Annual General Meeting 2026
Minutes of Welshwood Park Residents Association Annual General Meeting
Wednesday 2 September 2026 at The Oak Tree Centre, St Anne’s Community Hall, 252 Harwich Road, Colchester.
Apologies were received from ten residents.
Minutes of the AGM held on 10 September 2025
The Secretary suggested one amendment to the item on page two of the minutes relating to the application to Essex County Council to have the footpath at the rear of No’s 17 – 27 Woodlands formally recognised as a public footpath. Whilst the application has been registered with the council the decision on the footpath could take up to five years. Other than this the minutes were approved as correct.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising other than those covered by the agenda.
Chairmans Report
Given by the Secretary.
The Chairperson opened the meeting by welcoming everyone present. Thanks were given to members of the committee for their support with administrative functions and fundraising activities over the past year. Particular thanks were given to a local resident for their time and expertise in guiding the committee and residents in opposing the Council’s proposed local plan. Thanks were also given to all residents for their generosity and support in our continuing fight to oppose the plans.
Two garden waste collections were carried out in December 25 and January 26 the cost of which was generously supported by contributions of £*** each from two local councillors. This item will be covered more fully in item 8 of the agenda. Issues raised by residents over the year included a report of diseased oaks around Welsh Wood due to acute oak decline. A specialist company from Colchester City Council dealt with this. There was a report of a rough sleeper in the field behind Woodlands in December however the individual concerned moved on after one night.
Ongoing issues were raised regarding a house in Welshwood Park Road which included dangerous dogs, fencing exceeding approved heights, and parking on the grass verges. These issues have all been reported to the Council. A report of loud music on the roundabout near the nursing home was received and resolved. There have been concerns raised about the aesthetics of the tarmac replacing paving stones on the pavements in Welshwood Park Road.
At the end of August, large branches were cut off from several oak trees and left on the footpaths in the fields bordering Salary Brook. Five of the trees are protected by tree preservation orders thanks to a local resident. Photographs were taken and sent to the tree warden, who was very concerned that no permission had been sought or granted for this. The tree warden indicated that the council will be writing to the landowner, issuing a reprimand about this, and warning that any further damage to the trees would lead to punitive action. However, since then the tree warden has contacted the Chair to inform her that without evidence it is difficult for the council to proceed. Several residents witnessed the destruction of the trees and will contact the Secretary to provide witness statements.
Finance Report
The Treasurer presented the report for September 2025 – August 2026 which is attached to these minutes.
The report shows a bank balance of £******.
The accounts were approved.
Residents voted unanimously for the committee to spend in excess of £**** on their behalf over the coming year in order to oppose the council’s plans for development in the area.
Update on Colchester City Council Local Plan
A local councillor reported that the council’s planning committee voted by 11 votes to 1 for the draft local plan to proceed to consultation on Regulation 19. The councillor was the only member of the committee to object to this. It was added that the plan has been modified in some areas in response to the objections raised by our consultants and residents in response to the Regulation 18 consultation. Two serious weaknesses in the current plan were pointed out. First that there has been no reduction in the number of houses being proposed (2000) despite the council’s own consultants advising that 40% of the site needs to be open space. Second, of all the sites proposed in the plan there remain important issues of viability in relation to PP9 (the fields surrounding Welshwood Park and St John’s).
A local resident then presented a comprehensive report on the timetable for the local plan which is attached to these minutes. It was commented that it was interesting that the council had appointed their own consultants to respond to the objections raised by our own consultants and by residents and that we had clearly “touched a nerve”.
We have commissioned our planning consultant to work with us on the next stage for continuity and he has strongly advised that we also enlist the services of the landscape consultant and if funds allow the ecologist to strengthen our case. Outline costs for these services are between £**** and £**** for the next stage. We will, however, need our planning consultant to be involved further down the line.
Both the local resident and local councillor agreed that we are now in a good position and need our consultants and individual residents to strongly object to the plans for development within the Regulation 19 consultation. There followed a lively discussion by residents during which it was pointed out that developers look at the bottom line. The less viable the site and the more the land is “squeezed” the less attractive it is to develop. Therefore, we need to focus on the constraints of the site in our objections.
The consultation on Regulation 19 of the plan runs from 28 August to 13 October.
A briefing note (crib sheet) highlighting the main issues to focus on will be circulated to residents in the first week of October. In the meantime, residents were urged to read the Regulation 19 documentation using the link provided in page 5 of the report, to make use of AI in any responses but to hold off on submitting objections until the crib sheet is available.
It is important to continue to record any wildlife sightings and to submit them to the Essex Wildlife Trust recording system called Nature Counts, residents can submit sightings using the following link:
https://www.essexwt.org.uk/nature-counts
Neighbourhood Watch
There was very little to report this year. Neighbourhood Watch emails are no longer being received. If anything causes concerns to residents please let the Residents Association know.
Garden Waste Collection
Following on from the finance report, the Chair confirmed that the cost of two garden waste collections was high (£**** for two vehicles in 26/27) and that the second collection in particular was under used by residents.
Two options were presented to residents namely:
- Leave things as they are with two collections and raise the annual subscription.
- Reduce the collections to one per year.
The majority of residents voted to have one collection in the future with two people voting to have two. It was therefore decided to have one collection this year which will take place on Saturday 28 November 2026 between 8.30 – 11.30am. Further details will be circulated nearer the time.
Election of Officers
The Chair thanked the outgoing Treasurer and a committee member who is leaving the committee for their service. The outgoing Treasurer will remain a member.
The election of a new Treasurer, a co-signatory and a new member were approved. The meeting confirmed existing members of the committee as re-elected.
The list of committee members is as follows:
10 members.
Any Other Business
A local resident thanked the Chair for all her hard work on behalf of residents over the past year which included attending and speaking at all the meetings of the council’s planning committee.
It was suggested that the posters and signage around the estate needed to be updated for the Regulation 19 consultation. The committee will organise this shortly.
The Chair of the St John’s Residents Association said that the two associations were increasingly working together in objecting to the council’s plans and emphasised the importance of this collaboration continuing.
A resident proposed a vote of thanks to the councillors for their continuing support and for attending meetings.
The meeting closed at 8.50pm.