Meadows OBC Consultation Report – March 2010 Background and Objectives The report presents the findings of a consultation on The Meadows’ Neighbourhood Plan, conducted by Nottingham City Council. The consultation took place during the development of the outline business case (OBC) for the Meadows housing PFI and results were used to inform this. In previous consultations residents outlined a number of issues and concerns in the New Meadows. Issues raised included: • • • •
Problems with shared spaces near their house; Alleyways; Poor lighting; Difficult access to their street and many other things
This consultation asked about these issues and concerns in order to help with shaping the PFI and prioritising the key issues.
Sampling and Fieldwork For this stage of consultation NCC interviewed a total of 132 people of all ages across the Meadows Neighbourhood Plan Area. This sample size gives a confidence interval of around + 8% for the whole survey. Further breakdown of the sample to smaller subgroups (i.e. age groups or areas within the Meadows) will increase the confidence intervals, so differences between groups have to be very large to be statistically significant.
Methodology Fieldwork was conducted, face-to-face and in-home and at particular locations across the Meadows Area, between March 17th and 22nd July 2009.
Respondents Just over three quarters of respondents lived in the New Meadows area and 44% said they were tenants of Nottingham City Homes (NCH). Of those giving a valid answer to the question on ethnicity, 8 in ten said they were from a White British background with 7% being from an Asian ethnic background, 3% from a Mixed background and 3% from a Black background. Of those answering the question about age, 72% of respondents said they were of working age – between the ages of 16 and 60, and 27% over the age of 60 (see table below).
Age breakdown of respondents Age Group Under 16 16-17 18-24 25-44 45-59 60-64 65-74 75+
Number 1 1 5 41 37 8 18 5
Percent (of disclosed) 1 1 4 35 32 7 16 4
The Meadows Mosaic profile overleaf suggests that, whilst just 9% of the population of the Meadows fall in to the ‘Elderly people reliant on State support’ Group, 21% of survey respondents were in this group. Similarly, although the ‘young people renting flats in high density social housing’ Group make up 34% of residents, 43% of survey respondents were in this group. Conversely, whilst ‘lower income workers in urban terraces’ make up over a quarter of Meadows residents and ‘young, well-educated city dwellers’ Group make up a further 20%, just 22% of survey respondents were from these two groups.
Headline Results •
Residents of the New and Old Meadows generally agree with the proposals, but there are still concerns regarding the affect of new / remodelled housing on individuals and around increased traffic due to the opening up of roads.
•
88% of respondents like the proposed refurbished housing, with nearly 40% ‘strongly’ liking the plans.
•
88% also like the types of housing proposed, with a third saying they ‘really’ like them.
•
Just under 9 in ten respondents agree that proposed changes to transport in the Meadows will make it easier to get around, and just over 9 in ten agree with the idea to open up roads and have stronger links to enable improvements to community facilities.
Mosaic profile Your area or file: Survey Respondants Comparison area or file: Medows Residents Client: Client Name Your contact: account manager name
Date: 16/07/2010
Mosaic Public Sector classifies all consumers in the United Kingdom by allocating them to one of 7 Supergroups, 15 Groups and 69 Types. These paint a rich picture of UK citizens in terms of their socio-economic and socio-cultural behaviour. Mosaic Public Sector Supergroups
Your area/file
%
Comp.
A Rural and small town inhabitants
1
0.79
0
0.00
0.00
0
B Affluent households
0
0.00
0
0.00
0.00
0
C Middle income families
1
0.79
0
0.00
0.00
0
D Young people starting out
13
10.24
1,486
18.61
0.87
55
E Lower income residents
15
11.81
2,274
28.48
0.66
41
F Elderly occupants
27
21.26
723
9.05
3.73
235
G Social housing tenants
70
55.12
3,502
43.86
2.00
126
127
100
7,985
100
1.59
100
Total
% Pen. %
Index
The supergroups have been created to provide a high level overview of an area and are constructed by combining together the relevant groups. These groupings are; Supergroup A - Groups A and B Supergroup B - Groups C and D Supergroup C - Groups E and F Supergroup D - Groups G and H Supergroup E - Groups I, J and K Supergroup F - Groups L and M Supergroup G - Groups N and O Mosaic Public Sector Groups A Residents of isolated rural communities B C D E F
Residents of small and mid-sized towns with strong local roots Wealthy people living in the most sought after neighbourhoods Successful professionals living in suburban or semirural homes Middle income families living in moderate suburban semis Couples with young children in comfortable modern housing
G Young, well-educated city dwellers H I J K L
Couples and young singles in small modern starter homes Lower income workers in urban terraces in often diverse areas Owner occupiers in older-style housing in ex-industrial areas Residents with sufficient incomes in right-to-buy social housing Active elderly people living in pleasant retirement locations
M Elderly people reliant on state support Young people renting flats in high density social N housing Families in low-rise social housing with high levels of O benefit need Total
Your area/file
%
Comp.
