Contents

Welcome from Chairman

Approval of Previous Minutes

Reports on Progress

Funding

Current State of Field

Ideas for Regeneration of Field

Advertising

 

Friends of Whitecotes Playing Field

Minutes of Meeting

»Held at St John’s Church on Thursday 8 September 2016 at 7:30pm

Officers Present:

Keith Falconer – Chairperson

Josie Cooper – Treasurer

Linda Oades – Secretary

Apologies:

Andy Hill – Vice Chairperson

 

 

Welcome from Chairman   Keith Falconer welcomed all those present to the meeting.He explained that on our first meeting officers had been appointed and that a report would follow on the progress made so far.He confirmed that a constitution had been set up at the first meeting as follows:   » Retain and improve these fields for future generations to enjoy » Preservation of the wildlife » Sustain and improve the Health and Wellbeing of everyone in the community   It is also hoped that sometime in the future it would be possible to apply for Fields in Trust status in conjunction with Chesterfield Borough Council.   Approval of Previous Minutes   The minutes of the previous meeting which was the First Annual General Meeting held on the 1 August 2016 were approved and signed.     Reports on Progress   Linda Coles, a local resident and member of group who has been instrumental in canvassing the area and obtaining the views of people using the fields, confirmed that an email has now been set up as follows:- whitecotesplayingfield@gmail.com where everyone is welcome to pass on their views.   She reported that the vast majority of people she had spoken to said that they felt the site had been allowed to fall into disrepair, the children’s playground is now in an appalling state and glass was often to be found on this enclosed area. They felt that there was not enough for older children there.   However, despite this the fields are well used and loved by the local community many coming from a distance away and say that the field provides a social meeting area and creates a sense of well-being with the high location and the feeling of being at one with nature.   Linda asked that those present leave their email address so that they can be added to the mailing list which now has over 70 names.   She thanked Natasha Keen, a Senior Community Organiser who will be leaving her post shortly.Natasha was instrumental in producing the initial leaflets with Linda Oades and knocking on doors with her back in May.The organisation Natasha worked for had also paid for the venue that evening.We wish her well in her new venture.
Linda Oades the secretary of the group reported the following:   1. With the constitution and the bank account now in place we are “ready to go” as a Friends Group and we are looking forward to being able to apply for funding now. 2. A letter has been sent to the Strategic Planning and Key Sites Manager Alan Moray at the Borough Council to register a formal response to the Council’s draft local plan if it includes the Whitecotes Playing Field for consideration as a development site, and have asked that we are kept informed of any consultations on the new local plan, a draft of which should be published for comments before the end of the year. 3. With regard to the Football Pitch - it had been reported to me, when I was going round with my clipboard, that teams had been told that the council were not prepared to drain the site.After contacting various people I eventually got a reply from the Health and Safety Quality Officer at the Borough Council as follows: » Q - Could you please confirm when the drainage problem became an issue and if there is a report we could see on this? A - The field was taken out of action over 6 years ago due to the drainage being massively substandard. The top half of the field (away from the houses) is considerable poor & stands in water & wouldn’t be at a suitable standard for football. Checking on records the last time the site was used was 2009/10 football season & the team using the site had to be relocated part way through the season due to drainage issues. » Q - Why didn’t Chesterfield Borough Council address the problem given that the pitch was in constant use over a long number of years? A - The Council hasn’t had any demand for the use of the site; no enquiries have been made previously. The cost of draining the site would be considerable (approx. £90K +) & the site also has no changing facilities of toilets & would require substantial investment to provide these facilities (approx.. £120K +) Current guidelines by F.A. & leagues require basic facilities to be provided at sites. » Q - Given that Chesterfield Borough Council is a major partner in Community Sports Trust and Active Chesterfield whose aim is to “encourage and facilitate the development of sports and physical activities accessible for all sections of the community” - why is available land being blocked from being used or not maintained to facilitate this promise and commitment to the community? A - The site is cut on a fortnightly basis same as all open spaces. In 2014 the Council part funded improved drainage at Holmebrook for football with the caveat that smaller single pitch sites with no facilities would be removed. This was set & approved by the cabinet of the Council. Despite requests to furnish the group with the report which had led to the decision to abandon the field, I have not received anything to date. 4. Today I have been on a site visit with William Thornhill the council arborist (tree man) who is on the Greenspaces Team at the council.We walked around the site to identify possible areas for tree planting and he thought it would be good to plant along the edge of the bank which runs by the football pitch and also to make up the space in the trees at the rear of the Whitecotes Park housing estate. As I have already written to Whitecotes School for the children’s input by way of drawings paintings etc for their ideas for the space but also for them