Surbiton Court 3 have reported that some of our residents have been using their bin compound.
Our website states that our residents may only use our bin compounds (adjacent to Garages 11 and 18).
Our chairman has offered to circulate a reminder to our residents.
Insurance
Following the query about Fire Risk Assessment from our insurers, The Technical and Insurance Dirctors
had arranged to meet the following week to prepare some proposals to submit to the Board.
The Insurance Director had been looking at the staircases. In low light the edges of the stairs
can be difficult to see. He suggested that visibility should be improved by adding coloured strips.
The Board discussed whether these should be adhesive strips or painted on - and whether it would be
sufficient to mark just the top and bottom steps of each flight in this way.
Gardens
The gardeners had now arranged for a skip for waste cleared from the greenhouse area.
Regarding surgery on the ash tree adjacent to Surbiton Court No 2's driveway, The Gardens Director
reported that the application had been submitted to Kingston Council and was scheduled for 09 October.
It was expected that approval would be granted and the work would be undertaken shortly afterwards.
The greenhouse had now been cleared and was ready for plants to be taken in over the winter.
The fence backing onto 34, The Mall, had now been repaired. The Gardens Director
said that any undamaged wood from the old fence would be used to fill gaps in the fencing surrounding
the compost area.
Premises
The chairman confirmed the quote from DMS Brickwork to rebuild the damaged brick pillar near
the entrance had been received. The Directors agreed to accept the quote and go ahead with the work.
The chairman reported that a plastic down-pipe emanating from a top-floor flat was breaking up
and needed to be replaced by one made of cast iron. Tower scaffolding would be needed and Gene
Arnold might be asked to assist Shane Williams with the work.
Services
Two light bulbs needed replacement: one on the terrace, and one in the North arch.
The Technial director gave an account of recent visits by the Virgin engineers to activate a
cable broadband service in Flat 18. The first engineer had announced that the cable from the
junction box on the roof was faulty. He was in the throes of dangling a replacement cable, unsecured
in any way, over the parapet and down the adjacent wall, when he was prevented from doing so by two of
the directors. A second visit, by two more engineers, proved that there was no fault and the installation
could proceed using the existing cable (which has always been properly secured). The incident highlighted
the need for vigilance when engineers / contractors from the public utilities (telephone, cable, water,
electricity) are given access to Surbiton Court.
AGM
Wednesday 25 October was now confirmed for the AGM.
AOB
The Insurance director had been talking to Kingston Council about recent changes in the purchase
of street parking permits, which are going paperless. He observed that there was a link to the
relevant page on the Council website from the 'Parking & Garages' page on the Surbiton Court website,
but thought that there could be a mechanism to notify residents of changes to other webpages linked
to our website. The Technical director pointed out that important changes can always be flagged on
the 'Notices' page. The Insurance director was thinking of a more 'active' mechanism of email alerts
to which residents could subscribe. The Technical director said that such a mechanism is possible
(called an RSS feed), but it would involve extra cost in software services to implement it on the
website and any list of residents who chose to subscribe would require active moderation by a Board member.
There was a discussion highlighting the need to tighten up our security measures. Various options were
discussed - to be raised as a subject for the AGM - together with proposals for new signage.
Next Meeting
Thursday 30 November 2017 (subsequently re-scheduled for Thursday 25 January 2018).
Owing to a number of incidents in which residents had used the hallways in contravention of their leases,
the Chairman had been obliged to write to them and to some letting agents about such infringements, e.g. washing and
bicycles left in hallways, smoking in hallway, etc.
The owner of a property in The Mall had written claiming that foxes were entering his property through a
damaged fence belonging to the Association. He asked for the fence to be repaired and for its height
to be increased. The Chairman would reply that we will repair the fence to its original height and condition,
‘like for like’.
Gardens
The gardeners had now arranged for a skip for waste cleared from the greenhouse area.
