High Lane Residents' Association

1.

Police surgery 7.15 until 7.45

Matt and Simon answered resident’s questions on nature of crime in High Lane, bogus traders and the Speedwatch Scheme. They emphasised that High Lane is a very safe place to live but residents do need to remain vigilant. They suggested use of timers for lights, a radio to deter burglars, being aware of bogus traders targeting vulnerable people offering to cut grass etc.

Incidents need to be reported either online or by calling 101 for low level incidents or 999 for emergencies as the number of incidents dictates the police presence in an area.

The phone number for Marple Police Station is 8161 8569782.

There have been 3 volunteers for the Speedwatch Scheme undergoing training now with a further 6 to be interviewed and trained in the next few weeks. The process is lengthy as volunteers need to be fully vetted and risk assessments completed. The police are hoping to obtain a new speed gun that catches information without having to stop cars.

Matt informed us that Inspector Flavell will be retiring shortly after 30 years’ service.

2.

Minutes of the last meeting were approved

3.

Finance: Barry stated that there is £3284.98 in the Residents’ Association account and £1586.84 in the HLRA War Memorial account.

The table of books in the Surgery continues to yield a steady trickle for the planters and War Memorial area, and £41 has been added to the RA fund made up of odd subs donated since Christmas.

Barry

4.

Talk on Greenspace – Katie Jones from City of Trees, Funding Advisor, talked about the funding available for community groups to improve local green spaces or create new ones in Greater Manchester. Round 3 will be open at the end of March and help is available in completing an application.

Projects can include tree planting, horticultural planting, wildlife gardens and lots of expertise is available.

Funding can be used to recruit volunteers with posters, flyers and newsletters and for training, upskilling residents.

Possible areas identified are the strip of land from Middlewood Road to the Cruising Club and land behind the tennis club. Eryl is finding out about ownership of the land.

She told us about the Trees for Climate initiative - £6 million available to plant trees across the UK from Hull to Liverpool.

5.

Local planning:

7 Orford Close

Following several objections, the application was withdrawn recently. A new planning officer has been assigned to this application which has been submitted with a Design Statement that addresses previous concerns. The neighbours are putting in objections about the scale and aspect of the plans and Councillor Shan Alexander has carried out a site visit. It’s understood that the application will go to Marple Area Committee.

Lomber Hey Farm - proposed outdoor exercise field for dogs.

Val and Dean Wild, the proposers of this application were present to answer resident’s concerns. The main concerns were an increase in barking in a residential area and the fact that neighbours to the site hadn’t been notified.

Dean reassured residents that there will only be 1-4 dogs with 2 owners at any one time. Each session runs for an hour from 7am until 8pm every day. Dog owners book online so can be traced if there is a problem.

It is understood that there are approx.26 objections so the application will go to MAC.

6.

Community Toilet Scheme:

David made the point that High Lane is poorly served with public toilets compared to other areas of Stockport. He contacted SMBC about the possibility of extending the Community Toilet Scheme to High Lane and was told that there is no money available at present.

Shan is going to arrange a visit with David and Richard Daniels, District Centre Manager, to ask the local businesses if they would be happy to join the scheme. Richard Daniels is aware that there are no public toilets in our village.

David is pursuing extending the hours the library toilets could be open not just when the library is staffed. Maybe during Open + hours residents could use their card to access the toilet as well as the library. This could boost numbers and ensure that we keep our library.

7.

The King’s Coronation, May 2023:

One idea put forward is a volunteer morning followed by tea and cake in the afternoon at the Village Hall on the Bank Holiday Monday.

Another idea was a picnic in the park with a brass band.

Any other ideas need to be sent to the committee before the next meeting so a decision can be made.

8.

Volunteers:

The RA always need more volunteers for the various projects including litter pick, weeding, gardening and events. The next litter pick is on Saturday 1^st April 10am until 1pm. Barry has about 22 volunteers but is happy to welcome new volunteers.

David extended the request as the position of Vice Chair on the committee is still available plus two further places on the committee. The roles of Treasurer and Secretary will also be vacant in October.

9.

AOB

A resident asked if any legal action could be taken against the owner of the Dog and Partridge site. Councillor Alexander informed us that the site has been inspected recently and deemed to be safe. The site now has planning permission and the agent is looking for an interested party.

A resident asked if the litter bins in the park could be swapped as the single bin by the bridge is always full and the double bin at Keswick Road end of the park is hardly used. Councillor Macalister will follow this up.

10.

Next meeting: Thursday 6^th April 2023 at High Lane Library