SEEFoE Meeting, 8th July 2008

Agenda for SEEFoE Meeting of 8th July 2008, 7:30pm

1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of last meeting & AGM
3. Next Meetings
4. Cycling in Southend
5. Biofuels Summer of Action
6. Renaissance Southend
7. Board Elections for East Anglia
8. Forthcoming Events
9. AOB

Minutes

1. Apologies for absence:
   Michael Downer, Michael Woollcott.
   Present:
   Denis Walker (DW), Peter Walker (PW), Gabrielle Yiddell (GY), Jon Fuller (JF), Sarah Fuller (SF).
2. Minutes of last meeting & AGM:
   Proposed DW, seconded GY
3. Next Meetings:
   5th August and 9th September, 7.30pm
4. Cycling in Southend:
   Government has provided £3.2 million for cycling, a figure to be matched by Southend Borough Council= £6.4 million. Michael Brazier right to ride officer. Map- was originally done in 2004. Hierarchy of provision, priorities;
   1. Traffic reduction
   2. Speed reduction
   3. Junction treatment and traffic management
   4. Redistribution of carriageway
   5. Off road provision.
   Prittlebrook not good for cyclists. Cycle round town and look at bad junctions. A127 and A13 east-west roads, need cycle facilities on these. “Problems at junctions imagined not real” just certain points. JF most important is E-W route- S2 most useful. Baron’s court enforced walk to school day. Sea wall route Leigh to Canvey. SF Bridge to Canvey. DW next step is to talk to Anna Waite. JF says we need 2 top priority schemes, for commuters. SF- need to make it positive, make suggestions of what we want rather than saying the council are bad. DW hire bikes, what do we think? We think they’ll get nicked. JF need to work quickly on this. Press release, note to council- no consultants ask us! We want every penny to go to cycle routes.
5. Biofuels Summer of Action:
   Gallagher review against. Up to 70% of increase in food prices due to biofuels- World Bank. DW went to Ashlyns farm, and got 25 postcards. Our nominated MEP is Geoffrey van Orden. Lives in Chelmsford. Not responded at all. DW to ring him tomorrow to chase up. Need to look up where his office is. Stall in Southend- 2nd August? 10-1 top of high street.
6. Renaissance Southend:
   MD and DW went to stakeholder’s consultation at Cliffs Pavilion 10/6. Murray Foster the ex-councillor chaired. City beach and the Victoria’s. Junction at Kursaal- town square, shared surface. Make whole thing 20mph. Make it easier for people to get from arcades to beach. Iconic lighting- LEDs and light displays. Lighting consultant agreed to look at vertical axis turbines on top. Everything run by consultants. On the whole pretty good. Iconic monument at aquarium end. The Victoria’s. Waste of time as we don’t know what Sainsbury’s are doing. Either move whole thing south and make park or move whole thing north and do something. Vic circus- shared surface? But just too busy- At high street this weekend.
7. Board Elections for East Anglia:
   DW vs. Paula Whitney
8. Forthcoming Events:
   
   • 11-12/07 - Renaissance Southend Exhibition: “City Beach” & “The Victorias”
     Top of the High Street & Unit 22, The Royals
   • 02/08 - Biofuels Summer of Action Stall
     Top of the High Street
   • 12-14/09 - Local Groups Conference
     Loughborough University
   • 25/10 - EU Renewables Directive National Day of Action
     Details to be confirmed
9. AOB:
   GY David Hall lecture- Phillip Sands. JF anti airport stuff in local paper.