could well be within a conservation area. Rosina has the relevant professional experience. You can see for yourself courtesy of the Council website and helpful councillors.

http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/environment/land_and_premises/conservation_areas/conservation_areas_map.htm

http://kipublishing.com/images/Conservation%202%20001.jpg

http://kipublishing.com/images/Conservation%20areas%20001.jpg

1 September 2010
A Proxy form will be delivered to you. Can you help with delivering within your block?
Or you can print off a proxy form for Robert Whelan by following this link
http://kipublishing.com/images/COURTLANDS%20ESTATE%20PROXY.pdf
Dear shareholder
We have had some major changes on our estate this year, with the appointment of a new manager who lives on the estate, the loss of Shelagh Smith from the office and the closure of the Estate Office after midday. Meanwhile, the cost of owning a flat in Courtlands continues to rise. Staff costs, professional fees and management costs have increased by 69% in the last ten years and by 42% since the departure of our last manager with relevant professional experience in 2004.The largest increases have occurred in fees (82% since 2004) and management costs (312% since 2004). I have prepared a table showing the scale of these increases, which you can find, together with more information, on the website of the Courtlands Residents Group www.poormanagementatcourtlands.co.uk
The rising costs, coupled with a number of unfortunate incidents that have seen the Estate management criticised by the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal, seem to co-incide with the decision to appoint managers with no professional experience of residential property management. Until 2004 we always had experienced managers, who worked on a part-time basis as there is not enough work on such a small estate as ours to merit more. Since appointing managers with no relevant experience – first Alan Howard-Harwood, then Hugo Swallow (a former director of Courtlands) and now Ken Hassan (a resident) – they have been working full time and with a lot more professional help. As an example, the auditors costs have tripled under this new arrangement, suggesting the auditors are having to do more work on the accounts, in spite of the fact that the last two sets of accounts show large separate expenditures on book-keeping and accounts. We used to have a part-time book-keeper working in the office for a few hours a week, which was sufficient.
I am standing for election to the board on the following platform:
1.Courtlands needs a manager with professional experience of residential property management, working on a part-time basis
2.The Estate Office should be kept open during normal office hours.
If you are intending to come to the AGM, I would ask you to vote for me on this basis. If you can’t come, please fill in the enclosed proxy form and return it to me at the above address by Sunday 5 September at the latest.
It is in everyone’s interest to have the Estate well managed at an economical cost. I have lived in Courtlands for 23 years and remember, as many of you will, how different the estate was when we had a manager with relevant experience. By reverting to that model, we can have a well run estate, and also save ourselves a lot of money.
Yours sincerely, Robert Whelan, 13 Norfolk House
A Proxy form will be delivered to you. Can you help with delivering within your block?
Or you can print off a PRINTABLE PROXY FORM at http://kipublishing.com/images/COURTLANDS%20ESTATE%20PROXY.pdf

So, we have decided to run with helpful tips from residents. You can chip in and add yours. This should cut down on the administration and raise the standard and efficiency of our Estate.

Helpful Tip 1:

I'm sure residents must have been aware of the awful mess outside the bin room and over the grass of Sandringham House last Monday morning. (23rd August). Obviously a fox must have got in during the night. I was amazed to see, the next day, two bags of rubbish left outside the door of the same bin room!

Could we stop Residents behaving in this uncaring manner if a circular letter went around to say it was unacceptable?

There is one other matter which might help. Could Trevor and Daniel, or even the gardeners put some WD 40 on the heavy doors and thoroughly clean the runners. I'm sure that might stop the doors from being left ajar. I find my bin room door very stiff and awkward and it is always my worry that rats or a fox could get in.

Please accept that I am trying to make a helpful contribution to the smooth running of the Estate.

Helpful Hint 2:
In previuous years when the blocks were decorated either Andrew or Trevor went around and asked people if they had any broken panes of glass. This has not happened this year.

