BROADLY SPEAKING JUNE 2007

Newsletter for the Broad Street Area Community Council

Residents young and old and from many different cultures, recently came together to celebrate the diversity of the Broadgreen area.

In the main hall many varied groups and Council departments connected with the area displayed information about their organisations, while entertainment was provided throughout the afternoon by Swahili dancers, a Gospel choir and solo singers.

For the under ten year olds there was a fancy dress competition, as well as a bouncy castle and a mini sports event where many children enjoyed the egg and spoon and sack races. For their efforts they all received a medal. They also took part in a chocolate egg hunt around the field.

A handful of the committee also provided free of charge, hot and cold food from a number of different Countries.

Sport proved to be a great way of bringing everyone together. The 5-aside football event was very popular. Community sports coach, Doug Imrie the tournament organiser worked extremely hard. As well as co-ordinating the fixtures and league table he also refereed most matches and even played for the Police team who were short handed. With so many teams taking part, the tournament went on far longer than expected, but thanks to a draw against the Asian Youth team, in the very last match of the afternoon the Police managed to lift the trophy.

Finishing off the afternoon was a tug of war competition, this proved very interesting for the referees, each time their backs were turned, extra people grabbed the rope. It was all a good laugh though and was eventually won by the Goan group who were unbeaten.

The event was so successful that subject to funding being found, the BSACC will put on a similar event in 2008.

There has been a rather disturbing increase in the number of burglaries committed in the Broadgreen area. Please be especially alert to anyone who appears to be behaving suspiciously or trading door to door.

If you live within the BSACC area then you are more than welcome to attend our monthly meetings held in the lounge at the Broadgreen Centre on the second Wednesday of every month. 7.00 pm for coffee and 7.30 pm start. Next meetings on the 13^th June and the 11^th July. Keep up with what is happening in our area at www.broadgreenlife.blogspot.com or email us at broadstreetcc@hotmail.co.uk

Police Warning to all Householders

POLICE WARNING TO HOUSEHOLDERS

• There has been a disturbing recent increase in the number of burglaries committed in this area.

• These crimes are being actively investigated but everyone can help to reduce the risk of further attacks.

• Methods of entry has included forcing doors and windows, although in some cases entry has been made because the house was left insecure while the home owner was out. Please be aware of the increased risk and help reduce crime and protect your own property by making sure that your house is fitted with good quality locks on all external doors and windows and use them at all times. Most burglars are opportunists so remove the opportunities and make life hard for the criminal. Be security conscious and please:

• Consider installing an intruder alarm system.

• Install security timer lights inside your home.

• Postcode your property and keep a written record of serial numbers, makes and models. If you have valuable jewellery or antiques, keep a photographic record.

• Traditionally, small communities have always looked out for one another, so please be especially alert to anyone in your area who appears to be behaving suspiciously or trading from door to door.

• Record descriptions of such people and any vehicles that they may have with them and contact the Police on 0845 408 7000 or dial 999 in an emergency.

• Please pass this warning on to your friends or relations as security is the responsibility of us all.

Home security advice can be obtained from Swindon Police Crime Prevention Department on 0845 408 7000 or by visiting www.crimereduction.gov.uk on the internet.

PLANNING APPLICATION

S/07/1069 View HERE

Haydon Street Working Mens Club 36 - 39 Haydon Street

Change of Use from Working Men's Club (Sui Generis) to Restaurant & Takeaway (Classes A3/A5), ancillary staff accomodation & external alterations.

WHEELIE BINS IN THE BROADGREEN AREA

Had a chat with the SBC wheelie bin 'salesman' at the cohesion event at the Broadgreen Centre on the 28^th April.

All households around the Broadgreen area will have wheelie bins except Manchester Road and County Road, being busy main roads, they will take too long to collect. Unsure how they manage to collect the hundreds of bin bags at the moment.

They envisage the smaller size wheelies being suitable for the front gardens of terraced houses. If people accept the smaller ones, they will be able to have an, as yet, unspecified number of extra recycling boxes free of charge.

