Present: Tim Llewellyn; Dave King; Ian Douglas; Alex Brown; Dan Phillips; Martin Pasek; Gary Reed; Wendy Gunter.
Apologies: Sue Jones; Ray Edwards.
New committee member. Tim welcomed Wendy to the PPAA committee as Treasurer-elect.
Secretary’s duties. Tim completed an inspection of the site up to the plot 76 row recently and provided Sue with details of those not being tended. Sue has raised the question of the onerous paper work involved with new tenants who fail to pursue their interest. We shall discuss further at next month’s meeting. This item will remain as a standing agenda item until further notice (AP Sue/all).
Website. Martin asked Alex to rename the blogs tab as noticeboard. (AP Alex).
Plot numbering. We have nearly completed the site numbering; those remaining to be completed asap please. (AP all).
Storage. Dave is looking into acquiring an eco friendly roof for our new container, and will report back. (AP Dave).
Hedge. We are looking to fill gaps in the hedge and Ian will obtain whips to take this task forward. A working party can then be organised to plant them. (AP Ian).
Area behind polytunnel. We are looking into clearing the debris behind the poly tunnel. Dave has arranged for a contractor to visit later this week to quote for the job. (AP Dave).
Asbestos/ brick sheds. Sue has joined the council-led brick shed project; next meeting set for May. Dan will help with the numbering of the sheds. (AP Sue/Dan).
Thank You. The committee would like to say a big thank you to Dave for his excellent work as treasurer, and committee member. He hopes to continue helping wherever he can.
Plant Sale. The sale is set for Saturday 13 May, with a 10am start. Volunteers will be needed to help set up the trestle tables, so if anyone is willing to help please let the committee know.
AGM. The date for the AGM is Sunday 14 May 2017 at 10.30am. Dave has finalised the 2016/17 accounts for presentation.
Health & Safety. The dying tree adjacent to the shop gate is causing concern. Martin alerted the council 9 months ago, and nothing has been done. Ian will escalate to his local councillor. (AP Ian).
Dumping garden waste. Martin raised the problem of plot holders located near the Western Ave end not using the community composting areas designed for this waste. We decided that the best course of action would be to increase the number of compost bins to better cover all areas of our site. The first task will be to acquire the necessary pallets – Ian and Dave will take this on. Then the committee will arrange a Sunday working party to set them up. (AP Ian/Dave).
Gate security. Wendy raised concern about security procedures as she has had to lock the Western Ave gate after it had been left open. Martin has prepared a notice to explain what should be done. The bottom line is – lock the gate at all times. Failure to do so infringes paragraph 11 of the tenancy agreement.
Petty theft. Every allotment site suffers a degree of petty theft. Experience has shown that good housekeeping (keeping tools out of sight or at home) helps to reduce opportune pilfering. However, if the gate is continually left open we are leaving ourselves more exposed to this kind of theft.
The committee would like to encourage greater involvement from plot holders in the running of the site. Not necessarily sitting on the committee but contributing to useful site projects such as rubbish clearance, filling pot holes, etc. Can those interested please contact your nearest committee member.
Date of next meeting – Tuesday 6 June, Butchers Arms, Canton.
Pontcanna Permanent Allotments 