TMSTH Area Forum Meeting - 20th June 2019

Chair: Ray O’Luby

1. Talks about publicity: about 10 people came because of the leaflets (about 50)

2. Talks about the new electoral set-up. 6 councillors down to 3. The new ward is very big, goes down to Red Hill. Thanks to former councillors. Introduces new councillors. Kieron has a new role on Housing. He’s in Cabinet, Housing portfolio. Derek is now deputy Mayor

Lisa is on Overview and scrutiny, Health and Adult Social care.

3. D Borwick: Mayor is the best job in Bmth. So much respect shown to position. D had 500+ visits over the last year. He went to care homes, and that was the most impressive/sad. Goes to lots of dinners functions. Volunteers are great. One girl 16 did 1000 hours community service cleaning beach. 7500 young volunteers in Bmth. They’re great.

In early days of Mayor role went to fete. Went to fete in his special clothes, to see a punch and Judy show and a little girl asked him who he was: “I’m the mayor of Bmth”. She said “I don’t know you but I know Donald Trump”.

The mayor’s role is unpaid. He really enjoyed the year.

There are still three mayors for the three towns. There is now a chartered Mayor, nothing to do with the Council. Get in touch with Mayor’s Office. Regards the Town Halls, Christchurch too small and Poole is being refurbished. Full council meetings are taking place at Uni, some other meetings at Bournemouth Town Hall.

4. K Wilson: Thanks those who voted for him. A lot of change at the council, we’re going to change things especially in planning. Re-evaluation of earlier agree schemes. Going to a Housing conference next week.

5. L. Northover: New, thanks people for voting. Wants to listen, has an important role chairing health and adult social care. Wants to hear from people about related issues.

6. New email addresses e.g. kieron.wilson@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

First full council and cabinet meetings have been held.

7. M Weinhonig: Bournemouth in Bloom, runs alongside ‘Blooming Marvellous’ in Strouden Park, Throop and Muscliff. You may be selected as having a lovely garden. Any contribution that you can do to help. There is a plant sale at St Francis A. July 6th until 5pm. BiB will be working with others including Castlepoint.

Townsend enter a ‘It’s your neighbourhood’ national competition. Community work to brighten your local area, he met a man walking along Mallard Rd cleaning up (volunteering). Could the councillors find some Local Improvement Funding to help such activities, such as the Forum, gardening.

‘Blooming Marvellous’ have a family of c100 gardeners in the local area. People can nominate others to win a ‘Blooming Marvellous’ award. Judging in July, please send them by 8th July to Michael (via Forum). Blue Plaques last year, might have gold plaques this year. It’s not to do with the ‘perfect’ garden, it’s about community engagement.

Very enthusiastic about the various schemes.

Dad: Townsend area very special, improved community spirit. Mentions Dave Sheppard, Joan, Anne Melly and others.

MW: No specific funding from Council

Item 2: A338-Wessex Fields scheme

Dad reads out material

Question: BCP website talks about new jobs and safeguarding Hospital jobs. Where are the new people going to be living? ‘Architect’s journal’ talks about business park and tower blocks this is very different from the suggestion about a Hospital access road.

Dad: Lot of people didn’t know about the business park, they thought it was only an access road. The only different thing was that the barn has been saved, but the plans are still most business park oriented. Talks about how the planning board passed the scheme and didn’t mention the number of cars associated with the new development.

I talk about judicial review situation.

Question: Bournemouth Council wanted it to go ahead. Where will the new employed people live?

I talk about how the council assessed the jobs figures and where the new people would come from.

K Wilson: He was against the scheme from 2017 and there is a serious Council review underway.

Wendy: Went to a stakeholder meeting in 2017 where they said that some people would simply move out of Bournemouth town centre to Wessex fields site, so helping to kill off town centre.

M Weinhonig: What do you mean about newly analysing assessments?

K Wilson: I think it’s very contradictory to say we can have all these jobs and reduce congestion.

Dad: We will probably know more by the next Forum meeting

Item 3: Hospital plans

Dad reads material.

Derek B: Poole and Bournemouth will become more specialised, in order to stop people having to go back and forward between hospitals.

Question: Castle lane is very busy, merger proposal is ridiculous, due to congestion in area. Cost cutting at cost of lives. Why bring maternity to Bournemouth from Poole? Think of people in Swanage having to travel to Bournemouth instead of Poole.

Lisa: The review is taking place because of these concerns.

Question: I speak from personal experience, my husband died from a heart attack and had to travel long way.

Dad: hospital had a couple of open days, when people could have spoken to them about their new plans. The Wessex Fields proposals are likely to increase the congestion problems.

