Minutes of Heatherside Ward Residents

Association Meeting (23rd May 2016 7.45 p.m. Pine

Ridge)
Present
Committee members Kirsty North, Caroline Hibberd, Katherine Sargent,
Rev. Larry Bain
Co-opted committee members - Andy Ward, Peter Ludlow
Heatherside Ward Surrey Heath Borough Councillors Paul Ilnicki, Ian Cullen
Surrey County Councillor David Ivison
Surrey Heath Borough Council Planning Committee representative Edward
Hawkins
Approximately 20 local residents
Apologies received from Vince Wakeling (Heathersides PSCO) and Jonathan
Lytle
Agenda Items
1) Welcome and Introductions
Kirsty welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the committee,
David Ivison, two of the Heatherside councillors and Edward Hawkins.
2) HWRA plans and projects for 2016
Kirsty talked briefly about our successes so far but highlighted that we do
still need more support from the wider community.
Forthcoming planned events include a Christmas event with a tree in the
shopping precinct as last Christmas. Kirsty also suggested a pub quiz and
possibly a table top sale as fund raising events for the Association.
We are also hoping to hold a community event in September - possibly a
picnic on the playing fields if we receive permission from SHBC. There was a
brief discussion about the type of entertainment which might be possible and
popular. However, this event will not be able to go ahead without input and
support from residents. Anyone interested in helping organise this or helping
on the day is urged to let us know at Heathersidewra@gmail.com.
Caroline Hibberd gave a report on a recent event she had attended on behalf
of the association at Camberley Theatre called Making it Real. This event
was about connecting neighbourhoods, dementia awareness and becoming
more neighbourly. There is an appendix attached with her full report of the

event (APPENDIX 1). Caroline said she had found the event very inspiring and
was very impressed by the dedication of all the people involved from the
local council and from other community groups. She also said it had made
her think more about what we should be doing as an organisation to bring
the community together. She proposed that we arrange a meeting with
other community groups and organisations such as the Community centre,
preschool etc to discuss ways of working together.
3) Possible grant opportunities for the shopping centre area
The Association have been informed of a possible opportunity to bid for grant
money (approx 30k) from Surrey County Council. Cllr Ivison has met with
members of the committee to advise and support us. If we were successful in
obtaining the grant money it could be used to improve the areas of the
shopping precinct which are owned by the Council but not the areas in
private ownership such as the shops and flats. There was a brief discussion
over what changes might be possible. Local residents have also had the
opportunity to suggest the improvements they would like to see. Should you
have any suggestions, please do email us at Heathersidewra@gmail.com
The group also discussed the other areas of the shopping precinct. This is
one area of the ward which consistently comes up as being a bit of an
eyesore and lets the area down. Once again the difficulties of reaching all
the shop owners and residents of the flats above was discussed. Caroline
said she had recently had some success in establishing the owners of the
shops and it is hoped that at some point we may be able to arrange a
meeting between them and the HWRA and councillors. The objective would
be to see if they can be persuaded to support a scheme to improve the
appearance of the area. Kirsty is also trying to get in touch with the residents
of the flats.
4) Other potential grants
There are also some other grants where the Association could possibly bid
for money to improve the local area. These include
Tesco Bags of Help scheme which has been created to improve green
spaces.
Waitrose community grants.
Locality.org community grants.
There may also be money available from Surrey County Council and Surrey
Heath Borough Council on a match funding basis which would mean we
would need to fundraise to match the grants.

