Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter Cavendish Central
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter
At New Charter we would like all our neighbourhoods to be great places to live. We would like them to look great, have great services, feel safe and be a place for both work and recreation.
for 3 years and will be reviewed annually with residents to assess our progress.
It identifies the main issues that affect your neighbourhood and what needs to be done both by us and our partner organisations to To create great communities we address them. We want to focus all would like everyone to work our efforts on making sure you have together to decide how their local neighbourhood should develop and a great place to live so we will be working just as hard with a range of grow in the future and to improve other organisations on some of the on the services they don’t like and wider issues such as employment maintain those that they do. and crime. To make sure this happens we Remember, you are the experts in have produced a neighbourhood what it’s like to live in your plan for each of New Charter’s 32 newly defined neighbourhoods and neighbourhood and you will be our most important partner of all. this one is yours. The plan will run 02
You are the experts in what it’s like to live in your neighbourhood and you will be our most important partner of all.
GREAT place to live... The Cavendish Central neighbourhood is made up of two distinct housing areas; Central located in Dukinfield and Cavendish Mill located in Ashton under Lyne. The Central area consists mainly of one and two bedroomed flats and two and three bedroomed maisonettes. New Charter owns around 370 properties in this area, the remainder being owner occupied properties. The area benefits from a local Neighbourhood Home and Community Hub which is used for neighbourhood surgeries, youth club, DreamScheme project work and is also leased by the residents group and used by other community groups. Central Residents Action Group (CRAG) is a well-established residents group awarded ‘Outstanding’ in the ‘Big Community section’ of the In Bloom awards in 2010.
A gardening compound;“Central Bloomers” was created in the heart of the area where residents can grow their own plants. CRAG and GroundworkTrust together secured £50,000 from the Community Spaces fund to create a children’s’‘Monkey Park’ play area. There are a wide range of shops and amenities around the neighbourhood, and a good choice of local primary schools and high schools. Cavendish Mill, a former cotton spinning mill and grade II* listed building was converted into apartments in 1994. The scheme consists of 165 flats over seven floors. Cavendish Mill is located within the St Peters ward. The scheme also consists of Cavendish House, a three story building which consists of six one bedroomed apartments and also a commercial let at ground floor level, currently housingTameside Radio. There is an active Residents Association based at Cavendish Mill and they are working on the new Bio Mass centralised heating system, window cleaning, security provision and service charge levels. There are several schools in the area, including New Charter Academy.There Academy.There are excellent provisions for children which are delivered by St PetersYouth. St Peters Partnership also runs Enterprise Plus; supporting people access learning and job opportunities. The Cavendish Central neighbourhood has good daytime bus links into local busy towns of Ashton and Hyde and the new Metrolink will further improve links to the city.
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Down your street Here is a map and a list of streets included in your neighbourhood to give you an idea of exactly where your plan covers.
Cavendish Central St Peters and Guide Bridge
Does your neighbourhood have star quality? We have identified a range of indicators that tell us overall how great your neighbourhood is. These indicators are designed to tell us how much support we need to give a neighbourhood and what specific areas seem to be causing the most problems so that we can target services and resources to improve them. 04
We are using a simple rating of 5, 4 or 3 stars; 5 stars being the best rating, so you can see easily how individual sections within your neighbourhood are performing. Each individual indicator we have used has its own star rating which when combined together produce an overall star rating for your neighbourhood.
The indicators range from the time taken to relet houses to employment and education. You can see them all below with an explanation of what the ratings mean for your neighbourhood.
Alderley Terrace
Cook Terrace
Johnson Terrace
Queens Terrace
Astley Terrace
Crescent View
Kendal Terrace
Raven Terrace
Brompton Terrace
Dean Court
Kings Terrace
Shaw Terrace
Bude Terrace
Denyer Terrace
Lyme Terrace
Tatton Terrace
Cavendish House, Cavendish Street
Dukes Terrace
Newton Terrace
Taylor Terrace
Cavendish Mill, Cavendish Street
Earl Terrace
Peel Terrace
Warwick Terrace
Francis Terrace
Pennine Terrace
Wellington Terrace
George Court
Pickmere Terrace
Woolley Terrace
Hatton Terrace
Pleasant Terrace
Champagnole Court
% of current rent arrears
Average number of repairs
The neighbourhood has a relatively high level of rent arrears which means a number of households may be experiencing money management issues and be at risk of losing their homes. It is likely that a number of households may benefit from additional support.
