There was a complaint about loud music emanating from a sub-let flat. The Chairman said that the tenants were due to move out
imminently.
The recycling & refuse area at Surbiton Court No 2 had had old furniture and a cooker dumped there. The Chairman had informed
Wallakers, who manage Surbiton Court No 2, who had arranged for this rubbish to be cleared.
Insurance
The Insurance Director said that the Buildings Insurance was due for renewal. He would be in contact with our Insurers for a quote in December.
The Insurance Director also observed that a lux test in the stairwells (suggested in the Electrical Report) was still outstanding, and would
be undertaken later this year.
There was a query asked about the sources of lighting in Surbiton Court: should the lights in the lamp-posts should be brighter?
The Chairman and the Premises Director explained that the light from the standards was augmented to an acceptable level by lighting in the archways,
staircases and balconies.
Gardens
The Gardens Director reported that the gardens were now on the winter schedule: the geraniums had been moved to the greenhouse; the beds
would be manured on 14 December; all the bushes around the Court would be trimmed back.
The Premises Director drew the Board’s attention to a gate that had been installed in the fence between Surbiton Court No 2’s roadway
and the back garden of a house in The Mall. The fence and roadway belong to Surbiton Court No 2, and the residents of The Mall have no rights of
way over property belonging to Surbiton Court or Surbiton Court No 2. The Chairman said he would contact Wallakers.
Premises
Various aspects of CCTV installation was discussed: it has previously been discussed at Board meetings, and at the last AGM in October 2017, Members had
agreed that it should be looked into.
The Insurance Director asked whether DMS Brickwork had been approached to carry out work to improve the look of the brickwork around the
seats in the sunken garden. The Premises Director said that he would contact them the following day.
Services
The Services Director reported that Neville Aerials had carried out the work to upgrade the FreeView TV aerial and change the settings.
The TV channels (from the Crystal Palace transmitter) that had been assigned to new frequencies could now be accessed by all digital TV receivers
in the Court.
AGM
The AGM scheduled for Thursday 18 October 2018 had been postponed. The Chairman would make arrangements with a view to holding the AGM in January 2019.
Fire Risk Checks, etc
The Safety Director said that he had carried out an inspection of the common parts shortly before the Board meeting. A few small items had been identified,
but there was nothing serious to report.
The Premises Director submitted a folder containing the paperwork for Fire Risk, Health and Safety. This would form the tangible evidence, if needed, for
our compliance with the regulations and the Insurers requirements.
AOB
The Chairman reported that the Planning Application to convert and extend the existing 3 flats in Surbiton Court Mews into 9 flats had been turned down by
Kingston Council on 22 November. The Decision Notice had subsequently been uploaded onto the Council website.
The possibility of Surbiton Court being listed with Historic England was discussed.
The Premises Director said he would consult architect friends of his for an opinion on the pros and cons of Listing. Other Board members also
agreed to look into the subject.
The Insurance Director observed that Listing might have relevance to the fact that St Andrews Square is a Conservation Area (the status was granted in 1972
and renewed after a review in 1992).
Although the Council had now changed some of the rules about the number of bins (some materials could now be combined in a single bin instead of the need for several),
Surbiton Court still lacked the space for extra bins dedicated to recycling. The major drawback with an insufficient number of bins was the need to police them constantly.
The Premises Director would be putting up decorative lights in the loggias and a Christmas tree on the terrace. The Gardens Director would be putting up lights on the open balconies.
A flat had been sub-let without the owners or the letting agents notifying the Board: the Chairman had contacted the agents
to ask if they have full-management, also contact numbers and key-holders for emergencies. He stressed how importance it is
that owners / agents inform the SCRA Board about changes of tenancy for these and other reasons.
local letting agencies had advertised a flat in Surbiton Court No 2 with photographs of our entrance and façade, and wording
such as ‘idyllic gardens’ and ‘vast amount of green space’, both of which are inaccurate, misleading and misrepresentative.
The Chairman had contacted the owners of the agency, who said they would correct the photos and wording. NB this is not the first
time this has happened.
Insurance
The Insurance Director had now submitted all the requested paperwork to our Insurers.
