Minutes of meeting 26th Jan 2009

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Westfield Park

Note of meeting held on Tuesday 26/01/2010

• Attendees:
County Councillor Delme Bowen
John Hughes
Colin Pritchard
Peter Dawson CCC Transportation

• Apologies:
Helen Bradley
Penny Hill
Susan Evans
Steve Tarbet
Ruth Chapman CCC Highways & Waste Management
Phil Cadenne CCC Highways & Waste Management
Nasser Nazemi CCC Highways & Waste Management
Gary Jenkins CCC Highways & Waste Management

• Councillor Bowen expressed his thanks to the Residents Association and to the residents for inviting him to their meeting in December, and to the representatives of the Community Council and the Residents Association for attending today’s meeting and for their continuing support.

• Peter Dawson gave a brief update of the progress that had been made since the last meeting and the actions that had been taken. These are summarised in the position statement attached.

• The key issues discussed in the meeting were:
(a) Security fencing around the pumping station.
(b) Inspection of the pumps.
(c) Funding the remedial works.
(d) Remedial works to the equipment in the pumping station.
(e) Remedial works to the roads, footways and street lighting.
(f) Securing the land for transfer to the Council and to WWDC.
(g) Working closely with the 3 house building firms.

• It was noted that the Residents Association had written to the 3 house building firms to encourage them to erect a security fence around the pumping station as a matter of urgency.
• It was also noted that a discharge incident at the pumping station had been reported by the Community Council early in the New Year. This had been investigated by the Council’s Drainage Section and appeared to have been caused by a frozen water supply pipe.

• A provisional time and date was set for the next meeting as 4.15pm on Tuesday 23rd February 2010.

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Westfield Park
Position Statement
As at 26/01/2010


• WWDC issues
1. The foul water pumping station has been inspected, and a list of remedial works has been supplied by WWDC.
2. An additional inspection identified in the first list has also been carried out (on 23/10/09), and a further list of snags applicable to the wet well and valve chamber has been supplied by WWDC.
3. CCC Drainage Engineer met with WWDC on 11/11/09 to discuss the snag lists, and the actions required for each item have been clarified.
4. The pumps themselves remain to be inspected, and this has been provisionally arranged for week commencing 1st February.
5. The storm water lagoon has been inspected and is satisfactory in terms of access and maintenance.

• Highway issues
1. The roads and footways have been snagged by the Council.
2. The house builders have arranged for a sub-contactor (Andrew Cunningham) to complete the snags, and he began work on site last week and is due to finish this week.
3. The street lighting system has been re-inspected by the Council and the small number of snags has been reported back to the house builders.
4. There is a missing street lighting column near no 54 Marguerites Way, which TaylorWimpey will need to address.

• Parks issues
1. The Council is maintaining the park, although it has not yet been formally transferred to the Council.
2. Parks Services have agreed to maintain the lagoon area.

• Land issues
1. The administrator has not yet been able to arrange transfer of any land to the Council or to WWDC, but has agreed in writing to the principle of land transfer.
2. The Council require the park land (including the lagoon) to be transferred; and WWDC require the pumping station land to be transferred.
3. The Council’s Legal Services have drafted the 2 land transfer documents. This also entails contacting the land owners and/or their solicitors; and liaison with WWDC.
4. The draft land transfer documents have been sent to the Administrator, and he has forwarded them to his solicitors. There are minor issues concerning small parcels of land at the entrance to the estate adjacent to Celandine Road, and on the north western boundary of the park. These are likely to be resolved shortly.

• Funding issues
1. Funding is required to address the pumping station improvements; and the roads and footways snags. No improvements are required to the lagoon.
2. The house builders are unwilling to commit any funds until all of the issues preventing adoption of the roads and sewerage systems have been identified and fully costed, and a programme for completion has been agreed, including transfer of all necessary land.
3. At the meeting with the house builders on 15/12/09 the WWDC representatives confirmed that they are holding a substantial bond for the drainage systems. They are prepared to invoke this bond once they are completely satisfied that a comprehensive list of remedial works has been produced and costed, and any shortfall of monies has been put in place together with all the necessary legal legal documentation to allow direct adoption.
4. WWDC need to contact the bondsman to establish the status of the bond.
5. The house builders have been advised that it is important to arrange for a security fence to be erected around the pumping station compound as soon as possible to ensure its safety and to prevent any further vandalism. This would require them to make a modest financial commitment prior to all the other issues being determined.
6. TaylorWimpey have arranged for a fencing contractor to do the work, and this should be completed by the end of February. The Council’s Parks Services will remove trees and branches that are too close to the line of the security fence before the fencing contractor arrives on site.

• Timing issues
1. The items listed above are highly unlikely to be completed before 28/2/2010, but a realistic target for completion continues to be set at 31/3/2010 in order to maintain the momentum built up over previous months.


CPDawson 26/01/10