The tree surgeons (Microbee Tree Management) commissioned by the Board had applied to Kingston
Council for permission to undertake the work on the ash tree adjacent to Surbiton Court No 2’s driveway.
The Council had written to residents inviting comments and/or objections. Once approval has been granted
a date for the work will be scheduled. NB The application, and its progress, can be viewed at
Kingston Council’s website
www.kingston.gov.uk
together with detailed maps of all the trees
in the Borough subject to a Tree Preservation Order.
The Gardens director had found some reasonably-priced urns for sale in Homebase and had purchased a number,
some of which would be planted up. Two would be placed on the terrace, two near the main entrance, and
two would be held as spares. One of the two near the entrance would be placed on the damaged brick pillar
(after repair) to make the pillar more obvious to vehicles manoeuvring in that area.
Premises
The Premises director reported that DMS Brickwork had inspected the damaged brick pillar and told
him that it would have to be totally rebuilt. They had submitted a quote to carry out the work. The
Board agreed that DMS should be instructed to proceed.
There was a discussion about signage at the main gate to Surbiton Court. One director felt that
the words ‘Private Road’ implied that there was vehicular access and this was undesirable. He thought
‘Private Property’ was preferable. The Premises director said he would look into the cost of having
the signs re-made. He would also look into what options there were for some kind of barrier. His
preference was for rising bollards, rather than a conventional rising arm barrier. NB Signage has
previously been discussed at AGMs: several Members felt that the existing signage/wording needed to
be more robust/succinct to deter intruders from our grounds.
The Chairman circulated photographs he had taken of problems uncovered during the current refurbishment
of the open balconies leading to Flats 36-41. These included exposed ironwork and cracks in the concrete
giving rise to water leaks. To prevent these problems continuing, the iron would be treated, re-plastered
and re-painted; the floors (and where they met the walls) would be treated with waterproof sealant.
If any time remains this year for further work, the hallway of staircase 66-69 and the doorways at
the back of the Court would be refurbished. The Premises director asked that the exterior light fittings above the
back doors should be replaced with improved ones.
The Premises director also reported that he had the Method Statement and Risk Assessment forms ready
for signing by our contractors.
Services
The Services director had nothing to report on Cleaning. Only one light bulb needed replacing: the
leftmost LED light in the second arch from the left on the terrace.
AGM
The date agreed for this year’s AGM was Thursday 26 October. NB Subsequently, the date was
changed to Wednesday 25 October owing to the venue not being available on 26 October.
The Chairman had had to contact another three estate agents who were marketing flats in Surbiton
Court Nos 2 & 3 showing photographs of our gardens/grounds or wording such as ‘stunning gardens’,
which is misleading and implies that residents of the other blocks have rights to our gardens.
He asked them to amend their wording and remove the photographs of our grounds. This is not the
first time this has happened, and because of this the Chairman keeps a close eye on the portals.
One letting agent had emailed about installing vinyl flooring in various rooms. The Chairman had
replied that, before the Board could consider this, we would need full and specific plans of the
proposed work, as outlined in the Handbook, including details of the proposed sound insulation.
The fact that the flat is on the ground floor is not relevant, as noise can be amplified upwards,
as well as downwards and sideways. The Chairman also referred them to the section on
Noise & Nuisance
in the Handbook, and reiterated that failure to obtain approval before starting work may result in
restorative and/or remedial work at the owner’s expense.
A resident had emailed his intention to put his property on the market and asking about
selling the garage separately. The Chairman had reminded him that the garage could
only be sold to someone who also owns a flat in Surbiton Court Flats 1-69, and suggested
that the resident could circulate a note to existing owners in case one of them wished to
purchase his garage.
Gardens
Owing to recent work in the gardens, it would be necessary to hire another skip.
The Gardens director had received 3 estimates for tree surgery on the ash tree
adjacent to Surbiton Court No 2’s driveway (copies had been circulated to the Board
prior to the meeting). She suggested accepting the lower estimate from Microbee Tree
Management as they seemed the most efficient. They are ARB approved and will obtain
the required planning permission from Kingston Council as the tree has a Preservation Order.
