BRIDGEGATE EAST RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION (BERA) Minutes of Executive Meeting. Monday 28th |March 2022 via Zoom

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BRIDGEGATE EAST RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION (BERA) Minutes of Executive Meeting. Monday 28th |March 2022 via Zoom

In attendance 

  • Mike Hogg (Chair), Fiona Rushforth, Bill Grady, Carly Wilson, Jim Parrish, Luke Skilbeck

 

Apologies

Roy Webb, Daniel Squibb

Mike welcomed Jim and Luke to the committee

Minutes of previous exec meeting

The minutes were agreed and approved

Matters arising from Previous Minutes

  • Mike has not yet been to see Ruth Cullis re her concerns over the Drill Hall Gardens, but will do so before the next meeting
  • Clockwise project is completed and all traffic is back to original directions. There is some feeling that the section along Grosvenor Park Road to the amphitheatre should remain one way as the traffic does build up there, but it was felt the Council is unlikely to reverse their decision

Matters Arising from the AGM January 5th 2022

  • The minutes will be up for approval at the next AGM
  • Diverted Giving – the problem about who would manage and use the money, which would go directly to help the homeless with housing and counselling, has now been resolved. Once the implementation gets underway, card readers will be installed around the city in order for people to donate electronically rather than giving cash to those on the street. CRAG has offered project support.
  • The Albion’s loss of Community Asset Status. Mike asked Christina at the end of last year if she wished BERA to pursue re-application. At that stage she was not sure what she wanted to do – so Mike will ask her again when appropriate.

Queen’s Jubilee

  • Luke had previously emailed Mike with options if we have a street party, which are included here:
  • We base ourselves using Albion Place. The benefit is that it is ‘shut off’ and causes minimal disruption. The issues are that it is quite small and residents may wish to move cars (uncertain as to where).

    2) We use Albion Street, and Volunteer Street becomes ‘access only’ for the day. It has more room, and can easily work with The Albion Inn. Residents who wish to leave in the day can move up through Park Road. Unfortunately this reduces the ability to work with the Cross Keys (unless we encourage members to meet at some stage in the day there to support business).

    3) We use Duke Street. I think this presents the most issues in terms of access and the geography of it. We would have to get permission for Albion Place resident cars to turn right out of Albion Street for the day to cause least disruption.

He suggested the second option

  • Fiona wondered what support we would get for a street party, based on trying once before but not getting the support to run it and on the few residents who have turned up to recent social events and carol singing. Bill had previously voiced a similar view and wondered if CRAG could organise a city based one. Mike is not sure because of the wide area covered by CRAG and also other Residents’ Associations in CRAG could have organised their own party. Mike will, however talk to CRAG and also Christina at the Albion and Dave at the Cross Keys to see what plans they have. He will report back for further discussion. The first deadline for approaching the Council is the 15th April if we want bunting and the 22nd April to apply for road closures

(Subsequent to the meeting, Mike has checked with CRAG and spoken with Christina. CRAG did not support the idea of one co-ordinated CRAG event because several have already organised their own events on different days over the Jubilee weekend. Christina will be holding a Jubilee event in the Albion and will speak with Dave at Cross Keys. Once she has done that, she will contact Mike in order to work with BERA in order to organise an Albion based Jubilee event).

Records Office

Cheshire East and West have secured funding and are pursuing a lottery grant to move the records to better premises in Chester and in Cheshire East, where the documents would be better preserved. There is no further action yet

Quicks

Mike has been invited to a meeting with a board member of Bridgemere and their architect to view their latest plans on the 6th April. Jim Parrish has volunteered to accompany him. The previous plans included 40 apartments, 5 town houses and off street parking. Mike will enquire about the demolition and construction phases and also the location of the refuse bins. He asked for suggestions for the use of 106 money from the developer, having already thought of tidying up the Drill Hall Gardens and safety measures for the Duke St Junction. Bill said that, as 106 money can be quite a large amount, it might be better to suggest levelling the pavements on the walls and/or repairing the Recorder Steps. There was agreement on this.

Licensing

There is an application from Tomahawk Steakhouse for the premises formerly owned by Picanha on Newgate Street. They applied for a licence until 2aam 7 days a week. Mike, on behalf of BERA, successfully objected to this and the hours have been cut back to midnight and 1am on Friday and Saturday. There are also restrictions on bottling out etc. in line with other licensed premises in the area

Boujees

Following the refusal of their planning application, Boujees are appealing for it to be overturned. Fiona has already sent out the paperwork to BERA members and Mike encouraged everyone to voice their objections to the structure.

Moving Traffic Offences and ANPR

The Council have now taken over the positioning and running of ANPR cameras and breaches of minor road traffic orders. Unfortunately, there is no proposed camera for the junction of Park Street and Duke Street. Jim wondered if a mobile camera unit would be helpful if it was placed there at random intervals, but Mike was not sure of the long term usefulness of that.

Action: Mike to write to the Council to ask for an ANPR camera at that junction

CRAG Membership

It was agreed to pay for CRAG membership for the next year. Bill asked if they could request a monthly report on police numbers and activity, following concerns raised by Fiona that the expected rise in police presence was not noticeable in the City

A.O.B

  • Carly complained about the constant presence of wheelie bins in Steele Street, which easily blow over in the wind. She has reported it and was told they were not supposed to have them anyway. Mike said he would follow it up with Jane Makin
  • Jim complained about the graffiti in the Drill Hall Gardens. He has reported it, but there is an issue of ownership of the wall in the gardens and the Council will not remove graffiti on private property. Mike said he would raise it at the next High Street Cell meeting
  • Fiona informed the committee that there was now a defibrillator on the Groves by Hickorys, which has been donated by the motorbike riders

Date of next meeting 19th April in The Albion

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