How will people who have a bit of greenery in the front garden and have no space for any size wheelie bin, store theirs. Each household will be able to discuss this with the new 'rubbish czars', they will be able to 'help' people with their problems.

We will not have to worry about moving the wheelies for collection, as the bin men will pull the bins out of front gardens, down the step and put them back after emptying. Perish the thought of this happening, they are not exactly careful picking up and putting back the recycling boxes.

We will be given 4 free SBC clear plastic bags for our fortnightly plastic recycling. These should last residents in their estimations 6 months (4 bags, last 6 months, fortnightly collection. Clever maths that one!) They are only giving out 4 because they want to make sure they are full right up before people put them out for collection. After that we will have to purchase more from the Council!!!

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD AT BROADGREEN ON WEDNESDAY 11th April 2007

MATTERS ARISING: A resident of County Road has never seen any mechanical sweepers in the back alleys and even if they wanted to clean them in this fashion they would not be able to get down them because of the constant fly tipping.

POLICE REPORT: PCSO Cook reported back on the 3 major problems identified in the area. (1) Speeding vehicles. The police have been ticketing cars that are not taxed, insured or are speeding in the area. Recently a car was towed away for constantly speeding, a fine had to be paid for the vehicles release and if caught speeding again will be confiscated and crushed. (2) Drugs. They continue to fight the problem of illegal drugs and have had success with the conviction of a cannabis dealer. (3) Prostitution. There was a 3-day operation recently, aimed at targeting kerb crawlers and a number of them were arrested. As part of the ongoing situation the police are engaging with drug workers to help solve the problem from a different angle.

In March the Broadgreen NPT put together a newsletter detailing the above, they are available at the police point at the Broadgreen Centre. There was a general agreement by residents attending the meeting that it would be a good idea if these newsletters were delivered to every household in the area. PCSO Cook will look into this but the cost may make this impossible. But will put them in local shops for people to take and read.

Police are carrying out a consultation in the area, asking for people’s problems and concerns. This will then be put on a database to target particular problems.

Following the armed robbery on the shop in County Road, we were asked if we felt there was any more tension or worry in the area. The consensus was ‘no more than usual’.

The main concern was the media generally putting the area down in their reports. Calling the area a red light district and as quoted on radio 4 news, a ‘rough area of Swindon’ gives the impression that Broadgreen is a run down and deprived area and discourages families from wanting to live here.

Cars and vans are still parking on paths and in alleyways as well as lorries parking for long lengths of time while delivering to shops. Police do challenge all these problems when they come across them, and recently specifically targeted the alleyways.

A report from a resident to the police some 3 weeks ago, concerning an incident where they had nearly been knocked over by a taxi and subsequently verbally abused by the driver has not been followed up despite registration and taxi details being given to the police. PCSO Cook will follow this up.

Fly tipping is still a major problem in the area. Police have to catch people in the act, and is a council problem.

CORRESPONDENCE:

• Cllr. David Wren – Full weekly recycling will begin end of July, we will all receive a second orange box at the end of June so we can recycle glass, cans, textiles, foil and paper. Not sure if we will have a fortnightly wheelie bins or a restricted bin bag collection, still to be sorted, but it will be rolled out from September onwards.

• Swindon Services – No reply on the possibility of mechanical cleaning of alleys.

• Rod Bluh – Reassurances that no decisions, discussions or promises of any kind have been made to STFC concerning their plans for the County Ground. He also clarified that their proposals have only been discussed in outline and nothing has been seen, although The Council will consider any sensible proposals at anytime which can take account of the needs of the town and the neighbouring community.

• Gillian Morris and Anne Fisher (SBC) – Both are taking early retirement at the end of March. Sent a thank you to all colleagues in the voluntary sector that they have worked with through the community grants.

PLANNING

S/ADV/07/0429 – Display of promotional banners from 4 lampposts in Manchester Rd. The banners are for promotional activities of SBC in particular things like the Swindon Challenge and Get Active Week and so on. They have applied for a 5-year permission to display the promotional banners during various periods throughout the year.