The Technology director pointed out that some of the climbers were now getting
tangled up with the Virgin TV, telephone and broadband cables. The Gardens director would
ask the gardeners to prune the plants.
Premises
The four lamp standards in the inner Court had now been refurbished.
The Services director was concerned about potential flooding in front of garages 1-10. If
it recurred, there might be some water ingress in the garages. The Chairman said he would ask Shane Williams
to inspect the gully and clear it.
The Services director also observed that a piece of the decorative wooden scrollwork above the
entrance to Flats 21-26 had rotted and come off. The Chairman said this had been noted and
Shane Williams would replace it.
Work to refurbish the open balconies of staircase 36-41 was now in progress. The
flooring on the top balcony had been re-tiled. The cold-toned white lightbulbs (which had been
a temporary measure) had now been replaced with warm-toned ones.
The Technology director asked whether further thought had been given to protecting the
wall next to Flat 1, which had suffered damage from manoeuvring vehicles. Bollards of various
types had been considered, although if these were forcibly hit, the resultant damage might
cost more to repair than the damaged wall. The Gardens director thought that placing a light on the
pillar at the end of the wall might be sufficient to alert drivers.
Services
The Technology director reported that flooding of the first floor balcony following a recent downpour
had, once again, resulted in the power to the electrics on staircase 36-41 cutting out (the Freeview
TV amplifiers were also affected, resulting in loss of the Freeview service to all flats). Water
had leaked into a light fitting outside flat 36, tripping the RCD switch. The chairman said that
this should be remedied as part of the work in refurbishing the balconies.
AGM
The Board agreed that the venue and time should be the same as last year. The date,
yet to be fixed, would be in October 2017.
AOB
The Board agreed that the Summer Party had been enjoyed by all who attended,
despite the weather. Thanks were extended to all who had organised the food and drinks.
The Technology director thought the Board should review the measures in place to address
fire risk in the common parts. He listed the items we had already addressed and suggested
that the main thing lacking was documentation to demonstrate that the Board continues
to take positive action in this area.
The Premises director was concerned that our contractors should show evidence that
they have included a risk assessment of any work they undertake for Surbiton Court.
He would email a copy of a standard HSS form to the Board for their consideration.
The Chairman had received confirmation from Jubilee Windows that they are still in business.
(Jubilee Windows have installed replacement windows in many of the flats of Surbiton Court and therefore
are familiar with the requirements. It is imperative that any replacements are strictly in keeping
with the existing fenestration – such as windows and French doors.
The Chairman had contacted yet another letting agent as they were inaccurately marketing a flat
in Surbiton Court No 2 showing photographs of our gardens. They had removed the photos, but their wording
still stated SC2 as being ‘within the grounds of historic Surbiton Court’ which is completely misleading.
The Chairman was going to contact the agents again to ask them to amend the wording and also to
desist from bringing potential purchasers (of flats in SC2) into our grounds.
Gardens
The Gardens director reported that almost all the summer plants had now been planted out. The
exception was plants near Flat 1, where repairs were needed to the brickwork of an adjacent pillar
that had been damaged by manoeuvring vehicles.
Premises
The four lamp standards in the inner Court had now been refurbished.
The Chairman informed the Board that work on the open balconies of staircase 36-41 would begin
on 05 June, and he had circulated a note to those flats. The tiled floors would be covered with
protective sheets before work commenced. Following completion of the balconies refurbishment,
the entrance to Flats 66-69 would be the next to be scheduled.
The Board discussed the damaged brickwork pillar outside Flat 1. The Chairman
said he would ask potential contractors for ideas to protect it from future damage by manoeuvring
vehicles. The Gardens director suggested that cast iron bollards might be a possibility though
they would need to be installed in a way that did not block the drain that was situated near the brickwork.
