Secretary: Mike Rooke, Sycamore Mount, Higher Arthurs, Greenfield, OL3 7BE

March ‘05

Dear Everyone,

Open to all Greenfield and Grasscroft residents, our next meeting is on Tuesday April 19th ’05 at 7.30 p.m. at the King Bill, Chew Valley Road, Greenfield.

AGENDA

Minutes of our last meeting held on March 15th ‘05

Present: George Bennett, Mavis Bingley, Trevor Harrison, Jane & Steve Hughes, Wilf Hulme, Neil Langton, Kath & David McNeeney, Des O’Brien, Mike Rooke.

Apologies: Adele Baxter, Trevor Baxter, Christine Bennett, Mike Donmall, Edith & Mike Howarth, Richard Knowles, Ted Nolan.

	Prune Hill Car Park - After delays due to recent bad weather the site has been re-surfaced. The beech hedge will be planted and the barrier repainted before the end of March. It was hoped that Saddleworth & Lees Area Committee (SALAC) would find monies at its June meeting for a notice to be erected at the site, acknowledging the roles of GGRA, SALAC and OMBC.
	Marion’s Field - Information received from Greenfield Mill tenants indicates that whilst no-one has asked the farmer Mr Crowther to move his sheep from grazing, Nat Pourrie’s subsidiary company, Whiteoak, plan to apply for house building on this site.
	Broadband - Mike distributed GMCVO’s reply to our submission for funding. Voluntary Action Oldham’s IT Manager Phil Boyd arranged for Mike to meet Nasheela Rashid a Community Liaison Officer based in Rochdale and working for the Manchester Digital Development Agency. She is seeking to enable us to access some limited means of accessing broadband facilities within the community.
	Phil Woolas - We’ve still had no reply yet from him re. our request to change planning law to include health and educational factors.
	Gail Richards - David has not yet received a reply from her as Managing Director of Primary Health Care Trust, a fact he will raise at this month’s SALAC Meeting.
	14, Mossley Rd, Grasscroft – Sue Dyson (OMBC) had confirmed via e-mail that the Legal Dep’t had taken counsel on this matter and were considering what steps to take. A decision would be announced in the next 2 days. For all those unfamiliar with this story, Mavis outlined the history of this property, which involved the house owner building on council land without permission.
	Courtesy Letter – Mike hadn’t written to the Chief Exec. as he felt that OMBC employees’ relationship with members of the public were more fundamental than at first we’d envisaged. The meeting agreed that we needed to ask what codes of practice and standards were in place. OMBC officials were discourteous to their council tax paying customers in various ways. Residents and volunteers are often the last to be informed and rarely consulted on key issues that directly affect their lives. Much of OMBC’s activity seems to operate behind closed doors, sometimes not even with the ear of councillors. Copies of our letter on these matters will be sent Councillor David Jones and Sue Collier (OMBC’s Overview and Scrutiny Manager).

2. Correspondence and Communications

	We’ve received a letter from Vol. Action Oldham inviting us to an ICT Forum on 23 rd March. Mike Howarth has agreed to attend this meeting.
	We’ve received various papers and publications from CPRE including plans for action against the Barker Review of Housing Supply.
	We’d received info from David Chadderton about drama performances promoting the Criminal Justice Board’s activities at various G’ter Manchester venues. Mike R. will ask Mike H, if he’d like to attend on our behalf – re. Policing Issues etc.
	Following invitation, Mike had attended OMBC’s Economic and Regeneration Panel for the Voluntary, Community and Faith sectors. There was a disappointing turnout (3 people) but efforts were being made to attract more people to this body in the future.
	A letter had been sent to Andy McMullen re. the Wood Square PFI Housing Development, with a copy delivered to Hugh Broadbent, Chief Exec. - 1 st Choice Homes.

3. Preparation for SALAC

	Mavis asked us to call for the resurfacing of Clough Lane , Grasscroft. After 20 years of piecemeal repairs, the road was now in a terrible state. In the recent icy weather, she’d fallen over on the rough surface and hurt her ankle, a matter she’s pursuing with the council.
	David said he’d be asking about the potholes in the road at Chew Vale.

