MINUTES OF JAG MEETING Wed 9 July 2008 

Those present: Gary Turnbull (Chair), Anne Brown, Roger Blantern, Antonia Clarke, Nick Berry (Treasurer), Louise Belson (Secretary), Sibs Walter, Chris van Duuren. Neil Thurlow. (SNT)

1. Apologies were received from Tim Sutton.

2. Previous Minutes. LB apologised for the lack of last month’s minutes. 

    These will be approved in September. NB volunteered to minute the current meeting.

3. JAG Constitution.  Our application for a grant from Western Riverside 

    Environmental Fund has been approved at Round 1.  To qualify for a grant, the JAG 

    must register as an Environmental Body with Entrust. This requires some additional

    clauses in our existing constitution. The secretary has received a written request 

    from the Chair for a Special General Meeting. The meeting will be held on Wed July 

    30 at 21 Josephine Avenue. at 7.30pm. The meeting will vote on the Constitution 

    revision and review the draft proposal for Round 2 of the landscaping grant. The

    Special General Meeting will be advertised on the notice board and website on Wed

    July 16. 

4.Treasurers Report. Deposit Account Balance on 9/07/2008: £4,350.00

                                     Current Account balance on 9/07/2008: £1,111.22.

   Balance includes payment of £190.00 for the cutting of the hedges on Josephine

   Avenue by contractor; re-payment of £49.20 to NB for drinks supplied by JAG at the

   AGM. 2 bills were presented and approved for payment: to RB for materials used to

   re-paint pillars and to paint lamp posts; to J.Wait for costs of food provided at the JAG

   Street-Clean/Freshview event.

5. Barrier Update. Garry Turnbull highlighted an email 27 June from Haydn Tuck 

   (Transport and Highways), stating that the traffic order for a temporary barrier is now

   circulating through the department for final approval and it should be ready to be 

   advertised by July 11. Subject to any unforeseen circumstances, the closure should

   take place 4 weeks later. Ie August 11. Neil Thurlow said that one reason for the 

   delays was that Colin Roberts who had been handling the scheme had left the

   department. Those present lamented that we have been given several previous

   deadlines and Louise suggested that if the trial barrier was not in place by September

   we should bombard all relevant authorites and the press with letters and stage a 

   demonstration at the end of our road. All agreed.

6. Community Safety. Neil Thurlow said that progress on the use of injunctions under Section 222 of the Local Government Act was good. The injunction bans persons causing a public nuisance ie pimps, prostitutes, kerb-crawlers and drug dealers from an area for a considerable time period. Police. the Safer neighbourhood Teams and the council support its use. The JAG and individual residents have given witness  statements in support of its use. All those present agreed to make individual statements. GT to arrange to pass contact numbers to the police. If you wish to help by making a statement about the impact that vice on Josephine Avenue has on you should contact: Steve Bullard, ASBO Co-Ordinator. Lambeth ASBO Team at:

Brixton Police Station PolicStation
07500784958 or
02086492161

Neil informed us that there had been 30 reports in the past 3 weeks of prostitution and that activity since the vice squad had ceased operations in the area had much increased.  The meeting agreed that pressure should be brought to bring the Vice Squad back. 

7. Safer Neighbourhood Community Panel.  Garry reported that Hilary Box is no longer able to represent the JAG on the panel. The group thanked her for being our representative. Sibs Walter volunteered to share the job with one other and GT asked for a volunteer.

8. Freshview Event / Summer Street Clean and Maintenance. LB delivered a written report and said that Saturday had been a successful and very enjoyable event. Volunteer residents had been helped by the Freshview team, community police officers, and probationers doing community service, to clear all litter, cut overgrown hedges and paint the railings dividing the gardens and the lamp posts at 2 – 58 Josephine Avenue. 

Lunch for all had been provided by residents. All paint and materials had been donated by the Freshview team from Lambeth Street Care. Louise will arrange this with Keith Naish. On behalf of the group, Garry Turnbull thanked all the volunteers for their work and Anne and Jools for providing lunch. He gave a special thanks to Louise for her all her hard work on the street clean and all other JAG work.

The meeting agreed to hold a September streetclean to complete paintwork and maintenance. Louise will arrange this with Keith Naish. 

9. Urban Art. the final planning meeting for UA is on: Tues 15 July 2008, 7.30pm  at 1 Helix Gardens.

10. Access Road Parking. As requested at the June meeting, LB provided information on the ParkForce scheme to control public parking on the access roads.

She will pass the information pack to Naz at 22 JA and residents who have requested it. 

11. Landscaping Grant Proposal (As at 3.) A questionnaire about residents’ preferences for use of a grant was distributed. It should be returned to 21 JA by 30 July 2008. (The questionnaire will be distributed to all households on JA, Helix gardens and Brixton Hill on the open Rush Common area.)

12. Any Other Business 

12.1 Roger Blantern asked if anyone had large step-ladders which he could use to complete painting of the lamp posts. Chris van Duuren volunteered hers.                    Action RB, CvD

12.2 No further news re 85 Brixton Hill

12.3 LB reported that Simon Richards (Architect) and Jan Winters (Resident to 1987) will be visiting JA on Urban Art weekend and wished to meet current residents and JAG members. Simon and Jan organized and carried out the re-landscaping of JA and Helix Gdns which transformed the street in 1986. Jan was the founder of the JAG.

12.4 The chair wished everyone an enjoyable Summer.

12.5 The next meeting will be on Wed 10 Sept 2008, 7.30pm at 57 JA