Russia Court Management Ltd

A robbery took place on Saturday, 7^th May at
164 Brunswick Quay at approximately 21.15-21.30

stephen.k.spear@met.pnn.police.uk

or telephone: 020 7232 6141

In the meantime, please make sure that ALL doors are locked behind you properly when you enter, or leave the building.

In April, you received your annual invoice for the services of Russia Court Management. Whilst no bills are ever welcome, the directors of RCM are pleased to confirm that for the fifth year running, there will be no appreciable increase in management fees! This represents incredible value for money.
 
At a time of increasing inflation and cuts in public services, RCM has managed to control costs for a fifth year in succession. Don't forget, the management fees you pay, represent an equal share of costs for communal lighting, buildings insurance, maintenance, cleaning and upkeep of the communal areas.  Additionally, we have been able to replace, this year, communal doors, entryphones and provide individual post boxes vall without adding to the charges that you pay!

RCM has one of the lowest annual management fees in the whole of London for similar developments., We can only keep costs down if you look after your environment, its communal areas and the development as a whole. Please take special care to look after the staircases and doorways. Do not fly-tip refuse anywhere around the development. Refuse must ONLY be placed in the provided wheelie bins. Any bulky refuse or furniture must be disposed of using Southwark Council's FREE collection service (020 7525 2000).    

RCM's managing agent, Red Brick has a new geographic contact number. You should use this number to contact Lucie Williams at Red Brick for all emergency property-related concerns or questions. Please note, Red Brick operate normal office hours Monday to Friday:

01438 303333

Please make a note of this number

• The directors of RCM Ltd. are currently consulting residents about the replacement and upgrading of entryphone units, communal front doors and lock-release mechanisms.
  The main staircase front doors and associated security mechanisms are over 20 years old - and require increasing attention through wear and tear. It is proposed that all flats that share a communal front door should have a replacement front door and entryphone mechanism. This will require the replacement of each flat's entryphone handset, front panel and internal wiring.
  
  If you have any comments or concerns about this upgrade work, please do not hesitate to speak to one of your resident directors or to Lucie Williams at RedBrick Management.
  
  Currently, there is only one RCM director that lives in Brunswick Quay itself - Malcolm Smith (150). He would welcome the addition of further resident directors to the Company - to ensure that owner/occupiers are properly represented on the committee. If you are interested in volunteering, or finding out more, please do not hesitate calling Malcolm Smith on 020 7119 5700 where you can leave a voice message.

Please be advised that following a management buy-out, the managing agents for Russia Court Management have re-branded as Red Brick Management.

In short, nothing will change. Lucie Williams will remain the property manager dealing with Russia Court affairs. There is however a new contact number for Red Brick - which you should use to contact Lucie:  01438 303333

If you are still paying your flat's management fees by standing order, please implement the change of sort code and account number at the earliest convenience. you will also need to quote your unique property reference - which has already been mailed to the registered owner of the property. If you have not received the letter - formally notifying you of the change in banking details - please contact Lucie Williams on 01438 724980

Once again, RCM is having to remind residents about responsible behaviour with respect to communal staircases and landings. It is absolutely FORBIDDEN to leave any items on staircases or landings. This includes rubbish, junk mail, plants, bicycles or any other personal possessions.

Failure to keep fire escape routes completely clear is a serious breach of your flat's lease.

There is a very serious reason why we insist that no items are left in the internal communal spaces within our flats. Keeping staircases and foyers clear of clutter is a key fire safety precaution.

Staircases and landings in flats have been designed to accommodate the maximum occupancy of the building.

Therefore, even if items are not flammable, their presence will increase the risk of trips and falls for residents trying to escape in the event of a fire.

Similarly any clutter will hinder rescue services who are trying to gain access.

Due to a last minute cancellation by Old Salt Quay, the AGM for Russia Court Management will now take place at Hilton London Docklands Hotel at 7pm, Tuesday 7th July 2009.

265 Rotherhithe Street, SE16 5HW

SEE http://www.hilton.co.uk/docklands


The AGM will convene in EITHER the Copenhagen Room or the Library - which can both be accessed from the bar area of the Hotel.

Apologies for the late change of venue, but Old Salt Quay cancelled the RCM booking at the last minute.

The electricity meter cupboards on site have to remain locked after a series of anti-social incidents, thefts and fly-tipping. All legitimate meter-reading contractors are equipped with the appropriate Fire Brigade keys.