4. Treasurer’s Report

Our present balance is£724.97 including £15.00 cash in hand and £2.0 to bank. We also gratefully acknowledged receipt of donations from Mr and Mrs D. Chadderton and Neil Langton. Presently we have 21 paid-up contributors this year.

5. Policing Issues Update

As Mike Howarth was unable to attend this meeting, he’d agreed to report on these matters in our April meeting.

6. PFI Developments

David had attended the sub-committee of the PFI Steering Group at the Civic Centre on 16 th February, in the presence of our 3 MP’s and various OMBC Councillors and housing officials. With regard to Wood Square , it appeared that the council was not consulting with all residents and did not have a balanced view of all comments. However, in view of legal/contractual difficulties and the public disquiet, it was generally agreed that the signing of the contract with Housing 21 would have to be delayed till sometime in May.

Before the start of the Carr Barn Estate’s Quarterly meeting, Wilf had been told by Nigel Devereaux, a First Choice Homes employee, that the GGRA was an illegal organisation, discrediting our support. Mike agreed to write to Nigel’s boss Hugh Broadbent to ask on what basis such a comment had been made. A copy of this letter will be sent to Councillor David Jones.

David said he’d get in touch with Phil Woolas and ask him to make contact with Wilf and other Wood Square stakeholders.

Thanks to GGRA’s efforts and objections from residents, the Chew Vale development was now being submitted to a Planning Committee, instead of simply being overseen by Planning Officers. The meeting was being held the following day (16 th March). David, Kath and Steve were planning to attend on behalf of residents. Regardless of the number of residents present, David has been informed that a maximum of 3 minutes in total will be given for private objections to be made!

Chew Vale residents are unanimously against the erection of fencing earmarked for the front of the site by the developer. What with changing the footprint and reduced car parking space, there are other issues to be considered. Jane said no-one from OMBC and/or the developer would say what was happening. People weren’t getting any information and were left in the dark. It was most unsettling.

7.Web-site Update

Now that the site was ready to be converted from its temporary site to ggra.co.uk, Anthony has agreed to come to Mike’s house on Monday 21 st March to set up controls so that we can edit the site independently. Once we’re up and running, all GGRA members, supporters and network users will be asked to submit copy for the site. A set of digital photos of the village will be taken and downloaded onto relevant sections.

Once we’ve got the site working properly, steps will be taken to design a flyer for printing and distribution with the Oldham Weekend Chron.

8. Any Other Business

UDP – George had encountered great difficulty trawling through the evidence the revised amendments of the draft UDP. In the past David Chadderton has taken trouble to follow through the detail of this documentation. From what George could gather, there didn’t appear to be any changes except for the inclusion of “a retail outlet” on the Wellington Rd. , Knoll Spinning site.

Fletchers’ Mill – As part of his role on the Overview and Scrutiny Commission, David will be joining a tour of Oldham Beyond sites for regeneration which includes a visit to Fletchers’ Mill. Mike said that Phil Woolas had been airing a proposal to build a 5 Star Hotel. Mike and David felt that this idea was incompatible with the URBED/GGRA proposals for community and leisure usage of the site. However, Neil felt that a Hotel (with sports facilities such as a Golf Course) would bring much wanted employment for our area.

Lorries – With reference to our concern expressed at previous meetings re. the increase of articulated lorries passing through the village, Trevor drew attention to the heavy vehicles going to Boarshurt Business Park . What with more cars parking on Kinders Lane and round into Boarshurt Lane , and now that a pavement’s been built up Kinders Lane , lorry drivers are often finding it difficult or impossible to turn their vehicles at the junction. In these circumstances, the narrow pavement on Boarshurst Lane has become dangerous for pedestrians. It’s an accident waiting to happen. The wall at Foulrakes has already been dented by a turning vehicle. David advised that we get in touch with Cliff Jackson at the Highways Dept, to arrange a site visit with Trevor and a GGRA official to seek advice re. a solution within the law e.g. banning 3 Ton+ lorries gaining access to this site.

For past minutes, please visit the minutes archive.