BELMONT RURAL: ASSETS

News about SHARP
(South Hereford Area Regeneration Project)

Possible cycle rack at Northolme Centre
Meeting held at Northolme Centre, Thursday January 28 2010 SEATS Fran White advises seats will be sited within 3 - 4 weeks. POOLS Some work, cutting down trees, has taken place, Phil to check management plan for details of essential works. There may be some opportunity, through the probation service team, to support work around the pools. LAND AT DORCHESTER WAY Sharp to ask Fran White to assist with an application to Welcome to Our Future for funding a cycle rack. The possibility of siting this at Northolme Centre is to be investigated as this will benefit both the Dorchester Way project and the Northolme CC.

CHILDREN'S PLAY AREA Sharp to apply for funding for infants play space near the ball park in Waterfield Road. BALLCOURT Sharp to write to PC council and DC parks department to support Northolme CC’s request for a ball park near to centre as part of Parish Plan. CHRISTMAS EVENT The success of Beryl’s Christmas event received publicity in the local press. Beryl thanked Sharp for enabling this event to take place. ROOM HIRE To support Sharp's work, Northolme Centre has offered four complimentary room hires. Sharp have elected to use these as an emergency measure if funds dry up. NEXT MEETING: The AGM and will take place at 7.15 pm on Thursday March 18 at the Northolme Centre

Help with landscaping near Dorchester Way
Thursday November 26 2009. Treasurer's report. Current balance £2043.46. The treasurer has spoken to Fran White regarding audit and is waiting for accoounts to be collected. Cash is restricted to purchase and installation of seats. A donation of £100 towards room hire, postage, etc, has enabled SHARP to continue

Projects and funding. Seats No further progress on additional seats. Noted that existing benches provided by SHARP along Shaw Walkway are in regular use. Footpaths The council wishes to budget for further work on Abbey View footpaths. Pools Purchase completed October 30. Immediate residents to be notified; management plan to be developed. Land at Dorchester Way SHARP identified possible opportunity for committee and members to give practical assistance in landscaping; also to explore possible funding for a cycle rack..

AOB. Andrew Myatt’s letter on Belmont Rural website was discussed but no response was thought necessary

Next meeting. Thursday January 28, 7.15 pm, Northolme Community Centre

Tree planting on Dorchester Way land?
Meeting August 13 2009 Current balance: £2408.48 of which £350 is from Grass Roots for Beryl Brown’s Christmas event.

Footpaths Contractors are experiencing difficulties with foundation materials required to support the actual footpath. Following site meeting, PC members have given the go-ahead at the agreed price.

Belmont Pools Hereford Council have paid for silt sampling to determine how long the (pollutant) drainage problem has been in existence

Ball park Draft Parish Plan review by PC should be completed by end of the year; a ball park may be considered.

Land at Dorchester Way If Park Dept mowed the grass on Dorchester Way, SHARP could plant trees to coincide with “Plant a tree week”. Sources of funding to be investigated

Meeting room Since upstairs room at Belmont CC is thought unsuitable future meetings will be held Northolme Centre. Next meeting: Thursday October 15, 7.15 pm Northolme CC.

Christmas activity
At the June 18 2009 meeting Beryl Brown was granted permission to apply for funding for The Christmas Activity.

Date of next meeting: Thursday August 13, 7 pm, Belmont Community Centre upstairs room.

Bulb planting
Sharp members, supported by Belmont Rural parish councillors, planted daffodil bulbs on the A465 verges on Saturday, November 8 2008. Click "General news" above for story and pic.

Projects restricted by land lack
Apart from provision of benches along the Shaw Walkway, opportunities for appropriate projects were restricted by the availability of publicly owned land in the area, explained Ted Dowling, SHARP chairman, speaking at the annual meeting on January 17. SHARP was established to develop the Haywood Country Park, a project which has still not come to fruition. Once that and the Abbey View Park site are fully available new opportunities will evolve. Beryl Brown thanked SHARP for supporting a Christmas party attended by 96 children. Provided funding is available, this event will be repeated next Christmas. Next SHARP meeting: February 28, 7.15 pm, Belmont Community Centre

Eleven benches for Severn Walkway
Eight traditional design benches together with three Wye-Knot benches are to be provided for the Severn Walkway, chairman Ted Dowling reported on February 21. Funding for this project includes £4500 from the Severn Waste Environment Fund and £2140 from Herefordshire Ciry Council. SHARP also hopes to contribute to the development on land off Dorchester Way.

SHARP ball court
vandal-proof "so far"
Asked at the AGM (November 11) how successful SHARP's major achievement - the ball court - had been, a spokesman said it was appreciated by local youths, is still well-used and, so far, has "proved to be vandal-proof".

Regarding the project to install eight bench seats round Shaw Walkway, one suggestion is that they be sponsored.

Chairman Ted Dowling, secretary Kathleen Keeler and treasurer Des Parish were all re-elected

Benches, or play surface
are possible projects
Youth shelter abandoned at September 14 meeting. Funding in hand: £5000 (Severn Waste), £5000 (Children in Need), £2500 (HCC). Possible projects: benches along Shaw Walkway, improved all-year surface for Northolme CC play area.

No go for the
youth shelter
A survey provided by Dist Cllr Glenda Powell at the August 10 meeting showed that more local residents were against rather than for SHARP's proposal to erect a youth shelter near Waterside Road. It was unanimously decided not to proceed with the project. The fund providers (Children in Need, and Welcome to our Future) will be contacted and asked if they agree to transfer the funds to a different project on the same site, the same project on a different site, or a different project on a different site.

The provision of bins to reduce litter and broken glass round the ball court was discussed but, since these could be abused, it was decided not to proceed.

Shelter proposal
up in the air
The June 15 meeting took the form of forum in which three local residents (two from Argyll Rise and one from Dunoon Mead) put forward concerns about SHARP's proposal to install a youth shelter at a site east of the A465.

Anti-social behaviour at the ball court installed by SHARP was cited as a reason against this new move though it was later agreed that alcohol drinking, by youths said to be under-age, was the reason for this rather than the recreational opportunities offered by the ball court. It was pointed out that absence of recreational facilties was frequently deemed to be the cause of anti-social behaviour.

Dist Cllr Phil Edwards said he had been approached by many people who had welcomed the ball court. A further problem is that funding for the shelter comes from Children in Need and if the project is not completed within a set time-scale this will have to be returned.

A door-to-door survey of houses in the relevant area revealed more residents in favour than against.

It was finally agreed that a smaller youth shelter would be acceptable together with an additional separate bench if this could be funded by the council. However, since the meeting, the residents have said, via Dist Cllr Glenda Powell, that seating was not agreed.

Bantamweight SHARP
now going for Pod
SHARP (South Hereford Area Regeneration Project) is a tiny, Belmont-based organisation which punches above its weight. Its most recent achievement was finding the funding for, and creating, the new ball court at the junction of Southolme and Waterfield roads, officially opened in August. Now the organisation has obtained £5000 from Children in Need, plus £2399 from Herefordshire Council for a Youth Pod, a meeting point for young people incorporating some protection from the weather.