This is advance notice that the HCERA AGM will take place on Tuesday 19th October at St George Catholic College, Leaside Way, at 7.15pm. A formal written notice of the meeting will be sent out at least two weeks in advance of that date and will include an invitation to nominate committee members.

Please let me have any items of business that you would like to have included on the agenda – so this is your opportunity to bring any burning issues before the residents.

The AGM may appoint one director of Herbert Collins Estates Ltd. So that any nominations may be included in the agenda, I must have nominations not later than 18.00 on Wednesday 29 September. A nomination must be accompanied by the name and address of a proposer and seconder. If anyone would like to enquire about what is involved with being a director, they can email the Company hcel@herbertcollins.co.uk

Denise Fenwick, HCERA Secretary, 7 Leaside Way or by email to hcera@herbertcollins.co.uk

This has had a disappointing outcome, with little apparent germination. Recently we planted all the meadow seed we had left over in the hope that something will come up during the spell of wet weather. Ian Bailey, the City Council’s Engagement Officer, Education, Environment and Ecology has brought me a collection of seedlings which he grew from seeds of wild flowers harvested near the Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre. When they are large enough, they will be planted out. I was pleased to see that the Council left the “Eye” un-mown when they last cut the grass.

To make sure that the overall character of the Estate is maintained, the Company has been applying the same policy for approving alterations as the previous owner. As we reported in the last newsletter, we want to look again at the policy to see if we need to make changes. As a first step, we sent out a questionnaire to all residents so that you could tell us what you think.

Now that we have the replies, we could just take the totals for each question and use these to influence any policy change. However, with just one third of residents sending in a completed questionnaire, we have to judge whether this is a representative sample of all residents. However, it is not too late to let us know what you think as we are still happy to accept completed questionnaires.

Some of the respondents also made full use of the comments boxes, and some of these replies have given us food for thought. While it is taking some time to analyse all the results, we can at least see that not everyone understands our role. As part of our future strategy, we therefore need to make sure that we clearly communicate that the Company is a separate entity from the Residents Association. As a first step, we have added an explanation of the difference between HCERA and HCEL to the Welcome tab of the website at: www.herbertcollins.co.uk/welcome/hcera-or-hcel-whats-the-difference/

While we work on developing our own policy, we are treating each request to make alterations on its merits, based on the current policy published on the Herbert Collins Estates Ltd web pages. It is worth reminding all residents that the Company approval for alterations is in addition to the statutory requirements of the Government and Local Authority. To avoid any later misunderstanding, contacting the Company for advice and guidance before formal plans are drawn up is a worthwhile exercise, and time well spent.

Web page: www.herbertcollins.co.uk/hcel

The Open Gardens Day on June 27th was a success and £129 was collected for Mayfield Nurseries, a subsidiary charity of Solent Mind. We thank the eleven residents who so kindly opened their gardens and were so hospitable in showing visitors round. The weather forecast was very threatening but in fact rain held off until about 4.30pm.

A double pink hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata ‘Rosea Flore Pleno’) has been donated by Valerie Scott for the green in Bassett Green Road. This was to replace a small silver birch which died unexpectedly. This promises to be very beautiful.

The date for the party is Saturday 7th August on the large green in Ethelburt Avenue, starting at 3pm with the BBQ available from 4pm. A bouncy castle has been booked. You should have received the invitation with this newsletter.

When you ask HCEL for consent to make alterations, please make sure you have this consent in writing before starting building work. This may avoid a very embarrassing situation. The restrictive covenant makes this quite clear “..will not without the previous consent in writing of the Lessor/Vendor make any alteration or addition..”.

I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the celebration of my 100th birthday in March.

I was especially delighted by the Magnolia tree, which as a living thing, is lovely to look at now and will also be there for many years to come.

Thank you all again.