It was suggested that we should look further into installing a pergola-like structure along
the boundary with SC3, similar to that between Surbiton Court and Tangerby House.
Services
The Gardens director commented that the quality of mobile phone reception appeared to
have deteriorated recently and wondered whether the amount of building activity in the area could
be the reason.
The Technology director asked which network she subscribed to, saying that the coverage provided
by some networks was better than others. He observed that because of the construction of Surbiton Court
(with many solid steel beams embedded in the structure), mobile phone signals can be blocked in parts of the building.
He went on to describe a way in which the poor signal can be mitigated – at least for smartphones.
Most, if not all mobile phone service providers now supply a free app that connects the phone via
the user’s WiFi service if the through-the-air signal is weak or non-existent. Instead of the app (or in addition to
it) the phone’s “WiFi Calling” option will need to be turned on.
AOB
The Board agreed that the Annual Gate Closure should take place on the weekend of 01/02 July.
The Chairman had received a letter from the Star & Garter Home thanking us for
the donation in memory of the late Mrs Peggy Lunn.
A leaking pipe from the bathroom of one of the sub-let flats had been reported.
The Chairman had contacted the owner so that Shane Williams could have a look to locate the cause.
A flat owner had been in contact re problems with the French doors to his flat. Shane Williams
had inspected and undertaken some temporary repairs, to be billed to the owner: realigning, oiling,
etc. the hinges. However, in the long term the doors would need replacing. The owner had asked
for recommendations for window contractors. The Chairman was now attempting to contact Jubilee Windows
(who had fitted a large number of windows in Surbiton Court, both privately and for the
Association/common parts). He believed that Jubilee had restructured but were still in business.
Gardens
One of the trees seemed to be in poor condition. The Gardens Director thought it might be
due to wind chill and would wait to see whether the tree would recover now that warmer weather
had arrived.
The summer plants would be planted out in the gardens during the coming week.
A hortensia bush had been cut down to ground level by persons unknown. The Board
and residents were asked to remain vigilant and report any signs of similar vandalism.
One of the residents had emailed the Board to drawing attention to the cold weather
which had been forecast. The resident was concerned about the geraniums: the email had been passed
to the Gardens director.
Premises
The Premises director had not had any response to his invitation for quotes to install gates
at the entrances to the footpaths adjacent to Surbiton Court 2’s driveway. He said he would contact
DMS Brickwork again, and maybe another firm or two. He reiterated that he would be asking for
quotes that included standard, off-the-shelf gates (rather than bespoke ones).
Subject to weather, refurbishment of the open balconies leading to Flats 36-41 would
commence at the end of May/beginning of June. It was also hoped, time permitting,
to refurbish the stairwell leading to Flats 66-69.
Services
Shane Williams had now replaced some of the lightbulbs in the communal areas with LED
lights. These gave more illumination than the old bulbs. He had also used white toned bulbs,
rather than warm toned ones.
Shane had also repaired one of the dustbins. The hinge had been distorted, with
the result that the lid was in danger of coming off completely.
AOB
The Premises director asked about the Residents’ Summer Party: after a brief discussion,
Saturday 22 July was agreed.
The Premises director reported that more trespassers appeared to be wandering into
our gardens and making use of them. He had challenged a number of such intruders himself
and encouraged members of the Board to do likewise
The resident of a second-floor flat had been in contact about a possible leak
in the roof. Shane Williams had inspected and reported that the roof was in good condition
and there were no signs externally of a leak. The dark marks on the ceiling of the flat followed
the steel beams in the concrete screed forming the roof and, without insulation, condensation
was a more likely cause of damp and the growth of mould. The Chairman drew attention to the
guidelines in the Handbook for preventing/minimising condensation.
Gardens
The Gardens director said that the benches were due to be put out in the garden the following
weekend.
Primulas had been planted in the four urns at the top of the steps to the sunken lawn.
The plants in two of the urns were doing well, but the other two had been destroyed, possibly by parakeets.
