High Lane Residents' Association

Minutes of the meeting of High Lane Residents’ Association

Date: 7^th November 2024                                                                                                 Time: 8pm

Venue: High Lane Village Hall

Present: Caroline Smith; David Burks; Darrell Williams; John Baker; Barry and Angie Sequeira

               and Sue Forrester

Apologies: Eryl Hughes; Cllr Shan Alexander

1. Welcome given by Caroline Smith

2. Minutes of the last meeting – approved

3. Police Report - no police presence at the meeting. Caroline reported that Jason (Chief Inspector) had been moved to the Central Team in Stockport Town Centre.  Amreek Singh has been appointed as the new inspector and Rachel Walton has been appointed as Sergeant. Caroline would contact the police for a crime report for the High Lane area and invite Sgt Rachel Walton to the next meeting.

4. Finance Report by John

The opening balance to be carried over from the last financial year was £3,230.26.

Income: During September and October 2024, the income to HLRA has consisted of:

£373 subscriptions either in cash or by direct payments into the bank; £65 subscriptions received as cheques; £250 donated from Marchington Stone; £50 donated from Coach House Garage; the AGM raffle raised £86; the refreshments £19 and the lights made by David raised £80

Total = £923

A donation of £1,735 has been received from The Manchester Airport Charitable Fund – this is to be put towards the cost of the adult gym in High Lane Park. John thanked David for his preparation work in securing this donation.

Total Income so far = £2,658

Expenditure: as stated at the AGM there were two expense items carried over from the last financial year associated with the Sunflower project on Middlewood Way carried out in the summer. This was a total of £378 for the nursery costs for the growing of flowers and for the materials for preparing the flower beds prior to planting; £40 for the hire of the hall; £18 for IONOS website licensing and £113 for materials associated with the AGM – printing raffle tickets, photographs etc.

Total Expenditure so far = £550

When the payments have been processed the balance going forward will be £5,338

On behalf of Barry, Angie gave a report of the War Memorial account:

Recent payments: Remembrance Day wreath = £25; winter plants = £63; purchase of a new electric leaf blower = £179. This shows a balance of £2,100. Angie told the meeting that the income generated from the book stall at the doctor’s surgery remains steady but it has been noticed that a large number of books have gone in recent weeks. This is being monitored by Barry and Anne Lambert as it has happened before.

5. Planning applications read out by Caroline on behalf of Eryl

1. Wybersley Hall Farm  DC/ 079813: Discharge of condition 7 of listed building consent DC/ 093328. All windows and doors listed as hardwood finished with breathable water based paint

2. Higher Farm Threaphurst Lane Hazel Grove DC/ 093151. Change of use of existing agricultural buildings to 2 dwelling houses opposite Hawthorne Cottage.

3. Roselaya Buxton Rd (for your information) - it looks like an additional property being built taking up some of the garden. The gap in the hedge is an entrance to the new property, more hazards on the A6. This has been approved by the planning committee. There is nothing to stop planning permission being granted on the land for sale which is more or less opposite. Now I fear that there will be plans to infill all the way up the A6. I would not be surprised if there will be some movement on Station Farm. So much for protecting the green belt. Below is an email from Eryl regarding Roselaya:

“Following the planning being agreed on Roselaya this could be interpreted as ribbon development. The fear is that all the vacant plots along the A6 could come under this heading. Ribbon development is the building of houses along routes of communications radiating for human settlements. Simply put it means a line of houses built along existing highways (or railway lines or similar linear barriers) each being served by individual accesses. The land to the rear of the house is not developed. I fear that this could be used to infill along the A6 which need monitoring”

d) 37, Chatsworth Rd   DC/ 093106. Installation of solar panel array to rear roof

e) 8 Andrew Lane  DC/ 093587 – T13 Cedar Crown lift; T14 CEDAR Crown - lift and remove heavy limb; T12,T7,T6,T5 all to be crowned and lifted to 4.8 mts to clear traffic on the road; W1 hedge row road side to be reduced and trimmed  TPO 270E. Going down Andrew Lane it looks like the first house on the right after going over the canal bridge.

