Management Group Meeting minutes 14.06.23

Call to order

A meeting of the Management Group of Hoylake Vision Community Planning Forum was held at 21st Amendment Bar on 14.06.23.

Attendees

Attendees: Mark Howard (MHo), Tom Hutchinson (TH), Jon Morgan (JM), Andrew Snell (AS), Alex Woods (AW)

Members not in attendance

Jade Wright (JW), Nigel Blacow (NB), Maureen Hanson (MHa), Jon Caswell (JC)

Approval of minutes

The May meeting had been cancelled. The minutes of the April meeting were approved.

Management Group Meeting Reports

• Response to Councillor Cox social media comments
  MHo had not subsequently heard back from Head of Law Jill Travers. He would contact her again with a view to setting up a meeting with ward councillors to discuss the issues and the ambitions of the forum moving forwards. Action: MHo to contact WMBC.
  
• Update on Conservation Area (CA) Appraisal
  TH was pleased to report that the CA fundraising drive had been successful. The funds had been transferred to WMBC who are ready to match fund and manage the commissioning of a new Appraisal for a Management Plan for the CA. Action: TH to monitor and update.
• Future social media strategy
  TH and AW had not been able to make progress due to personal commitments but are now have the time to put to this. Both will prepare a plan of action and report back to the next meeting. Action: TH, AW, JW, JC to jointly work on this.
  
• Planning Application Update APP/22/01127 Melrose Avenue
  TH reported that this continues to show on the WMBC planning portal as ‘Decision: Conditional Approval’ and also as ‘Pending Consideration’. We had not heard back from Kath Lawless who was looking in to the matter at our request. Action: TH to follow up.
• Extraordinary meeting next steps
  An extraordinary meeting of the management group had taken place on 25 April to discuss how to proceed with a proactive approach to potential investors and property owners in order to explore delivery options for aspects of the Hoylake Masterplan. The management group agreed unanimously that in the absence of active support from the council in this regard, the only sensible and pragmatic approach would to proactively develop a new approach moving forwards and that this would be a legitimate aim of the management group of the forum beyond that of simply “making a plan”. One of the first actions would be a high level scoping exercise to establish the ambitions and needs of local sports and health groups and organisations with a view to combining existing ideas for a Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre in the hinterland behind Hoylake with new facilities for a range of groups. This had been completed and there is considerable interest from all organisations approached. AS concluded that we are now ready to hold a meeting with interested parties. Action: AS to organise an introductory meeting with all those consulted thus far. A full members only meeting to be called asap after. Ward councillors will be invited.
  
• Proposed meeting with One West Kirby (OWK) representatives
  TH had suggested the possibility of a meeting with this organisation because there were opportunities to jointly explore the possibility of improving the land between the two towns in terms of environmental enhancements and new facilities of benefit to both communities. The ideas noted in the previous item would likely be of particular interest to OWK. MHo is acquainted with two members of the team and had organised a meeting with them. Action:  MHo and TH to be in attendance and report back.
• Next forum member newsletter suggestions for content
  Ideas included update on the CA Appraisal and Management Plan, ideas receieved for use of the triangle of land next to the Old Lifeboat Station, meeting with OWK, new approaches to potential investor and landowner liaison, Sports and Health / Leisure and Wildfowl and Wetlands ideas, next AGM. Action: MHo to draft and circulate for approval.
• Open Day/ AGM Planning
  We had to postpone the anticipated June 2023 AGM due to management group member absences on the day. AW will contact St Luke’s Church and reserve a date in mid September (possibly Saturday 16th) at which more management group members can be present. A similar format to the 2022 AGM will be followed, with displays set out on the day for walk-in visitors. The AGM would take place at the end of the day. Action: MHo (presentation), NB (membership), AW (booking).
• AOB
  • None raised
    

Provisional date of next meeting Weds 12 July 2023