WATERWAYS MANAGEMENT COMPANY
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING NO.24
7.45 PM ON WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 2010
MINUTES
Present: Miles Thompson (Chairman), Margaret Bird, Louise Robertson, Raquel
Stremme, Nick Sampson, Nick Robinson.
In attendance:Chris Attwater, Peverel OM Ltd,
Minute taker: Emma Thompson
- Apologies
Diane Crocombe, Peter Higgins, Mireille Levy, Derek Summers, Paula Reynolds and Richard Dorey (WRA). - Private Business
None - Approval of minutes from meeting 23 (10/12/09)
The minutes of the meeting were approved as a correct record.
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4.1
4.1.2
Matters arising
Conveyance Matters (Previously raised at Mtg 20 Item 5.1, Mtg 21 item 4, Mtg 22
item 4 & Mtg 23 item 4) in relation to:
parking/visitor space relating to number 62 Frenchay Road
collection of service charge for OCHA units and commercial unit block,
and
charges for additional allocated parking spaces in Lark Hill
Managing Agent to now seek to recover the costs for resolving these issues from the developer, Berkeley Homes, on behalf of the Management Company, through the Chairman – open
4.2
4.2.1
Newsletters to be made available on the WRA website for non-resident owners –
Mtg 22, item 5.8
RESOLVED:
Lead Director for External Affairs to follow up with Chair of WRA – open
4.3
4.3.1
Oxford City Canal Partnership (OCCP). Mtg 22 Item 9.2
The Chair had attended the OCCP meeting on 9 December 2009 and raised the use of the litter bin on the green at the top of Frenchay Road by boaters with British Waterways.
4.3.2
4.3.3
It was thought the offenders were likely to be tourist and not resident boaters.
British Waterways offered to put up a temporary sign directing boaters to the
nearby bin store if the WMC will fund it.
RESOLVED
Chair to provide Lead Director of External Affairs, Deputy Director of External
Affairs, GSC, Managing Agent and Chair of WRA with contact details for British
Waterways.
GSC to consider cost and viability of proposal of providing a sign and to respond to British Waterways accordingly.
4.4
4.4.1
Access to Google Documents, Mtg 22 Item 7.25
Chair to provide the Managing Agent with access to the Waterways Management
Company shared documents – open
4.5
4.5.1
Gas flue checks – Mtg 22 Item 8.3
It was confirmed that the general letter on parking had been issued by the
Managing Agent, however, as Berkeley Homes had issued their own
correspondence relating to a check that would be undertaken on the gas flues of those properties affected, it had been deemed unnecessary to issue a second
notice – closed
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5.1
Minutes from Annual General Meeting
RESOLVED
The Committee approved the draft minutes for publication on The Waterways
website, to be marked clearly as a draft version, along with copies of the Chairs’ Report and Treasurers Statement.
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6.1
Appointment of Committee Secretary to the Management Committee
The Committee received a draft description of the role suggested for the
Committee Secretary. It was agreed that the Chair should not continue to also
undertake the role so that they have more time available for other business. It
was reported that one of the Directors had expressed an interest in taking on
these duties, in the absence of any other volunteer from within the Committee. It was recognised that continuity was important and that rotating the role amongst
the Committee would not work effectively.
RESOLVED
Chair to contact volunteer to offer them the role of Committee Secretary, at the
same rate as the minute taker, subject to the Company Secretary checking that
this is permissible in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles.
7 Waterways Management Company Objectives 2010-2011
7.1
7.2
The Committee reviewed its priorities for the forthcoming year and approved
them subject to an amendment to the wording of the second objective relating to traffic and parking which would read:
To secure improvements to traffic and parking conditions for the benefit of
the community
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a) To consider whether a parking management scheme for the non-adopted
spaces on the development, should come into force once the County
scheme had been embedded. (Parking & Traffic sub-committee)
8 Health and Safety
8.1 Matters Arising
8.1.1 Mtg 22 items 16.8 and 16.9
Letter to apartment block owners, outlining the cost of measures relating to
rodent and badger control, to be issued by the Managing Agent week
commencing 18th January 2010.
8.1.2 Mtg 22 item 16.10
Managing Agent to provide the Chair with proofing cost by 14th January 2010.
