Minutes 13th June 2000
Present: committee members: Rod Brown, Jane Pickard, Jeremy Galloway, James Slattery-Kavanagh, Romano Barca, Bernie Bullbrook, Anne Orange, Grahame Wilson. Other members: Simon Berlyn, Gabrielle Garton-Grimwood, Richard Moore, Paul Tobin, Marion Cavanagh, Mike Kirwan, Keith Langton, John MacDonald.
Non-voting: Couns Robert McConnell, Isabel Trist.
Apologies: Helen O'Brien, Linda White, Bill Clifford.
Chaired by: Anne Orange.
A) Committee meeting
Constitution and Standing Orders: A sub-committee (Anne Orange, Romano Barca, Rod Brown and Jane Pickard) had met to draw up proposals for a new constitution. Anne explained that we felt the need to make meetings more productive and discuss our future role in the light of the forum and board. She presented a set of proposals from the sub committee on the conduct and timing of meetings (enclosed).
James Slattery-Kavanagh proposed that meetings should finish usually by 9pm; also that the group should take up a few key issues to do with regeneration rather than town centre management. He thought NAG should be more environmentally aware and take on projects such as St Luke's Gardens, act against advertising hoardings, and help clean up the area. He preferred this to issues such as bus routes. He also felt we needed to champion more historic buildings and that NAG should have a view as a group on St Luke's Gardens.
Grahame Wilson suggested that the provision of playing fields would be something we could campaign on.
Other members pointed out that there was now a board sub-committee looking at open spaces. Jeremy Galloway said NAG could act on issues like wrecked cars without replicating what the council was doing.
After a discussion on a recommended finishing time for NAG meetings, it was agreed that a time of 9.30 should be included in the standing orders being put to the August AGM. It was also agreed that a new agenda item should be included after minutes and matters arising, to allow members to warn the chair of new items they were bringing up.
B Main meeting
1. Simon Berlyn gave notice that he wished to raise an item about All Saints Church.
2. Minutes
These were amended as follows: p3, item 5, para 4, after "fountain should be looked after" delete the rest of the sentence.
Graham Wilson pointed out that he had made the complaint about the ad hoarding at Tulse Hill railway bridge (item 8.c.v)
Matters arising
Item 2: Jane Pickard reported that Linda White was happy to organise the stall at the Lambeth Country Show only if she was sure that she could fill a rota with enough people to support her. A rota sheet was circulated and six people put their names down for two-hour stints. [Six gaps remain: we need two people between 4.30pm and 6.30pm on Saturday 22 July, two people between 10.30am and 12.30 on Sunday 23 July and two more between 2.30 and 4.30pm on Sunday]
8b The forum crime meeting was to be held the following Monday.
8cii: Romano Barca suggested a trust should be formed to preserve the tramshed.
The minutes were accepted as amended.
3. Report of committee meeting
Anne Orange said there had been a discussion about a new constitution and standing orders. There would be a firmer set of proposals by the next meeting, to put forward to the annual meeting.
4. Gardens Competition
Gabrielle Garton Grimwood said we had quite a lot of pledges for sponsorship and the newsletter had been out for two weeks, but there had been no entries so far. She suggested a poster would attract more interest.
There was a discussion about poor communication concerning the distribution of the newsletter. JP had asked for all the newsletters to be delivered to John MacDonald's but had not intended that he should have to distribute them all. Her message had not reached him and he had delivered most of them himself in shops and pubs all over the Norwood area and in houses around the Gipsy Hill area. It was agreed that someone should be responsible for distribution in future.
It was also agreed to have another 2,000 printed and delivered to Jeremy Galloway's from where people could pick them up and deliver them door-to-door in Knight's Hill. There would be a schedule at Galloway's and people would tick off which streets they had done. John would also take the remainder of his to Galloway's.
5. All Saint's Church fire
Simon Berlyn said the roof had gone and the interior had been gutted. Despite this, the structure stayed up remarkably well, although water damage led the floor to collapse into the crypt. A support group had been set up within the church which wanted to enlist the help of outside groups. He circulated a sheet for people interested to sign and gave the website: www.all-saints.org.uk
Marion Cavanagh said the crypt was extensively used by by community groups. They were hoping that restoration would be aimed at improvements for these groups.
