Darker, colder evenings resulted in rather low turn-out to the Beeston Hill Residents’ Voice meeting on 1 November, writes Alison Neale.
The Chair began with a brief update on the poster and leaflet being designed to better advertise the meetings, which should be ready to distribute soon. The question of a logo was raised, and anyone feeling artistic is welcome to design one!
On crime, it was announced that following concerns raised in previous meetings about youths speeding around the area, monitoring had taken place on Tempest Road in recent weeks.
Residents then questioned the representative from the Police about the rules surrounding the sale and use of fireworks, as in the build-up to Bonfire Night there are frequent bangs and flashes, causing stress to pets. Fireworks should only be sold to over 18s and concern was expressed by a number of locals that young people were throwing them, which could cause harm and damage. Residents were informed that there was a plan in place across the agencies, leading up to Firework Night, to avoid fires breaking out in accumulated waste.
At the last meeting a question about the new street lights causing dark spots on streets was raised, and an answer was relayed from the highways department. It was pointed out that because the lights were brighter than the old ones, the dark spots between lamps felt darker than before, but were in fact lighter. Entirely possible, of course, but not terribly helpful!
On the subject of ‘grime’, it was announced that in coming weeks the Stratfords were to be cleared of waste in a one-off clean to coincide with a leaflet distribution on waste management, especially food waste. The owner of a derelict house of particular concern to locals in that area has been contacted and given a few weeks to clear rubbish and secure the property. Action has also been taken against a few Beeston Hill residents who have continually refused to clear unsightly waste from gardens.
Bin yards cleared earlier in the year are apparently retaining a good level of cleanliness, but some discussion took place about the long waiting time (currently six weeks) for bulky waste collection, acknowledged as the principal cause of waste building up in yards. The waste management teams are trying to come up with a solution to the lengthy delays in collection.
An increasing problem with dog fouling was raised, with specific streets highlighted as problematic. The bins for dog waste were reported often to be full. The subject of youths with dogs led to discussion on youth anti-social behaviour and possible crime, especially in streets near the park
Hearty praise was given to the Clean Beeston Campaign, in which large numbers of residents, aided by a Council path sweeper, cleaned up local streets. Further cleaning campaigns will take place on Fridays 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th November at 1.30pm, for one hour, meeting at the Hardy Street Mosque. All are welcome.
Before the meeting came to a close, it was decided that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) would be held on Tuesday 31 January 2012. Nominations for the positions of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are welcome. The next meeting of Beeston Hill Residents’ Voice will be held on Tuesday 6 December, from 7pm, at Building Blocks on Tempest Road (next to the Hamara Healthy Living Centre). All local residents are welcome. If you cannot attend but wish to raise an issue, please contact us by email (beestonhill@gmail.com). See our website for further details.
