Chairman's Report 2009

The Leatherhead Area Partnership Limited AGM 11 November 2009                        

 

The Chairman, Colin Langley, welcomed Members and guests of The Leatherhead Area Partnership Limited to our third Annual General Meeting. He particularly welcomed Chris Windridge, Chairman of the Caterham Community Partnership and advised that Chris would share with us later his experiences in “Partnership Working”. We also welcomed Andy Bircher, Corporate Head of Service, Planning Department, MVDC

 

Chairman’s Report 

 

Members

 

We have welcomed two new Members this year; the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled and the Leatherhead & District History Society. In February, Leatherhead Ahead relinquished its membership; its aims are pursued through the Leatherhead Residents’ Association, which now has substantial and growing membership to represent the residents of the town. Our Membership now totals 15 local organisations.

 

Projects

 

Little progress has been made on improvements in the High Street and the pedestrianised section of Church Street. However, the District Council has committed funds for environment improvements in this area of the town and it is understood that the County Council has also committed funds. We have been invited to take part in initial discussions with councillors, officers and others to develop a brief and establish a timetable for consultations. The Partnership is committed to playing its part in the consultations and discussions and to ensuring the process is open and widely communicated to Members so that they are fully engaged with it.

 

The SEEDA match funded project to upgrade the facilities and services on the 479 bus route across the area is almost complete. New easy access buses equipped with real-time information are operating; improved bus stops and shelters installed. Simpler timetables with route maps are ready for distribution to households along the route, held back during the current diversion of buses through Ashtead. Di Stirling leads this project with Surrey Passenger Transport Group.

 

The SEEDA funded Business Support project is being delivered through two parallel initiatives. John Howarth, with Business Link, has organised a series of practical seminars aiming to assist micro and start up businesses in the current difficult economic circumstances. John Hickey, through the Chamber of Commerce and in association with a number of local sponsors, has launched the Leatherhead & District Business Awards for 2009-2010. They are being regularly reported in the Leatherhead Advertiser.

 

In no particular order, we can report progress on the following projects:

 

·        Heather Ward and Hilary Porter represent us in the project to create a Credit Union, which now has an aim for Surrey-wide coverage. 500 individual pledges are being sought to show there are enough people to support it before regulatory applications are finalised in the Spring.

·        The Leatherhead Residents’ Association continues to grow its membership cover of the town. Hilary Porter and Paula Sabine are committee members.

·        John Howarth, having joined the Management Committee of the Citizens Advice Bureau, has investigated sources of funding and contributed to the assessment of alternative office locations prior to the expected successful re-negotiation of the lease at The Georgian House.

·        John is also giving active support to the development of the Bookham Village Plan, “Bookham Vision”, which plans to report findings in the Spring.

·        John Hickey has been working with Rod Shaw of MVDC to acquire necessary approvals and highway licences for seats on walking routes into the town at locations that include the Library, Wesley House, All Saints Church and in Bridge Street. We expect them to be in place this month.

·        Di Stirling has been deeply involved in the research and now operating Ashtead community bus service. It supplements the 479 service with shuttle buses to the station, Leatherhead and Tesco, initially one day a week.

·        A new fingerpost has been installed at the market end of the High Street.

·        An Art Deco design entrance arch and railings on the steps have been installed in the King George V Memorial Gardens.

·        Tim Hall and Colin Langley have met with the Chairman of the History Society to help with the search for suitable premises to house those archives that will not be deposited at the Surrey Archive in Woking.

·        The Board has discussed the ‘Transition Towns’ movement currently being launched in Dorking and Ashtead. No decision has been taken to date.

·        The Directors are currently re-examining the Leatherhead Tomorrow Healthcheck report to see whether any findings still need attention and to explore ideas for new initiatives. Many of the ideas in it have been achieved. Leatherhead and District has changed and moved on since then. We welcome your views and any ideas for projects that contribute to our continuing vision to make the Leatherhead area an even better place in which to live, work and play.

 

We have continued to report progress on our activities to the Leatherhead & District Forum and to participate in the District Council’s Area Forums for Ashtead/ Leatherhead and Bookham/Fetcham.

 

The company contributed to the consultations on the MVDC Local Development Framework – Core Strategy. We made strong points on housing in the Green Belt and the importance of maintaining essential infrastructure that supports new developments, which were reflected in the Planning Inspector’s report.

 

Looking to the Future

 

We shall continue to encourage Member organisations to involve us in their projects where we can act in a facilitating and fund raising role that helps achieve their aims. One new approach will be to invite representatives from Member organisations to attend our Board meetings from time to time.

 

We are open to applications for membership from other community organisations and companies that give us wider representation in the area and which contribute to our aims.

  

The District Council will shortly launch consultations on a Leatherhead Conservation Area Appraisal and the preferred use of Section 106 funds that are designated for Public Art by the developer. The Partnership will be a consultee on both and has been requested to take a co-ordinating role in the latter.

 

An all day regional event of the South East Rural Towns Partnership will be held at Denbies on Thursday 11th March 2010, which will give us the opportunity to share our experiences with representatives from other towns. The detailed programme is not yet available.

 

 

Thanks went to the Directors, Company Secretary, Margaret Morton of Surrey Community Action and Rod Shaw of MVDC for their time, energy and expertise devoted to the Partnership’s affairs.

 

 The Board of Directors  

Two nominations were made for the two vacancies on the Board of Directors. They were Cheryl Allen, nominated by the Leatherhead Residents’ Association and Hubert Carr nominated by QVD Associates. Both were seconded and elected to the Board.

 

Chris Leveritt, Di Stirling and David Smith retired by rotation in accordance with the company’s Articles of Association. They were re-elected.

 

Colin Langley was re-appointed as Chairman and Di Stirling was appointed as Vice Chairman.