Petersfield Area
Community Trust

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• PACT ISSUES:
• Community Centre
• Planning Issues
• Local Amenities
• Millennium Project
• Traffic
• Local Shopping
• Homelessness
• Vandalism & Crime
• The Cemetery
• Youth Activites
• Older People

1. The meeting began at 7:30 prompt.

2. Minutes of previous AGM:

3. Chair's Report.

Since the 1999 AGM, PACT has continued to campaign vigorously on behalf of local residents on issues they have raised with PACT. Here is a summary of this year's major developments.

Local residents have on many occasions during the year approached PACT for support with local planning applications (see below) or in addressing problems such as noise from CC's cafe. These are always top priority issues for us. PACT has become widely established as a genuine voice for the Petersfield community, and is an increasingly prominent focus for public consultation. PACT's feedback has been sought by the City Council on procedures for revision to the Local Plan, on its new homelessness strategy, and for analysis of a poverty-mapping exercise. Other bodies have sought PACT's input on such diverse issues as the Eastern Corridor Area Transport Plan, Environmental Design & Conservation, local representation on the Community Health Council, and a Lifelong Learning Fous Group. PACT is careful only to express views guided by genuine community input (from public meetings or other consultations). Your participation is very important!

Summary of Major Developments During PACT's 2nd Year

Planning/Youth and Community Centre.

• Last Spring, PACT published its analysis of its Survey of Need, showing that 72% of respondents agree that Petersfield needs a Community Centre. Your hundreds of suggestions for preferred types of facilities and activities have been widely read.
• All year long, PACT has worked alongside local Ward Councilors to support local residents challenging inappropriate planning applications at the Beehive Centre (Coldham's Lane), Philips site (York St), Carpet Mill (Mill Rd), Ivy Villa (Stone St), and 'Faulty Towers' (Newmarket Rd/Harvest Way).
• PACT's regular exchanges with the Planning Department have tackled (1) contributions to community facilities from large-scale developments (e.g., the Philips and Beehive sites), (2) commuted open-space contributions from smaller-scale developments (e.g., the Varsity House, Foister & Jagg, Labgear & Simpers sites), (3) community consultation on the use of such contributions, and (4) the importance of open-space provision being on natural ground that will support real trees rather than just a thin layer of soil over underground car-parking facilities.
• PACT has at last succeeded in joining the Red Studio User Group (RSUG), and is playing as active a role as feasible in ensuring that the RSUG fulfils its formal responsibilities. PACT is currently challenging the RSUG on: the scale and variety of community use of the facilities in and around the Howard Mallett building; addressing noise and other problems associated with current use of building; and the RSUG's so-far non-existent annual report.
• PACT met with and transmitted to local Councilors at County and City level all the resolutions passed at the 1999 PACT AGM expressing your concerns on use of the Howard Mallett building and need for community facilities.
• PACT is seeking funding from Awards For All for a feasibility study (the first attempt was unsuccessful, but we'll try again) to explore possibilities for a community facility.
• PACT's Youth Venue Subcommittee has been working successfully with Community Education at Parkside to re-establish the local Youth Club; its first major activity may be the creation of a graffiti wall - building on PACT suggestions and financial contributions (thanks to resources received from the Cooperative Society).
• Members of this PACT subcommittee have also worked with St Matthew's Play Centre.

Traffic.

• PACT supported Petersfield Streets for People (now an independent group) in hosting public consultation meetings in January & February 2000. These collected residents' views on creative and effective ways of addressing safety and other issues in the local streetscape (concentrating on 4 sub-areas within Petersfield).
• PACT participated in the County Council's 'Safer Routes to School' consultation at St Matthew's School, focusing particularly on traffic issues in Norfolk Street.
• PACT helped collect signatures seeking a pedestrian crossing in Norfolk Street, as one step toward improving children's' safety in this busy road.
• PACT has sought: better traffic controls for pedestrians near major developments (on Coldham's Lane at Silverwood Close, New St & Newmarket Rd); and solution of problems due to large vehicles obstructing local streets (like Abbey Walk).

Vandalism, Safety and Homelessness

• PACT's active links with community police produced a joint survey on vandalism to local residents' parked cars, highlighting high-risk times and locations needing closer policing; a recent arrest for precisely such damage confirms the value of this work.
• PACT transmitted to local Councilors at County and City level of resolutions passed at the 1999 PACT AGM expressing residents concerns on the issue of homelessness.
• In September, members of PACT supported a meeting at the Zion Baptist Church of Cambridge Groundswell - a self-advocacy group for the homeless.
• PACT members pressured the City Council to take positive steps to address issues arising from the 'drinking clubs' occupying the dwindling number of local benches.