The advantage of this planning is that
1. It avoids any disputes with the painters at a later date. If they break a pane of glass that was not listed as broken that is their responsibility.

2. Broken panes of glass can be replaced BEFORE THEY ARE PAINTED IN FOR ANOTHER 5 YEARS.

3. Residents pay for the replacement glass.

Could we have this system continue this year PLEASE!

28th August: from Pauline.
Hi
I knew there were TPO's on some trees, why did they say there weren't? Which 15 trees are they planning on removing and why?

If you want I will come with you but it does depend on the timing ...

25th August:
Categories: Saving Trees from the chop
It is becoming more positive ... things could be looking up.

Courtesy of Councillor Pamela Fleming:

I am forwarding a response from our Arboricultural Manager from which it seems there are in fact some preservation orders on trees at Courtlands but not the Tulip tree. He has offered to meet you to look at this and I have responded to ask whether he wants you to get in touch with him or if he would prefer to contact you.

Reply from the Arboricultural Manager to Councillor Pamela Fleming

Dear Cllr Fleming,
I have checked, and can confirm that the Courtlands site is not within a conservation area. There are some preservation orders on site, though these cover oaks, and not the Tulip tree in question.

I would suggest that I meet the concerned resident on site to assess the merits of serving an order on the Tulip tree. As stated in previous correspondence, we would only normally do this if there is a realistic threat to the tree.

Are you happy with this approach? Thanks ... Manager .

Reply to Pamela Fleming from CROC

We'd love to meet him ... and I really don't mind who contacts who first. Thank you very much.

But, ... and when one helps someone there is (sadly!) usually a but ... what about the 15 trees that are about to be sacrificed!?

Yours very sincerely, and thanks again.

... Going back again to the tree felling fiasco, I just hope it's not too late to save at least some of the 15 due to be felled any minute now. According to the News letter of 27th July, the work is being carried out during August. Has a 'hold' been put on this work or maybe some has already started and the deed done?
Response st 2 local counci members are investigating this. We can not yet try to put a hold on this as there is a long, long waiting list for the tree officer to inspect the site, and according to Council records there are no Tree Preservation Orders recorded for our Estate. This is despite the fact that a long-standing resident has told us that they alerted the Council and tried to get the tree preservation officer to visit the estate. That was some 20 years ago when mr Collins was the Estate Manager.

More recently Pauline Mycroft, our last qualified estate manager had the Tree Office visit the Estate and plans for preservation were in preparation. The e.mail from Pauline is listed further down this blog.

Another respondent: read through the email correspondence. Is there any other way you can stop the management felling the trees eg by organising a protest of fellow leaseholders or having an extraordinary meeting called to deal with the specific issue, since the council is an obdurately broken reed. You might have to hlre an arboriculturist to testify the trees aren't diseased but if management can fell them regardless....

Can you ask someone from the council's tree department to call, take a look? There might be such a thing as a temporary protective order or maybe a court could give a stay of execution on some charge of wilful damage. You're resourceful .. Take a break, take a kit-kat, have a cup of sweet tea and sympathy, have a cat nap, and, recharged, return to the fray.

Response: time, money and the legal position are against us at the moment. That does not mean that things might not change.

Extraordinary General Meetings: to call one you need 20% of all shareholders to sign a petition. To collect these during a holiday week in August would be an impossible task. People are simply away - and perhaps that is why the month of August was chosen. Absent residents will just be presented with a fait accompli.

To put a motion to the AGM you need less signatures, but we still need to comply with the notice period of 21 days. We do have an AGM coming up in 2 weeks. However, a fair Chair should allow this tree culling to be discussed under any other business at the AGM if someone raises the matter.

This is important to the running of our Estate. 15 trees could just be the thin end of a wedge ... next time 30 trees perhaps? I doubt if the wood-choppers will stop at the first attempt.

If the Council were to step in we would have considerably more leverage, and might even be able to save some of the trees.