Agenda and minutes

Councillor Porter was elected as Chair and welcomed everyone to the Aylestone Community Meeting.

There were no apologies for absence.

Councillors were asked to declare any interests they had in the business on the agenda, and/or indicate whether Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applied to them.

Councillor Porter made the following declarations:

In respect of Item 8, Pollution Control Issues and the Burrows Chimney, he had made representations to the Council because of the concerns he had relating to this issue.

In respect of Item 5, Planning Issues and the Local Development Framework, before he was elected as Councillor he had actively opposed the Park and Ride.  In addition, during the election period, Councillor Porter stated that he had opposed development on the Belvoir Drive Training Ground, St Mary’s Allotment site and the Franklyn Fields site. He also declared that he had supporters who lived close to the Franklyn Fields site and they had given him financial support during the recent election campaign.

RESOLVED:

that the minutes of the Aylestone Community Meeting held on 31 March 2011 be agreed as a correct record.

The Chair announced that this item of business would be moved forward on the agenda as a number of residents had come to the meeting specifically for the discussion on the Burrows Chimney.

Daniel Clifford, Environmental Health Officer, and Simon Pollard, Pollution Control Officer were present from Leicester City Council.  Mr Bob Vesey and Mr Vic Dattani, Accountant were also present as representatives from Euro Dyers.

Daniel gave a brief presentation on Nuisance Law and explained that the City Council dealt with issues relating to statutory nuisance. Local Authorities had the powers to inspect and take enforcement action by issuing an abatement notice. If there was a breach of the abatement notice, the Local Authority could instigate criminal proceedings. Individuals also had a right to take action against statutory nuisance.

Simon then explained that the previous owners of the factory had been served with an abatement notice in 2009 and in response they had installed some new equipment but shortly afterwards the company had changed ownership which had invalidated the abatement notice. This meant that the Council had to start the process again.

A new abatement notice had been served in May 2010 and since then visits had been made to the premises but a further nuisance had not been witnessed. Simon added that this did not mean that there was not an odour because even with the best technology, it was extremely difficult to totally eliminate all odours.

Simon added that the fact that the Pollution Control Officers had not witnessed a nuisance, did not mean that a nuisance did not exist and they were still actively working with the company.  Members of the public were encouraged to contact the Council if there were further problems. Their team did not operate an out of hours service although staff in a different section did work outside office hours. He explained that there had been a reduction in the complaints that had been received and they were aware that Euro Dyers were working to eliminate the problems.

Members of the community made the following comments:

·         We have been reporting these problems since 2003.

·         We would like you to operate a 24 hour service.

·         People feel that there is no point in contacting the council to complain because no action is taken.

·         There were people with medical problems whose conditions were made worse by the smell from the factory.

·         People would like to know what exactly was coming out of the chimney and whether there was any evidence of health problems.  Officers responded that the chimney was very high and as far as they knew, the dispersion was not dangerous.  A member of the public commented that the chimney was not designed for the purpose for which it was used.

Mr Dattani apologised for the problems and explained that they had hired a consultant to help find solutions to the problem. To date they had spent £100,000 and Mr Dattani promised on behalf of the company that they would make every  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

Alison Bowen, Team Leader, Planning Policy and Design gave a presentation on the Local Development Framework.  Alison explained that the Local Development Framework (LDF) Local Plan would set out Specific Site Allocations and Planning Management Policies.

1)    Specific Site Allocations included sites for:

·         Housing – to meet the housing needs of the City.

·         Employment  - to meet the employment needs of the City

·         Mixed use development – for some sites in regeneration areas.

2)    Planning management Policies included:

·         Designation and protection of green space

·         Identification of hierarchy of biodiversity sites

·         Safeguarding higher quality employment land

·         Car parking standards

·         Mitigation of flood risk

·         Residential amenity

Alison explained that a ‘call for sites’ had been made in November 2010 and over 70 suggestions for sites had been submitted, including sites for green space in Aylestone. Currently site assessments were in progress and all the sites that had been put forward would be assessed.

A consultation document setting out information on all the sites that had been proposed for development, would be published during the Winter of 2011/12. There would be a public consultation along with presentations at Community Meetings, information in the local press and discussions with interested organisations or individuals. This would be followed by an independent examination and finally adoption during the Winter 2013.

Alison explained that people could get involved in the process through Community Meetings, exhibitions that would held around the City, by accessing the Council website or by requesting individual notification.

The following questions / comments were raised:

·         Leicester was one of the top 10 areas at risk of flooding – was it  appropriate to have more housing development, as this would increase the risk of flooding?

The Chair explained that the Council were looking at the issue of flooding.  Alison also confirmed that flood risks were taken into account and the Council were also consulting with the Environment Agency.

·         When was the Grand Union Canal last dredged?

Alison stated that she was not sure but a member of the community commented that he thought the canal was last dredged about 10 years ago.  The meeting heard that the canal was full of weeds, which increased the risk of flooding. If the canal was dredged, the water holding capacity would increase.  A member of the public added that in addition, the River Soar was also choked up with weeds.

Members of the public were then given an update on the proposed new Doctors’ Surgery on the site of the Rutland Inn Public House.

Mike Turner, MBE addressed the meeting and explained that he was Chairman of the Patients’ Participation Group for the surgery. Mr Turner made the following points:

·         Drawings of the proposal had been viewed and amendments made.

·         Further drawings had been viewed last week.

·         A model had been made of the proposed building and this would be on display for members of the public to view.

·         The new medical centre would be a substantial building comprising of 3 storeys.