8.1.3 Mtg 22 item 16.12
Managing Agent to forward a copy of the health and safety report to the Chair by 14th January 2010.
8.2
8.2.1
Provision of grit boxes
The Chair of the sub-committee was asked if it would be opportune to invite the
County Highways Authority to consider providing grit boxes near the two canal
bridges and for the slope by the lake on Elizabeth Jennings Way, upon the
adoption of roads within the development.
RESOLVED
Chair of sub-Committee to write to County Highway Authority.
8.3
8.3.1
8.3.2
9
Monitoring the Waterways
The Managing Agent stressed to the Committee the importance of conducting
regular site visits to identify potential health and safety issues.
RESOLVED
Directors to complete walkabouts of the development and advise the Managing
Agent of any issues accordingly.
Report from Parking and Traffic sub-committee
9.1
9.1.1
Matters arising
Mtg 22, item 10.5 & Mtg 21, item 10.4
RESOLVED
An article providing an update on progress towards adoption to be submitted for inclusion in Waterways World, if the publication timetable coincides with the
County Council’s timetable for the road adoption.
9.2 It was reported that once the WRA had identified its new SubCommittee
members, as a result of the change in membership, the joint working group would continue its discussions with the Council for the adoption of the entire fabric of
the bridge on Elizabeth Jennings Way.
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10 Apartment Block sub-committee
10.1 Matters Arising
10.1.1 Mtg 22 item 11.2
It was noted that the Managing Agent had issued the necessary letter relating to the bin store, on 10 December – closed
10.1.2 Mtg 22 item 11.4, 11.5 & 11.6
It was agreed that a paper on the benefits, risk and implications arising from the employment of a caretaker / site supervisor would have to be deferred until there was confirmation the lease on the community room would allow use of the room by the caretaker for employee ‘welfare’ purposes. A response from the
freeholder on whether use of the facility by a caretaker would be acceptable is
still outstanding and the Lead Director for the Community Meeting Room was not optimistic a reply would be forthcoming any time soon – open
11 Complaints
11.1
11.1.2
It was reported that a number of residents had sought clarity on items relating to their service charge, which the Managing Agent had been unable to resolve
through the usual letters and emails.
RESOLVED
To invite those residents to attend the offices of The Managing Agent to review
the accounts with a member of staff. The content of the invitation to be approved by the Lead Director for Complaints, prior to issue.
11.2
11.2.1
12
Following the change to the wording of the signage, relating to the use of the
communal grounds adjacent to the apartment blocks along the east side of the
canal, an OCHA resident had contacted the WMC to express their concern.
They referred to the use of the area by people not from the immediately adjoining block and to anti-social behaviour by those people.
RESOLVED
Lead Director for External Affairs to contact OCHA to advise them of the contact we had received from the concerned resident and to seek assurance that the wording on the signs would not be changed without consultation with the WMC.
Gardening sub-committee
12.1 Matters arising
12.1.1 Mtg 21 item 14.3 & Mtg 22 item 14.3
Environment Agency to be contacted about the unauthorised fishing around the
lake, to establish how residents can report suspected offences to them. It was
suggested that the GSC contact the Head of Fisheries, at the Head Office of the Environment Agency, for advice on both enforcement and preparing a risk
assessment. An alternative avenue would be to approach the North Oxford
Angling Society to find out who the local ‘bailiff’ is.
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12.1.2
12.1.3
RESOLVED
GSC to contact the Environment Agency or the North Oxford Angling Society to
seek advice.
The Managing Agent to forward a copy of the recent Health and Safety report to the GSC, which contained reference to the risks associated with fishing by the lake.
12.2.
13
The GSC had received a follow-up report on the tree works which had been
conducted earlier in the year. It indicated no further action needed to be taken
for now.
Community Meeting Room
13.1
13.1.1
As reported earlier, no further response had been from the landlord’s agent. The WMC’s Managing Agent advised that it had recently issued a service charge to the freeholder, which could lead the freeholder to re-enter negotiations with the
WMC on the lease.
RESOLVED
Lead Director the Community Meeting Room to prepare an update for the
Waterways World newsletter.
14 Any other business
14.1 None reported.
15 Date of next meeting
15.1
15.2
10th March 2010.
Apologies received from the minute taker due to a clash of meetings that
evening.