Newsletter April 2017

SPRCA Logo

The SPRCA is for those who live in 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th Avenues, Sir Johns and those properties on Pershore Road between 1st and Sir John’s. The Association and the committee is to encourage a sense of community and share information. The AGM is a great way to listen to others’ views and express your own opinion and will be taking place in the Selly Park Tavern Skittle Alley on Tuesday 6^th June at 7pm

Neighbourhood Watch Update: Although we live in a generally safe area, please continue to be vigilant, close windows, lock cars and please, please let your neighbours know if you’re going to be away and let them know how to shut off burglar alarms if they go off. And report any crime to the police immediately and post any criminal activity on our Facebook page.

Flooding: work has begun on flood prevention work to ensure that the flooding that happened in parts of 3^rd, 4^th , Sir Johns and Pershore Road won’t happen again.

Facebook page: In order to streamline communication between residents and the committee we have launched a Facebook group page in conjunction with our long standing website. The security on the page will be set so that only members can see the content. Within the page we have the ability to store and display useful documents and to create events which we will be able to invite you to. There is also the ability to comment and make people aware of upcoming events on the page timeline. The page will be monitored and moderated. It should not be used for complaints about neighbours or property issues, but it can be used for raising concerns about issues that affect the neighbourhood. If you are unable to access Facebook or the website, please let Jon Jones know at:…………….

To become a member all you need to do is search for Selly Park Residents Community Association on Facebook and click the join buttonhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/178102646040069/

Parking: parking is becoming more congested. We’ll be asking people for an update of the situation in their roads.

Committee: we need new committee members. Meetings are in the pub, about 4 times a year for about an hour. Currently we have no-one from 1^st, Sir John’s or Pershore Road which means a large number of residents are unrepresented. If you’re interested in finding out more, talk to current committee members on the evening or contact us via the website.

Conservation Area Status: You can find more information on the Avenues conservation area on the following website, www.birmingham.gov.uk/sellyparkavenuesca You’ll need consent for most of the following: external doors and windows; porches and small extensions; alterations to roofs; satellite dishes; gates, fences, walls and boundaries; means of access; and painting the exterior of a house / painting brickwork or pebbledash. You’ll also need to notify the council to lop or fell a tree unless it is dead, dying or dangerous. Many of us have been through successful planning applications already so if you want to talk through anything informally, the Committee will gladly put you in touch with a willing resident.

AGM 2016 minutes

Minutes of Selly Park Community Residents Association – June 13th 2016

Present: Committee: Martin Witteveen (Chair), Lorna Wallace-Davis (Treasurer) Sean Russell (Neighbourhood Watch), Martin Monks, David Sammons and 35 residents present. Karen McCarthy (councillor).

Minutes: These were distributed.

Matters arising: none (many appear later as separate items on the agenda)

Flood prevention plans: the majority of the meeting was given over to this item as follows:

Presentation by the Environmental Association on their proposals to the council regarding flood prevention and by Calthorpe Estates about their planning submission regarding the use of the old Pebble Mill site including retail outlets, student accommodation and a financial contribution to flood prevention measures.
This was followed by a Q&A session which included the following issues: why the need for more student accommodation; concerns about more building on a flood plain; lack of parking provision especially in light of increasing use of SPRCA streets by non-residents; a sense of being ‘held to ransom’ – no government funding for flood work available, so offer form Calthorpe of some £4 million seen as a ‘sweetener’ to encourage residents to support planning; ……anything else?
People were directed to the Council planning website to register response to planning proposals.

NB: Since the meeting, there was a flood on June 16^th affecting residents in 3^rd, 4^th and Sir Johns caused by flash flood and Bournbrook overflowing. A subsequent meeting was convened by the Council and EA at the Selly Park Tavern to (a) receive information from residents about the flood and (b) to give more information about the flood prevention planning proposal.

Councillor update: now more difficult for houses to be changed into multiple occupancy dwellings. Answered questions from a local resident who had sustained injuries after falling over a uneven pavement in Sir Johns. Clly McCarthy said she would follow up.

..anything else??

Website: new one up and running. Jon Jones from 3^rd Avenue has volunteered to update it. Martin W to liaise with him over admin rights. Residents requested new website address to be publicised.

Neighbourhood Watch: We now have a new Community Police Support Officer who was unable to attend. Sean reported very little crime in the last year except a couple of bikes stolen; a set of car wheels stolen from 4^th . He asked for people to let him know of any instances of crime and to report same to police promptly.

Sean Russell

Flood Newsletter

Flood Newsletter - 9 September 2016

What with all the flooding and related issues, the SPRCA committee thought it might be useful to try and keep people informed of flood-related issues. We hope we’ve captured the key things, but as most of the committee were flooded and have had to move out, it’s been tricky to keep up. However, if there’s anything we’ve missed, do let us know via contact form on website.

Now we have a regularly updated website, we’ll be using that as the main way of communication as it keeps down costs and time distributing fliers like this one. It’s also easier to put up instant news whereas lead-in time for a newsletter like this is a couple of weeks. We’ll still put posters up on trees for specific events such as Halloween and the AGM. However, not everyone has access to the internet, so if you’d like to continue to get paper copies, could you let us know by either calling Sean Russell on 07776215873 or putting a note through his door: 25 Third Avenue.

Website: is now not only up and running and beautified as reported at AGM in May, but is actually being kept up to date with content courtesy of Jon Jones. Just so people know, it’s: www.sprca.net.

Council Tax rebate for those being temporarily re housed due to flooding: there is a sort of precedent as people in some other parts of the country seem to have had rebates. Our investigations have met with contradictory responses. However, it might be that once your insurance company has agreed on a final settlement, then a case can be made to the council. We have written to our local councillors to sort this out.

Enhanced drainage 3rd Avenue and Sir Johns: the council moved very quickly to demolish the wall at the end of 3rd, level the curb and put in two extra drains. We expect the same to happen in Sir Johns – if it hasn’t soon, we’ll contact council. The work on 3rd and the clearing of undergrowth by the bank has revealed another, original outflow into the Rea which is completely blocked. We’re asking for that to be looked at.

Flood proofing: Lorna is organising a visit to a company in Droitwich that makes flood proof doors and airbricks etc. This might takes a few weeks, but once done, we’ll report back.

Flood prevention scheme: all of you should have had a letter from our MP, Steve McCabe , informing us that the discussion of the flood prevention scheme proposed by the Environment Agency at the Council’s Planning Meeting has been postponed to mid-September and that a further information meeting is scheduled for 8th September. Once the Committee has met and announced its decision about the scheme, we’ll let you know.

Burglary: not flood related. Burglars entered a house in 3rd Avenue via open back window at night (residents were sleeping, unharmed) and made off with laptop, credit cards etc. This is a very rare crime in our area, but suggest keep windows closed at night, even though it’s still summer and muggy

Environmental Agency meeting notification – 8 September at 6pm

Letter received from Steve McCabe MP regarding an upcoming meeting which you can attend with the Environmental agency to discuss the Pebble Mill flood scheme plan – to let them know if you can attend the meeting email him at steve@stevemccabe.me.uk or call his office on 0121 443 3878

Letter from Steve McCabe, MP

For those that havent seen it, here’s a letter from Steve McCabe MP regarding the postal survey that was held a while back relating to the Pebble Mill development and floods