60 Ethelburt Avenue
Southampton S02 3DD
July 1990
Dear Neighbour
HERBERT COLLINS ESTATES
Proposed Residents’ Association
At the end of April a meeting was held at Swaythling Methodist Church to consider whether it would be a good idea to form a residents’association of the people who own or live in Collins houses in the Bassett Green/Swaythling/Thornhill area. The idea was warmly supported by the meeting and a working party was chosen to carry the idea forward. At the meeting we tried to get at least one representative from each road or group of roads and this was the result:
Robert Kerr 60 Ethelburt Avenue 584598 Interim Chairman
Steve Clark 65 Bassett Green Road 671413
Ann Clarke 63 Ethelburt Avenue 558266
Derek Clarke 22 Leaside Way 555691
David Compton 47 Bramdean Road 463034
Fred Gardiner 11 Stoneham Lane 585294
Ray George 75 Bassett Green Road 556056
Ian Moules 58 Ethelburt Avenue 582316
Phil Ward 52 Ethelburt Avenue 584410
David Compton agreed to look after Pine Drive East and we all promised to tend the interests of Field Close while there was no separate representative among us.
Your working party believe that a residents’ association would be of benefit to us all. We live in a conservation area of charm and distinction which we are sure you,like us, want to retain and where possible enhance. The fact that we have chosen to live in this rather special area surely means that we care about the general ambiance and amenities and that we set some store by preserving them for the general good. We think a residents’association could be of help to us all in many practical ways, such as in finding out where to get bricks or tiles to match those around us when we want to build an extension or to repair the roof. It could act as the voice of the residents in dealing with, for example, the freeholders, Woodhill Properties, or the local council. These are just our first ideas; others may occur to you and, if they do, please let us hear about them. Any member of the working party will be pleased to hear from you.
A questionnaire is attached to this letter. What we are suggesting is that you have a look at this and let us have your comments, together with any other ideas you have about the association, what it might do and how it might work. The questionnaire will be picked up from you but,if we fail to make contact, please leave it at one of the working party houses. The working party will consider all the views and comments received and will then call a general meeting of all the residents to establish the association and elect its first committee. We hope to make the evening a social event once the business part is over. We expect this meeting to take place in mid-September and we look forward to seeing you there.
Yours sincerely,
R Kerr
Interim Chairman