Campaigning for and Celebrating Petersfield Facilities

• PACT hosted well-attended community parties, in 12/99 (in St Matthew's Church Hall) and in 6/00 (on St Matthew's Piece), building community spirit. The next such event will be 4 December, again at St Matthew's Church Hall - please join us!
• We hope to establish at the 2000 AGM a new social subcommittee to encourage more such events (there is strong local interest - a Petersfield Carnival was a particularly popular item in PACT's local Survey).
• Local councillors responded to pressure from PACT by arranging for the establishment in April of a free bus service four times a week from the Beehive site to Sainsbury's on Coldham's Lane, following the closure of the Pioneer supermarket.
• PACT has spearheaded a Mosaics for the Millennium project, aiming not only to involve local groups in creating beautiful mosaics on community themes but also to transform a rather bleak and neglected corner at St Matthew's and Norfolk St. Support has already been received from some local businesses, and is now being sought from both the Cooperative Society's Partnership Scheme and the City Council's 'Bright Ideas' fund.
• PACT succeeded in having the Council put a railing around a tree on St Matthew's St, to prevent cars from parking on its roots.
• PACT explored carefully with the County Council whether additional mobile library services could be made available locally to compensate for loss of Mill Rd Library - but we have been frustrated that this pressure has been wholly unsuccessful.

Communication Within PACT

• PACT produced a 2nd issue of IMPACT, out attractive newsletter, and distributed 2,000 free copies (up from 1,500 last year).
• PACT received an Evening News Community Challenge Award to help fund the creation of community noticeboards: PACT plans for these to be made, sited and maintained by members of the Petersfield community.
• PACT members design, create and distribute PACT leaflets, posters & newsletters.
• PACT members display our posters in their windows, to promote PACT events.
• PACT's website (www.colc.co.uk/cambridge/forum/pact) has developed and flourished.

And Last But Not Least, The Essential Admin

• Revisions have been proposed to PACT's Constitution, to maximize our effectiveness
• PACT has held dozens of Management Committee and Subcommittee meetings to maintain progress on key issues.
• Regular scrutiny is made of PACT's account and finances, including at this AGM.
• PACT has been active in fundraising to support key PACT activities
• PACT looks forward to another year of vigorous and constructive local community action, and welcomes new members to PACT, to its subcommittees and also to its management committee to help make progress in all of these areas of activity and local concern.

4. Treasurer's Report

Please see attached report.

Hannah Reed congratulated PACT on its amazing success this year, and queried details of the �675 of grants. Glenys provided the breakdown, including the fact that �250 was from Parkside Community and Education towards the costs of printing the Survey of Need, �200 is for the Youth Club, and �70 came from the Cambridge Cycling Campaign for the Streets for People (S4P) initiative.

5. Elections

The Chair made an appeal for new members to join our team, with a quick explanation of roles and levels of involvement.

Val produced an impressive poster with 6 fantastic reasons for joining PACT.

All nominations were elected unopposed.

Working Parties

• Youth and community Centre
  • Shirley Whitehouse
  • Glenys Malyon
  • (Alison Martin)
  • Juliet Edwards
  • Kathy Walsh
• Planning
  • Richard Carrington
  • Lesley Tubb
  • Glenys Malyon
  • ??Christine Bradley??
  • ??Stephen Wilson??
• Socials organisers
  • Single most popular suggestion in the Survey was the idea of creating a Petersfield Carnival. But NO volunteers for this working party!!!!
• Publicity/Newsletter/Distribution
  • Lizzie Dickinson
  • Berenice Howard-Smith
  • ??Gemma Hooper??
  • ??Nicola Hjort??
• Fundraising
  • Dorothy Runnicles
  • ??Susan Carlyle??
  • ??Christine Bradley??
• Mosaics
  • Anna Lindsay
  • Kathy Walsh
• Website
  • Daniel Gordon

Management Committee

• Lesley Tubb
• Dorothy Runnicles
• Glenys Malyon
• Valerie Neal
• Daniel Gordon
• ??John Collins??
• Kathy Walsh
• Berenice Howard-Smith
• Anna Lindsay

All were proposed by John Collins, seconded, and approved: and it was proposed, seconded, and unanimously approved that Valerie Neal should continue as Chair.

6. Changes to PACT constitution

Acting on advice from the Cambridge Council for Voluntary Services, the following wording changes were proposed:

2. delete all text and insert

(a) To promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Petersfield Ward, without distinction of sex, or of political, sexual, or other opinions, by associating together with the statutory authorities, voluntary organisations, and residents in a common effort to protect, preserve, and enhance the amenities of the area of benefit, to advance education, and provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation, with the objects of improving the conditions of life

(b) To establish or secure the establishment of a community centre'

In favour: 26
Against: 0
Abstain: 0
Motion carried.