f) 7 Windlehurst Hall  DC/093467 2 lime trees - reduction of canopy similar to that of 6yrs ago relating to DC/071966. Lime trees replenish themselves at a fast rate and once reaching a significant height become prone to bending in high wind and we are losing many small branches at this time. The trees are in a significant wind prone environment. TPO 13E, TPO322

g) Small holding to the East of Wybersley Rd DC/ 093706. Discharge of conditions 2,3,8,9 of planning DC/090379; hawthorn whips to be planted in gaps of existing hedges; installation of bird and bat boxes; oak trees to be planted at 4mts centres to be 1.2 mts high and feathered; 2 rowan trees to be planted at 3 mts centres 1.2 mts high and feathered OFTN

h) Glenwood Cottage, 25 Andrew Lane  DC/093703 Rear boundary of property all lower overhang to be reduced back to stems up to 9 mts high. Upper canopy overhang to be reduced laterally up to 2 mts OFTN

i) 1 Brookside  DC/093729. Front entrance porch OFTN

j) 65 Andrew Lane  DC/093728. Conversion of existing conservatory to create an enlarged granny annex OFTN

k) RED LION    DC/ 093805 Single storey side extension to form private dining area. Replacement of fire escape. Associated external works. If you look at the front of the pub the extension will be on the right OFTN

l) 20 Fairacres House, Fairacres Rd. DC/093749 Change of use of ground floor from office to 4 flats with associated external alterations. This is the block of flats that back on to the school field OFTN

OFTN = "One for the neighbours"

6. Reporting Back:

• High Lane Post Office

A meeting had taken place with Caroline and David and they were joined by Cllr Aron Thornley and Mr Perez (the locum postmaster of the post office in High Lane that closed in September).  The pharmacy have stated that they want to make use of half the area left vacant by the closure of the post office and Dr Matthewson was agreeable to using the remaining space as a post office once again. Mr Perez stated that he would support anyone who was interested in taking up the position of postmaster. Aron plans to visit the post office in Disley to enquire whether the postmaster there would be interested in the position but because of the recent bad publicity it seems unlikely that anyone would come forward.

• Hartley Woods

Work will be starting in Hartley Woods on Monday 11^th November (subject to permits etc). The east block of the woods will be closed and 13 trees with ash dieback will be removed and the chippings will be used on the paths. Some trees on the other side will be removed. The tall stumps will be retained for woodpeckers and insects and smaller ones will be used as seating for young children. Also bird and bat boxes will be installed. Some bamboo also to be trimmed back. Barriers will be required and the work is expected to take approximately 4 days. The idea of a noticeboard showing what wildlife and plants can be found in the woods is to be explored.

• Sainsbury’s

The store is due to open in January and a high voltage cable for EV charging has yet to be installed. Anyone interested in employment at Sainsbury’s is invited to send their CV to the Store Manager.

• Trim Trail

Money granted so far stands at £6000 - £4000 from MAC and £2000 from the Playground Officer at Stockport Council and £1735 has recently been donated by Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund. These monies have to be used within 3 months of the grant being approved. David is to meet with the Play Officer at Stockport Council to organise the buying and storing of equipment. A further £2000 would be required to make the project more workable.  The equipment would be maintained by Stockport Council and inspected annually.

