Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Democratic Services Officer will draw attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as set out on the Agenda.

The Democratic Services Officer read out the emergency evacuation procedure.

To note any apologies for absence or substitutions.

Apologies for absence were received from Holly Dabbs, Independent Member.

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest,  (as defined in Part 2, A and B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

There was no urgent business.

There were no items from the public.

To confirm as a correct record for signing by the Chair.

RESOLVED that the minutes of 23 June 2022 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

(1)  Alice Park Trust - 2022/23 Budget and Forecast Update - Q1 (attached)

(2)  Tennis Court Storage Arrangements

(3)  Community Garden

(4)  Entrance to the Play Area

(1)  Alice Park Trust - 2022/23 Budget and Forecast Update - Q1

RESOLVED – that the 2022/23 Budget and Forecast Update (Q1) be noted.

(2)  Tennis Court Storage Arrangements

The Chair reported that following the previous meeting, he had contacted Wesport and they confirmed that they did not want to be involved in the management of the storage hut.  He recommended that the club interested in using the hut for storage be given a key on the understanding that the liability would lie with the club and not with the Trust.  He confirmed that he did not recommend charging rent in the interest of growing the use of the tennis courts and due to the condition of the hut which although safe, was in need of repair. 

(3)  Community Garden

The Sub-Committee was advised that there was a new officer in post in Property Services who had been tasked with looking into whether a formal agreement between the Alice Park Trust and the Community Garden project was required in relation to commercial activity and would report back to a future meeting.

(4)  Entrance to the Play Area

The Parks Team Leader advised on 2 different options for a new entrance to the play area which he circulated to members of the Sub-Committee:

Option A – a diagonal line path with the entrance at the corner of the fence.

Option B – a crooked line path with the entrance further along the fence.

He confirmed that both options would include a tarmacked path to ensure accessibility for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

It was agreed that option B would be easier to install from a technical point of view. 

RESOLVED – that the Parks Team Leader investigate the costings and timings for installing option B as a new entrance to the play area and contact the Sub-Committee members via email with the outcome.

(5)  Noticeboard

The Chair confirmed that the noticeboard was on site and recommended that this be installed by volunteers as a way of keeping costs to a minimum. 

(1)  Public consultation and engagement

(2)  Finance and community giving

(3)  Equipment sourcing and overall play area plan

(1)  Public Consultation and Engagement

The Chair advised that each member of the Sub-Committee had identified ten priority items which had arisen from the public consultation and that the next stage would be to produce a Masterplan.  He confirmed that it had been agreed not to progress some elements such as the water play due to the problems associated with this type of equipment. 

In terms of next steps, it was agreed that Cllrs Davis and Wright would investigate the costs of the preferred equipment and seek advice from the Procurement Team on how to take this forward.

(2)  Finance and Community Giving

It was agreed that it was important to have an estimated cost of the project in advance of engaging with the public about community giving.  The Sub-Committee noted that members of the public may want to make donations in memory of loved ones, but it was important to manage expectations from the outset so that doners were aware that equipment would need to be replaced if it was deemed to be unsafe in the future. 

(3)  Equipment Sourcing and Overall Play Area Plan

The Parks Team Manager undertook to find out details of the source/cost of play equipment at Oldbury Court in Bristol. 

It was also noted that access/equipment for disabled adults needed to be considered.

(1)  Skatepark and Graffiti (Cllr Wright)

(2)  Cycle Rack (Cllr Wright)

(3)  Bee Bold Award (Cllr Wright)

(1)  Skatepark and Graffiti

Cllr Wright reported that she had spoken to some users of the skatepark who had said that they found the graffitied surface better to use than a plain surface and that the product used to remove graffiti had a sticky texture which made it difficult to skate on.  The Parks Team Leader undertook to look into this issue.

It was agreed that the Sub-Committee did not want the skatepark to be graffitied and that a sign was required to set out the conditions of use of the park. It was noted that signage was included in the original specification for the council provision of the skatepark and the Sub-Committee requested that this be supplied.

(2)  Cycle Rack

It was noted that it may be possible to get cycle racks free of charge, although the application may need to come from the Community Garden or Café rather than the Trust.  Cllr Wright undertook to contact the Accessibility and Cycling Officer for further advice.  The Parks Team Leader undertook to look into whether cycle racks were available from Property Services.

(3)  Bee Bold Awards

Cllr Wright reported that she had looked into whether Alice Park met the criteria to apply for the Bee Bold Awards and did not think it did as the awards were for new projects rather than those already completed.

(4)  Tree Plan

Cllr Wright requested a meeting with an appropriate officer on site to map out where trees/shrubs could be planted in the future so there was a plan in place in the event of future funding for planting becoming available.

In response to comments about recent tree felling in the area, the Parks Team Leader undertook to speak to Tree Officers about the policy on tree felling and in particular, what happened to trees after they had been felled.

(5)  Your Park, Bristol and Bath

The Parks Team Leader reported that Your Park Bristol and Bath were offering support to “Friends of” groups and volunteers and may contact members of the Sub-Committee.

(6)  Fields in Trust/Green Flag

The Chair advised that Alice Park had been nominated for the Fields in Trust Award for the UKs favourite park and there may be media interest if the park was shortlisted.

In relation to Green Flag status, the Parks Team Leader confirmed that a management plan needed to be produced as part of the process and undertook to let the Chair see an example of what was required.

RESOLVED that the next meeting be held on Thursday 20 October 2022 at 2.30pm.