Minutes from the open meeting of Residents Association (DRA) and Neighbourhood Watch on Monday 14th April 2014

at 6pm in the Old Crown restaurant. 1. Roll Call and Apologies

Present: Manjit Panesar, Bal Chohan, Rosie Pocklington, Lucy Cattel, Dervla O’Mahony, John Gordon, Lisa Zdravkovic, Elisabeth Hewitt, David Barnes, Gurshinder Sohal, Pamela Pinski. Apologies: Tim Franklin, Richard Trengrouse, Ian Winkles, Glenn Howells, Trevor Pitt, Mike Hopkins, Joe Holyoak, Gail Maynes. 2. St Patrick’s Parade

The parade was deemed a roaring success, with good weather, good spirits and good policing. There were only nine arrests for the gathered crowd of 80,000. 3. Shisha Lounges

DRA is campaigning to improve the regulation of shisha lounges, in light of the recent fires/arsons. Our next meeting in June will focus on this subject, with input from colleagues in planning, environmental health, fire service, and police. 4. Environment and Litter

There have been some improvements in litter recently, particularly on Warwick Street, but there is still a long way to go. Colleagues from Maverick and Ember Television pointed out issues on Heath Mill Lane. John Tighe of The Spotted Dog and Michael Dadra of Nisa Local both sweep the footpaths outside their businesses daily - they were commended and held as an example of good practice. 5. DRA Response to Birmingham Curzon Masterplan

Our response will be submitted by the deadline of 24th April. Overall, the plan seems to be a good blueprint, but fails to address the digital future of the city. See more on our website. 6. Police Report and Neighbourhood Watch News

The Digbeth Police are also working on a winter initiative to coincide with the clocks going back in the autumn, and have started patrols on weekend evenings to support the night time economy. Nechells Tasking Group meetings will take place on 30 April, 28 May and 23 June at 18:30 in the Paragon Hotel. 7. “You Are Here”

More information about the "You Are Here" series of events is available on our website. Residents were warmly encouraged to take part. 8. Any other business a. Hyperlocal Conference

Pamela attended a West Midlands Police conference aimed at engaging with Hyperlocal websites (such as DRA). It was well attended and useful conversations were had. b. Active Parks launch at Eastside City Park

All residents and supporters were invited to Eastside Park on Monday 5th May to join in the planned activities such as rounders and croquet. More information on our website.

c. Peaky Tours

With renewed interest in Peaky Blinders, DRA was encouraged to announce dates for the new Peaky Tours. d. Typhoo Factory Event

Elisabeth visited the Typhoo Factory recently, and invited comments from residents who may be interested in using the space for community-led events. e. Rainbow Beach

The Rainbow has opened a beach in Digbeth, half covered and half exposed. DRA have been invited to use it for a community event. f. Dissertation Support Request

Dervla O'Mahoney is currently writing her dissertation on Irish Migration and wanted to learn more about its impact on Digbeth. g. Council Award

DRA was recently presented with an award recognising our community contribution by Birmingham City Council. The award will be circulated among our active members in appreciation of their hard work. 9. Date and Time of Next Meetings

The next committee meeting will be held on Thursday 8th May 2014 at 8pm in the Spotted Dog. The next open meeting will be held on Monday 9th June 2014 at 6pm in the Old Crown restaurant, High Street Digbeth.