Minutes of the Meeting of the Paignton Home Garden & Allotment Society held at the RAOB Club, Paignton on Monday 1 August 2016

Present: Keith & Jane Parker, Flis Cotton, Colin Weymouth, Jacqueline Green, Pat Messenger, Philip Moore, Alan Smith, Joe Wallis.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1.    Apologies: Liz Barnes, Tracy Clarke, Gary Buckingham, Christine Guiver, Pat Marriott

2.    Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.

3.    Matters arising from the minutes:

• The FUN Veg Show will be held on Saturday 20th August from 11am onwards on the Oakleigh site. To be held on plot 42b just inside the gate. ALL WELCOME!
• 2 skips have been hired at the Oakleigh site to remove longstanding rubbish. Both skips were taken away full and at least another 1, possibly 2, may be needed to finish the job. Please could plotholders not bring anything unrelated to gardening on to the site.

4.    Correspondence:

• Letter from committee member Tracey Clarke – she has moved and so will be giving up her share of her plot. She also tendered her resignation from the committee.
• Email from 3b Oakleigh – complaint about bonfire smoke on very hot day when all homeowners had windows wide open. Once again, bonfires were discussed and that they could constitute a nuisance at any time of day or night, regardless of whether they are lit within or outside of the permitted hours. The new council leases provide that bonfires can be lit from 4pm all year round. This is different to the current leases. To be discussed further next month.

5.    Chairman’s Report:

• Reinstatement of the retaining wall at LP was discussed. This would be inspected once again to see what work was required. In February/March this year it was decided that the work was not urgent, but the situation may have now changed.
• DR Bees - Chairman will press the owners to see the insurance certificate to confirm that they were  insured.
• Council leases - sec emailed the council to ask that they maintain responsibility for the hedges outside Oakleigh. We are still waiting to hear on this.
• The DR lawnmower has been pieced together after the clutch cable snapped. If it breaks down again, the chairman confirmed that it will have to be replaced. It would be a false economy to get anything other than a fairly heavy duty one as the ground is so uneven, a domestic mower would not cope. The cost is likely to be in the region of £400.
• Sawdust is required urgently for the site loos. There is a supply at Lower Penns, but DR and Oakleigh are very low. This would need to be looked at urgently. If anyone knows of a supplier, please get in touch.

6.    Vice Chairman’s Report:

• Nothing to report

7.    Treasurer’s Report:

• Current account: £133.88
• Deposit account: £3,620.82
• Rents received to date: £3,812.00
• Cheques:
  • SW Water - Lower Penns        £78.68
  • DR mower repair                       £33.12
  • County Skip hire - Oakleigh  £211.20
  • County Skip hire - Oakeligh  £211.20

8.    Sites:
Derrell Road

• 1 - Chairman was pleased to see some more cultivation going on.
• 11b - Not much work done on his one. Sec to send letter 1.

Lower Penns

• The strimmer needs to be serviced – Gary B on Oakleigh possibly to organise?
• 26a - No work being done - sec to send letter 1

Oakleigh

• 3c - Now re-let to nearby householder.
• 7a - Can now be re-let.
• 13a - Has been re-let to former 3c plotholder.
• 14b - No cultivation this month. Sec to send letter 2.
• 16b - Replied to letter 1. Site reps to monitor position and review next month.

9.    AOB:

• Vice President - Joe Wallis did the site inspections today and reported concerns about the retaining wall at LP (see Chairman’s report above). He felt that a lot of plots were only partially cultivated and a lot more work could be done across the sites. His report on the winners would be notified shortly.
• He asked to remind plotholders that it they had any items to be discussed/considered at the AGM, they must be notified in writing to the Committee at least 7 days prior to the meeting on 3 October 2016.

10.    Date of next committee meeting:

• To be on Monday 5 September 2016 at 7.30 pm at the RAOB Club.

Meeting closed at 8.25pm.