June 2022 Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

Below is a summary of the key points from our June 2022 Board meeting. We hope it’s informative.

Chairman (David Cope)

We continue to work on a 3-year plan for all aspects of the maintenance and improvement of our estate and hope to share this with you in the next newsletter which we will receive in early September.  The aim of the 3-year plan is to outline the key initiatives and estimated expenditures allowing us to forecast the required reserves. 

We have also started an initiative to contact all local estates in order to share information and ideas.  This has already proved useful in understanding the experience on other estates in improving their security. 

Security and gates (David Morris)

Following the successful vote on the security proposal, we have now formally begun the process of going out to tender to 3 security companies for bids to provide the services approved at April’s AGM. We will update you on this after our next Board meeting (early September).

Drains and Roads (Paul Vasili)

We’re currently in the process of organising an independent survey of the condition and maintenance requirements of the Estate’s roads. This information will help us to create medium and long term road resurfacing plans.

 Two pieces of road maintenance (at the bottom end of Mizen Way and the Oxshott Way triangle) were postponed in 2021.  We are currently having these priced and aim to complete these works in 2022.  We are also in conversation with Surrey County Council to see what can be done to improve the road beyond the gate at the bottom of Mizen Way.

Planning (Nick Murray)

We are pleased to announce that Graham Marr will be re-joining the Board in September, taking over from Nick Murray and overseeing planning. Thank you to Nick for the time and effort that you put into updating our planning guidelines during your tenure.

Trees and Verges (Tiggy Walker)

 In April, hydrobags were attached to the trees planted in the autumn to help establish the new saplings in their first years. If you have a tree with a hydrobag (or a newly planted conifer without a hydro bag) on your verge, please can we ask you to you water it. To fill your hydrobag, please lift the white label on the front to locate the opening and fill with water. Please refill your bag every 3-5 days to give the tree the water needed to establish strong roots.

 In addition, please can we encourage everyone to look after the verge outside their property throughout the summer months with regular mowing and watering if necessary.

 A walk of the Estate with our Estate tree surgeon is planned for later this month. This will help us to decide on the condition of our trees and form a plan for maintenance and replanting.

 As part of the three year plan, a program to improve the pathways within the Estate will be devised.

Communications (Verity Peatfield)

We’re pleased to report that usage of our website has increased dramatically against last year with over 1,000 hits in the first 5 months of 2022 vs approximately 600 hits in the same period of 2021. We continue to improve the content of this resource, along with the Resident’s Welcome Pack, and we welcome any suggestions.

 Improvements made to date include adding a Newsfeed Page, which we use to post useful information and reminders to the residents, adding considerably more information about the Board members and their duties, and creating a page to house our regular Newsletters so that residents can easily find and reread them.

Finances (Rebecca Mayhew)

As a result of rising interest rates, we’ve reviewed the interest that we receive on the Estate’s reserves and have been able to increase this by moving some funds to savings facilities offering better returns.

Social Committee

As detailed in the update on the Queen’s Jubilee Street Party circulated earlier this month, we now have a Social Committee! Alex, Lindsey, Simone & Jane will be in touch later in the year to organise something for residents during the Christmas period.

Best wishes,

The OWRA Team.