Page 7 - HGS Suburb News 137 - Winter 2019

ALLOTMENTS PUBLICATIONS

The Allotments Committee is a Standing Committee of the Residents Association. The membership is made up The committee would like to thank our volunteers who ensure the delivery of Suburb News to the over 5,000
of the Site Secretaries of the eleven allotments in the Suburb. The Co-opted and ex officio members include; households in our Suburb.
HGS Trust Estate Management; Current Chair of the HGS Horticultural Society; HGS Residents Association We thank Steve Morris, a former member of our committee, for continuing to operate his website at www.hgs.org.
Representative. uk for the benefit of all Suburb residents and its organisations, and for running the e-mail forum, the HGS List, for residents who are
Most of the allotments are owned by the HGS Trust, with two by the Orchard Housing Society. There are over 100 plot holders of members of our association.
mixed ages who spend much of their leisure time raising crops for their personal use in this tranquil environment. We continue to be responsible for the following:
The Allotments Committee meets three or four times a year, liaising with the Trust to ensure that the efficient management of the sites 2018 COMMITTEE REPORTS • Publishing Suburb News every quarter, with delivery carried out by a team of over 100 resident volunteers co-ordinated by Lorna Page.
is maintained, that the plots are kept in good order by the users and that rapport with boundary residents is preserved. Other items
include water supply issues; overgrowing hedges and trees; some vandalism; annual rents paid to the Trust. We also liaise with the • Publishing the Suburb Directory every Spring and delivering it with Suburb News.
HGS Horticultural Society sharing meetings of joint interest. • Administering the Discount Scheme for RA members with a growing number of businesses signing up. A list of those participating,
During the summer the condition of all plots is inspected by committee members. Plot-holders may offer their growing produce for with details of the discount available, can be found at the back of the Suburb Directory.
judging. Amongst the social events is the popular Harvest Supper where plot holders can provide food made from their produce, • Publishing details of local events and news in our e-mail bulletin, Suburb eNews, using the e-mail addresses of RA members.
exhibit their crops, and the plot winner(s) can collect their prizes. CHAIR’S REPORT
There are quite often plot vacancies. If anyone is interested to spend some of their leisure time in this calm and productive • Administering the Facebook page of “The Hampstead Garden Suburb Group”.
environment, please contact the site-secretaries (in the RA Suburb Directory), the Assistant Estate Manager at the Trust, 8455 1066, I have lived on the Suburb for 30 years of my life and love its green beauty and beautiful architecture, • Arranging for Suburb News and the Suburb Directory to be available to view on line at www.hgs.org.uk.
or email paul@hgstrust.org or Peter Hodgson; email peter-hodgson@hotmail.co.uk. combined with its proximity to Central London. I was delighted to become involved with the Residents We can be contacted at rapublications@hgs.org.uk.
PETER HODGSON, Allotments Committee Chair (raallotments@hgs.org.uk) Association in 2016 and was elected as Chair at the 2018 AGM having previously been Treasurer. TERRY BROOKS, Chair (rapublications@hgs.org.uk)

There is a great sense of community in the Suburb, enhanced by the massive amount of work done by local people in
all sorts of different ways.
CONSERVATION AND AMENITIES (CONSAM) The Residents Association too relies on the work and effort put in by our army of volunteers. You can read about their work and ROADS AND TRAFFIC

