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From the
Banger The 2005 BANG Annual General Meeting This year’s AGM will be held at 7.30 pm on Monday 9 May in the Coach House at Westbourne School. The first meeting of the Committee after the AGM will be at 8.00 pm on Thursdsay 2nd June at 27A Westbourne Road. All welcome! BANG COMMITTEE MEETINGS Next meeting 9 September, 19 Lawson Road at 8.00 p.m. All welcome. Subscriptions for this year are due! If you still have not paid - £1(single) or £2 (couples), please send your subscription to Secretary. March
2004 The Annual
General Meeting will be held on Thursday 29
April at 7.30 p.m. in the Coach House, Ashdell
House, Westbourne School. BANG still needs more
committee members and distributors for the Banger.
Contact Secretary on 267 8004. BANG
COMMITTEE MEETINGS Next meeting 1 April, 19
Lawson Road at 8.00 p m. All welcome. Secretary:
bang.ritchie@virgin.net;
Chair, 266
3028 Dec.
2003 BANG
COMMITTEE MEETINGS Next meetings, Wednesday 28
January in The Broomhill Methodist Church, the
follow-up meeting on HMO's; Thursday 4 March,14
Watson Road; Thursday 1 April,19 Lawson Road. All
welcome. Oct.
2003 BANG
COMMITTEE MEETINGS: Next meetings at 8
p.m. 2 October 48 Tapton Mount, Beverley Warne; 12
November Open Meeting, Broomhill Methodist Church;
4 December. 45 Spooner Road, Sally Durham. All
welcome. Secretary: 267 8004,
bang.ritchie@virgin.net;
Chair: 266 3028; May
2003 The AGM was
held on 12 May 2003 with some twenty members
attending. The Minutes of
2002 AGM were accepted and signed as a true
record. Under Matters
Arising it was noted that Fly posting had been the
subject of an Area Panel meeting the previous week.
For the City Council a solicitor and the head of
Streetforce explained how difficult it was to bring
a prosecution and suggested that local residents
should keep tearing them down. Broomhill residents
and members of the community made it clear to the
Area Panel that this was far from satisfactory. The
Broomhill Forum would be taking the matter further.
On this and on other related matters the Broomhill
Forum will be making presentations to the Area
Panel. On the vexed issue of the massive Millennium
banner, the chair explained that it would go to
magistrates' court this month. In her Report
the Chair gave a brief but incisive survey of what
had been a busy but not a difficult year, in which
much constructive work had been done. Re planning
applications, BANG has been seeking out and
objecting to undesirable applications in and around
the conservation area. The greatest of BANG'S
successes in this sphere proved to be BANG'S
objection to the repeated applications to build a
huge block of flats on the green space at 16/18
Manchester Road. When BANG'S original objections
were successful and the application was rejected
the developers appealed and BANG and local
residents again took concerted action. It has just
been announced that the appeal has been rejected
and this vital piece of green space has been saved.
Another appeal is pending as the pub called The
Place is still trying to have outside chairs and
tables although this is completely contrary to the
original understanding. There is to be an informal
hearing. Local residents are keeping their fingers
crossed. The application for the conversion of 46
Westbourne Road to an HMO (Houses in Multiple
Occupancy) for 9 people was finally, thanks to the
efforts of 2 BANG members in particular, restricted
to 6 people. A minor victory in the continuing
battle against the plague of HMO's Watson Road
residents similarly staved off an application for
an extension to a house. These cases show that BANG
through its members does have some say in what goes
on in the community and its reshaping; we can all
take part. Where BANG is most effective is through
its collective experience to help immediate
neighbours to write their own letters and make
their own case. At the 2002 AGM the question of
local residents' relations with the Sheffield High
School had been raised and it was reported that a
regular liaison meeting between the School and
neighbours from nearby streets has tangibly
improved co-operation and communication. The Chair,
in her 2003 survey reported that the experiment of
holding BANG committee meetings at the Methodist
Church rather than in people's homes had improved
attendance. It was consequently now proposed to
have such occasional open meetings, e.g., on the
maintenance of Broomhill's trees, and on green/open
spaces in Broomhill. Re working with the Council,
committee members have strengthened their links
with planning officers, highway engineers, area
co-ordinators and councillors and BANG members have
been heavily involved in the Broomhill Forum's
development of a Vision for Broomhill, with
well-attended meetings resulting in good publicity
in the Sheffield Telegraph, and the emergence of
constructive action plans for progressing on THREE
fronts (1) Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs);
(2) Traffic and Safety; (3) Environment. Committee
members had a useful meeting with Richard Allan MP
about HMOs and the Housing Bill, building on
contacts with the Leeds HMO pressure group.
