Minutes of Steering Group Meeting
15th November 2023

Present: Adrian Coltman (Acting Chair), Adam & Carol Bull, Theresa Williams, David Miles, David Lumb.

Apologies for Absence Minutes of the Meeting Held 18th October 2023 Matters Arising Action Mornings Trustees Update New Information Boards

Gledhow Lake - Phase 2 Update Gledhow Beck Water Quality Monitoring One Day Closure of Gledhow Valley Road AOB Dates of Next Meetings

1. Apologies for Absence

Martin Calvert, Steve Jones-Blackett.

2. Minutes of the Meeting Held 18th October 2023

Agreed as a true record.

3. Matters Arising

• The Grab Hire wagon got stuck when trying to access the meadow to remove hay, so the hay has been left where it is for now.
• The cost of creating another willow deer sculpture is being absorbed into the grant which is being used to commission a wooden statue for the woods.
• No update on FGVW Christmas cards.

4. Action Mornings

• Sunday 29 October
  Hay was removed from "Audrey's"/"Adrian's" meadows, some maintenance was done on the hedgerow and there was litter picking. The carriageway entrance was also cleared.
• Sunday 26 November
  "Martin's Meadow" and the brambles around the meadow will be cleared. There will also be hedge maintenance and litter picking. Volunteers to meet at the bottom end of the lake, next to Gledhow Valley Road.

5. Trustees Update

Nothing to report.

6. New Information Boards

The area around the lake has already got quite a lot of boards so David M asked for suggestions of where to put the new meadow board. Suggestions included putting one in "Adrian's Meadow" or, as this is out of the way, picking a busier crossroads such as the intersection between Gledhow Valley Road and Gledhow Lane or the top of the main path.

Adam gave some feedback on grammar and spelling while David M was going to check if the pictures were different to those already used on other boards. David M has circulated a copy of the board for comments. He would like the boards to be agreed so they can be finished by the end of the year.

David had also received a suggestion from Joan that information be added to one of the boards to show what happens to Gledhow Beck as it travels into Leeds and how its name changes along the way.

7. Gledhow Lake - Phase 2 Update

Work is still on-going and is expected to be completed by 4 December 2023.

Further fascine installation and planting will be done early in the new year.

There has been a discussion on increasing the size of the scrapes (shallow ponds cut by the side of the paths that catch water).

During digging work, some Yorkshire slabs were uncovered. The Group decided to leave these in position as they are too large to easily lift, but this may mean some areas are harder to plant.

David M has chased up the clearing of the silt traps as this hasn't been done yet.

8. Gledhow Beck Water Quality Monitoring

Work continues on collecting water samples. There is a problem with the processing of the E. coli samples as they only last 24 hours and are not getting delivered to the testing lab in time. There was a suggestion to take the samples directly to the delivery company depot rather than waiting for the unreliable couriers to turn up.

Leeds and York Universities have teamed up to get funding for community groups such as ours to do water quality testing over 4 years and to expand this to include testing the impact of medicines and invisible plastics in the water. They have got through the first round of the application process and if successful this could be beneficial to the Group.

9. One Day Closure of Gledhow Valley Road

The proposed closure date is Sunday 14 July 2024. An extensive amount of paperwork has been completed and is ready to submit. There is a meeting to discuss the closure on 21st November 2023.

A contact at Leeds University has agreed to do some designs as to what the road could like in different scenarios with cycle lanes and other features, that we can use on the day to collect residents' feedback.

10. AOB

• David M proposed a Phase 3 project for a wetland area near Gledhow Lane. The budget for the project is £58k. The plan is to put in an application with a landfill company however they require the Group to put forward 10% of the funding. David M has approached Yorkshire Water who has agreed to fund £6.5k. The application opens on 6 December 2023 and closes in February 2024. The Group agreed to take this forward.
• David M has drafted a Phase 3 questionnaire for comment. This is needed to collect public opinion to help with funding applications.
• David L notified the Group of a sign leaning at a 60 degree angle on Gledhow Lane. He proposed that this would need 3 people to help to straighten it up at the next Action Morning. The area would also benefit from being cleared and the path tidied up along Little Switzerland.
• Adrian informed the Group that if anyone was going to use the mechanical scythe then they would need to wear steel capped boots. If they didn't have any, they should let the Group know so some could be bought.
• Theresa flagged an issue with painting the utility boxes. One in her area had been painted and 2 weeks after it was completed Openreach came and removed one of the doors due to a dent. They were unable to find it to put it back on so the new door has had to be painted, but some of the children's original painting has now been lost. She warned the Group to check for damaged doors before spending time and resources on painting as Openreach dodn't care about the impact of removing them.
• David M has been discussing culverting in the Bath House area with SWECO. They are looking to do some work in the area and may be interested in helping with community projects. David met with them and they came up with some good ideas. They have sent David a list of the information they need before they are able to produce any outline plans.

11. Dates of Next Meetings

• Action Morning - Sun 26 Nov 2023
• Steering Group Meeting - Wed 6 Dec 2023 (changed from Thur 7 Dec)
• Action Morning - Sun 17 Dec 2023