A Society Dedicated to Preserving and enhancing the environment of the Stour and Orwell AONB

Stour and Orwell Society

 

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting

 

Held at The Royal Harwich Yacht Club, Woolverstone

 

3^rd of April 2008

 

 

In attendance were some 31 members including:

 

Chairman Tom Hill

Honorary Treasurer Stephen Clark

Honorary Secretary Rodney Chadburn

 

1.  Welcome from the Chairman

 

Tom Hill welcomed the supporters for taking the trouble to attend the Stour and Orwell Society’s second Annual General Meeting. He also thanked the officers and members of the committee for their efforts during the year.

 

2.  Apologies for Absence

 

Apologies were received from Tony Roberts, Annie Eaves, Dave Woods, Pat and Lindy Ward, Patience Shone, Tony and Jeanette James and Simon Quantrell.

 

3.  Minutes of the 2007 Annual General Meeting

 

Tom Hill seconded by Rodney Chadburn proposed that the minutes of the 2007 AGM be signed as a true and correct record. This proposal was passed unanimously and the minutes duly signed.

 

4.   Matters Arising from the Minutes

 

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the 2007 AGM.

 

5.  Chairman’s Report

 

The Chairman said that SOS had made good progress in the first year of its existence and that membership was now nearing 200. In order to build on this, existing members should continue to recruit new members in order to strengthen SOS’s voice in important issues.

The Christmas Party, organised in conjunction with the Royal Hospital School Holbrook had been very successful. Encouraged by this the Committee had it in mind to organise a summer event.

 

The Committee has been in contact with CoastNet which has now received funding for its project Holding Back The Tide. This project is aiming to compile a record of the changes that have taken place to the East Coast during the last fifty years or so. To this end CoastNet is seeking the assistance of SOS to publicise its activities and to seek out people who can provide an oral record of the recent history of the ShotleyPeninsula.

 

6.  Treasurer’s Report

 

Stephen Clark reported that there were now some 180 paid up members and that the payment due date will be moved from the 1^st of January to the 1^st of April more nearly to coincide with the dates of the Annual General Meetings. Some members had generously paid sums in excess of the ‘standard’ subscription up to £100 in some cases.

 

Total income from subscriptions, ticket sales and interest amounted to £2,470.13 and after costs of £1,417.00 the year-end balance stood at £1,053.13. The Statement of Accounts was accepted by the meeting.

 

The SOS website is continually being updated and comments will be welcome so that it can be developed further to meet members’ interests. There are now direct links to other relevant sites including the Dedham Vale Society.

 

An information leaflet, describing SOS’s aims and activities, will be produced and this will be distributed via Post Offices and other outlets with the objective of increasing membership.

 

7.  Election of Officers and Committee

 

The Secretary tabled the list of nominations received:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the number of nominations was less than the maximum for the committee the Chairman declared that, with the approval of the meeting,

all nominees for officers and committee were duly elected. The two vacancies can be filled by co-option during the year if necessary.

 

8.  Update on Stansted Expansion and NATS Consultation

 

The Chairman reported that the inquiry regarding BAA’s application, for the expansion of capacity at Stansted, by 10 million passengers per annum, is now closed. Apparently BAA had got their air quality measurements wrong and the decision will be delayed as a result.

 

However, there is now an application for a second runway that would take annual passenger movements up to 70 million – some three times the present level. The inquiry into this application will not take place until next year. SOS must consider carefully what it’s stance will be on this.

 

The consultation organised by NATS regarding the future management of airspace will close on the 22^nd of May. The proposed new air corridors and stacks are on display and it appears that the new centre line for inbound traffic broadly follows the A14 corridor and leads to a stack near Stowmarket. This could benefit residents on the ShotleyPeninsula but certain aspects need to be clarified: 

 

 

 

• If inbound aircraft do not need to stack then will they continue along the present line?

 

• There seems to be no change to outgoing traffic and this must be probed.

 

• If the new lines are approved will NATS stick to them – they did not after the changes in 2004.

 

The SOS Committee will have to establish a clear position and will communicate this to members and to other interested organisations.

 

There was considerable discussion on this subject including the following questions and comments from the floor:

 

• If expansion at Heathrow is denied then this could have an adverse effect on air traffic over the Peninsula.

 

• Richard Hoare: Why not position the stacks over the sea? The Chairman said that this would be put to SOS’s consultant.

 

• Placing a stack over Newmarket seems strange in the light of the stated concern regarding populated areas.

 

• Merlyn Suckling: Holding patterns are theoretical and in reality pilots are paid by performance and may ignore them. Also, Stansted is actually losing routes and is desperate to attract new airlines so this would seem to run contrary to the stated need for a second runway. Heathrow is largely a transfer market and this is unlikely to move to Stansted. The Stop Stansted Expansion Group is keen to move the debate into a wider political arena.

 

• Mark Butler: Who are SOS’s consultants? The Chairman said that Barry Hawkins of Cirrus did an analysis of the effects of the 2004 change and he is expected to report in the next few weeks.

 

 

9.  Any Other Business

 

• What is the situation at BathsideBay? Leigh Baxter said that consent has been granted and the issue is now in the hands of Hutchinson Ports. Events are likely to be driven largely by commercial considerations.

 

• There seems to be a delay to the Ganges development but SOS is keeping an eye on events and is liaising with parish councils in this regard.

 

• Jeremy Pertwee: There appears to be further expansion at Harwich where more oil tanks are being constructed. Stephen Clark observed that consultants can weaken conditions after planning permissions have been granted.

 

• Stephen Clark asked if members were happy with communications by e-mail and those present said that they were. However, important communications may be sent out using Royal Mail in future.

 

• Oliver Paul said that the East of England Development Agency was offering grants for community-based projects and they are seeking appropriate bodies to arrange distribution.

 

There being no other business the meeting was declared closed at 8.34 p.m.