THE RHUDDLAN ENVIRONMENT GROUP CELEBRATION MEETING
WEDNESDAY 4TH NOVEMBER 7PM AT THE COMMUNITY CENTRE.
(PLEASE NOTE THE NEXT GROUP MEETING WILL BE IN FEBRUARY 2010)
Welcome to the meeting:
Apologies from Susan Hilton and Margaret Titcome.
Present 45 members.
Minutes of the October committee meeting passed as a true record on view - the web and in the library.
We are opening this evenings celebration with a found note for Mandy Brisco, we all wish her a very happy birthday. The group celebrated with singing and Mandy blew out the candles on a cake and made a wish.(comments, was your wish for DCC to stop the holding depot)
A presentation to the Community Centre Committee was made: a set of four pictures of the Rhuddlan Railway framed and mounted, the gift was to show our appreciation to Maureen Tomkins and the idea came from Maggie Williams who is also a committee member of this very large group. Brenda thanked Maureen for all her efforts and asked for our group’s appreciation to be passed to Dave Tomkins who was at home nursing a cold.
Dave Seager was congratulated for obtaining the chain saw licence, and everyone thanked him for his hard work on site, Dave thanked the group for the certificate.
Brenda asked all members to raise their glasses or cups what ever the case to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.
Barbara informed the group that this is the last meeting until February. Although we will not have any more meeting until February work is still carrying on at the site of the Nature Reserve and other projects regarding our environment are still on going.
Brenda reminded the group that we had asked for volunteers to attend meetings and form a sub committee with regard to carbon emissions. Brenda reported she was very impressed at the response, and delighted to report that we have a full sub group now and will let you all know how we get on in February, should we be so lucky as to achieve our objectives which is to bring down our carbon emissions in and around Rhuddlan Town .
Our illustrious town Mayor Mr Reg Davies and his lovely consort will present the certificate for work in the community.
Gold Certificate awarded to: Lee Wooding, Dave Williams, Paul Hughes, Peter Middleton, Michelle Wooding. and Barbara Borders
Silver Certificates awarded to; Gill Roberts, Mervyn Roberts and David Seager.
Bronze certificates awarded to: Marie Todd, Doreen Major, Linda Ash, Ellan Dier, Ronny Wilson, Eleen Mayhall, Ged Griffiths, Gareth Jones and Elle Parry.
Update on legal advise.
We are lucky enough to have two volunteers who can and will apply for legal aid if we are unable to make any progress with the county. Our letters of complaint regarding the holding depot had been ignored for weeks, but I have recently received an email reporting Countryside Services do not wish to meet to negotiate.
Our enquiry 2009/612 has been received some answers but a lot can't be answered under various sections. What they have reported is that it cost £53K to remove the clay mounds to Rhyl and it cost £7,343.50 to crush and separate the contaminated materials on site. DCC claim non recyclable materials were taken off site to a licensed tip. I am to write back and find out how much this cost as they did not state if this costing was included in the £7,343.50.
DCC claim the only planning application required is for the reduction in size of the existing highway compound to accommodate the Rhuddlan Local Nature Reserve and standard charges will apply, The group laughed, comments: they only need planning because they are reducing the size of a compound that never existed before they put up the bund, we all know a compound has to be enclosed: a good laugh was had by all. The correspondence from the Local Planning Applications have now been completed and are ready to go off, Mike Demack agreed that he had noted that the land had already been allocated for leisure.
Andy from the pump house has received a letter from the head of highways and infrastructure - Conwy & Denbighire which stated that they had reduced the size of the existing compound and removed the spoils to tidy it up. Andy comments: first of all a compound never existed before they put the bund in and blocked the road, they have already admitted to storing inappropriate materials. A claim is also being made that Eric Price called to his property and spoke to his children in his absence and passed a message on, everyone laughed again, Andy and his children do not know Eric Price and he did not call to the pump house, however the claim is communications may have broken down due to Eric Price being off ill. Claims that the stock pile had been held in a compound that never existed until recently and had been stored for many years is a bit far fetched also. Andy claims if he had seen a stock pile before he purchased his home he would never have bought it. The letter ended with when the plans have been prepared the proposals will be discussed with him prior to any works commencing. Brenda reported we do have some time on our side with the LDP meeting coming up and the fact that the head of highways is stating any proposals will be discussed does seem to be a change for the better. Brenda asked the group if they felt a petition against the holding depot would help, everyone agreed. Brenda asked Ian if he would prepare a petition and he agreed it would not be any trouble because he still had the last one on file. The group thanked Ian.
Barbara asked the group if any member was interested in attending meetings to help Countryside Services submit an application for the funding for an officer to assist with groups applying for grants, please put up your hand. Barbara reported that she had attended some of these meetings last year and Brenda had attended one, Brenda had put a lot of work into the projects list to assist countryside services. The application had failed, they are now taking this action up again and can any one help them. No hands went up. Barbara advised the group that she would send a letter to inform Sherry at the Labour Office and Brenda reported she would inform the DVSC who had come on board to assist Countryside Services with the bid that no one in group was prepared to attend these meetings in future.
Brenda called the meeting to an end and asked everyone to help themselves to the hot and cold buffet and enjoy the rest of the evening.
Barbara thanked Brenda for all her hard work preparing the celebration.
The celebration meeting ended at 10pm.