The average number of repairs per property is relatively low and indicates that properties do not have any significant issues in terms of maintenance costs or property damage.
Average time to relet a property Generally the time it takes to let a property in the neighbourhood is too long which indicates a significant number of properties are proving to be unpopular. It can also take a relatively long time for people to be able to move into their new homes.
Tenancy turnover This shows that on average a significant number of people who move into the neighbourhood may only stay in their homes for a relatively short period of time. Although this varies across the neighbourhood it does indicate that many people are not as happy living in the neighbourhood as they could be and a significant number choose not to stay in the long term.
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% of live antisocial behaviour cases The neighbourhood experiences a significant number of antisocial behaviour or neighbour nuisance cases.This indicates that while residents treat each other with respect there are a number of incidents that do occur that have a negative impact on people’s ability to relax and feel secure.
The neighbourhood has significant problems with employment levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This indicates that many people in the neighbourhood are having difficulty accessing the jobs market and a significant number may not be well qualified for the jobs that are available.
Neighbourhood satisfaction
Education and skills
People’s general satisfaction with the neighbourhood as a place to live could be better and there are some significant factors that are spoiling their experience and quality of life.
The neighbourhood has quite poor levels of educational attainment and skills.This indicates that it may be difficult for people to access the training they may need to help gain employment or develop their existing career prospects.
Crime
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Employment
Household income
People in the neighbourhood experience high levels of crime and vandalism in relation to similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This means that people do not feel as safe and secure as they should living in and walking around many parts of the neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood has quite low levels of family income compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This indicates that a significant number of families may suffer the effects of deprivation and have difficulty in making ends meet.
Health
Access to services
The neighbourhood has significant health and disability levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This indicates that a number of people may have mobility problems of one sort or another, need some long term medical support in their homes and feel quite isolated.
People in the neighbourhood have relatively good access to a range of shops and services from a variety of organisations which are near to their homes.This indicates that it is relatively easy to go shopping for a range of goods as well as accessing advice and support on a range of issues in the neighbourhood.
Neighbourhood overall star rating This neighbourhood has the potential to be a great place to live but is currently experiencing a number of issues that affect people’s overall quality of life and enjoyment.The main aim for this neighbourhood is to identify a range of activities, service and initiatives that will significantly improve people’s day to day living experience. 07
Local knowledge: Auditing your neighbourhood Whilst the indicators show us useful trends and point us in the right direction we need more local knowledge to identify some of the specific issues we need to address. To gather this information we have conducted a neighbourhood audit asking the people who live and work here to identify what they think the issues were.
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What our Neighbourhood team told us Antisocial behaviour is a key issue in the neighbourhood relating to nuisance, vandalism and violence; particularly in blocks of flats around communal areas and stairwells.This is not an issue in every block but there are a number of hotspots.There is also an issue with drug related crime in the Cavendish area of the neighbourhood and incidences of low level youth nuisance in the Central area of the neighbourhood. There are also a range of more general issues that are the result of communal living and inconsiderate behaviour relating to tenancy conduct, excessive noise and littering which can affect the quality of some communal areas. Communal areas in the Central area also suffer from frequent fly tipping, occasional dog fouling and abandoned vehicles.
There are a number of vulnerable residents in the neighbourhood who require more direct support from the Neighbourhood team and other partner agencies.
Demand for properties is variable in the neighbourhood with a considerable number in the Cavendish area being difficult to let; this is not as pronounced in the Central area of the neighbourhood. Linked to this are a significant turnover of residents moving in and out of the properties because of neighbour issues and the size of properties relative to rent levels. Although this is centred on the Cavendish area, one bedroomed flats are also difficult to let within the Central area.