achievements in the committee reports on these pages. An extraordinary amount of work goes into all aspects of what our committees
Consam continued to keep up the pressure on all aspects of conservation in the Suburb. The work was do. This year we welcomed a new Chair of Events, Hella Schrader; she and her small team work tirelessly to bring us events such as this The Roads & Traffic Committee has been working hard again this year examining local traffic issues and
actioned by means of direct contact with the HGS Trust (HGST) and the London Borough of Barnet (LBB) – see year’s amazing summer fun day on Central Square, and the annual New Year’s Eve Fireworks night. making representations on behalf of residents to the Suburb’s two traffic authorities, London Borough of Barnet
examples below. Discussions with these bodies are conducted very much in a spirit of co-operation, but with the and Transport for London (TfL).
appropriate assertiveness to try to ensure that our Suburb is conserved in such a way as to benefit both current and I am pleased to say we welcomed several new volunteers this year, including Steve Morris (IT and Treasurer) and Michele Roiter (our very
future residents. efficient new membership secretary). We also have several new members of our Standing Committees. Matters raised at the Committee during 2018 have included;
I would like once again to thank my committee colleagues who have given freely of their time to help with this essential, and However, we are always looking for new volunteers who would like to become involved with our committees and as RA Council members • Requests for speed checks on some of our roads
fundamental, aspect of the Residents Association’s work. We were pleased to welcome several new members to Consam during the • TfL’s poor signage in the Market Place, particularly when bays were suspended during the summer to facilitate the introduction of
year and they have already made a significant contribution to our work. (around 8 evening meetings a year). We particularly need help with organising our Events and with selling advertising for our Publications electric fast charging terminals
Committee. If you would have time and interest in getting involved, I would love to hear from you. Just drop an email to me at rachair@
• Contributed to the consideration of individual planning applications at 9 meetings of the HGST Property & Plans Committee. • The physical appearance of those terminals
hgs.org.uk.
• Contributed to the consideration of individual planning applications at 17 meetings of LBB’s HGS Conservation Area • Pedestrian crossing arrangements on the A1
Consultative Committee. EMMA HOWARD, Chair, HGS Residents Association (rachair@hgs.org.uk) • The use of CCTV by Barnet for traffic enforcement
• Pursued general conservation policy issues with HGST and LBB at further meetings called for the purpose including enforcement of • Rush hour traffic congestion at some of the Suburb’s junctions with Finchley Road.
planning consents, retrospective applications, hedges, artificial grass, electric vehicle charging points, proactive general inspections,
landlord/tenant guidance, joint advisory committees, non-committee assistance to HGST, Trust Council delegation and several As far as traffic speeds are concerned we have most often found that limits are generally well adhered to although exceptions to this
other topics. have been observed in Temple Fortune Lane and in parts of Wildwood Road. We have referred both those locations to Barnet’s
• Alerted HGST to several infringements of the HGST/LBB Design Guidance, with appropriate follow-up. Highways Department who are able to carry out more extensive speed checks to determine whether measures such as vehicle
activated signs might aid better observance of the speed limit.
• Objected to planning applications via the LBB planning portal. MEMBERSHIP The unsightly fast charging meters in the Market Place prompted much outrage, not least because associated parking suspensions
• Pursued with LBB, with voluntary help from an independent consultant, a number of public realm conservation issues. were improperly notified by TfL. The Committee made strong representations to TfL about this and also assisted in a parking ticket
case, which was successfully referred for adjudication.
• Discussed Henrietta Barnet School expansion application with school authorities, with ongoing monitoring of the funding bid. The Membership Secretary is responsible for encouraging residents both to join our association and to rejoin on an
• Monitored projects in areas adjoining HGS, e.g. Golders Green, for any impacts on the Suburb. annual basis. Our membership year runs from January to December. In order to encourage members to maintain their Residents continue to report over-zealous use of CCTV by Barnet Council, particularly at the box junctions at Bridge Lane and on
Regents Park Road but also at other locations and for other types of moving traffic contravention. We have seen many examples of
membership on a continuous basis, we recommend they set up an annual Standing Order. Once set up, the renewal
• Circulated LBB’s weekly planning applications to the HGS List Email Group. CCTV tickets being issued incorrectly and we encourage members to contact the Committee for information about regulations or for
payments for the agreed amount are paid directly into the RA’s bank account. This both saves time for residents and cuts down time and costs help with appeals.
PETER McCLUSKIE, Chair (raconsam@hgs.org.uk)
for the membership secretary. Residents can also pay the annual subscription via cheque, Pay Pal or by making direct payments into the RA’s During the year the Committee considered possible schemes to alleviate traffic queuing in Addison Way. We will continue to discuss
bank account. these with Barnet in the new year, remaining mindful of the need to ensure that any new schemes must avoid displacing traffic
EVENTS Our system also provides for members to make donations to Fellowship House, the local charity for the over 60s. In 2018 we raised over £11,000 problems to other parts of the Suburb.
Finally, as the year closed, the Committee had just received the first draft of an RA commissioned report on safety at Falloden Way.
for Fellowship via this facility.
The final report, prepared by a specialist traffic engineering company, is expected to be published and available for residents to
Maintaining a database for a community of over 5,000 households requires regular attention, which is done by the Membership Secretary. consider early in the new year.