The formation of a sub-committee to deal, on an ongoing basis, with Fire Risk, Health & Safety, Electrical safety, and cold water supply
was discussed. Proposed members of the sub-committee would be contacted with a view to organising this.
Gardens
There was a question whether the various climbing plants, growing up the walls of the building, could be pruned back as there had
been a growth spurt since the end of the dry weather. The Gardens Director said this would be done as soon as the plants finished flowering.
The wisteria would be included in the pruning exercise.
Premises
The Chairman reported that the programme of rolling maintenance was continuing with Shane Williams carrying out remedial work around the building.
No quote had yet been received to improve the look of the brickwork around the seats in the sunken garden.
The problem with the new gates along our boundary with Surbiton Court No 2’s driveway had been corrected and the locks were now working effectively.
Much of the immediate work programme work is in the area of the North wall exterior: repairs and repainting to pipework and flues, window frames,
and window sills. There were also water stains on the walls to be treated and sundry holes to be filled.
Refurbishment of the entrances to the staircases would not take place this year.
Services
The Services Director raised an issue about the Freeview TV aerial. Around March 2018, there had been changes to the frequencies used by some Freeview
channels broadcast from the Crystal Palace transmitter. This was in order to make bandwidth available for new 5G mobile phone services. These changes
had not been widely publicised, but the result was that some channels were no longer available to viewers receiving Freeview via some types of communal
TV aerial. This includes Surbiton Court.
The Services Director had discussed this with Neville Aerials who advised that, to restore the service and ensure that new Freeview channels would
be accessible in future, we would need to upgrade our existing TV aerial and change the settings in some of the existing equipment.
Neville Aerials had submitted a quote that the Board accepted and the work would be carried out soon.
AGM
It was confirmed that the AGM will take place at 8.00 pm at Glenmore House on Thursday 18 October. [The AGM was subsequently postponed, a new date was
yet to be decided.]
AOB
CCTV was discussed. One of the residents had undertaken some research and written up his findings. These would be passed to the Services Director for comment.
The Chairman commented on the inconsistency of the current signage at the front and back of Surbiton Court. With increased traffic/deliveries/visitors
both to ourselves and to Surbiton Court Nos 2 & 3, it needed to be improved for greater clarity and consistency. This applied both to the actual
signs and the wording.
The issue of a barrier or gate at the main entrance was again discussed. The main issue is the complexity of access and rights of way, and how this could
be implemented in a practical and workable way.
The Insurance Director noted that a ‘lux’ test had not yet been undertaken. The Chairman said that CF Electrical would be invited back to conduct
the test and report.
• Two Notices had been circulated to residents: the first was to remind residents that ball or other games are not allowed
anywhere in Surbiton Court, that washing must not be placed in the common parts, and a reminder of the regulations relating to
barbecues. The second was an invitation to the Summer Party on Saturday 28 July.
Insurance
The Insurance Director had received the report from Calibre Environmental Ltd, together with a list of recommendations. The Lab
tests had indicated that the cold-water supply system contained no Legionella bacteria. There were a number of recommendations,
three of which required action as soon as possible.
The Insurance Director proposed a separate meeting of a sub-group of Board members to follow up on the actions and other
Health & Safety procedures.
The Premises Director was invited to look at, and provide feedback on, the latest draft of a default Method Statement
for use by contractors working for Surbiton Court.
Gardens
The Gardens Director observed that, apart from routine gardening, not much had changed in the gardens. The dry weather had slowed down growth.
The Premises Director asked Board members to be prepared to challenge strangers using the gardens, if such people did not appear to
live in Surbiton Court
Premises
The Chairman asked the Premises Director when DMS Brickwork planned to carry out the work to adjust the locks on the new gates and
also to inspect the brickwork on the terrace.The Premises Director said he would phone them.
The Chairman reported that a number of down-pipes/stacks needed repair. Shane Williams would carry out the work. Shane had already
tidied up various other external pipework.
The painting of the white visibility strips in certain staircases was still awaiting review.
The Insurance Director queried the colour used to paint the replacement flues outside Flats 66-68. He thought the red colour used was
obtrusive. The Board agreed that the flues should be repainted with light grey, to match other pipework around the building. Shane would
be asked to do this. The Chairman reported that Shane had been going around the building cleaning the extractor fan outlets and covers.
