increase student numbers in Durham, but this did not match the University's published accommodation strategy. However, Michelle Crawford told the CCP that the University wants expansion within the collegiate system: it does not want an increase in HMOs.
Jackie had called University Liaison at 2.00 am about a party which was continuing into the small hours, and was delighted with the speed and effectiveness of their response. Michelle was attempting to collate information about college events, and to find out who was in charge of each.
Michelle was also in charge of the University's "Green Move Out" strategy at the end of term. She will look into whether landlords are providing student households with recycling boxes and wheelie bins.
9. Revising the Constitution
The CCP is too small an organisation to register with the Charities Commission, but can register as a charity with the Inland Revenue. To do this, we need a suitable constitution, and Roger had drafted a simpler, revised version of our existing constitution.
A suggestion had been received from the Treasurer that we retain the existing practice whereby cheques for up to £100 require only one signature; after some discussion, the meeting preferred the proposed change, requiring two signatures for all cheques.
It was agreed to table the motion to adopt the revised constitution at the January meeting.
10. 2013 meetings
The proposed schedule was agreed. Meetings will be held on Monday 4 February, Tuesday 5 March, Monday 8 April (since 1 April is Easter Monday), Tuesday 7 May, Monday 3 June, Tuesday 2 July, Monday August 5, Tuesday 3 September, Monday 7 October, Tuesday 5 November, Monday 2 December and Tuesday 7 January 2014.
11. Local Councillors' reports
Grenville's key concern is planning, and the weakness of Durham's infrastructure to support the number of additional residents for whom housing is being built.
The civic saluting platform (as used on Remembrance Sunday) has not been seen since November 2011.
Nigel and Grenville have both asked to be credited with the community funding which they had allocated to a project which never happened: this has placed them in a position to support other community projects.
  • Roger suggested they might fund a speed advisory device for Margery Lane, and a plea was made for a similar device at the bottom of Tollhouse Road.
  • Jackie will encourage the Friends of Flass Vale to apply for a replacement seat.
  • Michelle asked for a communal recycling area so that students could recycle waste without having to observe the collection timetable , and the meeting agreed that Sutton Street below the viaduct might be a suitable spot.
12. Date of the next meeting
Tuesday 8th January 2013: this will be our AGM.