It was suggested that money received from grants could be used to develop
and improve the local playing areas. There are several nice playing areas
locally which many children enjoy using, including the one on Amber Hill
which has been recently refurbished. Andy Ward has been helping the
committee to understand the existing play provision and the opportunities
for improvement available to us. He has recently met with a rep from the
play equipment supplier Wicksteed to see what might be available.
One area which has been repeatedly mentioned as needing some
improvement is the playing area on Cheylesmore Park. This is very well used
but is tired and needs some renovation work. The councillors informed us
that there is currently a project underway at the Council which is potentially
going to mean the equipment at Cheylesmore may be earmarked for
replacement. A possible budget of 30k may be available if the Council agree
that this is a priority area. The committee expressed dismay that they had
not been informed earlier of this potential development, especially as they
had previously approached the council and made their interest in this area
known. Katherine explained that the existing equipment is enjoyed by a
wide range of children of all ages and while the equipment does need some
work she did not believe that most parents in the area would support its
removal. The climbing frame in particular could be sanded and repainted to
extend its life which would be likely to be far less costly than new equipment
and potentially more environmentally friendly. Where play equipment is
concerned money does not go far so the proposed budget could potentially
result in the area having less play provision than at present. Cllr Ivison
agreed that the cost of play equipment was very high, citing the
improvements at the Heatherside park as an example. 11k was quickly
swallowed up with not a huge amount to show for it. The Association are
planning to contact the Council to determine whether they can be involved in
any project of this kind to ensure residents have a say in what happens.
They have also asked the local councillors to find out more about it and
express our concern at the lack of communication and involvement.
5) Tree Issues
The ongoing issue of overgrown trees was discussed again. There are two
main strands to this. Firstly, the lack of management by Bovis of the land
and trees that they own and secondly, the issue of trees on Heatherside
covered by blanket/area Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) where the Council has
refused permission to allow felling or pruning.
Kirsty and Larry had attended a meeting in the morning with Cllr Lytle where
he updated them on what he had been able to find out about these two
issues. He asked that an email summary he had provided be read out to
those at the meeting (A copy of this can be found at APPENDIX 2). The email
mostly concerned the surveys that Bovis are proposing to begin carrying out

soon to examine the condition of trees on land they own. Where permitted
works would follow over the winter and autumn as necessary. The email
cautioned though that it is standard practise to only do works on dead,
diseased, dangerous or dying trees and generally this does not include trees
that drop leaves and twigs in gardens, shade out light, interrupt TV signals or,
indeed, lift patios. The Council adheres to a code along these lines when dealing
with TPO trees and trees on its own land and we can only expect the same from
3rd parties.
Following the reading of this a brief discussion ensued. Jonathan Dolbear
asked who would adjudicate on what constitutes a dangerous tree and was
told this would be Paul Watts the SHBC tree officer. Caroline Hibberd asked
whether they would also be looking at the hedges and bushes on land they
own in addition to the trees as many of these are overgrown. Will these be
cut back. Kirsty agreed to investigate this further.
A number of residents cited problems they had experienced with trees and
with applications plus appeals to fell them/prune them being refused due to
the TPOs.
Questions were raised over the existing TPOs Are they still appropriate or should they be reviewed? Jonathan Dolbear
asked if there was any way in which we could apply under law to have them
lifted.
Which trees are actually covered by the TPOs? Is it only those trees which
were growing at the time the TPO was put in place? This is in fact the case,
those which have grown up or been planted after the date of the TPO are not
covered by it.
One resident queried whether ALL trees are actually covered by TPOs. This
is not the case and in actual fact there are a number of areas of Heatherside
not covered by either area or individual TPOs. The areas covered by TPOs
can be seen on the following map on the Surrey Heath Borough Council
website.
http://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/residents/planning/tree-information-andpreservation/protected-trees-surrey-heath
A number of people complained that the SHBC Tree Officer, Paul Watts is very
hard to track down and doesnt always seem to reply to emails. Peter Ludlow
has been working with the committee to try and make progress on the tree
issues and agreed to contact Paul Watts to go over the problems again. He
also urged anyone with tree problems to contact us at
Heathersidetrees@gmail.com. So far we have only heard from 5 people but it

helps if we can collate all the information to present to the council.

6) Deepcut Cycle Path
Len Williams updated the group with the latest on the proposed Deepcut Brookwood Cycle link. The full details of this can be found in APPENDIX 3 but
in summary a 3m wide path will be built along the towpath using fibre deck
construction. This will provide a cycle ramp in 2 steps at Deepcut Bridge.
There will be stairs and a ramp which bikes can be wheeled up and down.
However there will no access for disabled people or pushchairs. Additionally,
as discussed at the previous meeting there will be no lighting on the wooded
section through Mindenhurst and the route would involve crossing a fairly
dangerous canal bridge in the dark. This rather makes a mockery of the idea
that this would be a route which would enable commuters to cycle from
Mindenhurst to Brookwood as it will be unlit and dangerous in places.
The construction start date is scheduled around the completion of the first
phase of the development but at present this should be around Summer
2017.
The councillors also mentioned that following the previous residents meeting
they had had a meeting with the developers to discuss the issues raised
around schools, medical provision etc.
7) Traveller Event - 9th July, Camberley Theatre
There is a non-council organised event planned at Camberley theatre where
members of the traveller community will be holding a talent show. Because
they are organising it themselves and selling their own tickets the council
have no idea how many people may turn up. Unsurprisingly there is concern
among Heatherside residents that we may once again have uninvited visitors
camping on the playing fields. Will the increased security measures put in
place following the last incursion be enough to deter an invasion should it
happen?
The council is aware of this event and are unable to stop it. The Borough
Commander for Surrey Police, Bob Darkens is also aware. The pub
management know about it and are going to ensure there are door staff and
improved security over that weekend. Peter Ludlow expressed some concern
though that there may be a lack of knowledge about it among other
members of Surrey Heath Council as he had spoken to the Greenspace team
and they knew nothing about it.
8) Councillor Updates
Cllr Ivison spoke briefly about the proposed plans to improve the shopping
area if a grant application were successful.

