Meeting documents

The minutes of the meeting on the 27 July were confirmed.

In terms of matters arising, it was noted by the Group that a timetable regarding filming on the Stage 2 land had not been made available, with representatives from Pinewood aiming to rectify this as soon as possible.

Bob Smith advised the Group of correspondence between himself and Superintendent Hitch, which clarified that speed enforcement vans had been deployed on the A412, but that the threshold which would allow more pro-active activity from the police had not been reached.

Andrew Smith advised the Group that his letter of the 22 August – previously distributed to the Group by email - included most of the salient points of update.

Andrew added that the hedge-cutting around the perimeters of the Pinewood site had been taken on by Pinewood so that it could be done in a timely and efficient manner. Cllr. Matthews thanked Andrew Smith and Pinewood for the installation of the white gates, but queried why the sign had not been installed, citing the letter of the 22August "…we are awaiting confirmation of the correct speed limit for the road before the signs go up", whilst confirming that there is no speed limit to be added to the wording of the sign. It was therefore agreed that the installation of the signs would take place imminently.

The green roofs were reported to have tomatoes growing on them, with the hibernaculum being at capacity. The Group were also informed that these were the largest green roofs in the UK. After a question from the Group, it was reported that the irrigation system was working fine, with the environmental team monitoring it; an added bonus had been that the roofs add an extra layer of sound insulation to the stages. Kathryn Donovan agreed to make available a list of species that were on the roof, and also suggested that if any member of the Group wished to visit the roofs, this could be arranged.

The Group were informed that the Stage 2 road safety audit had been considered unsatisfactory, and was now back with Vectos to be looked at again – therefore it had not been given technical approval from County.

After declaring an interest as a resident of Iver Heath, Cllr. Sullivan informed the Group that she had asked Bucks County Council to look into additional mitigation for residents who were being adversely affected – with the consensus of the Group being that it was important to manage expectations of residents in relation to this. Additionally, Cllr. Sullivan suggested that a member of the Group should sit on the Transport Review Group, and stated that she would be happy to take on this role.

As a whole, the Group expressed confusion around the use of the S106 monies, with members feeling that it was unclear as to who was deciding what was spent, how they would reach this conclusion and where exactly the monies were at the moment. Bob Smith resolved to ask Rachael Shimmin (Chief Executive of BCC) for more transparency surrounding this, including a breakdown of fees and charges. Concern was raised by Cllr. Matthews that residents were asked for an input as to how the money should be spent – via a survey – but that there did not seem to be any follow-up to this.

The Group were concerned that the illogical speed limits along Pinewood Road were dissuading the public from using the footpaths, with Alan Wilson raising the question of when a decision would be made re: standardising the speed limit. It was discussed that the proper channels had to be followed i.e. through BCC and local area forums before a decision was made. Stage 2 of the Pinewood development would trigger a cycle path and footpath, and although there was no definite timescale on this, a detailed planning application would need to be submitted first.

No detail was currently available on the multi-storey car park, but the Group were informed that the land of the M25 landfill site was being used for car parking purposes.

The Group requested an update on the Attenuation Ponds, with Andrew Smith reporting that visual inspections had taken place, and that formal monitoring was also occurring; members of the Group asked that the name of the company monitoring the situation be released to them, with Andrew agreeing that he would come back to the Group with both the name of the company and the brief that they were working to.

It was raised by Alan Wilson that a young deer had found itself stuck between the fence panels and unable to release itself, had died. Andrew Smith assured the Group that the fence would be checked, as they had been constructed with gaps throughout in order to allow wildlife to move freely. 

It was confirmed that regular monitoring reports were being sent by David Wight to BCC, and agreed – after a request by the Group – that these could be made available to the Group.

The matter of the trees that had been planted was raised by Carol Gibson, particularly in regards to some of the newly planted trees during the extremely hot temperatures; Kathryn Donovan clarified that circa 700 trees had been planted, with the Pinewood gardening team increasing in number to tend to the trees, alongside the environment team, and that they would be ensuring that the trees were thriving during all weathers.

The following items were suggested for the next meeting of the Pinewood Community Liaison Group:

·         S106 Monies – understanding and clarity, and obligations of BCC.

The date of the next meeting was tentatively agreed as 14 December 2016, at a venue that Pinewood will inform the Group of as soon as possible.