Plans for mobile phone masts on GLE

The City have released plans to put mobile phone masts above flats on the Golden Lane Estate.

The plans were released just before the Christmas hiatus with the window for objections closing on January 7th.  Typically unhelpful timing on the part of the City.

From GLERA (the Golden Lane Estate Residents Association):
___

In January CTIL (a joint venture company owned by Telefónica UK Limited and Vodafone Limited) will submit a planning application to place a telecomms station on the roof of Bowater House.

CTIL have a contract with City of London which gives them a legal right, subject to planning, to put equipment on the rooftops of Golden Lane. This in theory means every roof on our estate could be affected.

Our resident Councillor, Sue Pearson, received a letter earlier this week with notice of a two week consultation period - read here. MP Mark Field, our MP, was also notified. With her efforts and those of Councillor Mark Bostock objecting very strongly to the timing, it now looks like the consultation will be extended to January 7 before a planning application is submitted. Sue has also been in touch with Paul Murtagh, Assistant Director, Barbican Estate & Property Services. He was unaware of the proposals, has expressed concern and is now looking into the contract details. Tim Godsmark, Chair of GLERA has also written to CITL representatives.

The proposals will need planning permission but because utilities have special powers we are still unclear of what the process is and so there may not be the usual time period / scope to object.

It is essential that we all write now so that the utility company rethinks their plans.

Write to Rebecca Skerrett at GVA representing CTIL
Write to Mark Field MP

There is more information, copies of correspondence on the GLERA forum on the GLE website - do post your own comments, copies of emails sent.

Cote Survey - smells, noise, cleaning

The Cote restaurant at the junction of Beech St and Whitecross St, directly beneath Ben Jonson House, has been operating for several years.  Over this time they have provided a welcome service, and some very tasty food.  They have also been the source of frustration for some.

The house group is primarily a conduit for information.  A number of residents have raised issues about smells,  noise (e.g. throwing out glass in the evening) and cleaning (e.g. in the yard behind Cote).  The BEO have been trying to resolve these issues for residents by talking to Cote, but this has proved to be difficult partly because we don't have a complete understanding of who is experiencing what (including who has no problem at all).

You might ask why the survey is for that whole of Ben Jonson House, how could Cote could affect people at the western end of Ben Jonson House, but some of the smell complaints have come from flats overlooking Cripplegate Street.  Are these smells from Cote, or something else?  We'd like to know.

Hence the survey.  The aim is to get a map across the the whole building of what people experience, if anything.  With this information we can work with Cote (or other source of smells/noise/mess) to get the issues resolved.

So, please do give your views via the survey.

Here is the survey email message from the BEO (who are very keen to point out that this survey is indeed at the request of the house group!):
____

Message sent on behalf of the Ben Jonson House Group

The House Group has requested a survey about Cote restaurant is sent to residents of Ben Jonson House. Please complete the survey by clicking on the link below.

Please complete the survey by Friday 4 January 2019. Many thanks.

Please click here for survey about Cote restaurant

Healthwatch City of London

From the BEO:
___

Have your say on a new City carers' plan

Commissioners are seeking views on a new draft City of London Carers' Strategy.

The plan sets out how the City of London will work to improve life for carers over the next three years.

Click here for further information.

Grey Squirrels

From the BEO:
___

Grey squirrels can be a problem in the gardens and balconies, please click here to find out what can be done to keep them out.

Do not feed them or leave out food they can forage.

BEO Holiday Working Hours

From the BEO:
___



This is to inform residents that the Barbican Estate Office will be closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day. The office will also close at 1pm on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.
Wishing Everyone a Happy Christmas!

Television Services

Like many people on the estate I have a contract with VFM.  I just use their fibre Internet service, not the TV service.  I am surprised to see the BEO and City interpose themselves between VFM and their customers.  Why is it reasonable for someone in the BEO to sit in judgement over me if I have a dispute with VFM?

Anyhoo, from the BEO:
___

Discussions have taken place with VFM concerning the television service.

Concerns have been raised regarding the taking of credit card details from residents in the event the fault is with their own equipment as this is not covered by the license the City has with VFM.