Environmental issues have been less strongly
pursued than traffic, but would be targeted in a
meeting with council officers in the summer. Re
BANG's effectiveness,the Chair stressed that more
committee members, bringing new ideas and energy,
were needed, and, in fact, at the AGM three new
committee members were appointed. The work of the
committee needs to be shared out and new active
members such as these are welcome. Re the upcoming
year, the need to work up a response to the
University's proposed sell-off of student
accommodation was noted. The Chair concluded her
annual report by thanking the committee members and
BANGER distributors for their
contributions. Comments from
members: Re University accommodation, it was
suggested that BANG should make presentations to
the Broomhill Forum meeting with the University, to
avoid duplication of effort. Other issues raised
included possible new attempts to sell off the
Stephenson Hall tennis courts and the possible
disposal of the Oakholme Road student
houses Local history
group: It was reported that the accounts were
healthy thanks to the steady sales of Eva
Wilkinson's books; the slight drop on the year was
accounted for by the contribution to the Botanical
Gardens. In the matter of Broomhill books it was
noted that the residents of Southbourne Road were
about to produce a book with each resident writing
about themselves, their house, or Broomhill. Copies
will be distributed to every house on the road and
will be available for sale at the Broomhill
Festival. Meanwhile John Cornwell is doing a book
on King Edward VII School. The sad death last June
of David Roberts was reported, who had chaired the
group from 1988 to 2000 and stepped in as BANG
chair in an hour of need. David Roberts had made a
significant contribution to BANG over many
years. Election of
officers: Officers and members were
elected. Next meetings
at 8 p.m. on Thursday 5 June at 19 Lawson Road and
Thursday 3 July at 30 Southbourne Road. March
2003 Annual
General Meeting: The AGM will be held on Monday
12 May at 7.30 pm in the Coach House, Ashdell
House, Westbourne School. BANG still needs more
committee members and distributors for the Banger.
Contact Secretary (Tel. 267 8004). December 2002 There will be
no January meeting. Next BANG
committee meeting on Thursday 6 February 2003 at
at 8.00 p.m., 27a Westbourne Road. All welcome.
Ring 267 8004, September 2002 Wednesday 18
September: BANG committee, 8.00 pm in
Room 1 in the Broomhill Methodist Church - please
note change of venue. Ring 267
8004, April 2002 13 May: BANG
AGM, 7.30 pm, Coach House, Westbourne School
23 May: BANG
committee, 8.00 pm, Ring 268 3441 May
2000 Annual
General Meeting The Annual
General Meeting was held on Friday 5 May in
Westbourne School. The Chairman reported on the
events of the year for BANG. One major item for
discussion concerned the question of membership. As
this was a constitutional matter it was referred to
a later committee meeting. Three new members were
welcomed to the committee. After discussion of
matters arising, reports followed from the
Treasurer and the Local History Group
Secretary. Broomhill
Forum,17 May 2000 A major item
was the discussion of Area Panels. The panel for
the Broomhill area covers Broomhill/Sharrow/Nether
Edge. So far Area Panels have been ineffectual;
however, Sheffield Council has gone over to a
cabinet system and all committees have been axed.
Accordingly Area Panels in future will have more
decision-making powers and have access to financial
support. BANG, with the Forum, will wish to be
strongly represented on the Area Panel. On previous
occasions Council Officers have been invited to
Forum meetings. On this occasion the Enforcement
Officer who was invited, informed the Forum on
regulations and policy in regard to food outlets,
restaurants, takeaways etc. AISQ on the agenda was
the matter of graffiti and fly-posting. The
Chairman invited all Broomhill
residents: to "adopt a
lamp-post" and tear down all offending fly-posters,
now stuck up with dangerous plastic strips. The
problem of noise and disturbance caused by those
returning from clubs in the early morning now seems
to have been solved, thanks to efforts of BANG
committee members. Planning
Applications BANG members
who have been in Oakholme Road recently will have
seen that Crosby Homes have started building luxury
homes next to Betjeman Gardens. For a long time
now, however, there has been silence regarding
further plans to build on the green spaces of Crewe
Hall and the tennis courts of Stephenson Hall. The
application for an Espresso Bar at 259 Fulwood Road
was turned down. Since then the application for the
use of the building at 98 Whitham Road
(Wollerton's) as a Cyber Cafe has been accepted.
