Present:       

Martyn Stenning, Chairman – Lime Aid

Andrew Ledward, Treasurer – Lime Aid

Lewis Wallis, Chairman – Sussex branch of the I.T.F. (International Tree Foundation)

Mrs Wallis, Attending with Lewis Wallis

Desmond Gunner, Buxted

Betsy Gunner, Buxted                      

Vivien Stenning, Selby Rise, Uckfield

Jo Burchett, Pine Walk, Manor Park, Uckfield

Tracie Morrison, Framelle Mount, Framfield                        

Cathy Watson, Cathy Watson Associates

Sue Kingshott, Cathy Watson Associates (minutes)

Apologies:    David Macmillan, Keetje & Allan Steel, Andy Seaton, Elizabeth Lucas, Charles Hendry, Peter Fordham, Phil Manning, Paul Ireland, John Chaplin, Jeff Brooks, Jim Molesworth-Edwards, Mike Benians, Jerry Gunn.

1.  Welcome by Chairman

Martyn Stenning welcomed those attending the meeting and was delighted to welcome guest speaker Lewis Wallis and his wife; thanked everyone for coming and read out the list of apologies.

He went on to say that Mike Benians was gravely ill and severely incapacitated at this time and asked that we bear him in our thoughts.  He added that Mike was unlikely to be able to take part in any Lime Aid activities for the foreseeable future and that he would be sorely missed, so we must carry the baton of his enthusiasm in his absence.  Martyn said that Mike’s absence had left a vacuum.  He and Andrew, legal trustees of Lime Aid, would like to hear from anyone interested in taking over as Secretary temporarily.  Martyn also advised that Cathy Watson from Cathy Watson Associates had kindly offered to remain involved with Lime Aid when a contract with her business ended but to a much lesser degree.

Martyn reminded people to look at the website and thanked Cathy for keeping it up-to-date.

2.  Approval of minutes

Chair asked if anyone had any comment to make on the minutes of the meeting of 24/4/08.  There were none, so the minutes were approved and signed.  Martyn summarised main points from last minutes as follows:

• He reiterated ESCC’s comments on the standard that Lime Tree Avenue would need to reach to be considered for adoption by the council.  Its current status between Hempstead Road and Downsview Crescent has been confirmed as a public right of way over private land.  Agreement from all land owners would be necessary to bring it up to the required standard and the cost would fall on them unless funding could be obtained.  ESCC were debating whether they have any responsibility to maintain part of the surface.  Lime Aid did not want it to reach the standard for a “road” but if any vehicles were likely to use it, even during maintenance, ESCC would not adopt it without it being brought up to that standard.  Martyn said Lime Aid was doing well with its community project to help with maintenance. 

• Martyn wanted to formally record thanks to the numerous companies and bodies that have been financially supportive.  These include :

~Clearwater for their pledge of nearly £1000 for removal of stumps and preparation of land for replanting with saplings.

~Environmental company Phlorum for their help with spraying to prevent poplar regrowth.           

~Sussex Gardens Trust for their offer of a £250 donation

~Mike Benians for funding the felling of the poplars

~The Tree Council for their grant of £292 to purchase the saplings

            Martyn thinks that we should continue to look for sources of grants and/or donations.

• Martyn thanked Cathy for her help with arranging to join the BTCV which enables us to run task days with the required liability insurance.

3. Matters arising:

a) Charity status & b) Adoption by ESCC – The Charities Commission has refused charity status on the basis that the land is privately owned. This means they see the work as being carried out for private, not public, benefit.  Cathy had looked into this and said it appeared that as long as there was some private benefit, an organisation could not be considered to be charitable.  Martyn said that other similar areas in and around town, like Hempstead Meadows, West Park nature reserve, Boothland Wood and Harlands pond, had been donated to Uckfield Town Council.  He wondered whether owners would agree to donate their section of Lime Tree Avenue to Uckfield Town Council. Lime Aid could act as a managing agent for the council afterwards.  He asked whether it would be better to help to arrange this, rather than adoption by the county council, with the result being that the Avenue would be managed by the town for the town?

c) Sussex Gardens Trust – as already stated, we thank them for their offer of a donation

d) Right of Way registration – consider pressing for registration of the section of avenue between Downsview Crescent and Woodlands Close which is currently shown as a private road with no public right of way. It is used as a footpath by the public.

 e) Subscriptions – Cathy advised that she now has all the details we need to be able to send the letter out regarding an annual subscription (as passed at a previous meeting)

f) Five Year Plan – Martyn to email the summary to Cathy for inclusion on the website.  In summary, the plan is to continue with what we have been doing and to perhaps consider having two task days a year, one for the trees and one for the footpaths.  Martyn would also like to see the trees being safety checked annually.  We will need to keep an eye on the saplings and manage ivy growth; ivy itself was not harmful to the trees but could add weight and inhibit lateral growth.

g) Tree felling – the poplars have been removed and the ground rotovated.

h) Tree ordering – Martyn asked that Cathy order the saplings and that membership of the BTCV be arranged.  Martyn would prefer the small leaf variety of sapling as it produced less epicormic growth, so Cathy will check if there is any difference in price.  Desmond Gunner added that it would be nice to have representation of each variety.