The Events Committee had another busy schedule in 2018. After a well-attended AGM in March, the events There is also a regular need for co-operation between the Membership Secretary and the Hon. Treasurer, Steve Morris.
calendar kicked off in earnest in May with our annual Michael Rowley lecture. This year’s guest speaker was GARY SHAW, Chairman (ratraffic@hgs.org.uk)
Graham Fisher, Chief Executive of the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation. He talked about the Contact with members is principally by e-mail and occasionally by telephone. The date and time of the AGM is advertised in advance via Suburb
sustainability and community aspects of the Garden City town planning movement, which started with Letchworth News and also via Suburb eNews to all members who have given the RA their email addresses. It can also be found on our website. Postal
Garden City in the early 1900s and was led by Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin who later helped plan Hampstead Garden Suburb. mailings are used in May and June to encourage residents to join or rejoin. A further mailing is sent out in September, and a membership table is
Over 100 residents attended the event. manned by volunteers at the annual summer picnic. This also enables us to make contact with new residents and encourage them to join. TREES AND OPEN SPACES
In June we were blessed with fantastic weather and a record attendance at the Summer Fun Day. The picnic tables sold out! Pimms & Contact with Associate members and Life members living outside the Suburb is maintained by sending copies of Suburb News, which is a
strawberries flew off the shelves as did the homemade cakes on the RA Cake Stall. The “All Dogs Matter” dog competition was again
very popular with our resident dog owners who registered their pooches to win one of the coveted rosettes. Children enjoyed donkey quarterly publication. As in previous years, we continued to monitor the Suburb to identify problems to do with trees, grass verges
rides and the Punch & Judy shows whilst the adults were busy snapping up a bargain at the plant stall or listening to local band The Membership Secretary also helps to maintain the Discount Scheme, which the RA has negotiated with selected local retailers. To facilitate this, and hedges, with individual members of the committee and other volunteers covering the various areas. Our
“Sound of the Suburb”. Thanks to our wonderful sponsors Volvo, who also participated in the day by showcasing two of their aim is to visit all Suburb roads noting the gaps within the planting scheme and to help Barnet fill these gaps by
prestigious cars, we had a fantastic prize to give away at the raffle – a weekend drive in a Volvo car of their choice. One lucky resident Resident Association Membership Cards are issued each year, and remain valid for this purpose until the end of June of the following year. matching the number of trees they will plant, up to a set total cost. For Barnet’s spring 2018 planting, we funded 13
went away very happy. Membership has been steady in recent years, with 1,750 households joining or rejoining in 2018. Thanks are due to all who helped contribute to of the 26 trees planted in the Suburb, though this was, once more, not enough to fill all the gaps.
After what seemed a short break we quickly headed towards October and Halloween. This year’s children’s Halloween Party was a sell membership matters in 2018. One of the key features of the Suburb is the way many of the hedgerow trees were deliberately retained when the Suburb was
out. Fellowship House was packed with children dressed up as princesses, pirates and ghosts. Vera Moore and her team entertained MICHELE ROITER, Secretary (ramembership@hgs.org.uk) developed. This has given us many fine trees and we scrutinise the lists of planning application made to Barnet for work to trees, look
the younger ones with creative art and face painting, whilst expert storyteller Hannah Brailsford mesmerized the children with at those trees to be felled to ascertain their viability, and lodge objections where the removal would have a serious detrimental effect
Halloween stories. on the road or area. We also regularly attend the meetings at the Hendon Town Hall to oppose the felling of trees, which is
increasingly an issue on the Suburb.
The autumn swiftly passed and the Events team started preparing for the Event climax of the year – the annual New Year’s Eve Party
and Fireworks display at Central Square. And what an event it was. Generously sponsored by The Spaniards Inn and our local Co-Op, We continue to play an active part in the management both of Hampstead Heath, with a representative on the Hampstead Heath
the New Year’s Eve party had the pews brimming with residents enjoying a glass of Prosecco to see off the old year. At the stroke of Consultative Committee, and of Kenwood, as a member of English Heritage’s Kenwood Landscape Forum.
midnight Platinum Fireworks released a stunning display of fireworks welcoming 2019 with a bang. During the year the RA has given the Northway Gardens Organisation another small grant to help maintain the flowerbeds in
HELLA SCHRADER, Chair (raevents@hgs.org.uk) Northway Gardens.
The Friends of Big Wood have taken over organising the Big Wood Working Group and its six or so Activity Mornings a year working,
out of bird-nesting season, clearing the existing glades, repairing fencing and protecting saplings. We continue to be involved, with the
Friends and LB Barnet, in the Big Wood & Little Wood Management Group, which agrees the 5-year plans for Big Wood and Little Wood.
We continue to seek volunteers to assist us in the work we do on this committee so please do contact us at ratrees@hgs.org.uk if you
have some time to become involved in the work we do.
TONY GHILCHIK, Chair (ratrees@hgs.org.uk)

Come and discuss Suburb issues with your neighbours at the Residents Association AGM

Tuesday 26 March 2019, 8pm – Henrietta Barnett School Hall, Central Square
All residents welcome • Refreshments

The Financial Report and Accounts will be available on the website at www.hgs.org.uk/ra/agm/index.html by 12th March 2018. If you would like to receive a hard copy please email ratreasurer@hgs.org.uk or write to HGS RA Treasurer c/o 40 Temple Fortune Lane, London NW11 7UE. Copies will be distributed at the AGM 26th March 2019.

6 SUBURB NEWS IS PRODUCED AND DELIVERED TO YOU BY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS SUBURB NEWS IS PRODUCED AND DELIVERED TO YOU BY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS 7