to get involved in the planting of trees, bulbs and wild flower seeds, I asked Will when the best time would be to plant these and what this would involve. Apparently it is not just as easy as opening a packet of seeds!The rough areas would have to have an agricultural scale cut the grass then baled and taken away.The wild flowers could then be sowed.As wild flowers do not like trees there is no plans to plant trees in the rough areas but to leave the self-sets etc. The blackthorn which grows in between the two field areas is ideal for wildlife and should not be disturbed. All this planting is best done in August so we have time to get our funding in place. I asked about the possibility of a pump track. This is a bike track which any age group can use. It just consists of bumps/mounds of earth low level which pump you forward onto the next bit of track. This could possibly be sited on the bottom part of the field in the rough area there, next to the allotments. Will said that the next thing for us to do would be to get a Master Plan drawn up this will then help with funding etc and that John Ramsay at the Council would be the best contact for this. 5. Josie the Treasurer and I had a meeting with Alistair the chairman of Inkerman Fields.The meeting was very useful but it did highlight what a complicated process this can be.To give you some idea of costing they have spent around one hundred thousand pounds so far on the Inkerman Fields including a 165m long x 1.8m wide path which cost £8500. Following the meeting with Alistair I wrote to Keith Miles and Keith Falconer to ask if there was any Section 106 money from the building levy on the houses which have recently been built inside the old cemetery gates, new gates have now been erected further along the cemetery.The Inkerman group had received £10000 from the levy after flats were built on Old Road on the Branson Coaches Site. This was also brought up at the meeting by Ron Milhaly County Councillor for Boythorpe and Brampton South.Councillor Keith Miles reported that the £17500 received from this levy had been spent within the cemetery.   Funding Following on from this Coun. Milhaly said that presumably there would be some 106 money to come from the Walton Hospital site.The children from there would be in need of some place to play.   Coun. Milhaly said that he has access to the Community Leadership Fund along with the Community Priority Fund totalling some £55,000 over 2 years £20,000 of which had already been committed elsewhere.However he would make some £500 available to the group from the Community Leadership scheme and said he would pass on the necessary paperwork to the secretary for completion.	LO
A discussion then took place on the various groups which could be approached for funding including Awards for All, The Lottery, Biffa, Veolia, Links, Transition Chesterfield etc.	RM
Current State of Field Although the general consensus was that the field was now looking better for having been cut more frequently several of the items on the original report going back to a site visit Thursday 9 June had still not been undertaken:-   The Play area at the bottom of Hazel Drive Tarzan swing bars needed painting. Some tiles had shrunk leaving dangerous gaps for young feet and ankles to be injured. The perimeter fence needs strimming as the grass is encroaching underneath and onto the tarmac.   Disabled Access No access for disabled from any of the entrances, Whitecotes Close, Whitecotes Park, Hucklow Avenue, Grindlow Avenue and especially Hazel Drive where the tarmac leads up to the Play area, which is contrary to our Parks & Open Spaces Policy.     Footpaths Footpath from Whitecotes Park needs the hedge either seriously cutting back or preferably removing as does the large growth of weeds down each side, it is getting that in a week or so you will not be able to walk down it without having to push it out the way to get past also the tarmac at the field end needs re-doing as a wheelchair would not be able to cross over it and you would struggle with a push chair, it is also a trip hazard.	LO
Councillor Keith Miles said he would be seeing John Ramsay who is the Green Spaces Development Officer shortly and would take this up with him as a priority.   Natasha Keen asked what was the time limit for this as it should have been a “priority” some time ago and the state of the tiles were really a safety issue.   The question was then asked as to whether a Safety Officer had indeed visited the site.   Ideas for Regeneration of Field Several ideas had already been put forward by various members of the public including, adventure playground, zip wire, basket swing, football goals replacing, rustic trim trail, benches, pump track, pétanque (form of boules)area and paths.   Consideration also being given to those with limited mobility.   The matter of litter bins was also discussed and the theory “no bins - no rubbish” possibly adopted.	KM
It was agreed that members of the committee would arrange to meet with John Ramsay to discuss the way forward to working alongside the Borough Council with this project.	KF
Advertising Now that we have a working Friends Group and we are able to promote our aims it was agreed we should approach the S40 magazine with a view to getting an article in there.   A community notice board was also discussed but a large one would be approximately £1500 (maybe someone out there is good with wood)?	KF
Josie Rogers who is the local Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator for the Whitecotes side of the field said that she could take out some leaflets with her Neighbourhood Watch pamphlets if we thought this would help to update those people who are not on the mailing list.   Meanwhile several people who attended the meeting put their names forward to volunteer with leaflet distribution and litter picking.   It is also hoped that we may be able to set up a web site and would appreciate any help with this.	LC/LO