Fire Station Update 
Community room starting to fill up and bookings coming in.

Looking at signing contracts to have West Midlands Ambulance operative using the station as a base camp, and with Staffordshire Police to house the Goldenhill/Sandyford Officers there.

Community room will give the local Police an ideal meeting room for holding surgeries.

If you want to book the room please call Terresa on 01785 898897 or 01785 898734 

Crime Alerts – Police Updates – PC Glyn Talbot

Last Tuesday, we had an incident were a house and car were broken into on Mustang Close and Hurricane Drive.

The suspect of the house break-in was caught on CCTV at another house. We helped to put people on alert on the estate through the website. We recommend residents of the estate check onto the bankeyfields home page on my tunstall every few days for news and updates.

http://mytunstall.co.uk/bankeyfields  

A 30-year-old male was arrested on Friday night attempting to break into another house in the area. 
He has since appeared before Magistrates charged with committing 3 Burglaries in our community. 
HE HAS NOW BEEN RECALLED TO PRISION - The male is still to face court for the latest burglaries, he has been recalled due to the conditions of his release from prison, having been charged that's all we needed to get him back behind bars until he answers to the court for the latest offences.

Glyn on Twitter.

The Golden Hill Police squad will soon be getting their own twitter account, which will enable to alert or inform residents of  crimes, arrests, request and community building. For those of you who use twitter, we will let you know the @name. You might want to follow @mytunstall for more local updates.

Neighbourhood Manager Stephen Morris’s Nominate a Neighbour Scheme

Steve Morris, Stoke-on-Trent Neighbourhood Watch Manager, has dropped a number of Nominate a Neighbour packs around.

The aim is the packs go to vulnerable people in the area, with the aims of reducing distraction burglaries. For anyone who visits the My Tunstall website, you will have noticed a large number of the crime alerts we do put out are about distraction burglaries.

By having someone else present when workmen come around, a closure eye can be kept on workmen who may or may not be out to rob you/destroy your confidence etc. 

We have 7 packs so if you know someone on the estate who you think would benefit from the scheme, so if you want one, please email us here at

ra@bankeyfields.co.uk

 Adoption

A resident came to the meeting tonight, who told his story, he has been trying to sell his house for the past two years. In fact he is desperate to sell his house for personal reasons. But during those two years the sale of his house has fallen through a number of times at a certain stage.

The banks have twice refused the mortgage to the prospective buyers because of the adoption issues facing this estate.

For anyone who is new to the estate and has not come across this issue before we’ll summarise:

The council won’t adopt the roads of the estate until Severn Trent adopt the drains.

But Severn Trent won’t adopt the drains from Taylor Wimpey (once WILCON) as the land across the road from our estate, and below FOCUS where the estates overflow goes is on land owned by private owners.

Severn Trent say legally they can’t adopt the drains (oh which have been given the all clear by Severn Trent), as if they ever needed access to work on the land below focus, they would not have the rights to do so.

The issue that stopping Taylor Wimpey getting the grant is that one of the owners is mentally ill and would need a deed of grant to give that permission.

Since the last meeting Rich, Steve and Matt have been digging, contacting and researching.

In a recent conversation between Rich and our contact at Taylor Wimpey, Stewart Gower responded:

Hello Richard, 

My contact at Severn Trent is  ……… and he is only taking legal advice from their solicitors. 

I am not prepared to divulge contact details so not to deteriorate our relationship. 

I am waiting to speak to my solicitor next week with regard our options. 

There is not a stalemate, Severn Trent require a Legal Document to be executed by the Land Owners of the Balancing Pond and we have stated that there are already enough rights in the current documentation for Severn Trent to discharge water as successor in title. 

Taylor Wimpey North West now may have to obtain a Deed of Grant of Easement from the Landowner’s, one of which is mentally incapacitated and will therefore take considerable time & money. 

We do not need to meet with the residents or Severn Trent as the current position is clear. 

Once I have spoken to our legal representative next week, we will continue to progress the adoption of the sewers at Swallows Rise. 

Regards, 

Stewart

So we are in the hands of the solicitors of both Taylor Wimpey and Severn Trent. The main issue now is over money, and who pays for the deed of grant. But no matter how you look at it, this corporate wrangling is not taking people’s lives into account.