It has been agreed that credit card details will no longer be taken when a fault is reported but residents will be informed that a charge may be made if the fault is with the residents own equipment.  This charge, if deemed legitimate by the BEO, will come from the City of London.

Service Level Agreements with VFM are being closely monitored and a further review will take place in April 2019

The general feedback on the Broadband service is positive

Rubbish Collection Dates Over the Holiday Period

From the BEO:
___

Ben Jonson House will have normal rubbish collections over the holiday period, with no collection on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Minutes of the 2018 House Group AGM

Minutes of the 2018 House Group AGM

Here are the minutes from the AGM meeting. The PDF version is here. The text of the minutes is below.

Please let me know if you see any errors or omissions in the minutes.

~~~~

The Ben Jonson House Group

AGM

19:00 on Wednesday 12th December 2018

The residents meeting room (Lilac Room)

Minutes of the meeting

Opening and Welcome

We are a Recognised Tenants Association (RTA) under the Landlord and Tenant act 1988 (as amended). This is the AGM we’re obliged to have each year.
We have 111 members as at 11th Dec. To be quorate we need 15% of members present, which is 17 people. 31 residents attended so we were quorate.

Apologies/Absent (committee members only):

• Kevin Bond 
• Helen Hulson 
• Fiona Lean 

Minutes of the previous general meeting

http://bjhg-blog.blogspot.com/2017/12/minutes-of-2017-house-group-agm.html
Acceptance of the minutes proposed by John Murch and seconded by Wendy Spurry
The meeting accepted the previous minutes


Treasurer’s report

The treasurer report was read from the house group rolling agenda and minutes. The only expenditure has been on Staff Christmas presents for 2017. Balance last reported was £1400.
The meeting agreed to ask the house group to once again dispense Christmas Cheer to the staff who give such excellent support to residents throughout the year.


House Officer’s Report
Following the formal part of the AGM our house officer provided insights and details regarding the current matters on the house group committee rolling agenda. Any actions arising appear in the rolling agenda.

Election of the committee & seeking new committee members
The following committee members agreed to stand again:

• Helen Hulson 
• Fiona Lean 
• Wendy Spurry 
• John Murch 
• Dave King 
• Kevin Bond 
• Bruce Badger 
• Stephen Chapman 

The meeting accepted all those standing as committee members


Any Other Business
There was no other business for the formal part of the AGM. The meeting was closed.

Please help your house group

The Ben Jonson House Group needs your help with two things:

• Please be a member (https://membermojo.co.uk/bjhg).  If we don't have enough members (>50% of owners) we will lose our Recognised Tenants Association (RTA) status.
• Please come to the AGM (12th Dec at 19:00 in the Lilac Room) .  The critical part of the AGM takes just a few minutes once we are quorate (15% of members).  After that you are free to stay for the discussions and, of course, the wine and mince pies!

BA question the new plans for the Girls School

The City of London School for Girls have reopened discussion on their plans to expand the school.

The Barbican Association (BA) have reviewed the information available so far and have sent out a letter to residents.  The BA have a number of concerns with the proposals as they stand:

• The loss of the Grade II* listed open vista beneath Mountjoy House compromises the architectural integrity of the Barbican Estate.
• The proposed development, here in a conservation area and listed estate, may set an unwelcome precedent.
• Compromise of residential amenity;  by noise and smells from cooking, delivery and waste handling activities in the proposed new kitchens.

Here is the letter from the BA:

Click to read the whole letter

Girls School Expansion Plans

The City of London School for Girls (another of the many personae of the City of London) has been thinking about how it can grow for some time. 

The first set of plans involved building classrooms for the youngest children in the car parks beneath residential Barbican blocks.  These classrooms would have had no natural light at all.  Residents opposed these proposals because they didn't think it was a good idea for young children to spend long hours in artificial light, and also noted the proposed classrooms and supporting infrastructure (kitchens etc.) would have meant the loss of car parks for residents and the introduction of noise (from the kids, kitchens and deliveries) and smells (from the kitchens).

Having reflected on the wisdom of teaching small children in caves, the school has come up with a new set of proposals:

Click to read the whole flyer

Draft City of London Transport Strategy

From the BEO:

___

Draft City of London Transport Strategy

The City of London Corporation is currently consulting on its draft Transport Strategy until 13 January.

To see the proposals and comment on the future of transport, visit www.cityoflondon.london

