Minutes of the Committee Meeting of the
Albrighton & District Civic Society
held on Monday 7th February 2022 at 2pm
at 32 High Street (PW’s house)
Present :
Peter Woodman – Chairman
Rod Smith - Secretary
Mike Pitchford - Treasurer
Roger Rudman
Phyl Woodman
David Slatcher (ex-officio member representing Boningale PC).
1. Apologies - David Beechey, Peter Illes, Ron Kidson, Patrick Richards and Gaynor Richards
2. Minutes of Meeting of 10th January were approved.
3. Treasurer’s Report.– MP reported bank balance was £1743-47.
4. To consider progress in regard to following main issues
a. Progress with gaining SC Planning Application Consultee status for all four parishes. We are grateful that SC Cllr Nigel Lumby has now taken up this point with SC.
b. Tree root damage to pavement outside Estate Agent. SC have still not taken any action on site.
c. State of roads especially pot holes in High St, the depression in Station Rd and the very bad surface in Cross Road – request for SC officers to meet us on site. PW reported no response re a site meeting with SC.
d. The Crown Pub - poor colour match of bricks and joints spoils the otherwise excellent repair work. PW has received a response from Marstons saying this job was carried out “...under the supervision of the conservation officer...” and that “We are not prepared to revisit the widely praised job...” The committee decided not to pursue the matter any further.
e. Consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of charitable status for ADCS. PW had spoken to Civic Voice and was waiting for more information. A membership of CV would be £1.50 per society member which is more than the subscription and therefore not viable. PW will see if associate membership or similar is an option. ACTION: PW to report back at next meeting.
f. Possible ADCS Annual Calendar Project. DS provided costs for two sizes of calendar. RS had received an unsolicited email with a price list from a London printing company and their prices were 50% more the company which DS is dealing with. It was decided to have the A4 size and probably 200 copies. ACTION: DS will ask for cost of envelopes but PW said he had a couple of boxes of C4 envelopes which may be suitable and, if so, he would donate them.
g. Possible ‘Welcome Pack’, mainly aimed at the Millfields development but could include any new residents to Albrighton. All agreed that this was a project to undertake. ACTION: MP had asked the Editor the cost of her supplying about 100 copies. [Post Meeting Note. Editor wants £1 per copy]. Rather than have a need for an envelope or folder with loose pages an alternative is to have additional pages in the magazine containing:- General information about the village, information from the Civic Society and a joining Form, copy of the List of Local Club/Societies etc. Editor may wish to add a Form to encourage residents to buy a subscription for the magazine?
For those club names which residents may not understand what the club did, GR was adding a brief description. ACTION: GR to contact all clubs to explain what we are doing and to check if contacts need updating.
5. Matters arising
a. Graffiti on the door of the now closed TSB building (26 High Street, Albrighton WV7 3JE) and the adjacent wall of Rumbles Chip Shop (No. 25?). PW had contacted the Land Registry and now had the names of the owners of each building and had written to them. Owner of Rumbles said that their tenant had responsibility for it and he would ask him to deal with it immediately. PW is still waiting for a response to his letter from the owner of the ex-Bank.
b. Pedestrian Access Ramp
The Ramp Team had met on 31st January. As the ramp is steeper than usual, a Dispensation from the Dept of Transport (DfT) is necessary and to do that the Ramp Team has had to follow the rather complicated and time consuming process involving more meetings and discussions to gain written support from many transport industry bodies. RS had prepared the asked for Diversity Impact Assessment (DIA) and Risk & Safety Assessment (R&SA) which have been discussed with NR who said we had to have the involvement of what they call a NR Superuser. RS had contacted one, who was very helpful, and having then found that the DIA Form we had been given had changed had worked with him to get it into the latest format and the Superuser has signed it off. We also have to have the R&SA endorsed by another part of NR. Both of these we are expecting to be receive shortly. Shropshire Cllr Nigel Lumby is in discussions with SC concerning funding of the new footpath in Station Rd which SC had agreed to build to meet up with the foot of the ramp. The Team is grateful for the receipt of strong letters of support for the re-opening from the Melville Club, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire Jenny Wynn for the Red House and Shropshire Disabled Network whose former chairman and consultant has visited and reviewed the current station access and the proposed re-opening of the ramp. Mark Pritchard is now in discussions with Ministers in the Dept for Transport and once we have received the endorsed assessments from NR, the Ramp Team will coordinate its efforts with those of Mark and a formal approach will be made to the DfT for the Dispensation to be granted. Once the Dispensation is granted the already agreed work by all the parties can start. However the first thing to do is obtain the Dispensation, without which the project could not continue.
c. Fayre Day (9th July)
RS reported that the Fayre committee is only five people so far and more help is needed. ACTION: DS would ask if anyone from Boningale could help. ACTION: MP - Stall booking will be held from 6pm at the Old Bush on Thurs 31st March.
d. Planting at the Approach Rd to the Station
MP reported that Friends of the Station had secured funds from WMT and were organising clearance of the weeds and new planting along a 10 to 15m stretch at the village end of the embankment between Station Rd and the Station Approach Rd.
e. Julie Retired
PW reported on the visit to thank Julie for all her work running her village shop over the last many years. Julie was very pleased to receive these thanks.
6. Any Other Business
a. RR reported that a new galvanised “farm gate” had been erected at a small area of land in Lyncroft and ‘portaloo’ had been placed there
b. MP reported the very untidy are at the junction of Station Rd and A41 needs action.
c. DS and RS reported advanced notice of the possibility of a solar farm proposed to be built on the land south of Holyhead Road and directly south of Albrighton and south of the A464 and to the east of The Horns Pub. It is not clear which part of the land is intended but the company, Low Carbon (www.lowcarbon.com), is now contacting local councils and communities for comment
7. Next meeting:- 2pm on Monday 7th March 2022 at 31/32 High Street
Following Meeting will be at 2pm on Monday 4th April 2022.
Note for your Diary
Public Meeting & AGM is at 7.00pm
on Monday 10th October 2022 at the Red House
All future AGMs are on the second Monday of October