·         The ground floor would have  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82.

PS Andy Partridge from Welford Road Local Policing Unit addressed the meeting and gave a brief update on policing issues in the area.

PS Partridge made the following points:

·         There had been incidents of anti-social behaviour on Wigston Lane, but through partnership working, the issue had now been resolved.

·         The police were currently working to address various kinds of anti-social behaviour, including arson on Aylestone Meadows.

·         He confirmed that the Police hoped to have a base at the proposed new Doctors’ Surgery. They currently had a communications Office in a Children’s Home, but there was no access to the public there, and the Police were looking for a base that would be accessible to the public. 

·         There was good news on crime in the Ward, as across the year there had been a reduction in crime.

A member of the community commented that there had been recent incidences of bag snatching and PS Partridge responded that someone had been arrested in connection with those crimes.  Concerns were raised that the Police and the Community Support Officers were not seen out in the community, but PS Partridge confirmed that officers were regularly out on beat patrol.

Stenroy (Roy) Smith, the City Warden for the Aylestone Ward addressed the meeting and gave a brief update of street scene enforcement issues in the area. Roy explained that he had been working to tackle dog fouling and littering including littering from vehicles. Roy added that dog fouling and littering in particular was a problem in Aylestone Meadows.

Roy added that he was also working with residents to encourage them to take rubbish bins off the streets. The City Wardens tried to educate people, but if they didn’t conform they would be fined.

A member of the community complained about litter on the canal towpath and suggested that it would be helpful to have more litter bins located there. The Chair responded that in the past the Community Meeting had funded some litter bins and it might be possible to do so again.

The Chair explained that the following budget applications had been received:

Aylestone Hall Gardens Summer Concert:

Submitted by: Friends of Aylestone Hall Gardens

Amount Requested: £12466.75

The meeting heard that this application had been withdrawn

St Andrew’s FC Summer Soccer Scheme

Submitted by: St Andrew’s FC.

Amount Requested: £1500.

Daniel Creed from the Football Club explained that a previous soccer scheme had been held in 2010 and had been successful. So far, there were 50 names on the list and the minimum age had been reduced to 5 years. It was agreed to support the bid, although it was noted that in some Wards, funding for such a project would only be allocated according to the percentage of participants who were actually resident in the Ward.

RESOLVED:

                        that the application be supported to the value of £1,500

Improvements to Aylestone - Notice Board and additional plant containers.

Submitted by: Aylestone Action Group

Amount Requested: £3,300 (and not £3,500 as detailed on the agenda)

A representative from the Aylestone Local Action Group explained that many other communities had a notice board and it was felt that this would be a benefit to everyone in the Ward. A possible location would be by the new Doctors’ surgery, but this was still to be confirmed. Arrangements for ensuring that the notice board was kept up to date had also been considered.

James Schadla-Hall, Member Support Officer to the Aylestone Community Meeting, stated that he had contacted the Handy Person’s service about the notice board and it seemed likely that this could be obtained from them at a more competitive price.

RESOLVED:

that the funding application be fully supported, but if possible for the notice board to be obtained through the Handy Person Service at a cheaper option.

Saffron Fete

Submitted by: Saffron Fete Committee / Saffron Community Enterprises Ltd.

Amount Requested: £950

The Chair explained that previously the policy of the Aylestone Community Meeting had been to only support projects that were held in the Ward. The Saffron Fete was held outside the Aylestone Ward and although it was recognised that people from Aylestone went to the fete, a decision to fund the event would mean a break from this policy.

Councillor Clarke responded that as people from Aylestone went to the fete, the event benefitted Aylestone in general. He added that he felt decisions on whether funding from the budget should be granted should be made on whether the project benefited Aylestone residents, rather than where the event was to be held. 

Members of the community were asked to indicate their preference for whether or not funding should be provided only for projects based in the Ward.

Of those who voted, 18 indicated that they only wished to fund projects based in the Aylestone Ward, and 11 indicated that they wish to fund projects based outside the Aylestone Ward.

RESOLVED:

that the funding application for the Saffron Fete be rejected because the event  would be held outside Aylestone Ward.

Members of the Community were invited to give their views and comments on the Aylestone Community Meeting. The following comments were made:

·         It should be mandatory for speakers to use microphones when addressing the meeting.

·         There should be more notice of funding bids  - James Schadla-Hall, the Member Support Officer explained that the funding applications had been detailed in the agenda.

Further general comments were made as follows:

·         Could we have cycle lanes on pavements?

·         Could the regulations against cycling on pavements be enforced?

PS Partridge responded that they could not enforce all incidences of cycling on footpaths. They had to look at each and every case and take individual cases on their own merits.

·         Would it be possible to have a Community Centre in Aylestone?

·         Would it be possible to extend the bus lane on Wigston Lane?

This is Aylestone -  A year in the life of a community

Anne Hayto from the Spirit of Aylestone addressed the meeting on a new project which aimed to collect photographic and art-based images of all aspects of Aylestone life over the course of 12 months.  This would be an opportunity to showcase everything that happened in Aylestone and the photographs would be displayed in a variety of venues. 

The group were looking for people who could take photographs and store them on their computers. People were also invited to join the steering committee.

Anne concluded by saying that she would like to hear from people who had good organisational or communication skills and added that the project could not be successful without the support of the community.

Aylestone Local Action Group (ALAG)

Lauren Hickling appealed for volunteers to help ALAG to water the plants and asked people to contact her if they were interested.

The meeting closed at 8.18 pm.