7. A.O.B.

• Bulbs. Bulbs have been donated by Stockport Council and have been used by Alison and Warren to replenish the planters. The planting of daffodils in Hartley Woods was suggested along with the planting up of a flower bed in front of Parbans as a token of gratitude for their help in repairing the damaged bus shelter opposite the offices. Also some planting round the base of the noticeboard at Brookside Park. John also mentioned a recent donation of £125 which is to be used to keep the village tidy and in bloom.
• January meeting. It was decided to hold the first HLRA meeting in the new year in February as Thursday 2^nd January 2025 is the day after New Year’s Day.
• Shed behind library for tools. The erection of a shed behind High Lane Village library to store gardening tools was discussed. David explained that at the moment he and Barry are storing gardening equipment and litter picking equipment for the RA in their own garages and sheds and David also houses the tools given to him by Friends of the Park. The shed would be placed in a central position and would be useful as storage for the tools to be accessed by volunteers. There was some disagreement about whether a shed was necessary and the project was scrapped.
• Extra/bins/re-allocation of bins. Caroline had enquired about the possibility of extra litter bins being installed in the village but had been informed by the council that there is no money to empty any more bins. Existing bins can be allocated elsewhere in the village. The possibility of moving the litter bin at the library to somewhere more visible was discussed. The bins by the entrance to Middlewood Way where trucks park in the lay-bys are often overflowing and larger bins are required. Caroline to enquire about that possibility.
• Subscriptions. A question was asked about whether subscriptions were down on last year and whether the newsletter not being delivered had made a difference. John reported that subscriptions amounting to £600 have been received so far compared with £800 this time last year. Subscribers can pay at meetings by card or by bank transfer or by posting through the letterbox of the designated addresses. Payments were still being received. Email addresses could be used as a way of delivering the newsletter as long as the householder was able to use a computer. The printing cost of the newsletter balancing out against delivery to every household is something to be considered.
• Ribbon development in High Lane Village. A question was asked about where the boundary lies between High Lane and Hazel Grove. Caroline replied that the village boundary is Middlewood Way but for council purposes the boundary is Buxton Old Road where a new development has been built. There is a development of 500 houses planned in Hazel Grove on the old Mirlees site which has received 5000 signatures against this build. Apparently Stockport Council have ignored this petition and it is going ahead. The increase in traffic has to be taken into account when any development is planned. Infill sites should be monitored carefully to avoid increase traffic on the A6.
• Developments. A question was asked whether the Council consider local businesses when passing building plans. David explained that the HLVF has the power to protest against and block proposed new builds based on certain design proposals. He went on to talk about brownfield sites (previously built-on sites) and greyfield sites and mentioned that any new developments are mostly towards the centre of Stockport. There has been no report from the council on air pollution after the construction of the A555 – Stockport Council to be reminded about the promised report. Affordable housing and its definition was discussed - affordable housing for sale or rent is for those whose needs are not met by the market. It was pointed out that the council now use registered building inspectors that have to be paid privately. Shan to be contacted regarding these matters.
• Cricket Club. A resident reported that the steps from the canal onto the cricket pitch are to be re-positioned to where the bench is situated just over the bridge and will mean cutting into part of the canal walls. It was questioned why this hadn’t been included in the planning applications. The canal walls are a conservation area and a heritage site and the land belongs to the Canal and River Trust. A question was asked whether the demolition of part of the canal wall would affect ground stability. Caroline would investigate and pass on any concerns to the HLVF. It was explained that there needs to be 4 individual objects against any proposed building work before it can be considered by Marple Area Committee. The resident was also concerned about the apparent change of use for the Cricket Club with more social events taking place with loud music and was worried about the possible installation of floodlights. A resident spoke about proposed plans by the Canal and River Trust to re-introduce swans back onto the canal waters and said he would mention the re-positioning of the cricket club steps to them.
• Parking on Hartington Road. Some issues were reported by a resident about the amount of inconsiderately parked vehicles on Hartington Road where the home run by the Social Services is situated. Also parking problems on the corner of Alderdale and on Brookside Lane. David had already reported this problem to the police but they are no longer responsible for Highways and if a parking ban was to be enforced there is no personnel to monitor it. Complaints about parking in High Lane would probably lead to the installation of Pay and Display meters. A resident from Hartington stated that traffic has increased since the temporary closure of the road and asked whether car insurance would still be valid if a motorist had an accident whilst driving into a “No Access” road. The reply was yes – in this instance the driver would still be covered. A resident had noted that parts of Thornway are starting to sink.
• Bin collection dates. New schedules and rules on bin collections and recycling have been bought out and because of this there is no paper copy of the collection dates until April 2025 but it is available online. David suggested installing a link on the HLRA website and printing some copies for people to access. [Editor: see Refuse page.]
• Duke of Edinburgh Award. An email had been received regarding the possibility of providing some voluntary work for a 14-year-old boy who is studying for his D of E award eg litter picking/gardening work. The agreement was that he would need to be supervised and any work offered would have to be approved by the D of E Award. Suggestions were the clearing of the sunflower beds on Middlewood Way or perhaps approaching the Cricket Club or any care homes in the area. It was decided that more information was needed so David is to contact the parent.

The next HLRA meeting will be on Thursday 5 December at 8pm at the Village Hall