The origins of the Redland & Cotham Amenities SocietyIn March 1973, when it was seen that the roofs of two
splendid houses less than eight years old were being removed at 153 and
155 Redland Road. Enquiries were made which showed that a planning
application for a block of offices and penthouse flats had been
submitted. The planning register showed also an application for a block
of flats at 52/54 Coldharbour Road.
Three friends,
realising that
they had no means of being forewarned of such
applications, invited the residents of St.Oswald’s and Canowie Roads to a
meeting to discuss the implications for the Redland Green area of the
pressure
of property development. The idea was put forward in the invitation that
there
might emerge a ‘Redland Green Preservation Society’ whose function would
be
primarily one of informing its members of planning applications in their
areas.
There was an enthusiastic attendance at this meeting on 13th March 1973, at which an ad hoc committee was elected to arrange and publicise an
Inaugural Meeting of a ‘Redland Green and District Amenities Society’
which
was held in St Alban’s Church Hall on 17th April 1973.
Over 3,000
invitations
were distributed, and about 150 people attended the meeting. Dr B A
Cottle gave
an illustrated talk on ‘The History and Character of Redland’ and many
volunteers came forward to offer their help in various capacities to
launch the
activities of the Society.
At the meeting some people from Cotham, who
had been
contemplating a similar activity, expressed a wish to participate, and
it was
agreed that a constitution should be drawn up for a Society to be
registered as
a charity with the title of the ‘Redland and Cotham Amenities Society’.
So
the Society was born, with a constitution modelled upon that of its
older and
highly successful neighbour, the Clifton and Hotwells Improvement
Society.
The first Annual
General Meeting
of the Society took place at the Friends
Meeting House in Hampton Road, on Monday, 1st October 1973, just six
months
after the meeting of the three friends who proposed the plan.
At the
time of
this meeting the basic structure of the Society had evolved, groups of
volunteers had been organised to read the planning register every week,
sift the
applications and notify members of proposed developments.
A committee
was
elected to maintain the organisation and finances of the Society, and it
held
its first meeting on Tuesday 9th October 1973, electing its own chairman
in the
manner prescribed by the constitution. The committee formed
sub-committees which
co-opted further members as their work required, and as volunteers
presented
themselves, charged with the following tasks:
- Planning
- Parks and Gardens
- Roads and Traffic
- Membership
and Finance
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