The Neighbourhood team work closely with both the Residents Associations to improve services, the team are also keen to develop new ways of talking to those residents who find it more difficult to get involved
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What you told us On average the people we spoke to rate the neighbourhood 7 out of 10 as a place to live. So while people are still being relatively positive about the area there are clearly significant quality of life issues that need to be addressed. The best features identified about living in the neighbourhood were: good access to the town centre shops and amenities, the caretaking service, the feeling of security, good staff contact, improved cleanliness and the“Monkey Park”. The concerns identified about living in the neighbourhood were: noise levels in the flats, bad language, loud music, dog fouling in some areas and the general poor reputation of the area. People raised specific issues with us about: A lack of keep fit facilities The Neighbourhood Hub should be open more frequently The lack of a Job club service in the neighbourhood A lack of mums and toddlers provision Poor grounds maintenance A need for more children’s amenities, child care and play facilities Very hard to cross the busy road into Ashton town centre with the underpass feeling very unsafe Would like a community cafe/neighbourhood shop A lack of police visibility More broadly people saw lack of access to computers, adult education, employment and benefits advice as things of direct impact to the neighbourhood.A lack of drop in clinics was also noted as was a lack of childcare services by younger households in the central area. 10
The best features identified about living in the neighbourhood were: good access to the town centre shops and amenities, the caretaking service, the feeling of security, good staff contact, improved cleanliness and the “Monkey Park� 11
What other organisations told us There are significant health issues in the neighbourhood compared with the rest of Tameside particularly in higher mortality, drug and alcohol dependency and mental illness.This is compounded by poor access to the right kind of health services and non-healthy lifestyles. Provision of the right kind of services for young families and children in parts of the neighbourhood is also a focus. Levels of teenage pregnancy are relatively high in some parts of the neighbourhood. Crime is a significant issue in some parts of the neighbourhood particularly in terms of drug related antisocial behaviour and vandalism in flat blocks. However high crime levels in terms of antisocial behaviour and violence are a result of proximity to the town centre and are perpetrated by people passing through the neighbourhood. The key issue here is therefore maintaining the good security provisions rather than resident behaviour. There is a general lack of play facilities for younger children. More broadly agencies think there is a significant shortage of early years provision and support for young families as well as childcare and play facilities more generally.
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There was also seen to be a number of isolated families who need additional support due to difficulties making links with the community and neighbourhood owing to recent arrival to the area and/or lack of extended family support. Accesses to employment, training and poor educational attainment are barriers for people in the neighbourhood.This is made more difficult given that many people in the neighbourhood need much greater levels of support to secure regular employment.The need to improve these support links and signposting was also identified here. Household income is an issue for a number of households with agencies identifying problems with benefit dependency. Access to services generally is seen as good in the neighbourhood although there is a need for more focused support services particularly for families and signposting to specialist advice services given the health issues identified in the neighbourhood.
What we saw together: Monkey park area looks good
Good lighting in shared areas
New recycling/refuse collection service is working well
Some dog fouling on walkways
Littering issues are dealt with quickly by CleanCare
Some walkways in the Central area need resurfacing
Fly tipping on Earl Terrace and Dukes Terrace Untidy area of privately owned land in the central area
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What do we need to do to make this a greater place? The aim of this section is to identify the activities needed to improve the quality of life in the neighbourhood based on what we have established and what you have told us. It’s effectively an action plan which shows what needs to be done in more detail.
Neighbourhood and community management
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What?
Why?
When?
Maintain high levels of physical surveillance and CCTV coverage in antisocial behaviour (ASB) hotspots. Continue working in partnership with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (TMBC), the Community Safety team and the Police and develop a longer term ASB action plan with the Police.
To reduce visible ASB in the neighbourhood and with the development of a long term strategy to reduce ASB this will reduce property turnover in some areas.
December 2013
Increase joint working with the Police with regards to ASB visits to residents.
To reduce serious or persistent ASB issues by early intervention with the Police and increase deterrence for perpetrators.
December 2013
Work with the Police and the Community Safety team on target hardening, surveillance and develop a more general policing plan targeting passing nuisance due to the central location, drug and alcohol related crime, vehicle crime and crime against vulnerable groups.
To reduce levels of vandalism and increase feelings of security for customers who feel vulnerable to crime by development of a long term crime prevention strategy, this will ensure consistent policing approach.
March 2014
What?
Why?
When?
Review the current facilities and range of activities available for young people and children.
To provide a broader range of activities for young people and children and improve their quality of life, links to employment and training.