Richard Moore suggested NAG send a letter of sympathy and support. Agreed.
6. Town Centre Manager Report
James Slattery-Kavanagh asked how Isabel Elder would support NAG in future. Isabel said she had many more evening meetings. For instance, she had been invited to three meetings that night. So the amount of evening NAG meetings she could attend was limited. But she could do a written report and Jane Pickard could report on the forum and board.
7. Norwood Partnership Board and Forum
JP said the board was setting up sub-groups to speed up and extend its work, also to involve more people outside the board in its work, by co-opting people to sub-groups.
Richard Moore suggested NAG should have an opinion on the board and forum and think about what issues it could cover which were not covered by the board/forum.
Gabrielle suggested NAG could cover areas not covered by the board such as the gardens competition. Romano Barca said there should be a right for people to observe board meetings. Michael Grimwood proposed that this was a discussion for the forum. There was an argument while the chair tried to move business on. Gabrielle suggested that any chair of any meeting had a right to move business on.
8. Distribution of newsletters and agendas
JP said she felt more people were needed for the monthly distribution of agendas and minutes as well as the newsletters - of which there are about three a year. John MacDonald offered to cover the Auckland Hill area and Grahame Wilson said he would do St Julian's Farm Road. Paul Tobin also offered to help in his area (West Dulwich).
[Anyone else who could do five or six in streets near them to contact Jane Pickard]
James Slattery-Kavanagh suggested we ask for email addresses on our next agenda distribution to save our legs. [If you are on email please email
There was also a request for extra minute-takers to support Jane and Linda. Simon Berlyn offered to help, although he had no word processor. Grahame said he could scan the minutes for Simon.
Richard suggested we went for a Community Chest grant to get a small computer for the group as a whole. Agreed
9. Crime Report
Bernie Bullbrook said the statistics coming from police were not as good as they used to be. Bernie was now the vice-chair of the Norwood sector working party comprising residents and police. He had phoned Sgt Nigel Lyons to get some information.
Operation Windmill, a special crackdown on crime, had been extended by four weeks because it was so successful. Successes had included a raid on Herbert Morrison House where they found 60 rocks of crack.
Burglaries were stable, although Knight's Hill had experienced a problem recently, centred on sheltered accommodation. The sector working party was meeting only quarterly, not two-monthly as it had suggested.
John MacDonald urged NAG to write a letter to Lambeth Council and the police complaining of the lack of security at the sheltered accommodation, where there had been three break-ins recently. Residents were frightened.
Agreed: John MacDonald to bring up matter of old people's accommodation directly with the police and council.
Simon Berlyn reported that his neighbour had had their mobile phone stolen for the second time.
10 Thameslink 2000 Inquiry
Jane Pickard said that the inquiry clerk had written to NAG in response to our objection and asked if we wanted to give oral evidence at the inquiry which is to start on 27 June. Agreed: to send Rod Brown and/or Joe Ward if he wanted to do it.
Any Other Business
1. Complaints about the 315 bus service. Rod said he had spoken to someone from Lambeth Public Transport Group who proposed doing a joint survey with NAG, taking a note of running numbers of buses and their times past a certain point. Bernie offered to do a mini-survey since his house was on the bus route.
Agreed: Rod and Bernie to liaise.
2. Mike asked for a report on the college site. It was explained that Lambeth had won the appeal hearing and the site owners now had to look for a commercial developer.
3. Lloyds TSB: Gabrielle moved a vote of thanks for the people whose campaign had saved the Croxted Road branch from closure. Agreed.
John MacDonald said Southwark Police had been more helpful on this than Lambeth Police had been over the Abbey National. Southwark police figures had contradicted the bank's claims on the number of attacks.
4. Simon proposed a ban on mobile phones at NAG meetings. Agreed.
5. John MacDonald said there was a charity night at Jack Stamps on 11 July from 7pm to raise money for a young wheelchair user.
6. James asked if we could put the bank account as an item for discussion on the next agenda. Agreed
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