On Wednesday I attended my first Acocks Green Ward Committee meeting as a member, rather than a member of the public, for a couple of years. The main items discussed were:

1) Trees:  Nick Barton, a tree specialist from Amey, the Council’s contractor, explained their policy regarding the removal of old or diseased street trees. Every street tree is surveyed every 5 years. Acocks Green has just been surveyed and this revealed a total of 51 trees which needed removal (see my post on 5th June). This is from a total of 2,658 street trees in Acocks Green (and 80,000 in Birmingham). They are replaced, in or as close as possible, to the site of the removed tree, with one of 14 varieties of trees. New trees are watered regularly during the growing season for 3 years. I asked for an assurance that, given the large number of trees being removed from Gospel Lane, that these would be replaced in Gospel Lane and this was given.

2) Annual Appointments: These are effectively controlled by the Labour majority on the Committee, so not surprisingly, Stewart Stacey kept his place on the Stockfield Community Association and John O’Shea kept his place on the Acocks Green Business Improvement District Board.

3) Community Chest: Additional grants were allocated as follows:

• FITCAP – Fox Hollies Football – £3,500 (top up from last allocation)
• House of Play & Education – Community & Family Worker – £3,528 (top up)
• Fox Hollies Community Assn – Summer Holiday Play Scheme – £3,000 (deferred from last meeting)
• Birmingham TUC Centre for the Unemployed – Advice in the Green – £4,050 (new application)
• Blue Ink Trust – Blue Ink Saturday School – £1,640 – (new application)

4) Planning Applications: The Committee agreed to object to two applications:

• 2014/03842/PA Outline application, for the erection of 53 dwellings between Knights Road and Tyseley Lane, with the demolition of 23-33 Tyseley Lane and all commercial buildings. We objected on the grounds that there is no provision for public open space in the proposals – a small play area is desperately needed in this area and should be provided as part of the scheme.
• 2014/04299/PA Application to relax delivery hours to the Lidl Supermarket. These are currently 7.30am to 7pm Mon-Sat, 9.30-4.30 Sun and none on Bank Holidays. They want 6am to 10pm Mon – Sat, 8am to 8pm Sun and Bank Holidays. We suggested a slight relaxation to 7am to 9pm Mon-Sat and 9am to 6pm on Sun and Bank Holidays would be reasonable, but that to go as far a Lidl want would be unacceptable.

5) Date of next meeting: Wednesday 10th September in Acocks Green Library.