9) Community Safety update

Unfortunately the local PCSOs were unavailable to attend this meeting so
there was no update. Cllr Ivison highlighted that he had information with the
latest crime statistics showing that there is actually very little crime or
antisocial behaviour in Heatherside. It was suggested we might put these on
the website if there is sufficient interest.
Graham Tapper is involved with Neighbourhood watch and also posts reports
of crime on the Heatherside Residents Forum. He stated that there are very
few posts of this type as crime is rare.
9) Date of next meeting
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 19th July. Pine Ridge have very kindly
agreed to host the meeting again.
10) Any Other Business
Fair
Kirsty asked whether anyone had heard if the fair would be coming to
Heatherside again in the summer. No one was certain but a local resident
Suzanne Whittaker said she was in contact with the fair owner and so far had
heard nothing from him. Apparently the Council have increased the amount
they charge for the field to be used and this may have made it too expensive
for them to come.
Medical provision for Deepcut
Caroline Hibberd updated everyone on an email she had sent to the Surrey
Heath Clinical Commissioning Group about medical provision for residents of
Deepcut following the construction of the new houses. Apparently it comes
under the remit of NHS England. They are currently in the process of
producing a report into the provision required as a result of the development
so we are waiting to see the results of this.
Maultway - State of the road
The poor state of the road surface on the Maultway was raised again as a
concern. There are lots of potholes and areas where large parts of the
surface have eroded. This is particularly worrying given the amount of
construction traffic which will be using this road as the main route in and out
for Mindenhurst.
Cllr Ivison stated that there are no current plans for resurfacing though
potholes should be filled if they are reported. In a recently produced
schedule of road resurfacing Surrey Heath has fared particularly badly with

very few roads in the resurfacing plan.

Various residents highlighted to him that when potholes are fixed the repairs
are all too often of such poor quality that they fail within weeks. This is
despite them being supposed to have a 10 year guarantee. They also asked
him to look into the inefficient method of pothole filling which can see some
at one site filled while others are left to grow bigger requiring another visit
from the repair crew.
Old Bisley Road/Maultway roundabout
A suggestion was made by a resident that the junction of the Old Bisley Road
and Maultway could be made less dangerous and easier to use if a
roundabout was implemented. There was a brief discussion around the
danger the junction poses and problems with visibility due to overgrown
vegetation.
Communications and publicity
Katherine reminded everyone that the HWRA have a mailing list which we
use to send out the minutes and reminders about meetings. Please email us
at Heathersidewra@gmail.com if you would like to be added. We also have a
web page and Facebook page which we use to communicate with local
residents. http://heathersidewra.weebly.com/ and
https://www.facebook.com/HeathersideWardResidentsAssociation/
The committee are keen to spread the word about the Association to
residents on Heatherside who may not be aware that we exist. We would like
to try and put up some banners around the ward. We are looking into the
possibility of sponsorship towards the cost of these from local businesses. If
anyone knows of a local business who would be willing to pay for banners
please get in touch with us.
The group also discussed other ways of reaching residents. Suggestions
from those present included putting up signs in the community centre, signs
in the shops and maybe having our own community noticeboard. We also
talked about getting better links with local groups and the PTAs at the
school.

APPENDIX 1
Report of the Making it Real event by Caroline Hibberd.

Making it Real, 19 May 2016, Camberley Theatre

Theme: Well Connected Neighbourhoods
1. Talk by two Pastoral Assistants from Bisley and West End on how their
communities connect:

Activity groups attached to school & Church

Parish magazine (copy in Post Office)

Notice Boards

Residents Association web site

Parish Council web site

Teas on The Rec this, I think, is a church instigated

initiative that runs every Thursday afternoon through the summer and
attracts people of all ages, replaced by coffee once a month in Winter.

