Whiteleaf & Cadsden Residents Association

Minutes of the 2013 Annual General Meeting held at Whiteleaf Golf Club.

 

Present: Mrs K. Symons (Chairman), Mr. R. Shaw (Hon. Secretary), Mr. S. Clark (Hon. Treasurer), Mr. J. Clegg, Mr. P. Miles, Mrs S. Robinson, and 35 members.

 

The Chairman welcomed everyone and especially the new residents and highlighted the need to keep an interest in development matters in Princes Risborough, which, whilst not affecting our residents directly, can have a knock-on effect on existing infrastructure and facilities provision in the area.

 

1. Apologies were received from the Macreath, Frodsham, Henderson, Giles, Hitchcock, Sareen, Hind and Drewett families and Mr. J. Minter, Mr. J. Clegg Snr., Mr. D. Aldous, Mr. D. Robinson, Mrs. R. Millard and Mrs. S. Shaw.
2. Minutes. There being no comments, the minutes of the 2012 AGM were agreed.
3. Matters arising.
   a) Thatchers – Mr. Auld, of Thatchers, has stated that he told his builder to avoid excessive noise and has confirmed that if there is any future work to be carried out at the property he will instruct the builder that he has no use or access to the garage. A meeting between the Aulds and their affected near neighbours is to be set up to discuss future building works and to sort things out directly.b) Whiteleaf Hill – The Chiltern Society and BCC have not yet finalised the transfer of management.

   c) Fence on corner of Upper Icknield Way and Peters Lane – The Secretary reported that the matter now rests with BCC. A resident reported another near accident at the junction and highlighted the need for prompt action. This was supported by the meeting. The Secretary agreed to revert to BCC and Councillor Carl Etholen for clarification on the matter.

4. Chairman’s report. There were no questions from the floor about the Chairman’s report.
5. Annual accounts. The Treasurer commented on the accounts which contained few transactions. There were no questions from the floor about the Treasurer’s report and this was approved.
6. Elections. The Chairman and Mr. P. Miles were due to retire from the Committee and offered themselves for re-election. There were no other candidates forthcoming. Mrs. Symons was duly re-elected, having been proposed by Mrs. L. Clegg and seconded by Mrs. J. Masterton-Smith. Mr. Miles was proposed by Mr. J. Biggs and seconded by Mr. D. Miller and so duly elected.
7. Footpath 26.
   Mrs. Symons said that the gate on the path at the Holloway end had been vandalised and removed. After considerable correspondence it has been replaced by BCC. However BCC have sought the Association’s help in monitoring the condition of the gate. Mr. Fox pointed out that BCC have a statutory responsibility for all gates on public rights of way. Two volunteers came forward to undertake to monitor the gate and report back to BCC if necessary. The Secretary will make it clear to BCC that all public liability in relation to the gate rests with BCC.
8. Risborough Area Partnership
   Richard Clayton, a resident of Westfields, has now taken over as Chairman of RAP. He made a very informative presentation about the origins and aims of RAP as well as a progress report of achievements so far. Mrs. Clegg asked about the relationship between the Town Council and RAP. Mr. Clayton said that two councillors sit on the steering committee, their aims are the same and that they complement each other. A copy of the presentation will be posted on the Residents’ Association website.
9. Any other business.
   a) Ragpit. Mrs. Symons indicated that the Ragpit (owned by PRTC) had been leased to a local resident but that the lease had lapsed in October 2012. PRTC are considering their options and have invited Whiteleaf and Cadsden Residents to give their views on its future usage. A questionnaire will be circulated shortly to all residents. Mrs. Macneil said that she thought that a planning application had been turned down some time ago as there was evidence of a Saxon burial ground on the site.b) The Holloway. Mr. Muras asked whether anything could be done about the surface of the Holloway as it is deteriorating and may soon become unusable. Mr. Shaw said that BCC had inspected the road last year but had failed to carry out any repairs due to late snow. He had requested a further inspection which was completed in February this year. Some potholes were identified for filling but no general re-surfacing was recommended probably due to allocation of funds. Mr. Bendyshe-Brown and Mr. Streule representing PRTC suggested that BCC should revisit the road with Carl Etholen (Vice Chairman of BCC and Chairman of BCC Audit)

The formal meeting closed at 8.30pm
Councillor Will Streule (“WS”), of PRTC, highlighted a number of issues:-

a)      One-way System. BCC are currently undertaking a feasibility study of changes to the one-way system, specifically, the cycle lane (which may be Duke Street only), extra parking and moving the bus stop. Mr. Hibbert asked whether Duke Street could revert to two-way as this would reduce congestion in the High Street as some community centre visitors would be able to turn left out of Market Square. WS said that this was unlikely as the narrowness of Duke Street was the original problem with the two-way system.

b)      Town Centre Regeneration. Shop occupancy is not bad. A creperie may open soon and the Birchnells site has permission to open a restaurant but plans are on hold.

c)      Post Office. A question was asked about the post office in Lloyds Pharmacy as Lloyds have removed post offices from their premises across the country. WS said that Lloyds have promised not to remove the Princes Risborough office until new premises can be found. The Post Office have a proposal in hand to keep the office in Princes Risborough but are unable to identify the location at present.

Mr. Bendyshe-Brown, speaking on Wycombe District Council issues said,

a)      Housing. The Park Mill development was to go to judicial review, but the developers have decided not to pursue this. Another application is expected, which will have to be watched. The Pictsmead development is currently blighted and subject to a large review.

b)      SE Plan The SE plan has been terminated and a new local (Wycombe District Area) plan is being developed to cover housing and infrastructure requirements. There will be public consultation on the plan in May /June. There will probably be a need for more housing, but BB-B hopes that this can located where the population has increased (mainly in High Wycombe).

c)      HS2. The judicial review was unsuccessful but the various parties will appeal.

Mr. Muras said that the High Street is blighted with sign litter. Very large “For Sale” signs give the wrong impression to visitors of a town in distress. Mr. Muras asked that the Town Council speak to the landlords.

Mr. Clegg asked whether the number of bins would be reduced with the new household collections planned in Autumn. Mr. Bendyshe-Brown said that more bins were likely as the aim is to increase re-cycling.

Mrs. Robinson asked about long term traffic plans and Mr. Bendyshe-Brown admitted that there was the potential for a small by-pass maybe in 2035, but that it is a very difficult issue.

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After the meeting, Mr. Mike Payne, Programme Secretary and Events Organiser for the Princes Risborough Heritage Society, assisted by Chris Kingham, give a fascinating talk and slide show on the subject of The Shops and Shopkeepers of Princes Risborough. This brought back lots of memories for many attendees. Many thanks also to Chris Kingham for bringing the very interesting local history exhibition panels to the meeting.