GMTRA

meeting

Minutes of 2023 Annual General Meeting

Date: Thursday 2 November 2023
Place: North London Cricket Clubhouse
Chair: Adam Sharples
Committee: Stephanie Lawrence (Treasurer), Rob Jackson (Secretary), Nick Evans, Henry Perks, Simon Williets

Present: Virginia Jackson, Barbara Bleiman, Don & Christine Kelleher, Jane Campbell, Jane Perks, Richard & Sarah Budgett, Debbie Grossman, Julia & Michael Steen, Emma Rose, Yuriko Kishida, David Scott, Andrew Matthews, Rachel Lambert, Glyn Matthews, Veronica Flavell, Sue Lonsdale, Stan Newman, Pamela Beck, Liz Stokes, Roger Barrowcliffe, Helena Cook, Colin & Heulwen Reading, Tony Westbrook, Miriam Bindman, Dave Cohen, Dan Ehrlich, Peter Barber, Richard Tusting (Shepherds Cot Trust), Cllr Luke Cawley-Harrison, Cllr Lester Buxton, Cllr Cressida Johnson.

Apologies: Zander Calderwood (committee), Andy Wiley (committee), Haydn Gott, Sue Green, Ching & Tony Smith, John Walters, John Wilson (CASCH).

1. Introductions

Adam Sharples welcomed everyone to the AGM, including guests. He introduced members of the committee and invited all attendees to introduce themselves.

2. Minutes of 2022 AGM

The minutes of the 2022 AGM had been posted on the GMTRA website before the meeting. The minutes were approved. There were no matters arising other than on agenda.

3. Finance and Membership

Stephanie Lawrence (Treasurer) gave a brief report on GMTRA’s finances. We received income during the year of £445 and incurred expenses of £87.70, a surplus of £357.70. This gives us a total reserve of £2,118.07. However we have potential outstanding liabilities amounting to £807.70, giving a net balance of £1.310.37.

74 households paid a subscription in 2022/3, representing 46% of all households in our roads. The committee proposed keeping the annual membership fee unchanged at £5 per household, which was approved by the meeting.

4. Report on Activities

Street Trees: Two new trees are to be planted this winter, funded by GMTRA. These will be located near 36 Glasslyn and 36 Tivoli. We are still hoping to receive a replacement for the tree lost at the top of Glasslyn during the electrical works earlier in the year, but it is unclear what the contractor has agreed with the council. We will continue to pursue this.

EV charging points: Following GMTRA’s consultation with residents and application to the council, two electric vehicle charging points have been installed at the bottom of Glasslyn and these are now operational.

Rain gullies: Following the flooding in 2021 the council has paid more attention to keeping the gullies clear and maintained. Nevertheless, the drain on the corner of Glasslyn/Tivoli is still causing problems in heavy rain and creating a large puddle. Autumn leaf fall will exacerbate problems, and our councillors stated that our roads have lower priority for leaf clearance than for example Shepherds Hill. We advise residents to keep an eye on nearby drains and to clear leaves where possible.

Planning Issues: Nick Evans monitors planning applications related to our area. Most of these are minor (tree pruning and home improvements), which are not of concern to GMTRA. The most prominent planning application this year was the proposal to erect a telecoms mast on the edge of the Hornsey Club playing field. Thanks to a good number of objections from residents and GMTRA (and from the Club itself) the application was turned down.

Although there has been no apparent progress on the proposed new sports hall being planned by the Hornsey Club, we have recently discovered via a freedom of information request by a resident that the project is far from dormant. Pre-application discussions have been continuing with the council and the club may well be submitting a planning application in the next few months, subject to financing and a viable business plan. This will be closely monitored by GMTRA.

Website: Henry Perks looks after the GMTRA website which is kept up to date with latest news. Henry encouraged residents to send in their recommendations for local tradesmen so that they can be added to the website.

Shepherds Cot: Richard Tusting (representing Shepherds Cot Trust) gave the meeting a brief update on developments. The main project at present is the proposal to renovate the three Brookside tennis courts, owned by the Highgate Club. A decision on the planning application is awaited. Also a new lease is being negotiated with the Georgians tennis club.

The Trust has been formulating environmental guidelines for all the clubs to ensure that trees and wildlife are respected and conserved. It is also considering how to reduce car movements on the centre of the site. A question was raised about the path that runs from the bottom of Montenotte alongside the school. Tree works have recently been carried out there and the intention is to remove the old fence.

5. Neighbourhood Watch

Rob Jackson attends quarterly meetings of the Haringey Federation of Neighbourhood Watches, which give a useful insight to police priorities for tackling crime. Sadly most of their attention is on Tottenham and the ‘Haringey Ladder’ where crime is rife. While our roads are relatively crime free, we have had a few instances of car and motorbike thefts in the past year. We have also observed suspicious characters in the area snooping in gardens or checking car doors. Residents should also beware of strangers who point out that one of your roof tiles has come loose and can be fixed by them – these are cowboys to be avoided.

School pupils have been reasonably well-behaved in the past year, although we have had a few incidents of door-kicking. We have a good relationship with the Head of HWS if we need to raise behavioural matters with the school. We have also established a liaison channel with the new Finance & Ops Director at the school for raising other issues. One recent issue was a problem with noise from drumming lessons taking place behind the school and annoying residents. Following our representations this was resolved over the summer by moving their location.

6. Members Concerns/Discussion with Councillors

We were pleased to have our three ward councillors in attendance, Cllr Lester Buxton, Cllr Cressida Johnson, Cllr Luke Cawley-Harrison, who were able to provide useful advice and information in response to members concerns. The main topics raised were as follows:

Lime bikes: Further to the issues raised last year about the preponderance of Lime rental bikes being abandoned in Montenotte, the council initiated a general consultation on the subject. Our councillors reported that the council is about to formalise a scheme with two bike-hire companies, and wants to introduce marked bays for leaving the bikes. Some residents have proposed that the top of Glasslyn may be a suitable place for such a bay.

Planning: A number of questions were raised about the planning process in the light of the recent developments at the Hornsey Club. Residents expressed concerns that the council appeared to be colluding with the Club to make sure the application was successful. Councillors explained that the council has a duty imposed by the National Planning Policy Framework to assist applicants in a positive manner rather than just acting as blockers. None of our ward councillors sit on the planning committee, so they can make submissions on planning applications themselves.

Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTN): It was asked whether the LTN proposals that were being discussed in 2019 were likely to be revived. Councillors believe this is highly unlikely since the funding was coming from TFL which is now financially stretched.

CPZ review: Several residents had responded to the CPZ consultation carried out by the council earlier this year. Councillors reported that the CPZ zones will not be changing. It was remarked that Palace Motors in Park Road is still parking many vehicles in Tivoli to avoid CPZ restrictions, which is causing annoyance. Councillors said that it was possible to change CPZ times in individual locations, but there were pros and cons of this (as noted at last year’s AGM).

7. Election of Committee

Chair: Adam Sharples (nominated by Rob Jackson and seconded from the floor).
Treasurer: Stephanie Lawrence (nominated by Nick Evans and seconded from the floor)
The meeting approved the re-election of all other committee members: Zander Calderwood, Nick Evans, Rob Jackson, Henry Perks, Andy Wiley and Simon Williets.

Adam encouraged anyone who is interested in joining the committee to make contact at any time.

8. AOB

Thanks were expressed to the North London Cricket Club for allowing us to hold the meeting in its clubhouse. Following the meeting residents were able to socialise and make use of the club’s bar.3