Moving? Prop doors with care

From the BEO:

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Propping Doors Open and Moving In and Out


Please be aware that propping doors open is a security risk and an inconvenience to other residents.

When planning your move to or out of the Barbican Estate it is advisable to contact the Car Park Attendant or Lobby Porter who can give advice on the following essential details:

• Parking for your removal van
• If the van cannot be accommodated in the car park you can apply for special dispensation to park in the street
• Height restrictions in car parks
• The times of day during which you can arrange for removals. Usually this is between 8am and sunset.

For further information please check the website here in the Communal Living Tab in the Resident Information Pack.

House Officer: Sheila Delaney retiring. Hello Elle Ashton.

 From the BEO:

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Changes in the House Officer Team: Sheila Delaney

As some of you may already be aware, Sheila Delaney will be retiring in April 2021. Leading up to April, and as of next week, Sheila will be dropping down to 3 days a week.

Sheila started with the Barbican Estate Office in July 1999 working in the old reception (that many of you will remember!) at the base of Shakespeare Tower, then moving onto the Leasehold Services team. In October 2012, Sheila joined the House Officer team and had has been pivotal in that role ever since, sharing her knowledge and experience with her colleagues.
 

(Sheila with Ray Sibson, taken this time last year)
 

House Officer Arrangements for the following blocks:
 

Shakespeare Tower	Monday to Wednesday  Sheila Delaney  020 7029 3911 Sheila.delaney@cityoflondon.gov.uk	Thursday and Friday    Ella Ashton  020 7029 3911 Ella.ashton@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Ben Jonson House
Breton House
Frobisher Crescent
Bryer Court
Bunyan Court
John Trundle Court

Ella will be assisting us on Thursdays and Fridays and can be reached as above. Ella has already been with us for 3 years and you may have met her whilst she worked on reception.

Legionella Water Monitoring

From the BEO:

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Legionella Water Monitoring


Due to the present heightened restriction being imposed in London, Guardian will revert back to testing all water tanks on a monthly basis, to check temperature and water samples and avoid going into homes if possible.

Please find the schedule below for Guardian's next site visit:

  

Date	Blocks on the Barbican Estate
2 November	Ben Jonson House / Shakespeare Tower / Cromwell Tower / Lauderdale Tower
3 November	Defoe House / Lambert Jones Mews / Seddon House / Thomas More House
4 November	Mountjoy House / 1-2 Wallside / Gilbert House / Frobisher Crescent / Brandon Mews
5 November	Speed House / Andrewes House / Estate Office / The Postern / Willoughby House
6 November	John Trundle Court / Bryer Court / Bunyan Court / Breton House
9 November	Catch up day if Barbican not completed

Those residences which require access due to previous Legionella positive samples being returned, will be contacted directly, so that a planned visit can be made with COVID-19 procedures in place.

Please respond with any details of self-isolation or infections when asked.

Any further questions please contact Steven Murray, the Project Manager, by email or 020 70293915.

Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.

Common Parts - share and enjoy

How to avoid a tragedy of the commons ...

From the BEO
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Good Neighbour Guide: Keep Common Parts Clear

Compliance with a few basic rules and conditions will help to make life in the Barbican more enjoyable given the very high density living. Your attention is also drawn to the terms of your long lease or tenancy (as appropriate).

• Common parts include lift lobbies, corridors and staircases. These areas should be kept clear at all times and they should not be used for storage.
• Bicycles should be stored in the bike cages or designated areas located in the car parks.
• Please do not abandon unwanted items on balconies, lift lobbies or car parks.
• Please do not leave shopping trolleys in communal areas.
• If you do smoke on the balcony, please be mindful of your neighbour's open windows. And don't forget, the ventilation system in the bathrooms and kitchen is a communal system, therefore smells and smoke can travel into other flats.
• It is prohibited under the terms of the lease to hang washing on your balcony.
• Do not make noise inside your flat and on balconies that could cause nuisance to your neighbours. This includes making/taking telephone calls on your balcony at unsociable hours.
• Although balcony drains are on a programme of scheduled maintenance, please can all residents ensure that as far as possible, they keep balcony drains free of soil/leaves etc. Drains can become clogged with debris during periods of heavy rain, and this can cause water penetration into flats below. Having decking and Astro Turf on the balcony paving slabs can contribute to stopping the drain from working to its full capacity and is not allowed.

Although any balcony adjacent to your flat may form part of your property, you should be considerate to your neighbours.

Balconies must not be obstructed as they serve as fire escape routes and are subject to formal rights of escape in case of emergency as set out in each long lease.

Click here for further information on the website in the Communal Living Tab of the Resident Information Pack.

Highwalk lighting maintenance

From the BEO:
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Reporting Podium Lights on the Estate

As some of you may be aware all Podium light issues are the responsibility of our colleagues in the Highways Department of the Built Environment.