One matter causing concern is the damage being done
to housing stock in areas such as Broomhill by the
rapid growth in the number of houses in multiple
occupation (HMOs). The effect of high
concentrations of HMOs on community relations and
services has been noted and in cities like Leeds
legislation is being sought empowering local
authority planning departments to restrict the
conversion of existing family homes into
HMOs. Rutland Park
and the Girls Day School Trust The Girls Day
School Trust has applied for removal of
restrictions on the use of the High School's new
sports hall preventing non-school use of the hall.
To secure permission for its construction in 1997
the Trust undertook that no such use would be made.
However, within months of its completion, Champs
began operating holiday and weekend camps for
children, using the new hall and featuring this in
its publicity. Council Officers moved to enforce
the restrictions, leading to the Trust's
application to have these removed. 20 letters of
objection and a petition with signatures from 28 of
the 33 households on Rutland Park secured a clear
recommendation from Council Officers to refuse the
application. Traffic and parking pressures having
further increased since 1997, Officers determined
that there were no grounds for lifting the
restrictions. At the City Centre and West planning
board at its meeting on 5th June, the Chair sought
a 'compromise' solution by asking the Trust to
undertake to pay the cost of a residents' parking
scheme for Rutland Park, meanwhile deferring a
decision to a further meeting of the board on 26th
June. The Broomhill councillors agree with
residents that this is no solution, for three
specific reasons: (1) a single-street residents'
parking scheme would not reduce traffic volumes and
would be unenforceable; (2) the proposal runs
contrary to the Council's commitment to a strategic
approach to parking problems over a wider area, and
would merely displace parking pressures to nearby
streets; (3) it is not feasible to deliver
commitment to a residents' parking scheme in the
3-week deferral period. Rutland Park residents were
well-received by the local MP, who advised them to
reject the compromise as ill-conceived and
inappropriate. Broomhill residents wishing further
information should contact the Secretary for
further details. June
1999 Annual General
Meeting The Annual
General Meeting was held on Friday 30 April 1999 in
Westbourne School. The Chairman reported on an
eventful year for BANG. After discussion of the
matters arising, further reports followed from the
Treasurer and the Local History Group Secretary.
Under Election of Officers, the Chairman and
Vice-Chair were elected. Broomhill
Forum, 19 May 1999 The first major
item on the agenda was the presentation of the
Crime Report. The total number of crimes reported
was 105, broken down in the usual way as Burglary
Dwellings, Burglary Sheds/Garages/Offices, Theft
from the Person, Theft from Motor Vehicles, Theft
of Motor Vehicles etc. The figures for 'J' District
, April to April, showed a reduction of crime of
6%. The breakdown of offences street by street
evoked most interest from residents present. Not
announced at this meeting was the fact that the
Home Office has directed monies to various
districts in Sheffield of which Broomhill will be
one, for a Burglary Prevention Project. A report
was given on the University applications to sell
off lands round its halls of residence in order to
build luxury homes and flats Concern at this
massive residential development in Broomhill had
led to a wave objections from local residents,
local councillors, university students and staff,
Birkdale School and many other bodies. Also
discussed was the continuing problem of noise and
disturbance caused by those returning from clubs in
the early morning. Birkdale School had also made an
official complaint with the University for criminal
damage caused to its premises. The meeting closed
with the expression of warmest thanks to the member
who had founded the Broomhill Forum. The future
chairman of the Forum was discussed. June
1998 Annual General
Meeting More than fifty
members attended the 25th AGM held on Friday, 1 May
1998 in Westbourne Preparatory School. The Chairman
gave a brief review of the aims and achievements of
BANG since its formation. The main aims of
conserving the area and creating a balanced
community are still being actively pursued, as are
those of improving pedestrian and parking
facilities. The creation of a Broomhill
Conservation Area and an Area of Special Interest
for the Moor Oaks Road, Marlborough Road "triangle"
has been one of the main achievements, as have been
the pedestrian crossings and provision of the car
park and play space area on Parkers Lane. The
installation of many more litter bins and their
regular emptying and the daily sweeping of the
shopping area have also helped to preserve the
environment. The formation of the Broomhill Forum
and of Sheffield University's Community Forum have
provided means of regular communication with the
University and with council departments. A sum was
donated to the Botanical Gardens to aid them in
raising "matched funding" towards its restoration
by both BANG and the Local History
Group. Officers and
committee members were elected. Existing Local
History officers and committee members were
re-elected. Subscriptions
for the current year remain at £1 for
individuals and £2 for families. If you have
not yet paid your subscription please send it to
the Treasurer. A committee
member presented an analysis of the 28 replies
received to the questionnaire. On the whole people
appeared to be satisfied with the activities of the
BANG Committee and no clear picture emerged to
guide the new Committee. In the discussion that
ensued the need to keep Broomhill together as a
community was stressed, as was the difficulty in
reconciling the large student presence with the
needs of the "permanent" residents. There was a
plea for liaison between different
groups. A brief account
from the police, emphasised that, apart from car
crime around the Hallamshire Hospital area,
Broomhill is a comparatively low crime
area. May
1997 24th Annual
General Meeting - 25 April 1997 The AGM, held
in Westbourne Preparatory School, was attended by
only eighteen members, out of a membership of 334!.
