Notes by Jo Nean
Minutes from 2nd meeting - 08/04/08 7:30pm Park Crescent
Present:
Jo Nean, Mary-Lou Banfield, John Roland, Natalie Santana, Terry Spencer, Ted Power, Jessica Langton, Maureen Winder, Richard Howard, Graham and Abraham (didn't catch last names, sorry!)
Four people more than last time and a more even ratio of Triangle (5) to Roundhillers (6). The pub was perhaps not a great choice for this meeting as although only a Tuesday it was very busy and hard to hear one another but we managed to get through a lot anyway. The Bugle has been proposed for the next one which will be on Tuesday 29th April from 7:30-9pm.
Issues discussed:
TRAT Google Group
Jo has set up a Transition Roundhill and Triangle Google Group to make communcations between meetings easier for this group. Link to the group is: http://groups.google.com/group/transitionroundhillandtriangle
Community Centre proposal
There has been talk in the Roundhill Society about the possibility of fundraising for money to help start up a community space. This was spurred by Rob's suggestion that 350 people with £1,000 each could buy The Victoria and use it as a community pub. It has been noted that The Vic is up for auction next week and so the amount of energy, commitment and money necessary for such a project would certainly not be ready in time. However, if we begin looking at fundraising opportunities now then we may be ready for the next time such an opportunity arises. Many ideas were discussed as to what such a space could be used for - social space, sustainability issues, community meetings, yoga classes, kids clubs... so many possibilities! This is obviously something that will need a lot of thought and discussion and the wider community will also want to be involved and to have a say in what happens.
* Maureen, Jess and some members of Roundhill Society committee to research funding opportunities that could tie into this. Will feedback via google group or at next meeting.
* The wider Roundhill and Triangle communities will need to be consulted on this matter. Roundhill Society and Triangle Group to discuss means of doing this along with TRAT.
Greening the Round Triangle
This was an idea first suggested at the initial meeting - visually greening up the Roundhill and Triangle areas with hanging baskets, window boxes and front garden growing. The Triangle Group have just put in a funding application for just this kind of project, 'Greening the Triangle' and are awaiting a reply. The next round of applications will be in June/July so Roundhill could use Triangle bid as a template. Jo also talked about Food Up Front - an urban food growing scheme in London with strong links to the Transition Movement.
* Roundhill residents and/or committee to look over Triangle funding bid.
* Jo to contact Food Up Front about coming to give a talk to us about what they are doing.
Composting
In regard to the previously suggested community composting scheme, Jo has proposed beginning simply by matching up a list of people who have compost with people who would like it. The list was begun almost immediately right there in the pub and it was a pleasant surprise to see that so far there are more people wanting it than have it. There also seems to be some demand for a composting class. This would help those who would like to use it in their gardens to achieve the right consistency and would also help make sure that people know what to put in - no meat or dairy for example.
* Jo to organise composting workshop as part of the community reskilling/skill-share events she is already planning.
* Composting have/want list to be continued, perhaps in residents groups first. To be spread out into wider community perhaps after composting class to ensure health and safety.
Questionnaire
Maureen proposed compiling a questionnaire to find out views of Roundhill and Triangle residents on a variety of issues, from sustainability to the proposed community centre. There was some uncertainty as to what questions should go into the questionnaire. It was felt it should be kept short so as not to put people off filling it in. Jess wondered if we might in fact need two questionnaires at seperate times - one to find out views on the community centre and another for sustainaility issues.
* Everybody to compile draft questionnaire questions to be discussed on the google group and at next meeting.
Notes from Roundhill/Triangle neighbourhood group meeting – Tue 8 April
Notes from first meeting of Roundhill / Triangle neighbourhood group – Thu 13 March
Notes by Jo Nean
We met for our first neighborhood group meeting on Thursday 13th March at 7pm in The Roundhill pub on Ditchling Road.
There were 7 people present (5 from Roundhill, 2 from The Triangle):
Jo, Terry, Jess, Ted, Maureen, Richard and Jenny.
After introductions and a brief summary of Transition Brighton and Hove, and Transition Towns in general, we got to talking about visions, plans and aspirations for our area.
We came up with five main ideas to take to the next meeting to be developed and debated:
1. Making our neighborhood a visually green and beautiful area, 'the hanging baskets of Babylon', encouraging people to grow food, plants and flowers in their front gardens and hanging baskets. It was pointed out that living in a green and beautiful area can have positive effects on mental health and wellbeing, which in turn leads to a happier, more vibrant community. The Triangle have already begun thinking along these lines with their 'Greening the Triangle' project.
2. Rebuilding community through local events and strengthening residents associations. Although environmental concerns are the main factors behind the Transition Towns movement, community is seen as a primary positive solution and this is what people locally may find it easier to relate to. There were concerns about the need for money and funding. The Triangle have already begun fundraising for initiatives in their area so we have some knowledge of the process within our group.
3. Car sharing. Hanover have their own car share scheme and there are others popping up around the city. It was pointed out that such a scheme would be a good way to cut down on car use and the amount of cars within our area.
4. Community composting scheme. This is something that comes up fairly often and it was generally felt that this is something we should look into setting up.
5. Solar panels and other forms of energy generation. It has been brought to our attention that people are having applications for solar panels turned down in Roundhill on the grounds that it is a conservation area. We wondered at how we will be expected to power our homes in the future. It was also mentioned that cars are not particularly Victorian looking, yet they are allowed!
Other topics talked about included;
* How to get more people involved, perhaps making posters and other publicity for future meetings.
* Permaculture and food growing Vs local planning issues.
* The lack of open spaces.
* Lack of council involvement in the community
* Our experience of community - what is it, where is it and who is it? The idea that there are multiple, overlapping communities in existence that are no longer based on geographical areas but on cultures and subcultures. How do we as residents define our community?
* Strengthening connections between the Roundhill Society and Triangle Group.
* "Living Streets" (www.livingstreets.org.uk)
* IDEA: A festival held in local pubs on one evening with lots of different events happening in one night. A sort of Roundhill and Triangle Festival. It was felt that this sort of event would be too ambitious for us to take on at this time but that we should put it to one side to think about in the future when there are more people involved in the group.
A date was set for our next meeting: Tuesday 8th April, 7:30pm in The Park Crescent. Jo to talk to Kat, who runs the pub, in advance.
All are most welcome