Apparently on Heatherside there are 12 different

groups/clubs that people can potentially be involved with.
Group discussion:
Get community groups to connect with each other
Manage information flow internet is great but need other
ways as well
Befriending services
Hold community social events
Produce a neighbourhood booklet
2. Village Agent and Community Wardens
This is an initiative, called Project Aspire, that is run by
Guildford Borough Council it is a political initiative
About building community infrastructure so that
communities are enabled to help themselves empower the
communities rather than their elected representatives
Various working groups Health and Wellbeing;
Environment Improvements; Pond Meadow (Community hub group of
some sort)
Grant giving apparently bids made at a Dragons Den
type event
3. Time Banking

 This is a global (I think) initiative, whereby people pay into

a time bank with their time, and can then withdraw someone elses
time
Groups and organisations can sign up
Individuals can donate their time credits to community
pots
Contact Roger Webb on 07450 800419
4. Alzheimers Society
Always consider someone with Dementia
5. Community Services
Darren Williams (Shared SHBC & Runnymede)
Provision of community alarms & telecare
Community meals
Community transport
Windle Valley Centre
6. Community Funding
County Council allocation 2016/17 10,296
Community improvements fund
Shopping centres consider Dementia friendly (painting
scheme) and easily accessible

APPENDIX 2
Email from Cllr Lytle regarding the Councils position on trees and the latest
discussions with Bovis
On 23 May 2016, at 15:35, Cllr Jonathan Lytle
<Jonathan.Lytle@surreyheath.gov.uk> wrote:
Dear Kirsty and Larry
Following our discussion please find information as it stands from our officer
team on the Bovis Survey and of course I am sure that any of our councillor
team may wish to add more this evening if they have any further updates.
I am glad the e-mail work Peter /HWRA Facebook and I have been handling is
making steps, slow though they may be.
As you are aware our Surrey Heath Borough Council officers met with Bovis
a couple of months or so ago to move this forward and had a positive
meeting. The Councils tree officer, Paul Watts, met Bovis Tree Contractor on
site a couple of weeks later to agree the scope of the tree condition survey
we expect to see Bovis provide.
As we have discussed, the Tree contractors expect to complete the survey in
mid-Summer, with a view to starting works this Autumn. The survey will
highlight and recommend works on all Bovis trees that are dead, diseased,
dangerous or dying with a view to Bovis carrying out all required works over
this Autumn and Winter period.
These works may include the trees identified in some of the e-mail referrals I
have received from HRWA. However, it is standard practise to only do works
on dead, diseased, dangerous or dying trees and generally this does not
include trees that drop leaves and twigs in gardens, shade out light,
interrupt TV signals or, indeed, lift patios. The Council adheres to a code
along these lines when dealing with TPO trees and trees on its own land and
we can only expect the same from 3rd parties.
Best wishes

Jonathan
Cllr Jonathan Lytle
APPENDIX 3
Deepcut Cycle Path update by Len Williams
The upgrading of the towpath along the Southern bank of the Basingstoke
Canal between Deepcut and Brookwood bridges is part of the Mindenhurst
development plan to provide a commuter cycle route between Mindenhurst
and Brookwood station.
1. The link from Mindenhurst to Lock Cottage on the canal is still in the
design process.
2. The bridge over the canal at Lock Cottage is already in existence, approx.
2 metres wide with railings on each side.
3. The towpath will be 3 metres wide, (where possible), and surfaced with
'Fibre-dec'. At Deepcut bridge a flight of stairs with midpoint stagger, i.e. a
zig-zag, with a ramp on one side to facilitate cycles being pushed up, and
down, will be constructed. No lighting for the upgraded towpath will be
provided.
4. Work on the upgrade is scheduled to commence on the sale of the 230th
house, or 2 years from project commencement, whichever is soonest. The
current published programme shows the 1st tranche sale scheduled for July
2017, although several members of the meeting considered this to be
optimistic.
5. The towpath upgrade will probably be carried out by SCC as a
subcontractor to Skanska.
While all of this is good news for Heatherside residents, i.e. we are getting a
good walking, cycling route from Deepcut to Woking, does it really address
the original problem by providing a recreational solution to a commuter
requirement ? Commuters will use it between 6 & 8 amand 4 & 6 pm in
winter when it is dark and icy, navigating through Brunswick wood down an
incline to Lock Cottage and then crossing the canal via the footbridge. It will
be interesting to see how the plans for this section of the route will address
this.