Thursday 30 January 2020

Arts Centre residents meeting Mon 27 Jan

Notes from the meeting by Wendy Spurry:

___

The Arts Centre Residents liaison meeting was held on 27th February.

See:

Attending from Ben Jonson House: Wendy Spurry and Fiona Lean

Matters Arising:

2.1 4B's - the planning application is still in abeyance. It may be re-submitted in February. The residents reminded the the meeting that there were hundreds of objections to the removal of the signage. 

2.2 kitchen fans - A date still needs to be set with environmental health organisation for a base background level reading of the noise around the affected areas, for use in future in case the noise levels rise again. Jane Smith (BA) will write to them to ask them to undertake a baseline measurement. 

2.3 Planters in the Guildhall area: in the new financial year the art centre is still looking for funding to re-do the planters to mirror those in the Lakeside area. 

3. The outdoor cinema in August: consultation meetings are going ahead with Frobisher Crescent. 

6. Service Road: the gate is in place till 6 am, and between 6 and 7 am it is monitored by the security team. It is closed at midnight until 6 am. Traffic calming measures will be in looked at over the spring and summer period and noise levels will be monitored.

Agenda

3. Lakes
The Art Centre gave an update, informing us that the engine room has been rebuilt, and nearly ready to be switched back on. They will be looking to reinstate the fountains, but will need a month or so of testing. The waterfall will be looked at, with the intention of redirecting the water to reduce the noise for the Brandon house residents. A group has been set up for the waterfall revamp, to check both the noise and the aesthetic side of things.

4. GSMD end of term events
The students hold end of term events, principally in the summer and Christmas. The Christmas events this year were quite lively, and the art centre passed on apologies for any disturbance to residents which occurred in December. The next student event will be more closely monitored, and managed to ensure that noise levels are kept down.

5. Google Maps and location of Barbican Centre 
The maps on Google show incorrect pointers for the Art Centre, the theatre and the Barbican centre itself. The art centre have contacted Google and are reclaiming these pointers to try and put them into the correct places. However this is a generic problem with Google.
The signage towards the Barbican Centre has been altered, and now shows Barbican only. The residents felt that this was leading to additional confusion when visitors are trying to find specific parts of the Barbican.

6. GSMD skip
The skip that was put in place in December, But was quickly filled by rubbish from staff and students. This remained in place until the 20th of January, and was a bit of an eyesore. The Art Centre management pointed out that actually it had been cleared away and replaced after Christmas, but it was quickly refilled! The system is - the skip comes in, the skip is filled up, the skip is taken away. Management will keep an eye on this to ensure that full skips do not hang around and Are cleared away as soon as possible.

7. GSMD light pollution
The lights for Milton Court will be reprogrammed to take down the lighting when the building is not in use. This covers the front of house lighting and lighting in the stairwells. This should reduce the amount of light spilling over towards speed house. 

8. Cladding on the front of Milton Court
High winds brought down a piece of the cladding on the front of Milton Court recently. No one was hurt by this. The landlords have made this safe, and are looking to make some re-designs in order that this should not happen again.

9. Residence reception
The 'estate at 50' events were very successful, and the residents felt that it had added greatly to the prestige of the estate. There is a movement towards having a committee looking at the next 50 years within the Barbican. It's important to look at the estate as a whole unit, and mesh together the upkeep of both the centre and the residents blocks. A workshop may be put together for a review of developments coming up in the future.
The Art Centre Are looking to host a resident reception in 2020, possibly in the summer.It is likely that there will be a reception to give residents a chance to find out what is happening in the centre and showcase what is coming up in the near future.
It was suggested that the resident reception be held in term time and the students of the GSMD and Girls school be invited to perform their work as a central feature of the Reception.

No comments :