The Chairman, before starting her review of the
past year, expressed our thanks to a member who has
had to resign from the Committee due to family and
work commitments. She also thanked those members
who distribute the "BANGER" and asked for more
volunteers to help in the distribution. Westbourne
School was also thanked for not only allowing us to
hold the AGM in their buildings, but also providing
refreshments after the meeting. The work of
monitoring planning applications, alerting those
who might be affected by them and writing letters
opposing those applications which we think will
adversely affect the neighbourhood has continued
throughout the year. Most of this time-consuming
work has been done by the Secretary. It is a vital
part of our activities. Our shopping centre
continues to change and it seems that every shop
that becomes vacant is the subject of a planning
application for a fast food outlet. We lost the
only remaining butcher in Broomhill with the
closure of Bowyers last summer - the shop had been
a butcher ever since it was built in 1840!
Permission has just been granted for it to become a
cafe, hot-food takeaway and a deli. We are
fortunate in still having some "real" shops and it
is very important that we support these, including
the non-food shops, on a regular basis if we are to
retain a viable shopping centre. BANG sponsored
three flower tubs near the benches outside the
Abbey Glen shop last summer, but this was the only
initiative achieved in our proposed "greening" of
the shopping centre. We would like to record our
thanks to the Fox & Duck for keeping our
watering can and supplying us with water. The
additional litter bins provided by the Council and
Sheffield University have contributed to keeping
the area tidy, but as with planning applications,
this is a matter that requires constant vigilance.
BANG was involved in last year's Broomhill Festival
which has had some success in re-establishing
itself as a community event. There is scope for
further expansion but this requires not only ideas
but people willing to carry them out, and
volunteers are always in short supply. This has
been a year of consolidation in terms of our
relationship and communication with the
universities, Police, our Councillors and various
Council Departments. The Broomhill Forum provides
an arena for discussion for all interested parties.
Sheffield University's Hot Line seems to have met a
need for a channel for complaints, especially about
rowdy late night behaviour. The issue which is
uppermost with the Committee at present is the
problem of traffic and parking. We have very few
residents' parking schemes and very little
acknowledgment, by the Council departments
concerned, that there is a problem. We are hoping
to set up a working party to collect information
and ideas, propose solutions and set about getting
them implemented. Your input to this project over
the coming year will be very welcome. There is
still much to do and we need new members to join
the Committee and ideas to make Broomhill a lively
as well as a pleasant place to live and work. It is
essential that a new secretary is found for 1998
since otherwise BANG will cease to exist. This
would be ironic at a time when we have more members
than ever. Officers and
committee members were elected for the coming
year. May
1995 Annual General
Meeting, 28 April 1995 The AGM, held
in Westbourne School was attended by 26 people.
Under "Matters Arising from the Minutes of the 21st
AGM" a lively discussion took place on whether BANG
should sponsor another litter bin in Broomhill,
since it had a healthy balance of some £700.
Since the cost of a litter bin is now £350 it
was felt that it would be unwise to spend half our
balance on one litter bin. The money may well be
needed on taking legal advice and for campaigns
connected with planning applications. The Chairman
in her review of the past year, started by saying
that in hindsight, her remark last year that
"fortunately there are no major battles to be
fought at present so that BANG can concentrate on
its Neighbourhood activities," was asking for
trouble. The most significant event of the past
year has been the application by Sheffield
University to build additional accommodation for
students in the grounds of Crewe Hall, Halifax Hall
and Tapton Hall of Residence. After much press
publicity and a prolonged campaign by BANG, the
University held an Open Forum in Earnshaw Hall on
31st August. This well attended meeting was useful
in showing the University that residents cared
deeply about Broomhill and were concerned that the
increasing imbalance in student numbers (over 6,000
students to some 2,800 "permanent" residents) was
eroding the quality of life, both for the residents
and for the students. It was stressed that we are
not against students and that we in fact welcome
them, although the minority that cause damage and
create noise and litter are an increasing problem.