% Pen. %
Index
1
0.79
0
0.00
0.00
0
0
0.00
0
0.00
0.00
0
0
0.00
0
0.00
0.00
0
0
0.00
0
0.00
0.00
0
1
0.79
0
0.00
0.00
0
0
0.00
0
0.00
0.00
0
13
10.24
1,387
17.37
0.94
59
0
0.00
99
1.24
0.00
0
15
11.81
2,274
28.48
0.66
41
0
0.00
0
0.00
0.00
0
0
0.00
0
0.00
0.00
0
0
0.00
0
0.00
0.00
0
27
21.26
723
9.05
3.73
235
55
43.31
2,736
34.26
2.01
126
15
11.81
766
9.59
1.96
123
127
100
7,985
100
1.59
100
Where YOU live. When asked about issues of concern in the Meadows, a number of respondents from the Old Meadows commented on issues around safety/crime and alleyways/walkways. A few comments were received from people who like where they live and do not have any problems. Residents of the New Meadows also commented on concerns with alleyways/walkways; issues of safety including road safety; lighting; and a number of comments were given around the shops/lack of shops and the precinct – both in terms of shops and safety. When asked about general comments about ‘YOUR’ area, residents mainly mentioned issues with bins/rubbish/litter; lighting; parking; alleyways and anti social behaviour. Several comments were received from residents who had no problems. Some specific comments were received from residents who had concerns about their own property – querying what would happen regarding their owner occupied housing, privacy (with roads being opened up), or properties they didn’t want demolishing. Several residents commented that they liked the embankment / river area.
Changing the layout of Housing and refurbishing properties. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents like the proposed refurbished housing, with nearly 4 in 10 ‘strongly’ liking the plans. % Strongly Like / Like
88.3
% Strongly Dislike / Dislike
3.3
q2a) Do you like the refurbished housing that is proposed?
The majority of comments on the proposed turning round of properties and redesigning streets were positive – with many residents agreeing it was a good idea to turn around properties and/or redesign the layout. A number of suggestions were given as to the layout, and a number of queries were received about how it would affect specific areas/properties. As before, there were some concerns and queries about the affect on owner occupied properties. A few residents commented that they were unsure or disagreed that the developments would deliver benefits to the area/residents.
Redevelopment Areas. Nearly 9 in ten respondents said they like the types of housing proposed, with a third saying they really like them. Just 4 people dislike the proposed housing with just 2 of these strongly disliking them. % Strongly Like / Like
88.0
% Strongly Dislike / Dislike
4.3
q3a) Do you like the types of housing proposed?
Again, the majority of the comments received were positive, with residents liking the proposed properties. There were a number of improvements to the plans suggested – including bigger rooms sizes, larger gardens, downstairs bathrooms etc. A number of queries were also raised about the plans, including accessibility, gardens and the use of cladding. Other comments on the redevelopment of the New Meadows were broadly positive, although again a number of suggestions were received, such as including more services, doing the work in stages, retaining some existing buildings etc. Several residents raised queries / requests about their specific circumstances and some concerns were raised about the disruption the development would cause to individuals.
Footpaths, Cycle ways and Roads. 88% of respondents feel that proposed changes to transport in the Meadows will make it easier to get around, and slightly more – 91% - agree with the idea to open up roads and have stronger links to enable improvements to community facilities. % Strongly Agree / Agree
88.4
91.3
% Strongly Disagree / Disagree
6.3
q4a) Do you think that the proposed changes to the transport network will make The Meadows easier to get around?
7.0
q4b) Would you agree with the idea of having roads open and stronger links to enable new and improved community facilities?
While a number of residents agree with the proposals, there were several comments raising concerns over increased traffic and over road safety. A few residents disagreed with the proposal to open up roads – mainly due to traffic, and the Meadows used as a rat run and a car park for non-residents, and a feeling that the existing route works fine. Some residents suggested more bus routes, more / less cycling, and more shops. A number had queries / requested more information on specific areas.
Conclusion The consultation suggests that residents of the New and Old Meadows are in broad agreement with the proposals, but there are still concerns regarding the affect of new / remodelled housing on individuals – particularly those affected by demolition, and those who are owner occupiers. Further consultation / information may be required when the project plans are firmed up – to let people know how they personally will be affected and disrupted during the development. There are also concerns around increased traffic due to the opening up of roads. Again, further consultation / information may be required when more detailed plans are made.