FOWWS Trustees meeting 4/3/24
Minutes of the Friends of The Scrubs Trustees’ Meeting
On Monday 4th March 2024 at 6pm in the Meeting Room, W10
Present: Stephen Waley-Cohen (Chair), Smita Davé (treasurer), Carmel McLoughlin (secretary), Faye Thomas, Sarah Johnson, Sarah Abrahart, Emma Ranson, Ben Novak and Joaquim Pereira.
1. Welcome to all trustees, with no apologies, especially Joaquim Pereira to his first meeting.
2. Minutes of last meeting were circulated electronically and approved.
3. The next meeting of WSCT is scheduled for Weds 6th March via Zoom. Stephen and Faye will attend and will raise queries (NOTE – Please see notes on WSCT meeting for the responses to all these issues)
(a) regarding progress on the LNR.
(b) On Item 4 regarding Forest Schools being held in dog free areas – there are very few dog free areas designated other than Playgrounds.
(c) Item 9 on Coffee Van - Friends feel that a 6 month period would not allow enough time to agree whether it was working. Will suggest instead a 12 month period with quarterly reviews.
(d) 2 new benches have appeared, with plaques, not necessarily in the most needed locations. They should be properly notified in advance to the Scrubs Manager and located appropriately, and if there is money being paid to the Council for the placement this should be properly credited to WSCT.
(e) The FOWWS Dog Show date is now fixed for the final Sunday in July, the 28th again to be managed by Ben. After the 2023 show WSCT had indicated they may be willing to contribute financial support to this Friends’ initiative. This now needs to be secured and it was agreed that an appropriate amount requested would be £2k.from WSCT towards the costs.
(f) there had been a Trustee walk in wet conditions with Officers and Councillors to consider the proposed location of the pond, and Councillors had agreed to review this. To ask whether the review had resulted in any changes
(g) whether there would be non-manual, i.e. mechanical, methods used when scrub and bramble clearance was resumed in the autumn.
(h) access onto the Scrubs from the new HS2 station had caused alarm bells arising from statements at OPDC events by senior LBHF planning officers and the inclusion of the Southern Access Route across the middle of the Scrubs from the HS2 station to Linford Christie Stadium (LCS) in the very long report by OPDC/HS2 consultants Mott Macdonald. Stephen mentioned his recent informal conversation with LBHF Council Leader Stephen Cowan, which included Faye, at the Pony Centre celebrations, when Cllr Cowan thought any large scale development (such as a football or other stadium) was unlikely at LCS, particularly with the money being spent on sporting facilities, and preferred the development of an ecological centre in support of the Green Initiatives of LBHF.
4. AGM – Due to Easter and trustee absence the date for the next AGM was agreed as Tuesday 25th June. Under the Constitution three trustees must retire at each AGM. As Jo has been co-opted by the Trustees he must step down to be re-elected by the Members and the other two trustees to retire (and put themselves forward for re-election if they choose) are Faye Thomas and Emma Ranson. Smita will check availability and book the venue. Carmel will begin preparation of the documentation.
5. Communications – Stephen and Sarah J are in regular contact with the Friends. There are usually monthly newsletters. Kate McVay has been very successful in encouraging volunteering on the Scrubs, and to support that initiative the Friends regularly send through the emails from Kate with volunteer opportunities. It was agreed that we would introduce a Volunteer tab on the Friends’ website with details of upcoming volunteer opportunities with a link to Kate’s email address and coverage of past volunteer activities. The Friends’ website will be reviewed by Sarah J, with assistance from Faye and Joaquim.
6. Biodiversity Masterplan – the LBHF/WSCT Planning Application to OPDC is imminent. There will be a consultation on it in the next few weeks following ‘validation’. The Friends’ will form a sub-committee with external planning and ecological support to comment on the application particularly with regard to the paths and the location of the proposed pond.
7. Further hedging proposals in the Masterplan, listed as possibilities, will be reviewed by Trustees with a walk to establish their location and potential impact. A majority of Trustees are opposed to further hedging to create obstacles to freedom of movement, so this would not apply to hedging at the foot of Lester’s Embankment.
Date of Next Trustee meeting as needed, or ahead of June WSCT meeting.
Dates to be saved by Friends please:
AGM – Tuesday June 25 at 6.30 p.m.
Dog Show – Sunday July 28th.