September 2023 Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

Following the most recent Board meeting held on 31st August, here’s an update on a few Estate-related matters. We hope it’s helpful.

Special General Meeting

A Special General Meeting will take place on Monday 18 September 2023 at 7.30pm at The Cobham Curve. Please refer to your email from us dated Sunday 3 September 2023 for the detail of the issues that will be discussed and the Resolutions to be voted on that evening. We cannot stress enough how important we feel it is for you to attend on the night as the way the Estate is managed going forward will be decided in that meeting, but please do send your proxy vote in advance if you will (or might be) unable to attend.  Proxy votes must be signed and should be sent by e-mail to chairman@owra.co.uk or delivered by hand to David Cope at 32 Oxshott Way.

Security

You will have observed the new CCTV cameras are currently being fitted. The cameras installed so far are “live” in the sense that they are connected to power.  This is solely to prevent degradation that can take place if they are left “cold”.  They are not recording any images (they do not yet have SD cards installed) nor are any images being transmitted for cloud storage as will take place once the system becomes operational. In addition, prior to becoming operational we will be installing the appropriate signage at each CCTV location and publishing a data handling policy on OWRA’s website.  We expect the systems to become operational in early October, although we are still awaiting quotes from Openreach for installing broadband connectivity, which could delay some elements.

Gates & Roads

We have recently been informed of several occasions when residents have witnessed non-residents try to manually open the gates, potentially leading to damage. Should you observe this occurrence, please can we encourage you to intervene and explain that the gates will open automatically if their vehicle is close enough. We plan to improve signage in the near future detailing these points to minimise such events.  Some white & yellow lines also still need to be re-done.

You will have noticed that some road resurfacing has taken place in recent months. We have prioritised those sections of road that were in the worst condition.  The resurfacing at the 3 gates that took place required new “induction loops” to be installed and, unfortunately, the ‘planing’ of the old tarmac also damaged the central gate stops at two of those gates which then required replacement.  We expect that all gates should be back in normal operating mode within the next week.

All planned remedial road works for the Estate in 2023 are now complete.

Drains

We recently commissioned a CCTV survey of the drains within the Estate. The report and video provided makes clear that our surface water drainage system is in a poor state of repair. Our next step is to work up a fully costed plan to address the most pressing aspects so that surface water on the roads at times of heavy rain can be reduced.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on 18th September and hope that you will support the Board in their efforts to act in the best interests of the Estate.

Best wishes,

The OWRA Board.