05/21 AGM 2021
MUSWELL HILL AND FORTIS GREEN ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2021
Thursday 13th May
This is the second AGM when sadly we cannot get together over a glass of wine and some food to tell you what we have been doing last year.
Our Association was formed in 1948, 73 years ago and we have come a long way since then, but we never had to face the challenges of the last 12 months.
Our six committee meetings were conducted on ZOOM. Your committee continued to work throughout the year under difficult conditions.
Meetings
We had to cancel all our talks, as well as our planned outings to the Kenwood Estate and a conducted tour of Muswell Hill, both of which we hope to reinstate as soon as permitted.
All three of our meetings in November, February and March were conducted on ZOOM and were attended by over 50 members. In November we heard from Alex Fraser the Council’s arboricultural officer, in February Peter Webb the distinguished art historian, writer and fine print collector talked about his amazing collection and in March Maurice Collins gave us an interactive introduction to his collection of over 3000 posters and everyday gadgets. He and Peter are both local residents and members of our Association.
We have now lined up two more members’ meetings, hopefully at North Bank and not on ZOOM. In September Peter Webb will return to concentrate on his Oriental and European prints. In October Ian Christie will talk to us about the birth of a film studio in Muswell Hill.
Newsletter. Christine Morris
We continued to produce our Newsletters every two months and I am sure you will agree that our editor, is doing an outstanding job.
The Newsletter updates you with planning, environment, transport and other issues.
The member’s profile and the archive articles proved to be very popular.
Do let Christine know if you would like to contribute.
Website. Alex Vincenti
Our website is constantly upgraded and improved by our webmaster.
Have a look at his report to see the two major changes he has made and the increasing number of visitors to our site from all over the world.
Membership. Richard Marmalade
We welcomed Richard as our membership secretary last March and at the same time we started using new membership software, which is now up to date.
We have welcomed 29 new members which means that we now have773 members in total, including 78 businesses and organisations.
Treasury. Jacqueline Servat
Various changes had to be made last year due to the pandemic.
We stopped hand delivering our Newsletters, which resulted in savings in printing costs, we did not have to pay room hire charges as our meetings and committee meetings were on ZOOM, for stalls or for the AGM venue. The trend towards electronic payments seems well established. We gave a donation of £100 to the local Soup Kitchen. We reduced the amount held in our current account to a minimum.
The full financial report is available on request, addressed to me.
Planning. Nick Barr
321 planning applications were reviewed, 12 of which were objected to by Nick.
The extension of Permitted Development rights is a major concern as well as the fact that Haringey has failed to meet the Government’s housing targets. Detailed explanation can be seen in the full report.
Conservation Area Advisory Committee. John Crompton
We have been fortunate not to have lost too many of our shops, due to Covid and we welcomed many new ones.
Many of the planning applications were for small scale extensions. The exception is Whitehall Lodge where we have been successful in stopping a plan to build additional flats on the roof. We were also involved in stopping buildings in back gardens.
John also reports on the discussion about the disused railway bridge in Dukes Avenue and Haringey’s proposed new local plan.
Alexandra Palace and Park Twitter: Duncan Neill
The report covers the difficulties the Palace faced during lockdown, the financial impact of loss of trading, future plans, implementation of car parking charges, problems with litter in the Park.
We have 1000 followers on Twitter
Environment. Brian Livingston
Brian’s extensive report covers the following items:
Flower boxes around the Broadway, cattle trough opposite the Library, Colney Hatch Lane beds, new signs for the beds, pocket park opposite the Village Green pub, other green sites and flower beds, potholes, street furniture, flyposting, refuse problem in Queens Avenue, liaising with other bodies, including the Council Park Department and also new projects.
Publicity. George Danker
The following items are covered in this report:
Regular e-mails to inform our members, keeping our mailing list up to date, rubbish in Queens Avenue, members’ meetings, contact with the press, and the refurbishment of the Muswell Hill Library.
Transport. Anthony Wells
This year we have reported on the Controlled Parking Zones, the Electric Charging Points, on the East Finchley cycle lane and the proposed closure to traffic of Brownlow Road. We took action when needed.
Facebook, Instagram & Noticeboard. Zoe Norfolk
Details regarding these issues, including the number of followers we have, and the items posted on Facebook, are listed in Zoe’s report.
Zoe purchased and fitted a new green pin board and continues to display items sent to her about relevant local issues.
Please note that my report is ONLY a summary of the work your Committee has undertaken during the last year. Click on the individual headings to read the full reports.
Once again, I wish to thank every member of the Committee for their support and for ensuring the continued smooth running and success of your Association.
John Hajdu MBE
Chair
Muswell Hill and Fortis Green Association
chairman@mhfga.org