LAG Newsletter – April 2008

It has been several months since our first newsletter and a few noticeable changes are beginning to be seen around the development. Tim and I would like to apologise for the delay in our second newsletter and the updating of the site, but this has been due to other commitments, and the LAG have still been busy on your behalf. 

A great deal of work has been carried out by the Lakelands Action Group over these months with representations made at both Stanway Parish Council and the Neighbourhood Action Panel. We are also heavily involved in the steering group set up on behalf of the Parish Council to produce a Parish Plan on behalf of the residents of Stanway. (See separate page under heading Future of Stanway.) 

Since our first newsletter a lot of remedial works have been completed on the estate, with the laying of the road surface to Heron Close and the completion of the new gas main works and renewal of the footpath to Churchfields and Robin Crescent. These issues are of particular importance to residents as the road and footpath surfaces were in a particularly poor condition for pedestrians and children. 

 We have been in constant contact with several parties to keep up pressure to deliver what has been promised to us and try and eradicate the unsocial behaviour that blights the estate.  

Between the end of last year and this newsletter there have been a number of fires, both in and adjacent to the Lakelands estate and we would urge that you report anything suspicious immediately to the Police. Amongst the items that have mysteriously caught fire were a pile of tractor tyres, trees and grass, a demountable building, rubbish, and a Caterpillar vehicle. 

The LAG team have, and will continue to apply pressure in the right places in our attempts at resolving the list of outstanding issues. At present there are continuing remedial works being carried out by Regent New Homes to the raised block paving on and around the mini-roundabout style junctions as well as to curb edgings. 

 There are also major works underway to relay the foul and surface water drainage under Crane Avenue. This work is likely to take another two to three weeks to complete and is necessary to enable the estate drainage system to be adopted by Anglian Water. Once completed and the road surface relaid, this should hopefully allow Regent New Homes to complete the remainder of road surfacing to Robin Crescent, and the associated landscaping. 

As you can see from the appropriate page there are still a number of outstanding defects on our estate and we would encourage you to e-mail us with anything that is not as it should be. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our local Borough Councillors, Lesley Scott-Boutell and Andrew Ellis for all their support and continued work on behalf of the residents here at Lakelands. They both continue to exert their influences to resolve our current problems as well as working hard to avoid future ones on phases 2 & 3.

LAKELANDS ACTION GROUP

Newsletter. August 2007

Firstly Mike and Tim would like to thank all of those residents who have positively shown their support to the Lakelands Action Group (LAG) by e-mailing us via the website. For those of you who support our aims but have not yet e-mailed us please do so. This will enable us to measure the depth of support that LAG has on the estate.

When e-mailing us for the first time please include your address as this will enable us to fully understand the demographics of the supporters of LAG.

Also, if any of you are aware of any neighbours who are not on the internet please pass their name and address to us (with their permission) and we will ensure that they get a paper copy of any communication.

To date the website has received over 300 visits and hopefully this will increase. If you read this newsletter please speak with your neighbours to ensure that they have looked at the website and are aware of this update.

As mentioned in the web launch and leaflet drop, we had a meeting at the Town Hall in July with representatives of the Borough Council and various officers of the Planning Department, the Parish Council, Essex County Council Highways Department, and Anglian Water.

A full and frank discussion was held dealing mainly with matters outstanding and relating to phase one of the Lakelands Development and the Developers Regent New Homes and George Wimpey. A further meeting is scheduled to be held in the near future to discuss progress made since the first meeting and to answer matters that could not be resolved.

At the meeting we were advised that until the main developer Regent New Homes requests Essex County Council Highways Department to adopt the roads of the estate and Anglian Water to adopt the drains and sewers we are at the mercy of the developers. On phase one there is no time limit on either of these adoptions and it may be that they are never adopted.

 Despite this we are expected to pay full council tax and water and sewerage utility bills. Is this a case of discrimination? The roads and sewers may never be adopted! Have you considered this and the possible financial implications in the future? Will this create problems if you try to sell your property?

We were also advised by Anglian Water that although phase one work is not adopted and possibly not of an acceptable standard, they cannot stop the application for a Drainage and Sewerage Agreement relating to phases 2 & 3, and it’s subsequent approval by themselves, even if these drains & sewers discharge through the unadopted works on phase 1.

Unadopted roads are not the public highway! We understand the Police have no power under Road Traffic Legislation.  Speed limits cannot be applied / enforced. Where does this leave you if you are involved in an accident or a member of your family is knocked down? Does this affect your motor insurance cover?

At the July meeting we were advised by both the Council and Anglian Water that they had no powers to force the developers to successfully conclude these outstanding matters. However, following our meeting the Council did advise Regent New Homes via their planning consultants that no further discussions regarding the detailed planning for phases 2 & 3 would be held until they had a firm commitment that the outstanding matters would be dealt with.

Is this the reason why workmen are now working on kerbs and pavements around Churchfields Avenue? Also residents of Crane Avenue have been advised that their road is to be excavated yet again to sort out problems with the drains. There is also a rumour that the residents of Heron Close will have their road sorted out and a top surface applied in the near future. There has also been a small amount of work on the landscaping around the lake although it needs a lot more to bring this up to standard. Hopefully this sign of action by the developers is as a direct result of the meeting in July.

Several of you have raised matters of concern with your messages of support. These include in no particular order:-

1) Poor quality build & finish to some properties,

2) Roads & drains

3) Vermin & insects

4) Landscaping

5) Phases 2 & 3

6) Relief Road

7) Traffic& Priority rights of way

8) Parking

9) Road & general safety

10) The management fees and management companies re the apartments and some town houses.

Mike has already supplied answers to some of these points raised. We will consider all of these matters when preparing for the next meeting.

For those of you who are not aware internet users can view all planning applications& decisions on line. For the current application re Lakelands you need to go to www.colchester.gov.uk and click on Residential Planning and work through /Planning Applications/Current Applications/Planning Applications Registered & Decisions/Colchester Planning Online/Accept conditions/Application number 02/0980.

You may also like to know that the Parish Council meet on the last Thursday  monthly at the village hall in Villa Road (the new extension). If you have any matters to raise with the Parish Council the meetings are open to residents.

Lakelands Action Group has been recognised by the Neighbourhood Action Panel for this area and we intend to attend this panel on a regular basis in the future.

We need residents to report to us any counts of anti-social behaviour as we have now forged close links with the local Police Community Support Officers. Please e-mail us so we can forward all information on to the Officers, confidentially if necessary. Hopefully you will have already noticed the Officers patrolling the estate, particularly the lake, in search of any anti-social behaviour including dog-fouling.

We would also like to ask all the residents whether they are having problems with their broadband connections as mine disappears every evening now, and we know several others have had problems. If we get a strong feedback then we will write to BT and apply pressure to resolve the issues down here once and for all. Please advise us of your internet provider when responding on this matter although we are aware that other than those on cable or satellite broadband they all come via the BT land line.

Once again thank you for your support. Once we know the date of the next meeting we will post this on the website. Please keep emailing us with your support and concerns.

Finally, this is not a political group and this final comment does not affiliate us to any party. However, we would both like to register our sincere thanks to Lesley Scott-Boutell the local Lib-Dem councillor who has fully, and actively supported our endeavors thus far, and was instrumental in arranging the first meeting at the Town Hall.

Mike & Tim

Lakelands Action Group