i) Task day – as previously noted, this will be on 29^th November 2008 from 10am to 4pm, with tree planting taking place between 11am and 1pm (approx.).  Jerry Gunn has suggested that we make contact with the new principal at UCTC and Cathy advised that she had already spoken to Deputy, Geoff Evans.  Martyn thinks we should try to get more involvement from the school.  Wealden MP Charles Hendry had volunteered to help at the task day and so had Uckfield mayor Louise Eastwood.  Martyn said the ideal situation would be to have one person per tree.  Lewis Wallis asked how far up the trees the growth would be trimmed. Martyn replied only as far as was possible to reach from the ground.  People would not be put at risk by being expected to stand on ladders.  Paul Watson is to man the bonfire and consideration has been given to where this will be so that tree pruning is not hindered by smoke.  Tracie Morrison asked what volunteers needed to bring and what would happen during the day; Martyn advised there would be a health and safety briefing at 10am before anything started and that tools such as loppers, bow-saws, secateurs and rakes would be useful (plus, of course, a potato wrapped in foil to be cooked in the bonfire for lunch!).  Martyn hoped that some of the brambles and undergrowth could be cut back too.

4. Unpollarded trees – the Council has now published the application to pollard the remaining trees and a reply is due by 1^st November 2008.  However, we have asked for an earlier date if possible in order that the work can be done during half-term.  For safety reasons, this will not be done when the students are present.

5. Committee members – as Martyn mentioned earlier, Lime Aid has a need for a Secretary to strengthen the committee and Martyn would be pleased to hear from anyone interested.

6. Financial update – Martyn reiterated that money had been donated to Lime Aid by Mike Benians to employ Cathy Watson Associates.  Martyn was hoping for a good response to the request for subscriptions to boost funds. 

7. Guest speaker- Lewis Wallis, Chairman of the Sussex branch of the International Tree Foundation.

8. A.O.B. – none.

9.  Date and Time of next meeting

The next meeting will be the AGM on Thurs 29^th January 2009 at 7.30pm in the UCTC library.  Martyn advised this would include a debrief about the task day and he hoped to expand on the management plan. 

10.  Thanks & closure

Martyn thanked everyone for coming and thanked Lewis Wallis for his interesting and informative talk.  He asked that as many people as possible attend the AGM in January 2009.

Meeting closed 9.10pm.

Progress Report

3. Matters Arising/Review of last minutes

a) Charity status

Our application for charity status has been refused. The Charity Commission cannot see public benefit in transferring liability from private owners to a public authority. It is concerned about private benefit.

b) Adoption of LTA by ESCC

We now have a list of adoption requirements from East Sussex County Council. Please see them on the website or contact Cathy Watson for a copy 01825 760102. We have to decide how to proceed.

c) Sussex Gardens Trust

We are grateful for a formal offer of a £250 grant from the trust towards an interpretation board in the avenue. We have applied to Uckfield Town Council for help with this.

d) Right of Way registration

Dale Foden from East Sussex County Council highways department says the section of Lime Tree Avenue between Hempstead Road and Downsview Crescent is recorded as a private street. That means it is a public right of way over private land. The section between Downsview Crescent and Woodlands Close is recorded as a private road, privately owned with no public right of way.

e) Subscriptions

A letter inviting people to join Lime Aid for an annual subscription of £10 is due to be distributed shortly.

f) Tree felling

Four poplars at the Downsview Crescent end of Lime Tree Avenue have been felled thanks to a private donation made through Lime Aid. The trees were considered unsafe after another in the group crashed down on to the entrance to UCTC narrowly missing a car thanks only to the efforts of principal Craig Pamphilon running to stop it just in time.

Since then an environmental company Phlorum, which has offices in Falmer and Manchester and operates nationwide, has given its time and resources to kill off poplar regrowth. Developer Clearwater has offered to fund grinding of the stumps, clearance of the area and rotovation of the land in preparation for replanting with lime saplings. This will start on Monday, September 22. We are very grateful to Clearwater and Phlorum for their help.

g) Tree ordering

Graham Grimmett of English Woodlands has identified the trees in Lime Tree Avenue as of the variety common lime. We have been offered a grant from the Tree Council to cover the cost of six lime saplings, plus supports, compost and bonemeal, which can be planted on the task day in November. The cost is £292.20, plus VAT of £51.15. We have to meet 25 per cent of the cost of the overall project and are using the value of volunteer labour to do that.

h) Task day

Takes place on Saturday, November 29, 2008. Uckfield mayor Cllr Louise Eastwood and Wealden MP Mr Charles Hendry have already signed up as volunteers and the Uckfield Lions Club has offered to help. A press release has been distributed publicising need for 100 volunteers. Stories appeared in the Leader, Sussex Express and Courier in the week ending September 5. The task day is also mentioned in an article written for an Uckfield Preservation Trust publication due out in October. Public liability and personal insurance through BTCV, an organisation which supports volunteering opportunities, would cost £190.63. Uckfield Town Council has offered a grant which will cover this. Treasurer Andrew Ledward has agreed to undertake a risk assessment. UCTC has expressed an interest in being involved in planting lime saplings near their entrance. Please put this date in your diaries.