If you wish to make your own meter readings please either e-mail mail@russiacourt.co.uk or telephone RCM on 020 7119 5700 (during normal office hours) to arrange an appropriate time for access to be granted.

When you contact Russia Court, please leave full contact details and a couple of suitable days and times for the meter reading to be taken.

Please note that you must remain responsible for the accuracy of any meter reading. Directors of RCM Ltd cannot do the meter reading for you!

Please be advised that the Annual General Meeting of Russia Court Management Ltd will be taking place on Tuesday, 7th July 2009 at 7pm. The meeting will be held upstairs at the OLD SALT QUAY public house, 163 Rotherhithe Street, SE16 5QU. (Please note the new location, NOT the Moby Dick public house!)

All leaseholders are very welcome to attend and vote at the meeting. (Any other residents and tenants are welcome to attend as observers.) You should have received formal notification of the meeting together with the audited accounts for the financial year ending March 2008 through the post. The letter also contained a proxy form to complete if you wish for someone else to attend the meeting in your place. If these important documents have been mislaid, please contact Amber Management using the green link to the left of this panel.

By now, you should have noticed the clearly improved standard of cleaning to the common parts of Russia Court Management's properties on Brunswick Quay. This follows the appointment of Spotless Cleaning Maintenance Services Ltd to the weekly site cleaning.

Russia Court Management is deeply sorry that the previous cleaning and maintenance service had to be suspended for the previous six weeks. This was for reasons completely beyond the control of RCM - and we deeply regret this interruption to the weekly internal and external cleaning regime.

Russia Court Management is pleased to confirm that normal service resumed, Wednesday, 10 June 2009.

Nevertheless, would residents be particularly vigilant to ensure that all refuse is properly disposed of in the green wheelie bins - and that NO recycling waste is EVER left outside properties, except on Friday mornings for the Southwark Council collection.

As from 6 April 2009, a new timetable is in service for the Thames Clipper Riverbus service running from Greenland Pier.

Details of the new timetable are instantly available from the "Local Information and Transport Links" panel on the right-hand-side of the web-screen.

From this autumn, Thames Clippers will be able to accept Oyster Pre-Pay cards in addition to the discounted fares already available to Oyster Season Ticket holders. Oyster Season Ticket-holders already benefit from a 33% reduction in standard fares. Oyster Pre-Pay users will be able to benefit from a 10% reduction over cash fares from this autumn.

By now, you should have received notification of this year's Russia Court Management Service Charge. Directors of RCM have worked exceptionally hard to maintain costs at a time of spiralling inflation in other areas. In fact, Russia Court Management is pleased to announce that for the THIRD YEAR IN SUCCESSION there has been NO INCREASE whatsoever in the management fees payable! This is in spite of sharply-increasing costs for buildings insurance and communal electricity.

All Russia Court residents pay an EQUAL SHARE towards the cost of buildings insurance, communal lighting and cleaning and the services of a managing agent in Amber Management Ltd. Please note that the elected Resident Directors of RCM Ltd do NOT receive any payment. Amber Management collect the service charge on behalf of Russia Court Management.

Please make ensure you have made arrangements to pay your annual service charge - fully, or by instalment - by 5th April 2009. Full instructions are included in the invoice sent out by Amber Management on 10th March 2009. If you have not received your invoice - or you have mislaid the payment details - please contact Amber Management immediately on Tel: 0845 2713 300

Only by ensuring prompt and full payment of the Service Charge by ALL residents are directors able to ensure that everyone's annual costs do NOT increase!

From 26 March, work will begin on replacing and upgrading most of the external light fittings around the development. New, more focussed and energy-efficient fittings will replace the existing outdoor lights. In an attempt to reduce Russia Court's soaring energy bills - and to be more environmentally responsible - we hope residents will appreciate the more aesthetic lamps as well as the better night-time security. The existing orange sodium security lights will - at the same time - be replaced by new energy-efficient fluorescent floodlights.

In the space of three to four years, the energy savings achieved by upgrading the lights will cover the initial investment in replacing the obsolete lights.

Several Brunswick Quay residents have reported problems e-mailing RCM directors on the mail@russiacourt.co.uk e-mail address. This problem with an e-mail server has been located and hopefully rectified.