S/07/0740/RO- Relocation of recycling facilities within car park (retrospective) Tesco. Ocotal Way.

S/06/2962/HD- Change of use from Class A1 (retail) to Class A3 (restaurants and cafes). REVISED PLAN, 18 Lagos Street.

S/07/0560/RO- Change of use from launderette to retail (class A1) 66 Manchester Road.

S/06/3119/RO-change of use from garage/store to retail unit 114 Broad St. REFUSED

CHAIR REPORT: Hopefully the Cohesion Day on the 28^th April will see plenty of people come together and enjoy a fun afternoon. The cohesion committee have had 4 meetings and with only £1100 have, with prudence and thrift, pulled the event together.

WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT: None

STREET WATCH REPORT: None

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT: None

ANY OTHER BUSINESS:

• Garage behind County Road-causing all sorts of problems with cars being constantly repaired and parked in the alleyways. There is also a build up of oil in the alley and used oil is being poured down the gully drains. Les will take this up with the environmental dept. and will ask the police to carry out checks on the vehicles in the alleys.
• 10 pm extension of residents parking. Should be implemented within the next 2 weeks-Les to chase up.
• 51 Manchester Road-Still people using the café after 11pm closing time.
• Waste baskets in the Broadgreen Centre would be a good idea to keep the litter down. Also more drunks are again spending hours on the benches in this area.
• 154 County Road-garage at back of properties being used to repair cars- Planning enforcement looking into this.

Rubbish and Recycling

FAQ - New Waste and Recycling Collections

All the information you may or may not wish to know about weekly recycling and fortnightly rubbish, green waste and plastic bottles collection can be found on the Council website here:

One catch/con concerning plastic bottles:

Plastic bottles will be collected only if contained in a Swindon Borough Council clear plastic sack. They will be collected fortnightly on the same day as your garden waste.

The first four sacks will be provided free by the Council. A small charge of 20p will be made for additional sacks. This is to ensure that bags are collected full.

Four sacks only- free?? 20p charge for extra sacks will only discourage people from recycling plastics.

So will they fine people if they send their plastic bottles to land-fill?

BROADLY SPEAKING

Newsletter for the Broad Street Area Community Council

Litter and fly tipping continue to be a major problem in the Broadgreen area, no sooner has it been cleared by the council, there is more rubbish taking its place. We would like to see the back alleyways being regularly cleaned with the mechanical cleaners, but that is never going to be possible while they are being filled with large items of furniture and mattresses etc. The council will remove up to 3 items of bulky waste for £15 although there are also concessions to this price. Contact Swindon Commercial Services Call Centre on 01793 463463.

Next month it looks likely we in the Broadgreen area will receive another re-cycling box. From late July/early August we will be able to re-cycle clean glass, cans, textiles and foil as well as paper. This will be a weekly collection that will be sorted kerbside and not by residents.

Last month Skeetz Youth Club organised a successful morning go-carting at Winners in Wroughton. Despite half of the group being dropped at the wrong hanger leaving them with a mile to walk, it didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, and they all want to organise another trip there soon.

The Neighbourhood Tasking group, on which the BSACC has representation, is working closely with the Council, Police and other agencies. Through this, residents have input on issues such as houses in multiple occupancy and crime etc. as well as the central area action plan that SBC are now consulting on. This is a very important document that will affect the future of the whole of Central Swindon. Find out more about the tasking group here: www.broadgreen.squarespace.com

Opening times of the Broadgreen Centre police drop in point in May will be: Wednesday 9th and 30th 10:00 to midday and Wednesday 16th and 23rd 18:00 to 20:00

Do these or any other local issues interest, concern or affect you? If you live within the BSACC area then you are more than welcome to attend our monthly meetings held in the lounge at the Broadgreen Centre on the second Wednesday of every month. 7.00 pm for coffee and 7.30 pm start. Next meetings on the 9^th May and the 13^th June. Or email us at broadstreetcc@hotmail.co.uk