Question: many doctors support the merger. According to them it’s better to have the specialist doctors in one place rather than spread across different sites.

Item 4: Bournemouth Airport

Reads material.

Question: is there are need for two business parks? Centre of Bmth is dead and now they want to start up two new ones.

Dad: Campaigners raised issues of business park development and congestion consequences. The Planning Board didn’t listen to them.

Angela Pooley: I sit on the Airport Transport Forum. To be fair to Airport they’re promoting sustainable transport, provided bicycle facilities, bus facilities. There is already a big business park there. There may be a review of the cycle route to Hurn. Is a cycle route now from Blackwater junction to Longham.

Dad: any development must look at other ways to move people around. JP Morgan use Britannia Buses. Bus companies are private and not easy to get them to cover non-profitable routes.

Item 5: Hick’s Farm

Parks Dept. are waiting to see how money they may receive from Heritage Lottery. The Parks Dept. say they do not want a big scheme.

Question: They won’t keep it low-key. There are lots of places for families to go, already set up like Farmer Palmer’s. There’s Kingfisher Barn. We don’t need glamping, shops.

Question: The Park’s Development needs re-development, but not on the scale that’s currently proposed. I’m talking about a 100 space car park. I want to see a proper engagement.

K Wilson: I think we should have a review of the Hick’s Farm proposals, they should be low key and sensitive.

D Borthwick: We need to wait a little for a review from the new authority, give the new Council a chance to do this. Great that Kieron can take this back to the Cabinet. New councillors in Cabinet without local knowledge.

K Wilson: We need to listen to local people and new councillors need to engage with the area to find out about the scheme.

Wendy: the consultation questionnaire was biased. I’ve fought for the Green belt for the last 18 years, and developers want to get into Green Belt. The Wessex fields scheme is a gateway into the Green Belt. The biggest threat re Hick’s Farm is the unspecified size car park. I’d like to think they could do something nice with Hick’s farm, council should apply common sense

Question: thread running through 3 sites – Wessex fields, Airport, Hick’s farm. Loss of agricultural land, concreting over green land.

Dad: Felicity Rice is the Head of Environment for BCP, she will listen to these concerns. We will convey your concerns to her.

Kieron: She’s a new councillor, passionate about her role. Have people in the Cabinet who really care about their work and want the best. I’m excited about this work.

Question: talking about the new BCP administration. Are the councillors going to be interested in what’s going on down here?

Dad: For example, Felicity Rice has been involved against the Wessex Fields scheme.

Kieron: we are BCP we have to be interested in all areas now, whether we wanted the merger or not.

Dad: Kingfisher Barn, trying to get kids interested. Very popular. What about Yellow Buses down there?

Question: Hick’s Farm has been empty for years and we have a housing shortage. Why can’t a family live there.

Kieron: I don’t know why it’s not been used. We need to try and get unoccupied houses back into use, we have government targets on house building.

Item 6: Townsend Together

Thanks former councillors for traffic lights and yellow lines to help keep local residents safe. Summer fete very successful at school.

Wendy talks a little about the Bingo and Mash, almost fully booked

Michael highlights the Forum website with info on Citizens’ Advice, Safer Neighbourhood team.

Question: dangers of speeding along Castle Lane, don’t see enough police. Is there anything that could be done?

Derek B: Police use vans with cameras, catch some but haven’t got the numbers

Brin: six weeks ago serious problem car racing then crash, hit lights, now no nights on Castle lane between woodbury ave and library. Rowdy teenagers are causing problems in the Strouden shop parade area, causing problems. The police don’t seem to act. I know who did the last burglaries, my door smashed in, gave names and CCTV to police, they’ve done nothing.

D Borthwick: I had a meeting with officers to complain about the numbers on the beat, we need more presence.

K Wilson: Difficult issue, this is the neighbourhood I’ve grown up in, I’ve experienced some of the issues being verbally abused when I pass by on my motorbike. This is a national issue, many things can be done, giving kids something to do is part of it.

Dad: what about community support officers? Where are they?

D Borthwick: not sure where they’ve gone.

Dad: we can ask the police to come to next meeting.

M Weinhonig: Please let’s not have rebuke, a proper discussion of the issues.

Dad: all areas have problems. Townsend’s youth centre has been very successful, trying to get kids away from boredom.

Question: why do we pay our rates for the police and then they don’t show up?

Dad: I can’t answer that but I will ask police to come to next meeting.

Question: Toilets in Muscliffe. There’s no funding for all year-round facilities. Can we get Local Improvement Fund money to

Question: Council tax harmonisation. We have paid enough.

K Wilson: we have had big cutbacks from central government and to cover the services we provide we are forced to raise taxes.

D Borthwick: the council officers work very hard they.