Minutes of Design Group Meeting
Tuesday 15th February 2011
Present: Sheila Friend-Smith (chairman), Will Burton, Daniel Block, Simon Pittock, Philip Eden, John Baker, Ted Coney, Ray Tinker
1. Apologies
Apologies were received from Liz Sayers, Angela Moody, Peter
Hillman, Heber Martin, Suzanne Lindsay, Alan Mittins, Yvonne Thresh.
2. Minutes of 18th January Meeting
These were agreed.
3. Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
4. Steeple Row update
Sheila
Friend-Smith and Philip Eden went to meet Stuart Hobbley, the Director of the
Regional Heritage Lottery Fund in Cambridge on 7th February. Our
ideas, together with the Cathedral’s plans to mark the foundations of the
former northwest transept in the outdoor seating area of the refectory were
well received and we stressed the excellent opportunities which would be opened
up with the Steeple Row enhancement and the “missing transept project”. We met
to write a pre-application for Heritage Lottery funding and Philip is producing
the final version after showing it to the Dean and Chapter and Jane Kennedy.
5. Commemorative plaques
Unfortunately Shirley and Terry Overall could not be here so there was no report.
6. Future of Ely Magistrates Court
The Ely
Society has arranged a meeting with Mark Veale, Regional Estates Manager for
HM’s Courts Service and Sheila was asked to compile a list and invite local
council and community representatives to a meeting on 7th March in
St. Peter’s Church House. This will be an exploratory meeting finding out about
the process of transferring the Court building to new ownership.
7. The Way Forward: Action Plan
As Daniel Block and Simon Pittock are interested in improving our publicity online most of the discussion was centered on this aspect of the Way Forward. Daniel and Simon had hoped to create a web site which would give publicity to the city and link businesses, churches and other organisations, but they did not succeed in getting the necessary funding. Philip said that he had arranged a presentation for the Ely Traders Association on 28th February on a loyalty card service called “All the Little Shops” and invited Daniel and Simon to the meeting. It was also suggested that they could go with two other members, Will Burton and Ray Tinker to Thame to learn about an innovative scheme linking iPhone software to barcode information in shop windows. Daniel and Simon also said that they would help to update and refresh our web site.
8. Open meeting, "Minding the Gaps" 10th March Cathedral Centre at 7pm
Philip
was compiling the invitation list to include all the local Councillors
representing Ely and its hinterland, officers from ECDC and the County and
local businessmen and community representatives.
9. Maltings Cottage
The planning application was now public and it was agreed that Design Group members should scrutinise it carefully.
10. Retail occupancy
Sand and
City has closed. Griffin’s shop has not closed but is being refurbished.
11. Any other business
Philip
has met Giles Hughes about the proposed loss of a Transport Officer at ECDC as
the responsibility for concessionary fares was passing to the County Council.
Giles assured Philip that proper attention would still be given to transport
issues. He was also assured that money for Steeple Row was still remaining in
the Conservation capital budget. Will said that the CCTV scheme was going well
but more volunteers were needed. He asked why there were no Neighbourhood
Panels in March and Philip explained that it was because elections were
imminent. John said that he was resigning from the Ely Society committee but
would continue as a link with the Design Group. Ray wondered how we could
revive the steam train visits to Ely and Sheila suggested that Will could
discuss this with the Traders Association. Simon was keen for Ely to have a
Christmas market and said he would research how it could be arranged.
12. Date of next meeting
15th March
