Minutes 4th July 2006

Minutes of Meeting on 4th July 2006

CRYSTAL PALACE & NORWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HELD AT 1ST FLOOR, LORENZO'S RESTAURANT, WESTOW HILL

1. Present
Honorary Chairman - Mervyn Hing - Silk Route Dry Cleaners
Honorary Secretary - Andrew Parfitt - resident
Cllr. Sue Bennett (South Norwood, Croydon)
Kevin Carleton-Reeves - transport consultant
Cllr. Luke Clancy (South Norwood, Croydon)
Yemi Dada - Palace Estates
Cllr. Andrew Gibson (Gipsy Hill, Lambeth)
Stephen Govier - Lambeth Business Against Crime (LBAC) Ltd
John Greatrex - Great Exhibitions Ltd.
Dr. Nigel Harris - The Railway Consultancy Ltd.
Colin Hasell - independent financial adviser
Mary Kennedy - The Tanning Shop
Karen Morgan - Crystal Palace Foundation
Sue Nagle - Triangle Traders
Cllr. Graham Pycock (Gipsy Hill, Lambeth)

2. Apologies
Kennex Kanagarajnam - Pizza Express
Sharon Parry-Baldwin - Town Centre Manager

3. Minutes of Previous Meeting

item 1: for "Mary King" please read "Mary Kennedy".

item 7: the website with further details of Croydon Councillors has changed to:
http://www.croydon.gov.uk/council/yourreps/councillors/136806/

The minutes of the 6 June meeting were formally adopted.

4. Matters Arising

Mervyn Hing said that he had dicussions with John Payne (Crystal Palace Community Association) to explain the restriction of attendance at future meetings of the Chamber to traders and other business interests, with others attending by invitation only. John accepted the Chamber's decision.

Mervyn added that he had e-mailed Peter Austin (The Norwood Society) to inform him of the position but had not yet received a response.

Members present welcomed the clarification of the Chamber's purpose.

Mervyn and Sue said that the Chamber and Triangle Traders were in principle in a position to be merged. Sue would take forward discussion of the details of this proposal with the Traders.

5. Palace People

John Greatrex noted that in April 2005, three representatives from a new magazine Palace People attended a meeting of the Chamber and circulated the publication to those present:
http://www.norwoodchamber.org.uk/minutes/20050405.shtml

Subsequently, the magazine has appeared monthly or bimonthly, published by Toby Hickman of Croydon.
http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=87694

John said that a new publisher was now being sought, and that it was hoped that one would be found by early September. John considered that the magazine, which contains advertisements for local firms, would provide a good opportunity to publicise the "rebranded" Chamber.

Sue suggested that the Chamber should contact the new publisher and ask for material relating to the Chamber (e.g. minutes of the meetings) to appear. In return, traders would be encouraged to advertise in the magazine. Mervyn suggested that rather than the full minutes, a summary version would be more appropriate.

6. Traffic Survey with Crystal Palace Traders

Mervyn and Mary Kennedy had made a door-to-door survey of local businesses. They had spoken to almost half of the Triangle traders, spending an average of 20 minutes at each premises. Traders were very aggrieved about the traffic situation, angry at their disempowerment.

The overriding concern was with the inadequacy of parking. For instance, one business was incurring parking fines of several hundred pounds a year.

Many viewed the one-way system with stoical resignation, but the overwhelming majority nevertheless wanted a return to two-way traffic flow. Some traders were concerned, however, about the disruption which would be caused from works to reinstate two-way traffic, and considered the continuation of the one-way system to be the lesser of two evils.

Sue Nagle said that over 50 traders had left since the one-way system had been introduced, so we had the views only of the survivors and second generation.

Andrew Gibson and Graham Pycock suggested that the Chamber should develop a strategy to build up support for a change. Residents should also be involved in the campaign, which could lead to proposals being presented to Councils and to Transport for London.

Sue Nagle asked whether Councillors had sufficient power to make effective changes, given that Crystal Palace formed a small part of several much larger boroughs. Graham said that in Lambeth, the use of local area committees could provide a useful way forward.

Sue Bennett said that Croydon did not have local area committees, but was run centrally. Luke Clancy added that Andrew Pelling (MP for Croydon Central and member of the London Assembly) is very much in favour of abolishing the one-way system. The views of the new leader of Croydon Council (Mike Fisher) were not yet clear.

Mervyn said that he would take matters forward with a further survey of traders, this time focussing on parking restrictions. He would put the draft wording of the survey to a subsequent meeting of the Chamber.

7. Political Posters on Shop Fronts

Mervyn circulated an article from The Evening Standard of 26 June which mentioned the action being taken against a trader in Wealdstone who placed a political poster in their window which did not declare the printer and publisher. He reminded the Chamber that this is an offence according to electoral law.

8. Any Other Business

Water supply

Nigel Harris raised concerns about the cost to businesses of intermittent disruptions to the water supply. He had been required to send staff home today owing to their being no water on Anerley Hill. Other members also voiced their concerns.

Andrew Gibson suggested that as well as writing to Thames Water, businesses should also consider contacting Ofwat, making clear that this was a reputational issue. http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/

Business Crime

In relation to an alleged "insider crime" at a local business, Sue Nagle noted the reluctance of the police to intervene, even when evidence was available on camera.

Stephen Govier said that he was very grateful for the invitation to attend the Chamber's meeting and gave further information about the LBAC http://www.lbac.org.uk/. He said that tackling business crime was high on the agenda in Lambeth, with a dual-track approach being taken: dealing with the offenders and intervening early. Andrew Gibson added that each ward in Lambeth would have a Safer Neighbourhood Team. Members of the Chamber was invited to the next meeting of the Area Committee for Norwood on 13 July at the Nettlefold Hall.

Sue Bennett said that Safer Neighbourhood Teams had been established in Croydon wards. The contact for the South Norwood ward was Sgt. Baxter.
http://www.met.police.uk/croydon/saferneighbourhoods.htm#00AHGZ

Ice Rink

Karen said that the ice rink would be operating again this winter, sponsored by the LDA. Its opening on the weekend of 25-26 November would coincide with the Crystal Palace Foundation's events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Crystal Palace fire. Karen added that the Foundation had asked for the traditional 5th November firework display to be moved to this weekend.

Crystal Palace Museum

John said that the opening hours of the museum were being extended to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.



The meeting ended at 8.15 p.m.

Date of next meeting: Tuesday 5th September at 6.45 for 7 p.m., Lorenzo's Restaurant