Minutes of the Meeting of the Paignton Home Garden & Allotment Society held at the RAOB Club Paignton on Monday 2nd September 2024

Present: Joe Wallis, Brian Coles, Adrian Beal, Jodi White, Pat Marriot, Gary Buckingham, Jacqueline Green, Christine Guiver, Andy Bibbings, Hadyn Mudford, Lynne Gibson

Apologies: Lorraine Montgomery, Phil Moore, Steve Blair, Alan Smith

1.    Minutes of the previous meeting 1st July 2024 noted and agreed.

2.    Matters arising from the minutes:

• Tree at Oakleigh.
  • Torbay Council need map, photographs and concise description of the issue before they will process. Oakleigh site reps are to provide this for the secretary to populate the online Tree contact form on Council website. The documents are now in the possession of the chairman and will be scanned in as the application is probably electronic.
• Bank paying-in procedure
  • Joe Wallis raised the fact that his rental cheque had not been cashed at the time of the last meeting. Physically paying in at a bank branch is becoming more difficult as they are disappearing. The treasurer says that paying in can be done at Post Offices, which will ease the situation.

3.    Correspondence:

• Quieter than usual – there are a few more names added to the list.
• Ongoing management of plots requiring letters and emails to plot holders.

4.    Chairman’s Report:

• It never rains – it either pours or it is annoyingly damp, with not enough rainfall to make an appreciable difference. The latter is true of this summer, with not enough warm sunshine to suit some plants such as outdoor grown tomatoes. However we have done extremely well with runner beans, climbing French beans and cabbages. The leeks we have planted appear to be doing well. However this damp weather has brought out the slugs and snails, and they are a problem to contain as the old slug pellets are now illegal and are no longer available. Back along we tried beer traps (yoghurt pots sunk into the ground filled with beer), but the local wildlife drank the beer and left the slugs behind. There might be a drunken fox on the loose at Oakleigh!

5.    Vice Chairman’s Report:

• Not present

6.    Treasurer’s Report:

• Opening Balance - £7,389.53
• Paid Out
  • Bank Charges - £11.20
  • Water Penns RD - £251.80
  • S Blair mower repair - £45.00
  • S Blair petrol - £20.00
  • B Coles keys - £31.50
  • Brian Coles petrol - £7.80
  • TOTAL - £367.30
• Paid In
  • Oak pellets - £41.00
  • Subs - £114.00
  • TOTAL - £155.00
• Cheque - £125.00
• Cash - £295.00
• Closing Balance - £7,597.23

7.    Site Reports:

• Derrell Road
  • DR continues to be fully occupied.
  • This season the majority of plot holders have enjoyed their allotments and harvested some good crops. We intend to ask the small minority if they have plans to make their plots more productive.
  • After 2 visits to Stoke Gabriel and £45 outlay, the big mower is now working well.
• Oakleigh
  • We have 2 more plots to let, as a result of evictions, and we will be contacting people from the list in this next couple of weeks.
    
  • Site inspections are to be carried out this week.
    
  • We are still trying to resolve a boundary issue between a plotholder and an access lane to a property in Batson Gardens, it appears that some work has been done towards it.
    
  • We have had another issue between a plotholder and a neighbour in Batson Gardens over the height of a boundary fence, and the fence has now been taken down to the 2 metre rule avoiding planning permission. We have heard nothing more so hopefully the dispute has died down.
  • Regular site inspections are now in progress, and hopefully many of the problems that we have encountered are going to be a thing of the past.
• Lower Penns
  • Very quiet, everything is running smoothly.

8.    AOB:

• Membership joining fee
  • We had an issue recently where a new plotholder raised the matter of paying the £50 new member fee, as he was already a family member on another plot. The question is do we waive the fee for family members and co-workers, or do we rename the fee as something else, i.e. new tenancy fee. It was agreed at the meeting that we rename the fee as a new tenancy fee.
• Site Security
  • We have experienced some more break-ins at Oakleigh, but strangely nothing has been stolen or disturbed. Indeed my own shed was broken into and nothing was taken or disturbed. As it is suspected that children and youths are the culprits, it is suggested that the side gate is locked after 4 p.m.
• Plot 3A Oakleigh.
  • The plotholders have raised the fact that the boundary tree roots are growing into their plot by a good 12 -15 feet, rendering a good slice of their plot unproductive. They are at present paying £41 for a full plot, although the plot is no bigger than 3B or 3C, which are charged at £21 for half plots. It was agreed that the rental is to be reduced to £21 as a half plot.

9.    Date of Next Committee Meeting:

• AGM to be held on Monday November 4th 2024. Any items to be raised at the AGM must be forwarded to the Secretary at least 7 days before the meeting