Sir Bob Russell, High Steward of Colchester, attended the annual meeting of Colchester Civic Society – members of which operate throughout the year, in a voluntary capacity, striving to make Colchester a better place for residents, for those who work here and for visitors. Here, full-circle from his days starting out in journalism in Colchester in 1963, Sir Bob dons the mantle of a roving reporter to give readers a sense of the work carried out by the civic society.

Colchester Civic Society – whose members over the past 55 years have promoted pride in the town in a variety of ways – has experienced an extremely busy 12 months, chairman Jo Edwards reported to the annual meeting.

She told a packed hall at Grey Friars Hotel: “We certainly involve ourselves in a hugely diverse range of activities.”

These ranged from litter picks to campaigning to save Victorian street lamp columns and from compiling a register of commemorative plaques on buildings to commenting on planning applications of which the one proposing blocks of student flats on the former bus station site off Queen Street had been the most significant in the past year.

Mrs Edwards said the civic society had taken a leading role in opposition, with Colchester Council’s planning committee unanimously refusing the application.

She gave an account of matters surrounding the controversial application and said that should the developers lodge an appeal: “We will be ready!”

Another success for the civic society had been the restoration, by Anglian Water, of the Victorian pumphouse building at the foot of Balkerne Hill.

This Listed Building had visually become an eyesore, but thanks to representations by the civic society the necessary restoration work was carried out.

The poor condition of phone boxes in the town prompted the civic society to undertake an audit which revealed that only 12 of the 42 were fully operational.

Details were sent to BT, whose reaction Mrs Edwards said was “astounding” with all of them immediately repaired as a result of what had been reported to them.

Another campaign has been the removal of plastic cable ties.

Mrs Edwards said: “Irritated by the vast number of ties attached to lamp posts, street lights etc, ties that had held statutory notices such as those about parking restrictions and licensing applications, Sheila Anderton and other members have been clipping them off...more than 2,000 have now been removed.

“We have spoken to the Councils and North East Essex Parking Partnership and are trying to find a solution to the problem.”

Mrs Edwards also referred to the success of having the seats in the grounds of St Botolph’s Priory repaired. She said: “It has taken ages to get this work done but the message finally got through.”

Elsewhere in her report she said the society is “still battling with Essex County Council for a sensible resolution of the vehicle U-turn issue at Lewis Gardens.

"The red and white barrier on East Bridge is another bone of contention as are the awful barriers on the Cowdray railway bridge.”

In a wide-ranging speech of the past year, Mrs Edwards stressed the society provided assistance to the borough council and other bodies where this was deemed to be for the greater good of Colchester and its residents.

Feedback showed the council and others appreciated what the society was seeking to achieve and there is a keen spirit of co-operation.

She said: “We are now in the happy situation where we can often resolve issues with a quick call or email because we have developed ‘hot lines’.

"These ‘hot lines’ tend to be two-way. We are now being consulted far more, which is really valuable.

“Consultations this year have included one about an application to the Future High Streets Programme and now we have been asked whether we can be involved in a consultation about a Walking Strategy for Colchester.”

She said that research undertaken by member Paul Rusiecki with an audit of all the First World War memorials in the town had now been placed on the society’s website as a permanent resource.

This was the society’s contribution to Colchester’s programme of events for the 100th anniversary of the end of the war, and was launched at a talk given by Mr Rusiecki in the Mayor’s Civic Suite at the Town Hall last November.

Another “extraordinary piece of research” was undertaken by Bob Mercer into Colchester’s historic cast-iron lamp posts which are not being maintained by Essex County Council.

This is a matter of concern not only to the society but also the Dutch Quarter Association and the Roman Road and Castle Road Residents’ Association.

Mrs Edwards said: “It is not just lamp posts at risk. Bob got on his bike.

"He spent many, many hours searching every street within the old borough boundary for lamp posts, bollards, drain covers, railings, gates etc made by Colchester foundries.

"His amazingly detailed report is now also on our website.”

Mr Mercer had also undertaken a second research project, recording all the old ceramic street name signs which the borough council wish to preserve.

The society provided an advisory service to Colchester Council with the naming of new roads, with the street names committee chaired by former Mayor Henry Spyvee. Six roads on a new estate at Tollgate, Stanway, had been named after former mayors.

Mrs Edwards said the society’s monthly discussion group coffee mornings had grown over the past year and there was now a regular attendance of 30.

Members raised a wide range of matters under what is described as the society’s “eyes and ears” initiative – which are taken up variously with the borough or county council.

Matters pursued by the society included graffiti, fly-posting, litter, abandoned road works barriers and cones, signage, potholes, faulty street lights, damaged bins, public seating.

Commenting on planning matters, on behalf of the society, had been led by John Burton, the society’s president, and Brian Roach and Bob Mercer.

Plans for Doe’s Mill, East Bay, “have been considerably altered following our intervention – still far from perfect, but we live in hope.”

Planning issues being pursued are the first floor bow window at Superdrug in High Street, which is rotten and disintegrating; and plans by Colchester Council to alter and extend 60 Creffield Road which is in a Conservation Area.

It is , of course, looking at the plans for the Essex County Hospital site and has made a number of suggestions already.

Georgia Tamblyn represented the society at licensing hearings, with Mrs Edwards telling members: “We have been so frustrated by the council ignoring its own policy on licensing and allowing licences for hours way beyond its own stipulated limits.

"Even more troubling are the applications for property it actually owns.

"Georgia has managed to thwart some excesses, but the problems still remain.”

Mrs Edwards said the licensing committee seemed to forget that more people are now living in the town centre.

Ged Dickinson was praised for “walking the town’s public rights of way, reporting graffiti, abandoned shopping trolleys, litter overgrown paths etc".

Further praise was given to new member John Collett who gathered a small team, including another new member Paul Larkin, to spend two days transforming the overgrown footpath from Cowdray Avenue to the railway line so that it was passable for pedestrians.

Mrs Edwards said: “Others in the society were involved in the Great British Spring Clean litter pick around the town centre.”

More such litter picks are planned for the year ahead, with one undertaken last week when members collected 20 bags of rubbish in the centre of Colchester as far as St John’s Green and East Bay.

Another of the major projects to come to fruition this year was the Colchester Civic Society Plaque Trail, as suggested by Henry Spyvee.

He joined Rosemary Jewers who led the research into each plaque, supported by Jayne Richardson, Georgian Tamblyn and Sir Bob Russell, and all are now featured in digital format.

The year had started with a donation to the Mercury Theatre for a seat in the refurbished theatre to carry the name of the Civic Society.

Alongside all the work carried out by members – individually, by the executive committee, specialist committees and from the monthly informal meetings at Grey Friars - the society also has a programme of social events and educational visits to places of interest around the country. For the past 40 years this has been arranged by Mrs Edwards.

The society is keen to increase its members and, for the first time, it is seeking corporate members.

A new vice president is the Bishop of Colchester, Rev Roger Morris.

For further information, Mrs Edwards can be contacted on 01206 868254. Visit colchestercivicsociety.co.uk.