Steve Barrow suggests that we write one last letter on the subject to all involved putting forward our point and urging for no more delays.

Item for notes: FOI from Matt asking questions relating to the adoption 

1. What year did Stoke-on-Trent City council or highways department adopt Reginald Mitchell Way? 
 
9th June 1995. 
 
2. Why didn't the sewer which was used as a run off for excess road water for Reginald Mitchell Way, and later as an overflow for the Bankeyfields Estate have the necessary legal paper work in place then?

These are two separate issues as follows; 
 
The highway sewers serving Reginald Mitchell Way were built and maintained by the City Council. The surface water from Reginald Mitchell Way discharges into the canal and not across third party land. 
 
Domestic drainage for the Bankeyfields Estate crossing Reginald Mitchell Way is the responsibility of the developer (Taylor Wimpey) who have an agreement with Severn Trent (Section 104 Agreement) to adopt the sewers, 
however there is a third party land issue to be resolved before Severn Trent will take them over. This is not a matter for the City Council. 
 
3. Why, when the council are holding a bond from Taylor Woodrow (then Wilcon/Wilson Connelly) for the repair of the sewer system never take the next step and adopt the roads and the Bankeyfields estate?

Stoke-on-Trent City Council does not hold a bond for the repair or completion of the sewers on this site. This is a private matter to be determined by Severn Trent and the developer, now Taylor Wimpey. The Local Authority has a Section 38 Agreement and Bond which secures the construction and adoption of the highways, not the  drainage/sewers, in case the developer happens to default. 
 
4. Why is the adoption of a new housing estate, left to residents, rather than councillors or council officers?

Nationally it is usual practice that local authorities do not adopt any highway until the sewers which run beneath it have been fully vested with the relevant Water Authority. The adoption of the sewers ensures that, unless in the case of an emergency, the drainage is fully operational with no faults that may result in the need to open up the  carriageway in the foreseeable future. In this instance we have not yet received confirmation that the sewers on the Bankeyfields Site have been adopted by the Water Authority (Severn Trent). Once this confirmation is received, the City Council will continue to work with the developers to ensure that the highways are adopted. 
 
5. Why do the council feel that processes that they are involved in such as adoption issues be left unattended for years?

Section 38 highway construction sites can involve many complicated elements. Firstly, the highways have to be built to certain specifications. Once acceptable there is a maintenance period, after which inspections are made and a list of remedial works compiled to be carried out by the developer. If there are no further outstanding issues then the 
roads can be put forward for adoption. In the case of Bankeyfields, there have been several changes in house builder and site engineer, many remedial works, footpath diversions and numerous inspections. All the roads, footways, street lights and gullies have been measured and counted. Finally, when we wanted to serve the adoption certificates for the roads the process was halted by the situation with the sewers and outfall onto third party land, which is completely out of the City Council's control.  
 
6. Why has the situation been going on for 11 years?

Please see question 5. 
 
7. Who at the council is responsible for new housing projects?

Unfortunately, we have been unable to answer this questions as Bankeyfields is a private development. If you can provide clarification regarding what information you require, we will endeavour to provide it.  
 
8. Who at the council is responsible for adoption of land issues?

Unfortunately, we have been unable to answer this question as there is no highway land on the site only prospectively maintainable highways. If you can provide clarification regarding what information you require, we will endeavour to provide it.

--- update to question 7/8

Unfortunately, there is not a single point of contact which you would be required to contact for either of the issues that you have raised below. 
 
The team/member of staff that would be required to provide assistance to you regarding these issues will be dependent upon the wider context of your enquiry. 
 
The Highways department would be more than happy to discuss this with you and help to ascertain who it is that you need to contact.  
 
I have made Claire Simpson in Highways aware of your situation and she can be contacted on 01782 237889 or at [email address]. She will be able to answer enquiries in relation to the adoption of the roads on the estate and will assist with directing any other queries to relevant colleagues in other departments. 

