Chocolate Works Residents’ Association
Newsletter, January 2025
A very happy new year to you all. I hope residents had a merry Christmas, happy Chanukah and festive new year.
Committee meetings
The minutes of the committee meeting dated 8th October which were approved at the recent committee meeting can be viewed on the notice board at the side of the Co-op. If you wish to raise any questions or issues please be in touch – chair@cwra.co.uk
We have had a number of resignations from the committee. Sally Clough, Geoff Parker and Bryan Cloves have all stood down. The committee would like to thank them all for their contribution. It was very much appreciated. David Jenkins has agreed to step up as Treasurer – thank-you David.
But this highlights that we do need new committee members. We normally meet in the evening on the second Tuesday in January, April, July and October for around two hours. If you are interested in joining the committee please let me know and we can discuss the CWRA, the committee and what may be expected of committee members – chair@cwra.co.uk
Social activities
Many of you will remember Clare Skardon and be aware of the important contribution that she made in developing a social side to life on the estate. Clare and Peter organised the summer jazz night, the Christmas carol/concert and many other events. Some of these events raised money for the CWRA while others raised monies for charity. Clare and Peter have now left the estate and we are looking to establish a social committee. The idea is that this social committee would look to develop the social side of the estate and organise a number of activities throughout the year. At this time there are no expectations of the number and type of activities that would need to be arranged – that would be an issue for the social committee to determine.
I am aware that there are a number of social groups on the estate already in existence and this proposal will not affect them in any way. Rather it seeks to build upon such activities.
So, if you would like to help form a CWRA social committee just drop me an expression of interest and I can arrange a meeting with interested persons to discuss how such a committee might be organised and what may be expected – chair@cwra.co.uk. Obviously, there is no commitment at this stage.
Watson PM newsletter
You should all have recently received a newsletter from Joe Langan from Watson PM. The committee welcomed this initiative from Watson. Included within the newsletter were the regulations that are contained within the TP1 and leasehold agreements. The committee agreed that its starting point was that we all accepted a contractual obligation to comply with the estate regulations when we bought our properties and, therefore, would ask that residents comply with the regulations. If you have concerns about breaches of the regulations then Joe Langan at Watson PM is the person to whom you should take such concerns.
David Wilson Homes
The committee is continuing to have challenges in engaging with David Wilson Homes and it understands that even Watson PM is facing similar difficulties. The committee will consider how it may increase its leverage over David Wilson Homes. In the meantime, Watson PM and the committee are finalising a revised snagging list. Joe Langan will attempt to facilitate a quarterly meeting with David Wilson Homes where we can, together, try and resolve the many outstanding issues.
There is no word from David Wilson Homes about the adoption of the estate, the final handover of the estate and the establishment of the new Management Company. However, the committee has agreed that it should start its thinking about how the establishment of the new Management Company shall take place and the role of owners in that process. (Under the current Articles of Association, only owners have rights, although an owner can delegate their responsibility to a tenant should they choose.) We will share our thoughts with you when they have been developed.
Parking Survey
Many thanks to all of you who contributed to the qualitative parking survey in October last year. The results of the subsequent thematic analysis of the findings have been previously distributed. As agreed at the open meeting in November, a quantitative survey, with questions arising from the results of the previous survey will take place. We are finalising the questionnaire and expect the survey of all Chocolate Work residents to take place in February so please look out for the survey. Your response will be important in informing any resultant changes to the parking regulations.
At the same time, we have held a meeting with Steve Scarborough, the Bay Sentry parking warden, to determine current flexibility and are now seeking to meet with more senior people from Bay Sentry where we can discuss the concerns raised in the earlier survey and seek improvements in the parking control system.
Bishopthorpe Road fence
As you may recall, the CWRA agreed some time ago that a fence should be erected on the Bishopthorpe Road side of the estate because of security and privacy concerns that arise when people take shortcuts through the green areas adjacent to Thistle House. Watson PM’s attempts to secure planning permission has had problems with the City of York Council. At the open meeting in November an alternative option to the fence was raised and there was strong support from attendees that the committee should undertake further work on this option and consult with residents should a viable proposal be identified. The committee is currently undertaking this background work and any proposal that is developed will be consulted upon with all residents.
Budgets
The committee has agreed with Joe Langan that the budgeting process which informs the service charges will commence now, and that committee members will have input into the budgeting process once provisional budgets are produced. The intention is that Watson PM will send out service charge bills in March/April.
And, finally,
to those in our community with a Chinese heritage I wish you a very happy Chinese New Year on the 29th January. xīn nián kuài lè. wàn shì rú yì