The Directors agreed to observe and monitor the situation. (NB The damage may have been caused by
crows, pigeons or grey squirrels which are, in fact, more prolific than parakeets in the garden.)
Premises
Shane Williams was continuing with re-pointing work around the block.
Work was due to start soon on the open balcony and staircase leading to Flats 36-41.
The concrete screed on the top floor (outside Flats 40-41) would be removed, tiled and the
whole area sealed, prior to the complete refurbishment of the whole area. The Chairman said
that a great deal of experience had been gained last year from the refurbishment of the
open balconies leading to Flats 27-35, which could be applied to this, the second
phase of the open balconies. He was expecting the work to take less time and the overall
cost to be cheaper. The fact that there were only 6 doorways, instead of 9, would also
reduce the time required
In the meantime, routine rolling maintenance and trouble-shooting (such as repairing
water leaks and unblocking drains) would continue.
There had been 3 cases of water ingress into flats recently. In each case it had been due to
faults in the plumbing of domestic appliances
Services
Shane would be stripping and repainting the four lamp standards in the inner Court.
AOB
The new block, Tangerby House, was now on the market. The agent had circulated Surbiton Court
residents with an invitation to an Open Day the following Saturday, 18 March. The address,
officially, as per Royal Mail, is ‘Tangerby House, Portsmouth Road, Surbiton, KT6 4FD’. The
naming and address of the new block had been one of the concerns which we had raised in our
meetings with the developers: as the building has a completely different name, is designated
Portsmouth Road not St Andrew’s Square, and has a different postcode. This might, hopefully,
minimise some of the confusion with deliveries, visitors, etc. .
A resident had applied for permission to the Board for the installation of internal insulation in his flat.
The Chairman had circulated the details to the Directors in advance of the
meeting. After consideration, the Board approved the work as per
the application submitted and subject to the conditions specified in the Handbook.
The Chairman reported that there had been a blocked drain in the stack servicing
a number of flats. Shane Williams had cleared the drain and believed that the blockage had been
caused by large amounts of congealed cooking oils or fat being put down the sink, most likely by one flat in
particular. The Chairman had circulated a note to the residents in that area reminding them
of items that should not be disposed of down sinks and toilets, as outlined in the Handbook.
Gardens
The Gardens director said that there were some gaps in the SW corner of the gardens. She proposed
filling these gaps by transplanting bushes and shrubs which were not required in other areas of
the garden: this would save some money.
The algae/moss on the tarmac in front of some of the stairwell entrances had now been sprayed
with algicide. This appeared to be working slowly and the remaining deposits were being brushed away.
A second application would probably be necessary, preferably in good weather to maximise the effect
of the spray.
A member of the Board for SC2 had informed us that the developers had assured them that the
roadway from their drive to Portsmouth Road would be resurfaced before the contractors
left the site.
Premises
The Chairman reported that EDF had now installed smartmeters in all 12 communal entrances.
The electricity consumption will thus in future be electronically transmitted for billing.
The bills will still have to be paid separately/individually, but The Chairman will attempt
to have the billing dates synchronised.
An estimate from Thames Water was still awaited regarding the repair of the mains
water stopcock servicing Flats 18-20 and 21, 23 & 25.
Shane Williams had now finished cleaning the roof. He had also carried out a number of repairs
on the brickwork and waste water pipes around the Court.
The Chairman said that for the refurbishment of the open balconies and staircase leading
to Flats 36-41 we would need some 4-6 weeks of dry weather for all the stripping down and
preparatory work to take place. This meant that it was unlikely to start until at least
late April or the beginning of May.
The Premises Director had invited DMS Brickwork to quote for repairing the damaged
brick pillar outside Flat 1. They had also been asked to re-quote to install gates at the
two access points adjacent to SC2’s driveway plus extra steel bollards along the boundary.
This quote was to incorporate off-the-shelf metal gates, rather than bespoke ones.
