Month: November 2023

Plot holders might be forgiven for thinking that PPAA Committee had given up on this programme of works, but that’s not the case. Affordability always meant that it would have to be done in stages, as funds became available, and covid 19 regulations imposed a long pause too.

There were also other problems, e.g. the contractors’ requiring the cubicles to be cleared of all materials in and around them, but this simply being replaced by fly-tippers the moment that volunteers had done it.

Whatever, as part of the improvements to Road Three, PPAA enlisted the help of the Indefatigable Mike, who has cleared the really quite shocking amount of soil stemming from weed clumps, tipped around the cubicles and the old club house there. Volunteers had earlier removed a large amount of junk, and the way is now clear for workers to access the structures for renovation. A PPAA Committee member also suggested that the old club house could be roofed as a wet weather shelter, but this has not been discussed further.

So let’s all respect the good and hard work done so far, and look forward, in due course, to these buildings coming back into beneficial service for all on PPA site.

PPA Website Team

Yes folks, that’s what it has cost PPAA to have the great heap of fly-tipping removed. That’s almost the entirety of PPAA’s annual Council grant. The contractors took twenty loads, and they say that around sixty tons were removed.

So the minority who fly-tipped have had this sum spent on them, rather than its having been used for the benefit of the many times more responsible plot holders who didn’t. Still, life’s often like that, but let’s hope that general vigilance for this antisocial lawlessness is improved by people’s considering these facts and figures.

Those who fly-tip define themselves as lazy – among other things – and so it follows that this affects what they fly-tip too. The material was largely the product of the type of weeding that goes with poor husbandry, that is, large root clumps, consisting mainly of earth, where the gardener couldn’t be bothered to shake off the soil. The soil won’t rot, and so a heap of it quickly builds. Accordingly, the source plot levels become ever lower season-by-season, and it’s a great pity that the material removed couldn’t have been used to restock the topsoil of such plots and to bring them up to a proper height again, but most of them now have new holders who are working them. The heap also contained a significant amount of general rubbish – old carpet, pallets, plastic, etc., and this had to be sorted and disposed of separately.

Whatever, it’s an unalloyed good and happy thing, to see the transformation of the part of site that used to be the heap, and its surroundings, and especially to see the plot’s tenants – for the heap was always part of a plot – get to work straight away on cultivating it. We wish them many years of happy and undisturbed gardening there!

Our thanks go to Wendy Gunter, PPAA Treasurer, for organising these works.

PPA Website Team.

Present:  Richard Masterman (Chair), Sue Jones, Wendy Gunter (Treasurer), Martin Pasek, Robert Loxton, Mike Powell

Apologies:  Lewis Evans, Gordon Goldsmith

Previous Minutes:

Meeting date 17^th October 2023: Previously approved. 

Actions from previous meeting

• No reply received from the Council regarding email 18 October and Road 3 safety hazard.
• Dave King thanked the Committee for acknowledging Cardiff Rivers effort in recovering the trolley from the Taff.
• No reply received from Richard/Mike’s enquiry to other sites regarding Risk Assessments.
• Mike had reported the suspect Ash tree near the composting toilet to the Council who had acknowledged receipt of the report.

Other items to be addressed as the agenda.

Chair Report 

• Items to be addressed as the agenda.

Site Representative 

• Council.

The next Council meeting with site representatives to be 15^th November. Richard to attend.

• PPAA

As agenda

Treasurer’s report

Wendy reviewed a number of planned expenditure items which are covered below.

Site Security

• Richard is awaiting a Risk Assessment from the contractor regarding extra security measures for the bottom [southeast] gate.
• A wildlife camera trap has been obtained and will be set up shortly.

Waste heap and shed debris removal

• The shed debris next to Plot 2 has been removed.
• The contractor to remove the large waste heap has been engaged and work should progress this week.

Road 3 culvert

• A concerted effort has been made by Committee members and volunteers to clear the silt. Slip hazard warning signs have been installed.

Hedgehog boxes

• Sue to contact a plot holder who has expressed an interest in assisting with assembling and locating the boxes. 
• Martin suggested creating hedgehog under passes on the boundary fencing to assist with the wide range of hedgehog foraging. 

Plot Inspections

• No response has been received from the Council regarding the plot termination referrals.

Plot Vacancies, letting and structure applications.

Sue reported the following movement since the last meeting:

• All new tenancies in the 6-week probation period have now successfully been confirmed.
• 2 vacant plots waiting viewings.
• 1 application for a structure.

 Manure

• Now delivered but future deliveries are not assured.

Poly tunnel allocations 2024

• 6 grow beds will become available in February 2024 and the process of application and draw will begin in December.

Water trough water 

• Mains water has been isolated for the winter. Plot holders in the vicinity of a trough are encouraged to carry out the simple task of cleaning out any settled dirt. To ensure the clean-up takes place volunteers are requested to contact the Committee via Gmail so a combined effort can be organised.

Shop

• Seed potatoes and onion sets will soon be ordered for delivery in the New Year. A notice will be posted on the website giving details and inviting expressions of interest from plot holders.

Any Other Business

• All plot holders should contact the Committee only via the PPAA Gmail.
• Sue requested all Committee member email correspondence with Council departments be limited to the PPAA Gmail account so that accurate records can be kept. If desired, personal emails should only be used for preliminary discussions with contractors or suppliers. 

Date of next meeting

19:00 Tuesday 5^th December 2023 at Butcher’s Arms Canton.