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BADGERS MOUNT RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION

BMRA Newsletter - SPRING 2019

We’ve had an extraordinarily warm February with low temperatures and late frosts recently, so the bluebells are only just reaching their best. The picture shows snowdrops and celandines instead as a symbol of Spring. The bluebells are usually good in the woods across the motorway from the car park in Andrews Wood and on the ridge this side of Shoreham village.


Residents Association AGM

The 55th Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday June 13th from 8:00 pm in the Memorial Hall. Drinks and nibbles will be available from 7:30 pm so come and socialise before the meeting. An Agenda is on the last page of this Newsletter. Note that this date is 1 month later than our usual date in May; blame the elections and other work overload for this slip.


Tree safety works on Highland Road and Badgers Road    VIEW FURTHER DETAILS

Following a number of recent incidents involving fallen trees that have caused disruption and property damage, the BMRA instigated safety inspections by tree specialists of the trees lining our un-adopted roads. This has identified a number of trees that are dead and/or have dead branches that are considered a danger or a potential risk to you the residents, your property and all users of our roads.
We have therefore arranged for specific safety works to be carried out in Highland Road and Badgers Road. An application has been submitted to Sevenoaks District Council in respect of the blanket Tree Preservation Order covering the trees in Highland Road and as soon as approval is granted, the works will commence. It is anticipated that the approval will allow the work to start in late May. Residents in the roads affected will be formally notified in advance of the actual dates.
We are advised the work should only take two days and any disruption to your use of the roads will be kept to the absolute minimum. Any necessary road closure will be temporary and short term. Warning signage will be placed accordingly and we would ask you please, to use the alternative access routes. Where possible wood will be stacked within the verges as wildlife refuges, but should you wish to avail yourselves of a few free logs, please leave some for others and the wildlife. We will also be planting new trees later in the year to ensure the beauty of Badgers Mount is maintained for the future.
We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your support and understanding.


Nesbit House Care Home

The final parts of the handover to the operators are taking place and it is expected that the first residents will arrive early this Summer after appropriate staff recruitment and training. If you are interested, either for a relative or for yourself, or just interested, contact Rob McLaughlin - Regional Customer Relations Lead. Mobile: 07503 676 703


''Is there a Lawyer in the House''?

The Road Fund that manages the un-adopted roads of Badgers Road, Johnsons Avenue, Highland Road and Milton Avenue has very occasionally the need to consider legal action against third parties that have caused considerable disruption and damage to the road and in turn inconvenienced residents.
The Road Maintenance Fund is totally financed by the contributing residents who live in the roads on the East side of the Orpington Bypass and is managed by volunteers. These funds have to be protected but our community must also be protected from those who disregard our rights and existence. We are not looking for something for nothing, but are wondering if there may be a Badgers Mount resident in the legal profession who may be willing in the first instant to volunteer some advice. In the hope that such a person exists, I would be very grateful to hear from you please.
Thank you. Roger King, Chairman Tel. 01959 534214. email. rk.bmrmf@gmail.com


Road Maintenance Fund AGM 2019

The 53rd AGM of the Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund will be held on Friday 7th June 2019 at 8pm in the Memorial Hall, Highland Road, A formal notice and the agenda will be published in May, but please make a note of the date and the committee very much look forward to seeing there. 2018 Subscriptions - With the forthcoming AGM less than a couple of months away, a gentle reminder please, a number of road fund residents have still to pay last year’s subscription.


Neighbourhood Plan

Following an initial public meeting last September, the Parish Council has decided to proceed with drawing up a Neighbourhood Plan. Whilst this will cost around £30,000 to £35,000, it will give legal powers to decisions on local planning guidelines, including housing density and protected areas. A Neighbourhood Plan needs an approved area designation – it can’t just cover your own back garden, for instance – and this has to come from Sevenoaks District Council (SDC). Although an application was submitted last Autumn, SDC have had many other things to do which they have considered to be of higher priority. However, there does not appear to be a problem with designating our parish and SDC expect to formalise this during the Summer. The Parish Council have therefore started things moving by setting up a Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group which meets on the third Thursday of each month from 7:30 p.m. in the Memorial Hall. Meetings are open to the public and will include time for input from the floor. Come along and find out more!


Neighbourhood Watch

The Badgers Mount Neighbourhood Watch group is now operational, and subscriptions are included within the BMRA subscription. There have been several burglaries recently; if you have an alarm system fitted, remember to turn it on whenever you leave the house – even if it will be for only a short time – as otherwise your house insurance could be void.

Questions have been raised concerning the feasibility of installing access gates and/or CCTV systems in order to enhance the security of our community. There will be an Agenda item on this topic during the AGM on 13th June in order to give you a chance to register your opinions on this topic. There is also a Badgers Mount facebook page. For those IT savvy people it is a quick and easy way to spread information.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1831340370289399/


Coffee mornings

The coffee mornings are held every Thursday from 10.30 to 12.00 in the Memorial Hall. This is an excellent opportunity to meet other residents for a chat and keep up with local events, gossip etc.! Numbers attending recently have not been very high, so why not come along and join in? Also, remember that the Mobile Library calls alternate Thursdays – use it or lose it!


Committee Meetings

All Committee meetings of the BMRA are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 7:45 p.m. in the Memorial Hall. These are ‘open meetings’ for any residents to attend. There will be an opportunity at each meeting for residents to raise any matters of interest. Come along and chat with your representatives.


Parish Council

The only nominations received were from the existing Parish Councillors. They are therefore deemed elected and will serve for another 4 years.


Recent Power Cut

On Monday 8th April, a little after noon, a large tip lorry drove towards Orpington on the Bypass with its loading grab elevated. The grab took down some phone lines and the main power wiring across the road. Around 350 houses in the local area lost power for a couple of hours; power was finally restored to all of Badgers Mount by the early evening thanks to valiant efforts by UK Power. Some damage was caused to houses by the recoil of the power line – the nearest supporting pole had a gap of several inches around its base, and a chimney was brought down by the attached power lead.




BADGERS MOUNT RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
THE 55th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
WILL TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAY, 13th June 2019
IN THE MEMORIAL HALL, HIGHLAND ROAD from 8.00 PM prompt

Refreshments and nibbles available from 7.30 pm

AGENDA

(1) Apologies for absence.

(2) Minutes of the 54th Annual General Meeting held on Thursday, 10th May 2018 to be agreed. Draft Minutes can be found on the local website www.badgersmount.net/bmra/ and some hard copies will be available for study before the meeting.

(3) Matters arising from the minutes and not covered elsewhere.

(4) Presentation of the Chairman’s Report including:-

a. Report on Planning matters (Gordon Plumb)
b. Report on Entertainment matters (Zena Belton)
c. Neighbourhood Watch and local security
d. Update on proposed local housing developments
e. Neighbourhood Plan progress

(5) Presentation of the Accounts, Treasurer’s Report and appointment of the Auditor.

(6) Appointment of the Committee:

(1) Chairperson (2) Vice-Chair (3) Secretary (4) Treasurer and minimum of 4 members

(7) Any Other Business

BMRA CONTACT DETAILS

Full contact details on the BMRA Committee page.

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