In order to improve upon the present working methods, a new dedicated email address has been created to report these lighting issues on the Barbican Estate.

May we ask residents to please help us with reporting and use the following email address dbebarbicanlighting@cityoflondon.gov.uk for this purpose and contact the team directly, if any light concerns are seen on the Podium.

Please can we ask that you also copy in your House Officer, so that they may track and follow up on the repairs on your behalf. 

This inbox will be monitored on a daily basis via the electrical group which in turn will allow them to address problems as soon as possible, whilst also providing direct feedback. 

We hope this newer way of working will allow us to manage things a bit more proactively.

Pink Cards, no more

From the BEO:
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Reminder: Pink Card System

Please ensure your local car park box or lobby porter has your contact details so they can contact you to collect a perishable item or an uncollected parcel.

This is because the cleaning team are no longer delivering the pink slips to notify you of parcels. The future of this system is on the agenda for the next Service Level Agreement Working Party meeting later this month.

We will keep you updated of the outcome.

BA AGM on Zoom - 4th Nov

From the BA

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Reminder: Notice of the 2020 Annual General Meeting of the Barbican Associaion

Wednesday 4 November


Please click here (or see text below) to find the notice of the 2020 AGM - on 4 November at 7pm, on Zoom

Jane Smith
Chair, Barbican Association
chairBA@btinternet.com

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Notice of BA AGM 4 November 2020 

Dear Barbican Association member Please find this Notice of the 2020 Annual General Meeting of the Barbican Association Date: 4 November 2020 Time: 7pm Venue: Zoom call 

The invitation to the meeting on Zoom will be sent nearer the time of the meeting to members of the BA on the email we have for you. 

If you are aware of other members who do not receive this email please ask them to contact the membership secretary Jim Davies 101 Mountjoy House membership@barbicanassociation.co.uk and provide a contact email.  Applications to join should also be sent to membership@barbicanassociation.co.uk 

If you are aware of members who do not have access to a device (computer, tablet or smartphone) and would like to attend the AGM please contact the membership secretary to discuss options. 

Agenda 

• Update on the BA’s work during the year 
• Questions from Members 
• Treasurer’s report 
• Election of: Treasurer, 9 General Council members, honorary auditor 
• Motions to amend the constitution 
• Any other business 

Please send details of any issues you would like discussed at the AGM to Jane Smith by 28 October (chairBA@btinternet.com). 

The main decision-making body of the Association is the BA General Council, which consists of nine members and the honorary treasurer, elected at the AGM, along with representatives of affiliated house groups.  At the AGM existing council members stand down, and if there are more than nine candidates for election, a ballot is held at the meeting and the results declared. Both the honorary treasurer and auditor are elected at the AGM. Other officers are appointed by the members of the general council at its first meeting following the AGM. 

Nominations for election to one of the 9 elected positions on the BA General Council should be sent to the honorary secretary Christopher Makin, 21 Speed House (chairspeedhouse@outlook.com), no later than 2 November. The nomination must contain all the following information: -Name and Barbican address, email address and phone number of the candidate and a declaration that they are a member of the BA, signed -Name and Barbican address, and email address of a proposer and seconder and a declaration that they are members of the BA, signed Emailed nominations without signatures will be accepted but they must be sent by the candidate and copied to the proposer and seconder. Notification of representatives of affiliated house groups should reach the honorary secretary by 2 November. 

Underfloor Heating - More heat now, less heat in Jan

From the BEO:
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Updates: Background Underfloor Heating 2020 Survey

Following the recent residents’ survey we have now begun the implementation of the seasonal load shifting trial. We’re aiming to have around 20 more hours heating over the month of October, compensated by 20 hours less heating in January. We’re keen that, as near as possible, this trial will be cost neutral. Then in February we’ll have another 20 hours less heating compensated by 20 hours more in April.

We will start this for October, by telling the temperature sensor that determines when the heating comes on, that it is 1 degree colder than the real temperature. We have modelled this shift on last season’s heating data.

Clearly this is not an exact science as the external temperature profile varies from year to year, but by monitoring the heat load each day we can make sure that we don’t deliver more than 20 hours extra in October. In January we will tell the sensor that it is warmer than the real temperature. Again we will be carefully monitoring the daily heat load to keep within our 20 hours. This should ensure that there is no additional cost to residents, on which the Barbican Association Meeting was agreed.

This is one component of the Underfloor Heating Working Party’s attempts to make the heating system match better the needs of residents.

I understand that these changes cause concern for some residents and the Working Party will be looking at those concerns. Please note that it is a one year carefully monitored trial. We welcome your feedback and comments and in particular any suggestions to improve the heating system.

You can contact me via email on mary.durcan@cityoflondon.gov.uk I look forward to hearing from you.

Mary Durcan
(Chair of the Underfloor Heating Working Party)
Common Councillor
Cripplegate Ward
City of London Corporation