Adoption Council Update

From Claire Simpson, Highway Development/Regeneration

Firstly, as you are aware, the roads on the Bankeyfields Housing Estate are currently unadopted and therefore the responsibility of the developers for the site, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt's. To clarify the unadopted status, there is an outstanding land matter between Taylor Wimpey and Seven Trent resulting in the Water Authority refusing to vest the sewers on the site until the issue is resolved. Nationally it is usual practice that the local authorities do not adopt any highway until the sewers which run beneath it have been fully vested with the relevant Water Authority e.g. Severn Trent. The adoption of the sewers ensures that, unless in the case of an emergency, the drainage is fully operational with no faults that may result in the need to open up the carriageway in the foreseeable future.  

Severn Trent Cash Back

A few of you might have heard that residents have been getting money back from Severn Trent because they’ve not adopted the drains and not providing the full service, so shouldn’t be taking the full amount money currently charged from the estate.

A couple of months one resident received some good news after attending a Residents association meeting and learning that a rebate might be on the cards.

After hearing nothing for a couple of months, the resident was then told that a error had been made and the rebate wasn’t going to happen.

When the resident queried the they were offered a £210 cash sum as an gesture of good will.

Severn Trent’s back peddling is because they are still disposing of the water, so can’t possibly refund the money.

But here is main point: if anything happens to the drains on our estate, Severn Trent can ignore the issue and it could end up costing the residents 10’s or 100’s of thousands.

Again the Bankeyfields residents association will be putting our point of view across to Severn Trent.

Cllr Megan Ryan stated that the residents should not have accepted the £200 compensation money, as they are possibly just using stalling tactics.

If every house on the estate was to receive a rebate it could end up costing Severn Trent £175000 or more

Council Rebate

Richard Hawthorne raised the subject of applying to the council for a rebate as well as we’ve been paying for a service all of these years and not receiving the full package back. – case in point – grit bins last December/January.

Speed on Reginald Mitchell Way

Residents have expressed concerns over the speeds of cars travelling down Reginald Mitchell Way on many occasions. The councils attempt to improve the situation has helped improve visibility for cars leaving the estate has worked. We can see much more clearly cars hurtling down Reginald Mitchell from the high street BUT it has done nothing for the speed cars travel.

The speed are still in excess of the 30mph speed limit over the roundabout.

Ed Case from Staffordshire Fire service reported his shock when observed from the elevated position of FOCUS car park the speed of cars going over the roundabout and more worryingly the very poor lane discipline.  

Speed Awareness campaign carried out couple of weeks ago. Shift 4 carried out a speed awareness on Reginald Mitchell Way and 
James Brindley Way. 
 
*20 Vehicles stopped for speeding in total. 
*4 placed on the speed awareness course. 
*16 warned for the manner of driving.

 
During the opening of the Sandyford Fire Station Joan Walley MP spoke of dangers of the speeding traffic coming down Reginald Mitchell Way, and spoke of the Fire Service being in an ideal position to work with and help the campaign of raising awareness of drivers speed, finding the best solution for all involved (which may not mean a reduction in the 40mph speed limit). 

We have started our own enquiries about Reginald Mitchell Way and we are looking into ways we can force a reduction in the max speed of Reginald Mitchell Way. 

Steve Barrow, has been looking at safety regulations for roads to see if you have a traffic light, roundabout within a certain distance, there may be a force reduction of the speed.

Note the distance from James Brindley Way's 30 zone/roundabout compared to the 30 zone/roundabout. A difference of 103 meters, then take into account the gradient.         

Speeding on the Estate

We’ve asked the local council if they can look into implementing a 20mph speed limit on the estate, of which Cllr Megan Ryan will be following up this coming Wednesday.

The reason we want a imposed 20mph limit on the estate are:

·         A high number of homes have children 
·         Narrow roads, with parked cars can be hazardous 
·         No through road 
·         Forcing the speed limit down, we will be making people think about their speed

Speed Watch

PC Glyn Talbot is trying to secure funding for members of the surrounding community. Speed watch may be the only way we can slow traffic down. If you say you are concerned about the speed both on Reginald Mitchell Way and on the estate please contact the Residents Association on;

ra@bankeyfields.co.uk  

All we ask of you is a couple of hours one afternoon at the weekend, and the then the occasional speed watch session. (minimum of 3 people per speed watch session on our roads) 

We will also asking Tunstall North’s RA to be part of the scheme.