Where required, they had also been painted light grey.
On the roof, several of the inspection boxes had weathered badly and were in need of attention.
The Premises Director raised again the quality and colour of the repointing of the brickwork around the seats in the sunken garden
(the bricks themselves are are of somewhat irregular shape possibly ‘seconds’ from the original construction of Surbiton Court). It was
agreed that the Premises Director would ask DMS Brickwork to advise on how to improve the appearance
Shane had been asked to include the securing of loose cables in his work around the building.
Services
The Services Director reported that the standard of cleaning of the common parts continued to be acceptable. Crystal Clear had recently
cleaned out the bins and the bin areas.
AGM
Glenmore House had been booked for the AGM on Thursday 18 October.
AOB
The Services Director suggested that the Fire Risk and other Health & Safety checks should be included as an Agenda item once every
quarter. The Secretary agreed to do this, starting with the Agenda for the September meeting.
The Premises Director raised the issue of graffiti on one of the walls in the Court. This appeared to have been done in chalk by
children. The Chairman had already contacted the relevant letting agent and had asked them to have it removed/cleaned. Alternatively,
we could have it cleaned and bill accordingly.
The Technology Director reported that the slow broadband issues observed in a number of flats
had been resolved without the need for Virgin Media to access the roof.
Insurance
The Insurance reported that all the actions recommended by Covea, our Insurers, and the follow-up, were progressing well:
The Fire Risk Assessment procedures had been drafted and the actions identified had either been carried out or were in progress.
Professional samples had been taken from the cold-water systems (tanks and supply pipes). These had been sent to a Lab to be
tested for Legionella bacteria. The results were expected soon.
A quote from for remedial work on the electrics in the common parts had been accepted and would take place on 19 & 20 July 2018.
The Insurers had been informed of the above. Their response was awaited.
Gardens
The Gardens Director observed that, due to recent rain followed by warm weather, everything in the gardens had been growing very quickly.
The large bushes around the Court were being pruned back. The new Sopora Japonica Pendula tree had also undergone some light pruning.
All the summer plants earmarked for the back of the Court had now been planted.
Premises
The Chairman informed the Board that work was about to start on replacing the leaking down-pipe outside three of the flats.
DMS Brickwork had been contacted about the new gates that had been installed at the access points to Surbiton Court No 2’s driveway.
The locks on both gates were not engaging, possibly because the adjacent steel posts had ‘settled’ in a way that increased the gap
between the latch and strike plate. The problem would be fixed shortly.
The pointing in the brickwork around the recessed seats in the sunken garden of the inner Court had been repaied. There was some
concern that the light colour of the mortar used was not in keeping with other brickwork in the Court. Various suggestions were offered
as to how to remedy this.
The Premises Director observed that some of the paving in the areas at either end of the sunken garden needed repointing to avoid trip
hazards developing.
On the roof, several of the inspection boxes had weathered badly and were in need of attention.
The Premises Director commented on the standard of painting of the white visibility strips that had recently been applied to the
stairs on the internal staircases. He observed that the edges of the strips were not clean, straight lines (this may have been due,
in part, to the paint having been applied in damp, humid, weather). In addition, the paint was wearing badly not long after application.
It was agreed that the strips would be repainted more neatly with better-wearing paint. If undertaken soon, the current spell of warm
weather might help to set the paint more quickly and effectively.
The Premises Director also reported that pieces of tile / stone appeared to have broken off the stonework above the arches on
the terrace. They could constitute a hazard if they fell onto residents sitting on the terrace below. The Chairman
said he would ask DMS Brickwork to check the arches and their surrounds, and quote for any remedial work.
Services
The Services Director reported that the standard of cleaning of the common parts continued to be acceptable. Crystal Clear had
also recently cleaned the garage doors.
Thames Water had, after a very long period (18 months) of inaction, finally replaced a leaking valve outside the entrance to Flats 18-26.
AGM
It was agreed that this year’s AGM should take place on Thursday 18 October.
AOB
It was agreed that this year’s annual gate closure would be on 7-8 July. The Secretary said she would ask Wallakers to inform
the residents of both Surbiton Court No 2 and Tangerby House.
