Report of the Village Hall Committee April 2021

We have a new feature on David Smith field this winter- our little orchard planted with trees for babies born to Broomfield families in 2020. We invited all parents of such babies to apply, and they could have their tree at home or planted in the field. There should be a lovely show of blossom shortly for children to ride their cycles past.

Over the last two years a lot of work has been completed. A defibrillator has been added to the front of the Village Hall. The hall was redecorated at Easter 2020. The MUGA lights have been replaced with LED lights and the faulty car park lights at the northern end have been replaced as well.

During the Summer of 2020 the car park surface was relaid- with the existing foundations not proving strong this turned into a bigger job than anticipated.

While this job was being completed the car park contractor was also asked to resurface the cycleway with a tar and chip finish. This job was left with a far too deep layer of loose chippings on top and the contractor was asked to rectify this. This took a long time and was eventually done by councillors and volunteers sweeping of the excess. During this time the public were understandably annoyed and we are very sorry this happened. It

was decided to carry out a Spring review of the cycleway and ask two experts from the City Council to advise. This was arranged for the 20th April. We have shared the results with one of our interested cycle track mums who was unable to attend.

The officers said from a glance round the park the cycleway was obviously a multi use facility with people jogging and walking as well, and the main path extending as an accessible route to Centenary Wood. They suggested a sign to this effect, so people using the track in different ways would be sure to take consideration of each other. They considered the surface was in good condition, good for multiple uses, and no additional work was required. However they made some recommendations as follows:

1) Sweep surface twice a year or annually to remove build-up of loose stones on the sides of the track. The majority of users will cycle down the middle, which pushes any loose debris to the edges.
2) The ground has sunk in a few places along the edge of the cycle path, leading to a height difference. This could be a hazard for young learner riders if a wheel drops off the path causing them to fall.
3) Ideally signage should be incorporated to differentiate between the beginner and advanced routes. This is important to ensure riders do not exceed their skill level and physical ability.
4) Ensure any vegetation is kept trimmed back 1m-1.5m from the path edge.

This report has still to go before Village Hall Committee but the four recommendations will be acted on, including further landscaping along the track edge and alongside the humps so it is impossible to fall off to a lower height.

There was a period of anti social behaviour at night occurring in the overflow car park and this is now locked overnight which seems to have rectified the problem.

It has been decided to open the MUGA for public use, just asking the public to leave 30 minutes before a booking so it can be checked as free of litter and ready to use.

With regard to litter- if you have carried a heavy picnic to the park, why not take the litter to a bin- there are several on the park. Please be considerate of others and wildlife. Similarly please clear up after your dog, to keep the park pleasant and safe for other users.

Steff, Fitz and Stuart are to be congratulated on their great efforts to maintain our hall and keep it open whenever possible during the pandemic. We have been supported by the furlough and business rate schemes. Bookings have returned each time that has been possible; currently the hall is open for some groups but other bookings will be allowed as we pass each significant date, as long as Covid 19 rates remain low.

The Village Hall Committee are committed to looking ahead and continuing to improve our provision. We are currently looking into the feasibility of a multi use extension being built on the southern end, that will include facilities for young people. These need to be separate from the main hall for child protection purposes.

As we had an incursion on the field last year soon height restriction barriers will be added to our entrances.

We are looking to some new measures to respond to the Climate Emergency- a new bank of cycle racks; continuing our investigation into adding renewable energy for the hall; and switching to a sustainable and carbon neutral electricity supplier when the contract comes up for renewal.