January 2014
Work in partnership withTMBCYouth Services and New Charter’sYouth team to increase the work with youths who congregate in the neighbourhoods.
To reduce the level of antisocial behaviour from youths by providing positive activities and linking youths to other services such as employment and education.
April 2013
Work in partnership with TMBC Sports Trust on the provision of increased keep fit activities.
To improve the health of residents in the neighbourhood.
June 2014
Undertake a joint review of childcare and early years provision with TMBC teams.
To improve the quality of children’s support services in the neighbourhood and increase households ability to work full or part-time.
July 2013
Work in partnership with TMBC environmental patrollers with regards to dog fouling in order to increase prevention and surveillance activity.
To reduce incidents of dog fouling in the neighbourhood and raise awareness of the issue in the community.
September 2013
Work with partners to increase the signposting of residents to health advice and services including contraception advice, drug and alcohol support, mental health and health and fitness advisors.
To improve the health of people in the neighbourhood and the support available to them.
June 2013
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What?
Why?
When?
Consistently signpost and refer residents and their families to training, employment and income advice services including New Charter’s Great Opportunities programme and work with partners to develop young people’s employment readiness.
To increase chances of employment and maximising income.
June 2013
Link with existing TMBC and MiNT (Money Information Network Tameside) services to provide financial advice and refer identified customers who may find this helpful.
To increase residents access to banking services, affordable credit and insurance.
October 2013
Review the range of activities, advice and drop in services provided by other agencies at the Hub.
To increase residents access to advice, drop in services, community activities and networking in the neighbourhood.
May 2013
Work with a number of organisations and stakeholders on initiatives identified in their plans that will help improve the neighbourhood.
To improve services and maximise input into the neighbourhood from other service providers.
January 2014
What?
Why?
When?
CleanCare to increase targeting of fly tipping and litter hotspots.
To improve the neighbourhood appearance and quality of life of residents.
March 2013
Work in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and other partners to look at the feasibility of developing a job club.
To improve access to employment opportunities and training for residents.
July 2013
To provide a broader range of activities for young people and children and improve their quality of life, links to employment and training.
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Tenancy
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What?
Why?
When?
Maintain a sensitive and tailored lettings approach for all properties with the use of community lettings to reduce lifestyle clashes through unsuitable lets.
To reduce turnover of properties once let and decrease neighbour disputes.
April 2013
Increase tenancy and neighbourhood enforcement on activities that affect quality of life e.g. Nuisance, upkeep of gardens, noise and pet ownership.
To improve the quality of life for the majority of residents as well as identify and reduce unacceptable conduct.
May 2013
Make targeted calls and visits to customers in rent arrears to address the arrears and signpost to advice services.
To reduce arrears in the neighbourhood and therefore reduce the number of customers whose home is at risk due to debt issues.
March 2013
Signpost and refer customers who may benefit from the help of New Charter’s Welfare Benefits Advice team.
To reduce the number of evictions for non-payment of rent and provide more help and advice on managing finances.
March 2013
Provide increased support to residents who may be experiencing drug and alcohol related problems.
To reduce levels of neighbour nuisance and disputes in flats and help identified residents’ access health support and services.
April 2013
Maintain the Hub and provide a range of support services for residents to access.
To make it quick and easy for residents to access services and for neighbourhood issues to be dealt with.
January 2013
Provide increased support to identified families and residents and link them to support and advice services.
To help identified residents successfully manage their tenancy and reduce lifestyle clashes with other residents.
January 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Neighbourhood team to carry out monthly neighbourhood inspections (open to residents).
To provide regular monitoring of street level appearance and visible issues.
April 2013
Target residents who may be affected by welfare reform and provide advice and support.
To increase awareness of potential issues and help reduce debt and/or financial problems caused by welfare reform.
January 2013
Provide regular home visits to vulnerable residents.
To help vulnerable residents live independently in their homes and provide early assistance and links to other providers and services.
September 2013
We aim to... Make it quick and easy for residents to access services and for neighbourhood issues to be dealt with.
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Home
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What?
Why?
When?
Undertake a review of the general condition of walk ways and stairwells in the Central area of the neighbourhood.
To improve the appearance of neighbourhood and attractiveness of properties to potential residents.