4. (a) 1)delete the words 'and other opinions' (potential members could have unacceptable opinions, e.g. racist)

In favour: 9
Against: 6
Abstain: 8
No 2/3 majority: motion not carried.

It was noted from the Floor that the political boundaries of Petersfield Ward are scheduled to change within the next few years, and that referring to the area represented by PACT as "Petersfield Ward" will therefore become misleading. PACT will therefore consider how best to change that wording over the course of the coming year.

Here ends the AGM: the following are minutes relating to the Public Meeting.

7. Petersfield Community Facilities:

After briefing us on the background to the HMC issue, she detailed 4 main issues:

• Meeting with the County Councillors to talk over concerns that access to the HMC was not being provided as promised: and the lack of proper response or feedback to that meeting.
• The battle for access to HMC: both within the building, and to the land surrounding it. Some progress reported, as well as the fact that PACT now represents the community on the Red Studio User group.
• Youth Club, which has been established for a fortnight now, and meets on Tuesdays at St.Matthew's Church Hall, and which is due to continue at least until April.
• Community Centre: as highlighted by the Survey of Need, there is a large unmet need for accessible and affordable community activities for all age groups, and the need for a community centre, particularly in view of Petersfield's expanding population as more & more sites are developed for residential use, is acute. A petition is due to be presented to the City Council's Development and Leisure Committee on 26th January 2001.

Shirley's report was followed by comments and questions from the floor.

Hannah Reed updated us on the fact that there has been a clarification in the Planning Dept investigating enforcement of the HMC open space access.

Bachan Bhalla (County Councillor for Petersfield Ward) reported on a meeting between Ian Kidman and himself, and distributed copies of a letter.

John Collins relayed a comment made to him by a parent: "How many teenagers would like to congregate in St.Matthew's Hall?", which exemplified the need for proper facilities.

8. Planning victories!

From the floor, Kevin Blencowe from the Planning Committee commended Glenys' amazing contributions to community issues and her wealth of knowledge.

The patent truth of his praise also succeeded in making Glenys blush. J

9. Streets for People (S4P)

John introduced Colin Rosenstiel and our 4 councillors (Ben Bradnack, Hannah Reed, Bachan Bhalla, and Kevin Blencowe).

A plea for more people to become involved in the next phase, which consists of getting responses from all those who have functions, and getting specific proposals for changes.

Graham Lowe presented the official response, including the welcome news that St.Matthew's School is now signed up to the Safer Streets to School campaign, and has reached agreement on several options for Norfolk Street.

The next stage will be wider consultation for community views.

Comments and questions from the Floor followed. Shirley pointed out (from personal experience) that accidents do happen in Norfolk Street, and that it is mere luck that none so far has been fatal.

Dorothy commented on the dreadful state of the pavements.

Lizzie pointed out that the document is great, but queried whether it was going to be used and actually lead to action, or whether it was merely going to gather virtuous dust.

John responded that a list has been begun of people to whom the Report will need to be presented: and Ben Bradnack, after adding his praise to Kevin's for Glenys' tireless efforts, announced that councillors are now prioritising on how and what to do next. He highlighted in particular the need for

• pedestrian crossing
• traffic calming
• Riverside cycling route plan addressing dangerous parts including Mill Road.

He requested that S4P let councillors know what their priorities for key areas are.

Colin Rosenstiel appealed to PACT to also keep in touch with Market Ward re., access to St.Matthew's school and East Road, and proposed a forum in which everyone including councillors look at facts and proposals etc with professionals and residents, to look at the feasibility of each.

John wound up by re-emphasising that S4P are ordinary residents who have made a fantastic effort in galvanising action for the community. �

10. Communication.

She made another appeal for more people to become involved in producing ImPACT, our annual newsletter, which requires a great deal of work in getting funding, printing etc etc � work which Berenice has, up to now, basically been doing single-handedly.

Berenice also announced the development of an email ImPACT.

11. Website

12. PACT Mosaics for the Millennium Project

Anna, after pointing out the related displays, sketched out the background to the project, its plans for the future, and the wonderful news that the project has received an overwhelming grant from the Environmental Improvement Scheme awards.

13. Any other Business

However, no ball games are allowed.

Also, since there is no sound-proofing, it may be better to book events through CC.

Becky Walton, manager for CC, announced that CC is offering some tremendous deals especially for local residents: eg., two meals for �5, and two free parties scheduled for the community on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve respectively! (First come, first served)

There are also Youth Night facilities at CC's.

Anyone wishing to contact Becky should ring her on 01223 716309.

Leaflets are available in Parkside College and CC's.

14. The meeting closed at 9:30,