28 Oct AGM Minutes
MINUTES OF THE AGM OF MONKEN HADLEY COMMON TRUST (“MHCT”) ON 28-10-24
The meeting commenced at 7.40pm with 21 members present and one guest.
- Election of Chair of the Meeting
Andrew Walker was proposed by Barbara Taylor, seconded by Philip Hulme & voted in unanimously.
- Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from William Boyes, Peter Davies, Jonathan Hewlings, Chris Bakhurst, Jane Beaumont, Lindsay Forbes, Nicholas Rule & Alan Walker.
- Minutes of last AGM to be approved
There were no substantive comments on the minutes. Barbara Taylor proposed that they be accepted. Philip Hulme seconded this proposal & there was unanimous agreement of the members present. The Chair signed the minutes to signify approval.
- Matters arising
There were none.
- Retirement and election of trustees
The Chair dealt with the re-election of William Boyes & himself first. Barbara Taylor proposed that both be re-elected. Janet Hulme seconded the motion. The members voted in favour.
Secondly, the Chair introduced Linden Reilly & Leonora Petrou as volunteers seeking election as trustees. Philip Hulme proposed their election & David Glass seconded the same. Once more the members voted in favour.
- (a) Trustees Annual Report for the period 1-4-23 to 31-3-24
The Treasurer, Phil Keown, took the meeting through the report section by section. There were no questions asked.
(b) Receipts and payments accounts for same period
The Treasurer summarised the figures. Linden Reilly asked about the legacy in favour of the Friends of Hadley Common, but this is a matter addressed in the Secretary’s report & in any event did not fall within the year in question.
The Chair expressed thanks to both Phil Keown & Phil Harding for all their hard work in respect of these accounts.
- Curators’ Report
The senior curator, Roger de la Mare, referred to his report of just over 3 pages & expressed the hope that everyone had read it.
Roger thanked the Conservation Volunteers without whom the management & upkeep of the Common would not be possible. They turned up in all weathers. As well as their usual duties they had helped with the set-up & stewarding of the 3 Concerts by the Lake in the summer. He gave special mention to the volunteers who worked alone or in pairs picking up litter. He singled out Sandy Headey for representing the Trust on Barnet’s Green Spaces Network & Sue Sullivan for hosting the volunteers’ Christmas & summer social get-togethers.
Numbering over 20, this vibrant community of volunteers are the Trust’s eyes & ears on the ground and custodians of the Common. Roger had been walking in the woods in the last two days & was encouraged by the general appearance of the Common with its golden carpet of autumn leaves.
In addition to the volunteers, we are assisted by Barnet Council mowing the grassland along Hadley Common Road & elsewhere. We are grateful to Hadley Angling Preservation Society (“HAPS”) for looking after Jack’s Lake. Naturally we have to pay for various contractors to be engaged when necessary & these can be expensive, especially for bigger projects as mentioned below.
The weather held for the special events of the Concerts by the Lake in the summer, & with the assistance of various local sponsors, these turned a healthy surplus.
Finally, Roger thanked Phil Keown, our treasurer, for building bridges with local councillors & their staff which led to new litter bins at the lake & the resurfacing of the bridleway between the railway bridge and the turning to Jack’s Lake. We hope the Council will assist again if there are further drainage problems affecting the bridleway. The council do a good job in clearing fly-tipping when we report it.
Looking ahead, work on the flood alleviation scheme for Parkgate Avenue & Crescent involving the creation of a wetland area on the Common to enable the gradual release of water is expected to go ahead in the 1st quarter of next year. In the meantime, the s.38 Commons Act consent & the necessary deed of easement including the consideration to be paid to the Trust must be agreed. The area of the Common affected will be that adjacent to the alley from Parkgate Avenue.
The leak to the embankment of Jack’s Lake near the secondary sluice continues to be a headache. Phil Keown & Jonathan Hewlings, my co-curator, met water engineers, Rothen, based in Coventry, to examine the leak recently. Fairly major reinforcement work will be necessary & the secondary sluice needs repairing. The final engineers’ options & costings report is awaited with a view to work being carried out next summer.
Roger asked if there were any questions arising. Elizabeth Khan asked if the number of trees on the grassland next to the cricket field could be reduced. Roger replied that the curators had asked the council mowing team to cut down any saplings growing close to the existing trees. The intention was not to have any more trees in this area.
Philip Hulme had a point to make regarding the White Gates at para. 9 of the report. He said that the last time they were upgraded they looked fantastic but he had recently noticed rot in the bases of some posts. He suggested that special care be taken in the future to make sure that the posts were water-proofed at ground level & below. This suggestion was welcomed & taken on board. Puddles around the bottoms of posts must be avoided.
- Secretary’s Report
The Secretary, Gary Chambers, summarised his report. He stated that possibly the most interesting item was that of the legacy left to the Friends of Hadley Common that the Trust was claiming as de facto successor to the Friends. The executors were consulting the other charities concerned & thus an answer to our claim was not expected in the short-term.
Barbara Taylor updated the meeting on the Church House replacement situation, stating that pre-conditions to planning permission were expected following a planning meeting on Wednesday 30th this week. Additional funds would have to be raised.
John Hall asked about the position regarding the new regulations governing the use of the Common being finalised. Gary explained that Bill Boyes was the driving force behind both the Act of Parliament which led to the creation of the Trust & the process of obtaining confirmation of the regulations by the relevant Secretary of State. Defra had in principle agreed regulations drafted by Bill following consultation with the Open Spaces Society. That draft had been advertised in the last 2-3 weeks in the Barnet Borough Times. It was hoped that the process would be completed by Christmas. Gary explained that the Council’s Public Spaces Protection Order made pursuant to the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 was likely to be a more important method of enforcement of good behaviour on the Common. Infringements can be reported to us & we will pass them on to the relevant contact at the Council & enforcement officers may be engaged to investigate or take action. This had happened on one occasion concerning nuisance dogs.
- Any Other Business
There were no matters raised. Barbara Taylor wished to have recorded the trustees’ thanks to Andrew & Rosemary Walker for hosting board & committee meetings over many years & providing wonderful hospitality therefor.
The meeting closed at 8.20pm
Gary Chambers,
Secretary to the Trustees
October 2024
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