The Premises Director suggested that a paper circular should be sent to residents. It would include a note about the date of the
summer party, a reminder about not hanging washing out so that it was visible from the common parts, the prohibition on ball games, etc.
The subject of barbecues was discussed and it was agreed to allow them on the terrace, subject to the guidelines in the Handbook.
Residents could also continue to hold barbecues in the outer gardens, again provided they followed the Handbook guidelines.
The wording in the Handbook would be amended accordingly.
Electrical Inspection Reports & Legionella testing – see "Insurance"".
HyperOptic had sent letters to residents inaccurately claiming that they “had completed their survey” and “were working with
the building management”. The technology Director said he would post a Notice on the website outlining the correct position.
Insurance
Our Insurers had highlighted two areas requiring formal inspection and reporting by qualified experts. These were: :
The condition of the electrics in the communal areas and
Testing of the cold-water systems (tanks and supply pipes) for Legionella bacteria.
The electrics in the common parts had been inspected and the report received. In fact, the ‘Report’ consisted of 12 separate
reports, one for each staircase/entrance, as each is on a separate circuit, plus the circuits for the garage area, gardens and
entrance. The items that need to be addressed had been classified as follows:
F1 (Further investigation required without delay) – 4
A quote for remedial electrical work had been received.
A local firm had been invited to quote for a test and report on our cold-water tanks (and the related system of pipes and
valves) for the presence of Legionella bacteria. The results would be kept on file for comparison with the results from any
future (re)inspection.
The Legionella testing would include:
Inspection of the cold-water storage tanks in the tank rooms, along with the associated pipes and valves
Photographs of the above
A risk assessment
A report, with recommendations. A schematic showing the layout of the system would also be provided.
Gardens
The Gardens Director reported the preparations for the Summer were now underway: the geraniums had been taken out of the greenhouse and
planted out. Plants for the beds next to the terrace would be put in in two weeks’ time.
The Gardens Director was still unhappy about the work on the Ash tree at the back of the Court, next to Surbiton Court No 2’s driveway.
Photographs showed that the tree was looking lop-sided and any work there might have been was unfinished. Copies of the photos had been sent
to the tree surgeons and attempts made to contact them, so far without any result. The Chairman said he would write formally to them for a
response. If none was forthcoming, he would contact the Kingston Council’s Tree Preservation Officer, as the tree is subject to a
Tree Preservation Order.
10 small and 2 larger Red Robin plants would be planted as supplements to the existing red robin hedge along Surbiton Court No 2’s driveway.
Premises
The Chairman • Mr Shiel drew the Board’s attention to a leaking down-pipe outside three of the flats. He asked for their opinion whether
this pipe should be replaced by one in cast iron or plastic (painted a suitable colour). Cast iron has several disadvantages (cost, susceptibility
to corrosion, etc), so the Board opted for plastic.
With the approach of Summer, planning had started for work on the next staircase refurbishment. The Chairman was currently obtaining estimates
for the work.
Services
The Services Director would shortly be leaving Surbiton Court, so a new Services Director would need to be appointed. On behalf of SCRA,
The Chairman thanked thanked the outgoing Director for his contributions towards the running of the Court and wished him and his wife well
in their new home.
AOB
The Technology Director alerted the Board to new Legislation: The ‘General Data Protection Requirement’ (GDPR) which comes into force
on 25 May 2018. Although SCRA will need to comply as an organisation, he did not think the requirements were likely to be onerous in our
case.
The Insurance Director reminded the Board that our Insurers would be conducting their survey of Surbiton
Court on 15 March. He highlighted the documentation that he had been looking at, notably: Fire Risk, Health
& Safety, etc.
Fire Risk had recently been addressed with the circulation of a new Fire Safety Notice to all flats and a
corresponding page on the website.
All but two of the SCRA cupboards and tank rooms had recently been inspected for hazards and flammable materials.
The Insurance Director had prepared a short list of actions.
Gardens
The Gardens Director reported that the tree surgeons had attended the previous day and undertaken work
on the Maple and the Acacia in the central Court. Work on the Ash tree at the back of the Court, next to Surbiton
Court No 2’s driveway had not been carried out entirely satisfactorily. The tree surgeons would be asked to
come back and attend to it properly.
