Present: David Meade (Chair), Russell Thompson (Glaxo Wellcome), Barbara Judge (United Nations Association), Malcolm Still (Tredegar Allotments), Richard Wiltshire (QED Website Manager), Graeme Laidlaw (Dartford Road Allotments), John Prance (Dartford Borough Council).

1) Apologies for Absence: Julie Morton and Steve Weiss.

2) Notes from the Previous Meeting: Accepted.

3) Matters Arising:

a) Dartford Festival: The feeling was expressed that the marquee was too large this year, and the exhibits which actually turned up were too few, which meant there were too many gaps. The question and answer board had generated the following question from a local resident which required an answer from QED: "Why don't the council and central government do more to promote the use of alternative energy?" It was agreed that the chair would seek information on which to base an answer from Rob Scott (DBC Planning) and Sheila Farley (Head of Housing, DBC). There is reference to energy conservation in DBC's Environment Plan which should also be cited in the reply. DBC can only enforce the use of alternative energy sources on its own property; since there is no statutory requirement, it is limited to offering guidance and advice to private sector developers. QED has a role to play in raising awareness in this area.

b) Terms of Reference: Revised terms of reference have been approved by the QED Steering Group. It was agreed that these would be circulated with the notes from this meeting.

c) Groundwork Project: Written details of the home composting scheme have been supplied by Groundwork to the QED Steering Group. It was agreed that these would be circulated to members of this group before the next meeting, and that Groundwork would be invited to send a representative to discuss the scheme further. The proposed use of the QED website in conjunction with this project was welcomed. Uncertainties emerged, however, over whether the proposed accommodation for the project would actually materialise, how the allocation of proceeds from sales to local charities would work, and how the "follow up and measurement" phase, in which QED is expected to participate, is to be organised and resourced. It was agreed that the chair would raise these issues with Groundwork before the next meeting. The project is unlikely to disrupt supplies of pallets to local allotment sites, further shipments of which are being arranged.

d) KCC "War on Waste": The expenditure request from KCC has not yet been considered by the Steering Group. It was agreed that a request should go straight from KCC to the QED Steering Group, c/o Alan Cremer.

e) Composting Green Waste: The use of a local allotment site to compost green waste from council-owned property (such as the parks) had not been discussed at the recent meeting of the QED Allotments Group for lack of time. Contacts have been made with the London Borough of Bromley, however, which has provisionally offered to host a visit to include an explanation of how their scheme is organised at the contractual level and a tour of one site where composting is taking place. Richard Wiltshire agreed to supply John Prance with contact details, and it was agreed that a visit be arranged at an appropriate time this autumn, to include representatives from this group, the QED Allotments Group and DBC. The QED Allotments group will then be in a better position to formulate a proposal. As regards alternative composting sites, Richard Wiltshire noted that the original plan for a QED project at Darenth Country Park had included a composting facility, and that this was not dependent on the model allotment/community garden scheme, currently on hold, actually going ahead. It was noted that Darenth Country Park is itself a generator of green wastes, from the stables and from park management activities. It was agreed that John Prance would discuss the possibilities with Padraig Herlihy.

f) Visit to Sutton and Reading: The proposed visit to horticultural therapy facilities in these two locations has been postponed until next year.

4) Recycling: Barbara Judge commented that population ageing, and the resultant loss of personal mobility, means that in future more recycling will have to be organised on a collection basis. While it is desirable (and the stated goal of DBC) to locate recycling points as close as possible to centres of population, this is difficult to arrange because of objections from neighbours in existing developments, and implications for sales of adjacent properties in planned developments. Guidelines on recycling facilities are made available to developers, but in the absence of a statutory requirement these cannot be enforced. Even when recyclable material is collected, the problem remains of finding markets for it. Recycling will be one of the themes in forthcoming Borough and Neighbourhood Fora, and John Prance agreed to seek an invitation for a representative from the group to attend, so that local people who wish to become active in the promotion of recycling are made aware of QED.

5) Environmental Monitoring and Quality Indicators: It was agreed that Duncan Phillips would be invited to a future meeting to give a progress report on the Environmental Audit.

6) DBC Waste and Recycling Issues Paper: John Prance had received some comments, and would welcome more. John was congratulated by the group on the quality of this document. A revised version incorporating comments received will go out for wider consultation in due course, and it was agreed that members will be sent copies of the revised document at that time.

7) Planning Applications: At present QED groups have no means of monitoring the flow of planning applications and identifying those which have important implications for sustainable development. A proposal has been made by the QED Biodiversity Group to establish an appropriate mechanism to achieve this. It was agreed that permission should be sought for QED to be added to the mailing list for the weekly digest of applications received, but also that the QED Steering Group should be requested to consider how this information can best be disseminated and used.

8) Other Business:

a) DBC Corporate Strategy Consultation: The chair has prepared a personal response to the consultation but there has not been time to organise a response on behalf of the group as a whole. The chair (and others) supported the view that DBC should circulate details of the timetable of forthcoming consultations further in advance if it expects those consultations to be effective. Richard Wiltshire suggested that QED groups need to develop the capacity to respond quickly to consultation opportunities, so that they can operate effectively without being dependent on the actions of partner organisations. It was noted that the Deposit Draft of the Local Plan is due out in early October, and that the consultation period may end before the group next meets. The chair agreed to bring to the attention of members of the group any sections of the Local Plan that may seem worthy of comment.

b) Hoardings from the YMCA Foyer Project: These are now coming down, and Alan Cremer has been asked to contact the developers to see whether the hoardings can be supplied to Tredegar Allotments for recycling. It was noted that the QED Youth Group has raised a substantial sum towards the cost of this project.

c) The Great Dartford Pumpkin Competition: York Road School has been unsuccessful in raising any pumpkins, and it is unclear whether any of the other schools in the competition have succeeded either. (Update: It has since been discoveredthat Wentworth School have succeeded in growing some pumpkins. The QED Allotments Group will organise the judging and awards).

d) Darenth Valley LEAP: This will be launched this week. Russell and David will attend, and it was agreed that a report on the LEAP will be presented at the next meeting of the group.

9) Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday November 24, 1999, from 7.30 at the Civic Centre.

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