NEWS

---

This goes out to residents/owners at Sandown Lodge by email where possible, by hand otherwise and is posted here in the News section on our website www.sandownlodge.org.uk.

A warm welcome this quarter to new arrivals in blocks A, B and C.

Also, sad farewells to Sylvia McKee (flat 44) and Patrick Gabbett (flat 22), in each case special people who will be much missed, our condolences to both families.

AGM - RECORD ATTENDANCE

More than sixty of you were able to join us at the annual meeting on 31 July, a new record. Sincere thanks to all who came along and made it such a helpful and enjoyable evening, and to those who couldn’t come but submitted apologies and/or shared views on the agenda. Minutes are downloadable from the Resources page of the website. If you would like a hard copy, please ask.

RESIDENT/VISITOR PARKING  

Following adoption of the briefing sheet resolution and proposals at the AGM, new rules come in from October to support fair use of roadway parking. Please familiarise yourself with the changes. These are set out in sheet 10 of the updated Residents’ Handbook, downloadable from the Resources page of the website - hard copy available on request.

GARAGE ROOF SEALS   

An ongoing saga, apologies. After a series of delays and pricing queries, we now hope to carry out repairs to two of our garage seals in October. This will involve digging trenches in the grass area between blocks B and D.

AIR FRYERS - BE CAREFUL

Air fryers have become popular kitchen additions in recent years but also, according to news briefings from home insurers, an increasing cause of serious domestic fires. 

Recommendations for safe use: follow manufacturers’ instructions, don’t leave unattended, avoid excess oil, clean regularly, check for damage, avoid overfilling, keep them away from water. 

If you have an air fryer, please take care - for your sake and others.  

ROADWAY LINE MARKINGS  

These have faded in places so, last month, we experimented with a new product to restore them around blocks E, F and G. Early results are mixed. Performance will be monitored over the next month or two before deciding how best to tackle the rest of the estate.

HOUSEKEEPING  

A brief reminder about keeping bin cupboards tidy. For some mysterious reason, recent weeks seem to have seen an increasing incidence of messy pizza boxes, sticky floors and other obstacles to a happy estate. 

Full details about bin cupboard etiquette are in the Residents’ Handbook. For the sake of others on your floor, and caretaker Nicky, please read and follow them. Thank you.  

BARRIER BY BLOCK E  

In response to an AGM query about why the barrier key was removed in April - the square in front of blocks E, F and G has suffered in the past from lorries and other vehicles unrelated to the estate using it as a convenient turning circle, giving rise to safety issues. While leaving the barrier down to prevent this, the key was left in the lock to facilitate emergency access.

At April’s board meeting, concern was expressed that the barrier was being raised increasingly frequently for routine use and was often left up. It was also noted that emergency vehicles hadn’t in fact used the barrier on the odd occasions they had attended, hence the decision to remove the key into caretaker storage.

This decision is on the agenda for review at the October board meeting. Comments to the board before then are welcomed from interested parties.   

LAST, NOT LEAST...

As our Residents’ Handbook suggests, it is always a good idea to have a back-up key-holder registered with the estate in the event of emergencies. 

Over the coming months, we hope to implement an estate-wide update. We hope our wonderful residents’ committee team of block reps can assist with this. In preparation, please give thought to neighbours or local friends who may be able to hold spare keys for you.

The alternative, of needing to break through your front door in an emergency such as a serious water leak, could be costly given repairs are at owner’s expense.

Thank you for reading this update.  

Your directors 

Terry Davey (flat 53), Tony Green (flat 47), Richard Grace (flat 10), Andrew Humphreys (flat 26) and Paul Stokes (flat 41)