Services
The Premises Director had spoken to the cleaners about clearing cobwebs away from the
back doors, and refreshing the water they used for mopping floors before it became too
dirty and caused tidemarks. To facilitate their access to the back doors, he had given
them the code to the door locks.
The Technology Director reported that Neville Aerials had now installed new equipment
for receiving FreeView (terrestrial) TV. This includes a new aerial optimised for digital
signals and new amplifiers capable of being reconfigured by software – to accommodate
future changes in broadcast standards. The number of channels that can be received has increased.
The old analogue aerial and the satellites dishes have been removed.
AOB
The funeral of Mrs Peggy Lunn, a former resident, was scheduled for Friday 17 February
at 14.20. The Cahirman asked to be informed which charity the family had nominated for donations.
A pergola-like structure had been erected along the boundary of the new development and
Surbiton Court land. There was a brief discussion about the merits of commissioning a similar
structure to mark the boundary with Surbiton Court No 3. The Board thought this was an idea worth
investigating. David Joslyn, the gardener, would be asked whether he had any contacts who
could provide further information, quotes, etc.
The Chairman had again contacted Thames Water regarding the
repair of the mains water stopcock servicing Flats 18-20 and
21, 23 & 25. Their quote was still awaited.
Correspondence
The Chairman had received a Christmas card from James Berry, our MP,
addressed to ‘everyone at Surbiton Court Flats 1-69’.
Gardens
The Gardens director reported that the gardeners had carried out some
pruning of the wisteria along with general pruning of shrubs around the gardens.
Some overhanging branches and dead wood on the back roadway (where the
new shed is to be positioned) needed trimming. The Gardens director will
instruct the gardeners to undertake this
The Gardens director was looking into an efficient method of removing algae
from the tarmac in front of some of the stairwell entrances, to avoid any potential
slip hazard. An algicide spray would be tried out.
Premises
The Board discussed possibilities for the types of gates to be installed at
the boundary with Surbiton Court No 2’s driveway.
The chairman reported that EDF had now installed smartmeters in 7 of the
communal entrances. The chairman had tried to have all of them changed at the
same time but EDF had not been helpful. The remaining 5 meters are
scheduled to be fitted during February. The electricity consumption will
thus in future be electronically transmitted to EDF for billing: this will
avoid a Director having to take an EDF reader around all 12 entrances, a
time-consuming task. The bills will still have to be paid separately/individually,
but once all the smartmeters are installed, EDF would be asked to synchronise
the billing dates.
The Premises Director reported that black paint was peeling off the four lamp
standards in the inner Court, revealing unsightly white scars underneath.
Shane would be asked to paint these with black Hammerite paint
which would also protect the metal underneath.
Services
The Premises Director remarked that he had seen one of the cleaners using a
dirty mop. Inevitably, residents bring mud and dirt into the building on their
footwear, especially in wet weather. This results in the mops becoming dirty
very quickly. In the past, use of heavily soiled mops has led to the build-up
of tidemarks on the staircase walls. Periodic tidemark removal is included
in their cleaning specification. The Premises Director also asked that the
cleaners include in their schedule the removal of cobwebs from around the
lights over the back doors to Surbiton Court.
The Technology Director reported that he had been looking into the efficacy
of the communal aerials. With the increasing number of high structures
(buildings, construction cranes, etc) in the area, the terrestrial (Freeview)
signal was becoming attenuated and a number of residents had been reporting
pixellation or even total loss of pictures received on their TV sets.
He had discussed signal strength with an aerials company a few years ago.
They had measured the signal strength then and reported that, while
acceptable, it was not as good as it might be. To remedy the problem,
however, might involve re-locating the main aerial and, possibly, installing
a larger aerial and/or new receiver equipment.
AOB
The Insurance Director said he would provide the new insurance excess
figures to be uploaded onto the ‘Buildings Insurance’ page of the website.
The Premises Director remarked that it might be a good idea to
provide defribrillator equipment on each staircase.