PRESENT: Chair Karen Leakey, Vice-Chair Pam Freegard, Secretary and Archivist Kevin Leakey, Treasurer John Freegard, Vice-Treasurer Madge Sutton, Muhammad Chaudhry, John and Vi Clark, Kate Johnson, William Murray, John and Beryl Phillips, Ricky and Martine Sommers.
ALSO PRESENT: Mark Walker SBC Town Centre Locality Lead, PCSO Bird, PCSO Rogers, Tim French
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Paul Izquierdo, Alan Jones, Susan Kane, Kay Malko, Cluniford and Evelyn Mason, Rebecca McIntosh, Val Purvis, Ros Timlin, PC Diffin
CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES: 04 April 2012 meeting. These Minutes were confirmed and seconded as a true record.
MATTERS ARISING FROM THE APRIL 2012 MINUTES: None
WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT: There were no councillors present at the meeting.
TOWN CENTRE LOCALITY LEAD : Mark Walker
The ‘new’ school consultation finished at the end of March, but there were now 4 locations as St. Josephs School had come forward with a proposal. A full report would go to Cabinet either in June or July and the preferred location would be known by the summer. It was asked if the St. Josephs site would be a cheaper option for SBC and if it was a viable site. Mark explained that it would still cost the same money to build, but SBC would keep the other sites. This new site had not been looked at properly yet as it had come in at the 11th hour, but all the details should be sorted by the end of May.
With regards to environmental issues, the Community Safety Partnership would be undertaking a week of action in the Town Centre Locality from the 14th to the 19th May. It was hoped that young people from Drove School and their parents would be involved on one of the days and if any other group or person wanted to be involved, they would be more than welcome.
The Olympic Torch would be going through Swindon on the 23rd May, travelling along County Road at some point. SBC were offering training to anyone that was interested in being a Marshal.
It was reported that –
A resident in Medgbury Road had been putting dog-fouling waste in the alley.
More dog bins had been requested for the area but had been refused, why was that when residents in Haydon Wick had been promised more? Mark said that it was probably the Haydon Wick Parish Council that were putting in new bins, as SBC had stopped putting in new red bins due to the cost, however dog waste could now be put in all public litterbins.
There were no litterbins at the County Ground, could this be looked at?
Cars had been driving into the County Ground extension, damaging the grass – PCSO Bird said that a new bollard was being put in place to prevent this.
A shop in Corporation Street had a sign directing customers to park in Armstrong Street, which didn’t seem fair on people that paid for residents parking.
NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE TEAM REPORT: PCSO Bird and PCSO Rogers
There had been a couple of isolated garage break-ins in Gladstone Street recently.
Prostitution enforcement was continuing and there had been 25 prostitutes and 42 kerb crawlers arrested. The kerb crawlers were often given acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs), which worked, as their registration numbers would be pinged up if they drove back into the area.
There had been some concern that the ASB actions carried out against street drinkers in the town centre would mean the problems being displaced to Broadgreen, however this was already in hand and PC Diffin had made sure the ASB orders covered the DPPO area here as well.
With regards to someone living in a tent in Queen’s Drive, it would seem they were probably students
It was asked why there was a big problem with crime in Manchester Road as recently reported in the Adver? - It could be down to shoplifting or robberies in the early hours.
Cars were still parking on double yellow lines in Manchester Road, could anything be done? -Mark Walker said that currently people who parked their vehicles on d/y lines had 5 minutes to move before tickets could be issued so drivers often worked around this rule. Removal of the 5-minute restriction could be part of the parking consultation between residents and SBC, and if people felt the removal of the restriction was appropriate it might be possible, although shop owners would need to be consulted as well.
A back gate was recently broken down in an attempted break-in at the rear of a property in Gladstone Street. The Police team were thanked for attending the break in within ½ hour of the incident and for reassuring the resident who felt very vulnerable.
GUEST SPEAKER : There was no guest speaker
CORRESPONDENCE:
Sent – None
Received – Insurance for 2012/13
PLANNING –
S/12/0125 - Budget Bikes, 148-149 Manchester Road SN1 1TU - Change of use from car hifi shop (Sextons) to motorcycle show room and insertion of new windows - Permission Refused - Case Officer – Miss Heather Carlisle
The proposed fencing by virtue of its unsympathetic appearance at this prominent location would represent an uncharacteristic and dominant addition to the host property and the surrounding area to the detriment of the street scene and visual amenity. The proposal is contrary to Policy DS6 of the adopted Swindon Borough Local Plan (2011).
S/ADV/12/0238 - 148-149 Manchester Road SN1 1TU - Display of various signage - Advertisement Consent - Permission granted - Case Officer – Miss Heather Carlisle
S/12/0378 - Land At Carfax Close - Change of use from highway to vegetable stall - Permission Refused - Case Officer – Mr Rob O’Carroll
S/12/0572 - 27 County Road SN1 2EG - Change of use of Vetinary Practice to 1no. dwelling. - Application pending consideration - Case Officer – Miss Heather Carlisle
S/12/0262 - Colbourne Street SN1 2EQ - Change of use from highway to hot food vending van - Permission Refused - Case Officer – Miss Heather Carlisle
S/11/1610 - 66 Manchester Road SN1 2AQ - Change of use from retail (ClassA1) to social club (Sui Generis) - Permission granted - Committee Decision - Case Officer – Mr Rob O’Carroll (Goan Bites)
TREASURERS REPORT - to 30 April 2012: John Phillips
HISTORY REPORT: Kevin Leakey –
Kevin attended the Swindon and District History network meeting on Monday. There was a short talk by Nigel Norman about his website Swindon Music Scene which covered Swindon bands and singers from the 40’s through to late 60’s. It was well worth a look if you are interested in Swindon’s musical heritage – www.swindonmusicscene.co.uk/
We were introduced to the new Manager at the Museum and art gallery – Emma Cook - they have been busily documenting all the artefacts they are holding as things have gone missing or couldn’t be found in the past.
A lady called Sophie Hart had been looking into the history of Coate Water and in particularly the diving board; she would be having an exhibition at the Library about it soon.
Despite many hours spent at the library searching through the Local Board minutes from the 1870s and 80’s old Advers from the same years, the source of the name Queenstown was still proving to be a mystery, although lot’s of other interesting things had been discovered.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS: Taxi drivers were using the Medgbury Road alleyway as a cut through.
When the new sign for Whalebridge was put in at the end of Medgbury Road, a huge pile of dirt was left behind, would it be removed?
Shop on corner of Corporation Street and Lagos Street had broken guttering, when it rained the water flowed onto the public path.
The shrubbery on Fleming Way between Salisbury and Graham Streets was growing across the path, causing people to walk close to the bus lane.
Meeting closed at 8.40pm.