April 2014
Undertake a review of the quality of the grounds maintenance service to the area.
Ensure green areas look good and improve neighbourhood appearance.
June 2013
Undertake a review of local play facilities provision in consultation with residents.
To ensure children have well placed safe places to play.
October 2014
Liaise with the owner of the unkempt private piece of land in the Central area and obtain permission to landscape.
To improve the neighbourhood appearance.
January 2015
Undertake a review of fencing and boundaries, including a review of fencing to communal areas.
To assess if existing fencing is adequate in terms of security and appearance and Identify any specific work needed to clarify fencing boundaries.
November 2013
To improve the neighbourhood appearance. 21
Involvement and empowerment
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What?
Why?
When?
Continue to work with the regular residents groups and provide any support they require to develop their activities.
To obtain detailed feedback from residents specifically on service and wider neighbourhood issues and work with them jointly on neighbourhood priorities.
March 2013
Consider the feasibility of setting up a community internet cafe with interested residents.
To improve access to shopping, provide opportunities for people to get together and increase the community’s ability to plan their own projects.
April 2013
Ask interested residents to be street representatives whose role will be to report any issues they or other residents are concerned about in their street or the wider neighbourhood.The Neighbourhood team will also contact the street representatives once a quarter to check progress and provide support.
This will provide a way for customers to report any issues to staff and to have them addressed promptly.This will also help improve the day to day service.
March 2013
Set up a neighbourhood improvement group with residents.
To ensure services are more customer and neighbourhood focused.
June 2013
Develop customer inspections on key customer identified issues.
To increase customer led monitoring of issues by getting the ‘customer eye’ view.
March 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Set up a neighbourhood facebook page.
To encourage a different type of dialogue between residents with each other and with staff.This will help with regards to reporting, supporting and discussion.
May 2013
Continue to work with the DreamScheme project and New CharterYouth team to help improve neighbourhood appearance and help residents.
To build community cooperation networks, increase community spirit, self help, improve inter generational links and build respect.
March 2013
We aim to... Build community cooperation networks, increase community spirit, self help, improve intergenerational links and build respect.
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What next? Great progress we hope!! Work has already begun in your neighbourhood on the various actions outlined in Your Great Neighbourhood Charter as well as in our other 31 New Charter neighbourhoods. We would like the Great Neighbourhood Charters to mark the start of a new phase of activity aimed at ensuring that all our neighbourhoods are the great places that we all want and know they can be. We will be reviewing the Charter frequently this year and we will keep you updated on the progress, you will have the opportunity to be involved in this so please watch out for advertised activities or requests for feedback. However there is no need to wait until then‌ if after reading this you have any questions comments or suggestions or if you would like to get more involved in helping us identify what we could achieve in your neighbourhood please contact us and give us your thoughts. You can do this by ringing 0161 331 2000 or contacting us via your preferred method, we can also arrange for someone to call and visit you in your home if you would prefer, we would really like to hear from you.
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Neighbourhood Fact File Here are some facts and figures about the people and properties that make up your neighbourhood which we thought you may find interesting.
Black Minority Ethnic
16.6%
55+
Under 16
15.52%
12.82%
18 - 25
13.09%
Number of properties owned by New Charter =
535
Properties by type
Maisonettes 118 Flats
417
Number of residents =
741 25
Final Thoughts We hope that over the next three years through the actions outlined in your Great Neighbourhood Charter we will really make a visible difference to your neighbourhood, making it more attractive for those living or thinking of living in it and improve residents’ quality of life. We think the key to success will be to continue to work together with you to achieve this.
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Contact us Main switchboard: 0161 331 2000 Emergency housing & repairs calls: 0800 027 0828 If you need an emergency repair during the following times: - Before 8am and after 6pm Monday to Friday - During weekends and Bank Holidays Antisocial behaviour helpline: 0800 027 0522 (24 hours a day)
@ contact@newcharter.co.uk www.newcharter.co.uk newchartergroup
Home and Community Hubs 2 Henrietta Street, Ashton 9 Albert Street, Denton 12 Clarendon Street, Hyde 63 Grosvenor Street, Stalybridge
Head office:
New Charter, Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7AT
@newchartergroup
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Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111