When the planning applications were heard, the
University was granted the application for a 114
study/bedroom annexe to Halifax Hall but refused
permission for the Crewe Hall annex of 21 flats and
the Tapton Hall extension for 132 study
bedrooms. An application
to build an 85 bed nursing home in Melbourne Avenue
was withdrawn, modified and again withdrawn. The
Broomhill public houses are expanding with
applications from the Nottingham House, from the
York - to take over the premises currently occupied
by the greengrocer Knight, and from the Grindstone.
Applications for T/A Depot Stores (261-263 Fulwood
Road) and the Sandwich Shop at 13 Crookes Road to
become hot food takeaways have been refused, but
that for Porter Prints (205 Whitham Road) has not
yet been decided. The application for the disused
public toilets opposite the Hallamshire Hospital to
become a takeaway and tea garden was granted. The
situation concerning the building of the new
Methodist Church and the associated housing is more
hopeful since means have been found of raising the
money for starting the building of the church
before selling the Carver Street premises. Raising
the required finance for the housing is at present
being considered by the Housing Association.
Hopefully, building will start early next
year. Officers and
committee members were elected for the coming
year. May
1994 Annual General
Meeting, 29 April 1994 The AGM was
attended by about fifty members, nearly a quarter
of our current members. Since this was a special
occasion the Chairman started by giving a brief
resume of the reasons why BANG had been formed and
of the early battles that had been fought and won.
These included the proposed University takeover of
the Moor Oaks Road, Marlborough Rd, Elmore Road And
Highnam Crescent Road area, the building of a
multi-storey car park for the Hallamshire Hospital
on the sites of 8 to 14 Beech Hill Road, better
pedestrian crossings and traffic regulation in the
Broomhill shopping precinct, the creation of
Victoria Park and many others. Fortunately there
are no major battles to be fought at present so
that BANG can concentrate on its Neighbourhood
activities. The most significant event of the past
year has been the saving of Broomhill School. If it
had closed then Broomhill would have had very
little future as a family suburb. On a more
frivolous note the BANG sponsored litter bin has
finally been installed, as was reported in the last
BANGER. A resolution was in fact passed that we
should sponsor a second bin as the finances are in
a healthy state. A resolution was also passed that
BANG will oppose the possible closure of the
Accident and Emergency Department at the
Hallamshire Hospital. Officers and
committee members were elected for the coming
year. May
1993 Annual General
Meeting, 28 April 1993 The AGM was
attended by some 30 members. The Chairman's report
stressed the fact that because of the recession,
there were fewer planning applications for the
committee to consider. The BANG-sponsored litter
bin should at long last appear on Whitham Road,
near the car park, in the next week or so. Two of
the present committee members expressed their wish
not to be re-nominated and were thanked for their
long years of service. The discussion
centred on the need for improved pedestrian
crossing facilities at Crookes Junction and at the
Newbould Lane - Glossop Road crossroads, and on the
flouting of no entry signs by cars. The points
raised were dealt with by our community constable,
who also dealt with crime in the area and the
inevitable nuisance caused by a small minority of
the large number of students living in Broomhill or
in the immediate neighbourhood. BANG would like to
thank Westbourne Preparatory School for not only
making the school hall available for the AGM, but
for also providing tea and biscuits after the
meeting. Officers and
committee members were elected for the coming
year. May
1992 Annual General
Meeting, 5 May 1992 The AGM was
attended by some 30 members. The discussion
following the formal part of the meeting and a
break for refreshments was inevitably centred on
the perennial topics of litter and parking. Our
community constable gave a brief account of his
duties and of how he is trying to reconcile the
difficulties arising from the large concentration
of students in the area. Officers and
committee members were elected for the coming
year. May
1991 Annual General
Meeting, 1 May 1991 Some 40 people
attended the meeting and a lively discussion of
various topics, mostly to do with litter, was
sandwiched between the official business and the
talk on the history of Broomhill. Officers and
committee members were elected for the coming
year. May
1990 Annual General
Meeting, 8 May 1990 More than
twenty people attended the meeting and a lively
discussion of various topics affecting Broomhill,
from traffic to the old water course, followed the
official business of the meeting. Officers and
committee members were elected for the coming
year. |
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