However, any mail already sent to the above address since December 2008 may have been lost before delivery! If you still need to contact RCM Ltd directors, you may have to re-send your original e-mail message. To absolutely ensure delivery, you may copy your e-mail to 'russiacourt@btinternet.com'.

Additionally, anyone with a spam-filter on their e-mail account will need to add 'mail@russiacourt.co.uk' to your e-mail client's "trusted sender" or "white list". Otherwise, any replies from RCM may be falsely identified as spam e-mail.

Please see important communication from Amber Management regarding options for replacing old window frames with uPVC sealed units in the adjoining panel to the left, headed "Access Russia Court Documents".

The same letter deals with the possibility of RCM Ltd. providing bike racks for residents' use.

PLEASE ENSURE YOU RESPOND TO THIS MAILING!

Frogmore, the developers of the Leisure Park site are staging a second exhibition outlining their plans for the wholesale redevelopment of the existing leisure site across Redriff Road. their detailed plans will be available for viewing and comment at the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre:

Friday, 28th November & Saturday, 29th November

Please see the details listed opposite in the "Access Planning Proposals" link

Following on from the Conrad Phoenix planning exhibition 24-25 October, some 250 local residents took the trouble to view the plans and air their concerns to developers and architects. The main headlines to emerge from the "consultation" are:

* Up to 430 new homes to be built on the existing "Decathlon" sites. It is proposed 35% of which will be designated social housing.

* Decathlon will be reconfigured into a larger waterfront, two-storey building.

* Parking will only be provided for one-in-three properties! Some of the properties will be four bedroom houses. Therefore, there will be one parking space allocated amongst three four-bedroom houses!

* A ten-storey "budget hotel" is proposed for the corner of the current "What Stores" discount warehouse site - adjoining Surrey Quays Road - overlooking the Harmsworth print works. Only 20 parking spaces will be allocated for this ten-storey hotel! Guess where the other guests will leave their cars?!

* Little or no consideration appears to have been given to the transport impact of even more houses and flats being shoe-horned into the Rotherhithe Peninsular. Planners appeared unaware the Jubilee Line is already running at capacity - and with the deliberate under-provision of parking, the proposals will seriously overload current transport provision.

* A new Health Polyclinic is proposed for Site "E" - the current What Stores site. This is apparently in addition to the relocated Surrey Docks Health Centre - which is being re-located under plans for the Downtown Road site, (See separate link on the left to the Downtown Defence Campaign)

Please click the new link on the left-hand side "Access Planning Proposals" to see more details of the proposal. Remember, this is entirely separate from the plans to redevelop the Leisure Park site with up to 1,000 new homes.

Detailed proposals for the redevelopment of two further Canada Water sites have just been published. These plans concern Sites "C" and "E" - better known as the current Decathlon and the "What Retail" discount store (formerly the third Decathlon warehouse).

This development will transform the sites either side of Surrey Quays Road and involve substantial housing developments, a larger Decathlon store and development of a Polyclinic.

The developers are exhibiting their plans 24-25 October at Alfred Salter Primary School, Quebec Way. Unfortunately, the planners have given very little notice of the exhibitions!

A copy of the flyer distributed to homes in the area is also now posted on this site. Click the link called "Planning Proposals" in the left-hand menu headed "Access Russia Court Documents"

As you probably know, there is a proposal to completely redevelop the Leisure Park site across Redriff Road - including the redevelopment of the cinema, bowling, bingo and food outlets. The plan envisions the replacement of most of the on-grade parking with private and social housing and a student residence.

Details of the outline plan are accessible on this site. Navigate to the Russia Court Documents panel at the bottom left of this page and click on the Frogmore Plan. This will allow you to read and download the entire Frogmore presentation first unveiled in July 2008.

Once again, it has become necessary to remind residents about the danger of leaving obstacles on staircases and landings.

In the event of fire, the staircases and landings are the only route of escape. At night, and in the event of power failure, the staircases are plunged into darkness. Any item left on stairs or landings is a real hazard.

It is completely unacceptable to leave bicycles, toys, furniture, shoes, mountains of junk mail on the landings and staircases - as has often been witnessed in recent months.

It is clearly stated in each flat lease that staircases and landings must be left COMPLETELY FREE from any personal possessions.

Russia Court Management will take action against any tenant who leaves obstructions on communal staircases or landings. In addition, any possessions WILL be removed without further notice and the cost of disposal charged back to the flat owner responsible.