To find out about drop-in sessions, visit www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/transportstrategy

Elves (CPAs) in distress - collect your parcels!

From the BEO:
___

Prompt Collection of all Parcels and Packages from Now Until Christmas

Due to an increase in parcels received around the Christmas period, concierge offices begin to get very full. If you could please try to collect your parcels as soon as you receive your pink cards, this would be most appreciated.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

An actual Woodpecker

From the BEO:
___

Barbican Wildlife Garden



A Woodpecker was spied in the Barbican Wildlife Garden, earlier this week. Quite a surprise as we didn't think they would come into the City.

Apologies for the blurry picture, but at least the team managed to catch it. For more details on 'Woody' please click here and here for general updates on the Barbican Wildlife Garden.

Service Charges on the BEO Website

From the BEO:
___

Service Charges on the Website

Residents Service Charge information can be found on the website, we have now uploaded the schedules of the actuals and estimates for each block.

Please view the service charge page here where the schedules can be found.

Residents disenfranchised by City Standards Committee

Further to the debate with the City about whether our elected representatives are allowed to actually represent us on matters relating to where we live, the BA has teamed up with the Golden Lane and Petticoat Square residents associations to try to get sense to prevail.

The following is from Jane Smith, the chair of the BA
___

I am enclosing a public statement that the BA together with Golden Lane and Petticoat Square residents' associations have made about two motions going before the Court of Common Council on 6 December. These propose an independent working party to look at an interpretation of the Localism Act that doesn't disenfranchise residents and a look at the appeals mechanism in the case of complaints.
...
I've also asked our councillors to support the need for an independent look at this. The meeting of the Standards Committee on 15 November didn't fill me with confidence that the policy they propose would address the underlying problem of being disenfranchised.

Jane Smith
Chair, Barbican Association


----Original message----
Subject : Residents disenfranchised by City Standards Committee

Dear Members of the Court of Common Council

Please find below a statement issued by three residents' associations in the City of London supporting motions to be put to the Court of Common Council of the City of London on 6 December.

Some background is available in http://www.cityam.com/269724/city-london-corporation-caught-gagging-row-after-referring

Jane Smith
Chair, Barbican Association

Residents disenfranchised by City Standards Committee 

The Barbican Association, Golden Lane Estate Residents' Association, and Petticoat Square Leaseholders' Association, together representing a majority of City residents, jointly support the proposal to be put before the Court of Common Council on 6 December that the City should establish an independent working party to consider the issue of dispensations under the Localism Act for members who have disclosable pecuniary interests. 

This working party should balance the need to uphold the anti-corruption principles of the Localism Act with the need for City residents to be assured that their elected members can fully represent them. 

Residents feel disenfranchised by recent decisions of the Standards Committee that have prevented our elected members from even speaking on issues of concern to the people who live in the City. We are not confident that the new policy being drawn up by the Standards Committee will uphold residents' rights to representation because it says nothing about how the Act will be interpreted in practice. We urge the City to adopt a more balanced approach and acknowledge that being able to elect fellow residents to represent them is a basic democratic right for your residents. 

The three associations also jointly support a second proposal that the City should establish an independent working party to consider the issue of how internal proceedings, currently handled by the Standards Committee, are dealt with. This follows a recent case in which a resident councillor was referred to the police and had proceedings brought against her in the Standards Committee after she represented her constituents on Golden Lane Estate on a matter in which it was never alleged that she (or anyone else) could have obtained any financial benefit. The case ended, after several months, with no investigation by the police and no sanction by the Standards Committee, but the possibility of its recurrence has had a chilling effect on resident councillors doing what they were elected to do.

Jane Smith
Chair Barbican Association chairBA@btinternet.com 

Tim Godsmark
Chair Golden Lane Estate Residents Association chair.glera@gmail.com 

Roger Way
Chair Petticoat Square Leaseholders' Association rogerwayg1@gmail.com