Meeting: Residents Meeting – Base
Date of Meeting: Thursday 22nd February 2024
Held at: Newhall Projects Office
Issued by / on: Friday 28th June 2024
Present:
Zack Jermy – Property Manager from SHW (ZJ)
Dominic Brownlee – Estate Manager at Newhall (DB)
Marco Devereux – Project Engineer for Newhall Projects (MD)
Derek Hamilton – Communication and Community Development Coordinator (DH)
In addition to homeowners from over 10 different properties (names & addresses omitted due to GDPR Regs)
Overview of Previous Meeting Minutes
ZJ introduced himself to those present as the current Property Manager from SHW, looking after the estate while Laura was away on maternity leave. DH, DB and MD also provided brief introduction and detail as to their roles.
Overview of Previous Meeting Minutes
ZJ discussed items appearing on the previous meeting minutes and summarised accordingly:
Dead plants had been reported on Dewsleys Lane – ZJ confirmed that new plants and shrubs had been planted December 2023 as part of a larger re-planting exercise across the development as a whole. They will continue to be maintained by the landscaping teams and should bloom/grow as spring develops.
Complaints had been previously raised about a lack of landscapers attending during Covid, but that residents were still required to pay. ZJ advised that areas at the time had still been managed by Countryside, and that no resident estate charge funds had been used to fund these.
Concerns had been raised over parking, with cars regularly parked on grounds/verges and killing plants. ZJ and DB confirmed that regular walkabouts on site were conducted to review any parking issues, and notices are placed on offending vehicles. Countryside/Vistry have set up parking enforcement in certain areas but not all, as some residents voted against such.
Bins had been frequently left out on pavements, DH confirmed that this had been successfully addressed by way of previous correspondence sent to offending parties.
Service Charge Budget 2024 and Associated Increase
ZJ confirmed the annual estate service charge has risen by approximately £60 per year, per property. ZJ explained it was appreciated that such an increase was a concern for many and expressed his regret that it was not communicated farther in advance of the new bills.
ZJ explained that the approximate 17% increase had been necessary in order to better reflect anticipated expenditure. ZJ pointed to minimal increases applied over the last 3-4 years’ service charges, which had been maintained at between £300 and £325 since before Covid. When considering the total inflation over this same 3-4 year period, the estate charge had increased at a very similar level.
Grounds Maintenance & Landscaping
ZJ advised one of the primary reasons for the increase in service charge collection was the rise in landscaping costs, which was retendered in 2023 and awarded to Majestic Garden Services, who replaced Honours in April. ZJ asserted that the overall reaction to this change had been positive.
A resident queried which specific areas they cover, as they did not believe the whole estate was maintained. ZJ confirmed that not all areas had been handed over from Countryside/Vistry yet, including areas that had been fully occupied for some time.
ZJ further explained that Newhall Projects and SHW were not prepared to accept handover unless the site was brought to a sufficient standard; the rationale behind such being that the estate service charge, and in turn residents, should not have to bear the cost that should be borne by Countryside/Vistry as developer.
ZJ agreed that the handover of completed areas at Base was taking longer than it should, and advised that Newhall Projects had obtained a quote from Majestic and presented such to Countryside for approval, in an effort to escalate the process. As of the time of the meeting, affirmative response had not been provided, despite multiple attempts to chase and push forward the matter.
MD advised that Countryside have recently been bought out by Vistry Group, and that lines of communication had recently changed and were seeing improvements. MD expressed his quiet confidence and hope that there would begin to be handover movement within the next couple of months, at which time the areas would be included in Majestic’s scope of works. Residents were encouraged to put pressure on Countryside/Vistry as well.
A resident raised a concern surrounding DB’s estate manager salary not being paid out of the management fee, and appearing as a separate line item on the budget. ZJ explained that the estate manager role sits separate to that of the SHW Property Manager, and that the estate manager’s appointment is made on behalf of Newhall Residents Association Limited, although SHW manage the role’s administration aspects. ZJ added that a description of each role will be issued shortly, which will detail the responsibility of each individual position – i.e. the role of SHW, the estate manager, Newhall Projects, and so forth.
A question was raised on how long it will be until [the management of] Newhall is passed over to residents themselves. MD advised that a definitive timeframe had not yet been finalised but full handover could likely be around 3 to 4 years away but could not confirm. ZJ added that before any such action could be considered a basis of ambassadors or community representatives would need to be set up, and a greater emphasis on more positive involvement with residents, in regular discussion settings with a consultation group.
A resident queried whether they were made aware when contract was retendered with Majestic. ZJ advised that the most recent re-tender had not involved residents to a great extent, citing that the works did not fall under Section 20 consultation requirements, but he did recognise that a number of residents would like to be involved to a greater extent, and moving forward greater agency/information would be provided, when possible, on the contractors and service providers chosen for larger items around the estate.
A couple of residents made comment with regards to the discovery that not everyone in the ‘Base’ area of Newhall is paying towards the estate service charge, having not received demands. ZJ advised that SHW are reliant on receiving information from the developer and buyer’s solicitors in order to accurately to provide completion paperwork but is aware of a small number of properties that have not yet been confirmed on the system. ZJ has carried out a reconciliation with the client accountant to ensure properties are set up correctly.
With no other business meeting finished at 9:30pm.
