Present:
Angela Silk – Chairperson
Pauline Cooper – Secretary
Lesley Pickup – Committee Member
Christine Brown – Committee Member
Maureen Lambton- Committee Member

In Attendance:
Liz Reid – Committee Advisor
Richard Johnston – Project Manager, Northumbrian Water
Sarah Jane Parvin – Customer Care, MMB
Paul Featherstone – Contractor, MMB
Matt Russell – Contract Manager, MMB

Approximately 60 residents attended

Apologies:
Helen Fife – Committee Member
Theresa Dalby – Committee Member
Dennis Lambton – Committee Member
George Martin – Treasurer
Jimmy Warne – Ward Councillor
Harry Trueman – Ward Councillor
Dorothy Trueman – Ward Councillor

1. Minutes of previous meeting proposed and seconded. Approved.

2. Update from Richard Johnston:- 

Richard informed the meeting that the revised plan for the reservoir had been approved by the Local Authority. The Project had been put out to tender in two parts, Part A was for the construction of the reservoir and Part B was for the pipework connecting the reservoir to Washington. The contract for Part A had been awarded to MMB whose representatives were here at the meeting. The contract for Part B had not yet been awarded. Richard noted that the previous contractors had not been satisfactory and hoped for better service from Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB).

Work is due to commence early to mid-April. This will involve stripping off top-soil and rock removal and then construction of the reservoir, taking over 2 years to complete. Some work will be seasonal. Northumbrian Water plan to hold regular information sessions in the Village and Mount Community Centre, Eighton Banks.

This was followed by a Question and Answer Session covering the following areas:-

The crushing of rock and reduction of dust and noise. 

Richard said there is a plan in place and separate meetings will be held with households most affected. Residents asked that households in Beech Grove be included in these meetings as well as Broom Court. Monitors will be placed on the site, two on the reservoir site and one by The Ship Inn to provide background data before the work starts. Water will be sprayed on the site and wheel washing of vehicles will be undertaken. Traffic will enter the site directly from Mount Lane and not use the access road to the new housing.

Road traffic and condition of Mount Lane:-

Residents noted that the state of the road was deteriorating quite badly with some signs of subsidence. Richard noted that the condition of the road was the Local Authority’s responsibility but they plan to assess the state of the road now and when the work is completed. The amount and safety of pedestrian use of Mount Lane was raised by Residents. Richard said they had no plans to deal with this as there was no space to put in footpaths.

Surface covering of the reservoir:- 

Richard confirmed the cover will be gravel. Residents expressed dissatisfaction with this decision. Richard restated that gravel was now the Industry Standard. Grass would have had to be removed every 5 years and then regrown.

Working Practices:-

On Mondays to Fridays, hours of work would be 8am to 6pm, with vehicle movements allowed between 9am and 4pm. Saturday working would be discouraged but was sometimes inevitable for example,  concrete pouring. There will be road disruption across Mount Lane at some point and more information will be provided nearer the time. There will also be disruption on Peareth Hall Road at some point, possibly for 3-4 weeks,  but no information is available yet.

Size of the reservoir:-

The reduced size of the reservoir would now be about 4 football pitches and the same height as the current land, with the reservoir buried underground. A two metre high security fence of green mesh will surround the site. The Chairperson noted that the gravel and fencing decisions were very disappointing as Residents had been told the site would be restored to grass and shrubs upon completion of the work. Richard said there would still be shrubs planted on site. The possibility of shrubs being used to block residents view of the reservoir was raised. Richard agreed to discuss this in the future. 

Method of stone removal:-

Residents expressed concern that the nature of the ground had not been sufficiently taken into account by Northumbrian Water. The Village is mostly built on solid sandstone and in the past housebuilders have had to use explosives to remove rock. Richard said surveys had been undertaken and they planned to use other methods to remove the rock. Local housing should not experience any vibration but nearby properties will be surveyed before work starts and again after completion of work and Northumbrian Water would be responsible if any damage to properties was identified. Richard noted there will be some noise and disruption.

The representatives of the contractor (MMB) then noted they wanted to work well with residents. They distributed leaflets showing work on similar, previous projects. They hope to ensure residents understand the scale of the work and thereby to manage expectations of what will happen. Precast concrete will be delivered every day and there will be two cranes on site. Dust will be monitored constantly. Chemicals will be added to water before spraying to bind the dust. Vibration Plates will be used to remove dirt from lorries before they leave the site. They plan to provide monthly updates on their website and send messages to residents via mobile phones. They will also hold monthly meetings in the Village (venue to be arranged). They will also work with Springwell Village Primary School.

Richard asked that residents completed their attendance form to enable them to keep Residents informed in the future. The Chairperson thanked Richard and the team from the Contractors for attending.

3. Solar Farm Proposal Update

There is still no date for the planning application to be heard by the Local Authority Planning Committee. The Councillors thought possibly July or September Committee Meetings.

The Councils Strategic Planners have identified a lot of problems with the proposal, as have the Landscape Architects. This does not mean it will not be approved. Gateshead Traffic Planners have asked for more information on the possible glint and glare impact on road traffic.

Residents voted for the Springwell Village Residents Association to speak at the Planning Committee meeting to oppose the plans.

4. Thompsons Quarry

Dust and noise from the Quarry has been a long-standing issue in the Village. Currently there is a lot of reclamation material on the site. The managers of the Quarry were spoken to by the Committee and said water is sprayed five times a day to reduce dust and plan to reduce the amount of material on site. A roadsweeper is deployed twice a day.

Residents from Eighton Banks have also been complaining. The Environment Agency found no issues on their last inspection. Residents were told that usually complaints made directly to the Environment Agency were most effective.

5. Date and Time of next meeting: To be confirmed.

This will probably take place in May and be the Annual General Meeting. The Committee desperately needs new members as some will leave the Committee at the AGM and MUST be replaced if the Association is to continue to work effectively. The amount of time involved varies and can be just a couple of hours a month depending on events and committee members availability. The Chairperson thanked the Committee members for their work.