Premises
The Premises Director reported that DMS Brickwork had now installed the extra bollards. Wires would now
be strung horizontally between them. He asked whether there should be a single wire or two running parallel
to each other. The Board agreed that there should be two. The gates had been ordered and were being fitted
with combination locks and buffers (to prevent noise when closing); after that, they would be installed at
the entrances to the footpaths at the back of the Court.
The Insurance Director reported that he had recently attended a meeting of the Safer Neigbourhoods group.
He had learned from them that there had been several thefts of lead recently from buildings in the area.
Services
The Services Director reported that the regular cleaning of the common parts continued to be satisfactory.
The Technology Director reported that he had recently been contacted by HyperOptic, a provider of broadband
services, who were looking to install their own cable infrastructure in the area (optical fibre to the premises).
This would be independent of the existing BT and Virgin cabling. They were asking Surbiton Court and the management
of other blocks of flats in the area to sign Wayleaves permitting them to go ahead with surveying, planning and
installing their cabling and other infrastructure.
(UPDATE - for reasons given elsewhere on this site - see Notices - 16 April 2018,
it was decided not to go ahead with HyperOptic's proposal.)
By chance, the chairman had met a potential tenant who said that the letting agent had told them that
the gardens could be used for ball games. They was completely unaware of the Handbook or website. There had been
an exchange of emails with the owner of the flat who had said that he always ensured that his tenants complied
with the Terms of the Lease. The flat has subsequently been let to new tenants: they also said that they had not
been informed of the Handbook or website.
[Note: It is the duty of flat owners and letting agents to make sub-tenants aware
of the existence of the Surbiton Court Handbook and the website.]
One of the Estate Agents had erected a lettings board on the wrought iron at our front entrance. The chairman had
emailed the manager to have it removed. The manager apologised and said that the Agent's team would be reminded that
sales or lettings boards are not permitted anywhere in Surbiton Court.
Insurance
The Insurance Director said that our current insurers wished to undertake a survey of Surbiton Court and a date
had been arranged for 15 March.
Gardens
The Gardens Director requested authorisation for the hire of another skip for the garden waste that had
accumulated over the winter. The Board agreed.
Work would soon take place on cutting back the bushes and trimming the edges.
The wisteria adjacent to staircase 36 – 41 had now been moved back in place and secured. The plants had been moved
away from the balconies and columns over the summer to facilitate the renovation and refurbishment work. The Gardens
Director added that there are plans to install a trellis behind the wisteria to help support the plants.
A quote had been received to erect additional steel bollards along our boundary with Surbiton Court No 2’s driveway
and to install off-the-shelf wrought iron gates with combination locks. The work includes threading wires through the
bollards to create more of a barrier and the installation of steel gate posts to which the gates would be secured.
Some of the French drains were being invaded by plants which might cause problems later. The Gardens
Director said that some French drains had been cleared, but that in other places the concrete boards marking
the side of the drains were missing making it difficult to stop the plants from spreading. The chairman thought that
the boards did exist, but that soil had overtopped them and should be scraped away.
The Gardens Director informed the Board that Kingston Council were meeting on 06 February to consider the
application for remedial work on two of our trees. Once approval was granted, the work will be undertaken
(probably later in February).
Premises
The Premises Director observed that the water-based grey paint that had been applied in staircases 42-47 and
66-69 during recent redecoration was not wearing well. He suggested that a better paint should be applied (possibly oil-based).
He would look for alternatives and advise the Board.
Services
The Services Director reported that the regular cleaning of the common parts over the last month or so had been satisfactory.
The chairman asked whether there were still problems with lights going out sporadically on staircase 60-65. The reply was that it
still happened occasionally.
AOB
The Premises Director said he intended to write on behalf of SCRA to Kingston Council about the state of bins, rubbish
and uneven pavements in St Andrews Square.
The chairman drew the Board’s attention to plans by Kingston Council to develop the riverside area from Canbury Gardens
down as far as Ravens Ait. The Council were holding consultation meetings on Wednesday 31 January and Saturday 03 February.
The consultation period as a whole would run until 18 March 2018.